Nigeria’s average daily crude oil and condensate production experienced a 3.09% month-on-month drop in September, falling to 1.581 million barrels per day (bpd), according to recent official statistics released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The total average production for September 2025 was composed of 1.39 million bpd of crude oil and 191,373 bpd of condensate, a decrease from the 1.63 million bpd recorded in August 2025.
The NUPRC attributed the decline primarily to a three-day industrial action led by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). The strike was triggered after Dangote refinery laid off hundreds of Nigerian workers, citing “sabotage” and need for maintenance of the 650,000 barrels capacity refinery.
PENGASSAN necessitated the temporary shutdown of several critical production and export facilities across the country.
Furthermore, the Commission noted that two strategic facilities underwent scheduled turnaround maintenance, which contributed to the reduction in overall output.
Despite the internal operational glitches, the industry reflected a 1.61% year-on-year increase in average daily production. Total crude oil and condensate production for the review month stood at 47.43 million barrels, marking a slight improvement over the 1.55 million bpd recorded in September 2024. This uptick suggests incremental progress in the nation’s upstream activities compared to the previous year.
In global context, the average crude oil production in September still met 93% of the country’s 1.5 million bpd OPEC quota. During the month, the combined peak production of crude oil and condensate reached 1.81 million bopd, while the lowest daily output was recorded at 1.35 million bopd.
Late September, Dangote refinery laid-off a significant number of its Nigerian workers, less than 24 hours after a large portion of them joined PENGASSAN.
Dangote said the move was part of a “total re-organisation due to reported sabotage in different units of the petroleum refinery leading to a major safety concern”
The union issued a strike demanding the reinstatement of all workers earlier discharged; accusing Dangote of breaching the Nigerian constitution that allows freedom of association.
PENGASSAN had earlier complained that Dangote refinery was restricting its workers from joining the petroleum staff union.
