The Nigerian National Petroleum Company’s upstream subsidiary, NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NNPC E&P), has recorded its highest daily crude oil production in more than three decades, achieving 355,000 barrels per day (bpd) on December 1, 2025.
The milestone, confirmed on Tuesday by NNPC Limited’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, marks the company’s biggest output since 1989 and signals renewed momentum in Nigeria’s upstream recovery efforts.
According to the statement, NNPC E&P’s average daily output has risen 52 per cent over two years, from 203,000 bpd in 2023 to 312,000 bpd in 2025. The company attributed the growth to strengthened operational systems, disciplined asset management, and structured field development.
“On December 1, 2025, NNPC E&P Limited, the flagship upstream subsidiary of NNPC Limited, achieved a record production level of 355,000 barrels of oil per day, its highest daily output since 1989,” the statement said. “This record growth stems from a clear strategy anchored on operational excellence, strong asset management and structured field development.”
Commenting on the achievement, NNPC Limited Group Chief Executive Officer Bayo Ojulari described it as evidence that Nigeria’s energy revival “is not a dream but already happening.” He said the milestone brings the country closer to meeting presidential production targets of two million bpd by 2027 and three million bpd by 2030.
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Executive Vice President, Upstream, Udy Ntia, noted that the record reflects not just production volumes, but also responsible and sustainable operations, ensuring that higher output does not compromise worker safety, environmental protection, or community wellbeing.
Nigeria’s crude oil sector has faced challenges in recent years, including pipeline vandalism, crude theft, underinvestment, deferred maintenance, and declining performance of mature fields, which often pushed production below OPEC quotas.
The recent achievement by NNPC E&P underscores the impact of reforms under the Petroleum Industry Act, the unbundling of NNPC into a commercial entity, and renewed upstream interventions aimed at stabilising national output and restoring investor confidence in the country’s oil industry.