By Ayo Kehinde
Nigeria’s crude oil production surged to 1.78 million barrels per day (mbpd) in July 2025, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Chief Executive of the Commission, Gbenga Komolafe, disclosed this on Monday during the opening of the 2025 edition of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition (NAICE) in Lagos.
Represented by Enorense Amadasu, Executive Commissioner, Development and Production at NUPRC, Komolafe noted that the July output marked a nearly five per cent increase from the 1.7 mbpd recorded in June.
He attributed the improvement to the Commission’s ongoing production enhancement efforts, including the Project 1 MMBOPD Incremental Initiative, which seeks to raise national output by one million barrels per day through collaboration and optimisation of field operations.
“We crossed the 1.8 million barrels per day mark at peak production last month, with an average of 1.78 mbpd. This progress is the outcome of collective efforts by stakeholders and regulatory interventions implemented under our production enhancement framework,” he said.
Komolafe explained that part of the success came from the synchronisation of turnaround maintenance schedules, reduction of downtime, and optimisation of the Maximum Efficient Rate (MER) across production assets.
He added that the Commission is leveraging digital tools to streamline operations, eliminate delays, and enhance data integrity for informed decision-making.
Speaking on the conference theme, ‘Building a Sustainable Energy Future: Leveraging Technology, Supply Chain, Human Resources and Policy’, Komolafe said NUPRC is implementing a seven-pillar sustainability and decarbonisation blueprint aimed at boosting competitiveness and investor confidence in Nigeria’s upstream sector.
He stressed the need for deeper collaboration among regulators, operators, and professional bodies like SPE to foster skills development, strengthen supply chains, and accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy solutions.
