Company posts 355,000 barrels per day on December 1, 2025, capping a 52% production surge in two years and boosting confidence in Nigeria’s return to oil-sector stability….
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company’s flagship upstream subsidiary, NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL), has delivered its highest daily crude oil output in 36 years, hitting 355,000 barrels per day on December 1, 2025.
The milestone was announced in a statement on Tuesday by NNPC Limited’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, who said the achievement marks the company’s biggest daily production level since 1989 and underscores Nigeria’s growing upstream recovery momentum.
According to the statement, NEPL’s average production has risen sharply, up 52 percent in two years, climbing from 203,000bpd in 2023 to 312,000bpd in 2025. The company attributes the improvement to a combination of disciplined asset management, strengthened operational systems and structured field development plans.
“On December 1, 2025, NNPC E&P Limited achieved a record production level of 355,000 barrels per day, its highest daily output since 1989,” the statement read.
It added that the milestone reflects “a strategy anchored on operational excellence, strong asset management and structured field development.”
Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Bayo Ojulari, described the achievement as proof that Nigeria’s energy revival is underway, not theoretical. He said the company’s performance shows that the essential building blocks required to scale national oil production are now firmly taking shape.
“By exceeding its own production benchmarks, NEPL confirms that the machinery of production equipment, processes, capabilities and partnerships can be driven with commercial discipline to deliver real outcomes,” Ojulari said.
He noted that the breakthrough brings Nigeria closer to meeting the presidential targets of 2 million barrels per day by 2027 and 3 million barrels per day by 2030, goals many analysts had previously viewed as overly ambitious.
Ojulari added that the new output record strengthens investor confidence and signals to global partners that Nigeria is committed to restoring its status as a dependable crude supplier.
The Executive Vice President, Upstream, Udy Ntia, said the milestone reflects more than a numerical gain, emphasising that NEPL’s growth is rooted in responsible operations.
“In a sector where shortcuts can produce short-term wins but long-term harm, NEPL is proving that sustainable progress must be built on responsible operations,” he said, noting that the company’s strategy ensures safety, environmental protection and positive community relations are not compromised as production scales.
Nigeria’s crude oil output has fluctuated significantly over the past decade, often falling below OPEC quotas due to vandalism, theft, underinvestment, deferred maintenance and declining performance from mature fields. Between 2021 and 2023, production fell to multi-decade lows, triggering concerns about revenue shortfalls and long-term sector viability.
However, reforms introduced under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the commercial transformation of NNPC and renewed intervention across upstream assets have all contributed to reversing the decline.
NEPL responsible for several joint venture and production-sharing assets, has played a central role in the sector’s turnaround, implementing field optimisation strategies, strengthening contractor alignment, improving governance systems and reviving previously underperforming fields.
The latest output level of 355,000 barrels per day marks NEPL’s strongest performance in more than three decades and represents a substantial step toward stabilising national production and rebuilding global confidence in Nigeria’s oil industry.
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