Nigeria’s gas production rises to 7.93bcf, domestic sales rises  

Nigeria recorded a slight increase in gas production in May 2026 at 7.93bcf/d, representing a 0.63 percent year-on-year increase from the 7.88bcf/d recorded in the corresponding period of 2025. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission data has revealed.

BusinessDay’s analysis of the gas production and utilisation report published by the Commission on monday, on a month-on-month basis, gas production declined marginally by 0.12 percent from 7.94bcf/d recorded in April.

However, over the past five months, gas production has maintained a positive trajectory, rising from 7.80bcf/d in January to 7.81bcf/d in February, 7.85bcf/d in March, and 7.94bcf/d in April.

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The report showed that of the total volume produced in May, Associated Gas (AG) accounted for 3.96bcf/d, while Non-Associated Gas (NAG) contributed 3.98bcf/d. This indicates that non-associated gas is increasingly carrying its own weight in the production mix and reflects the maturation of dedicated gas development initiatives.

In terms of gas utilisation during the period, export sales declined from 4.13bcf/d to 3.07bcf/d, accounting for 40 percent of total production. Meanwhile, sales to the domestic market increased from 2.03bcf/d to 2.18bcf/d, representing 26.6 percent of total gas utilisation.

The increase in domestic sales according to the Commission reflects ongoing efforts to meet local supply obligations.

Further analysis shows that 2.11bcf/d, representing 26.5 percent of total production, was allocated to own-use, while 0.57bcf/d, or 6.9 percent, was flared, underscoring the country’s commitment to ending routine gas flaring by 2030.

Nigeria also recorded an upswing in the total volume of oil produced in May 2026, averaging 1,530,354 barrels of crude oil and 170,446 barrels of condensates per day, bringing the total combined production to 1, 700, 800 barrels per day and consolidating Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest oil producer.

According to the Commission, the average crude oil production recorded during the month of May represents 102 percent of Nigeria’s 1.5mbpd of production quota allocated by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The latest crude oil production statistics thus represents a 15-month high. On a month on month basis, production rose by 2.77 percent in May 2026 as against 1.48mbpd in April.

The rise in production according to the commission, is due to a sustained positive momentum as operations remained stable throughout the reporting period with no significant pipeline or facility outages recorded.

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The commission also stated that all previously scheduled turnaround maintenance activities had been successfully completed, contributing to improved operational reliability and production efficiency.

“Production performance during the review period remained robust, with combined crude oil and condensate output ranging between a low of 1.51 million bpd and a peak of 1.86 million bpd.

“The May 2026 production figures represent the highest recorded by Nigeria since July 2025 when output surged to 1,712,282. In strict crude oil terms (excluding condensates), the 1.53 million barrels recorded in May 2026 represents the highest since January 2025 when crude oil production hit 1.538mbpd,” the report stated.

The broader production trend over the last five months has also remained positive, as combined crude oil and condensate output increased from 1.48 million bpd in February to 1.54 million bpd in March, 1.66 million bpd in April, and then 1.7 million bpd in May.

Among production streams, Bonny Terminal led the pack with a total blend of 293,870 bpd, closely followed by Forcados Terminal at 289,900 bpd. Qua Iboe ranked third with 173,360 bpd, while Escravos Oil Terminal contributed 135,470 bpd. Odudu (Amenam Blend) completed the top five production streams, accounting for 63,250 bpd during the month under review.