The NUPRC’s report confirmed that the combined daily average production for crude oil and condensates stood at 1.581 million barrels per day (bpd) in September, a decrease from the 1.63 million bpd in August. This total comprised 1.39 million bpd of crude oil and 191,373 bpd of condensate. The Commission, via a statement from its Head of Media and Strategic Communication, Eniola Akinkuotu, detailed the impact of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) industrial action, noting that the strike led to the shutdown of various production and export facilities.
The three-day strike, which commenced late in September following a dispute over labour issues at the Dangote Refinery, resulted in a significant temporary dent to the nation's energy output. The industrial action forced the closure of some critical infrastructure, with NUPRC also citing scheduled turnaround maintenance at two strategic facilities as a contributing factor to the reduced overall production figures for the month.
Despite the month-on-month decline, the upstream regulator highlighted that the average crude oil production in September still accounted for 93% of the country’s 1.5 million bpd OPEC quota. Furthermore, the total output of crude oil and condensate for the month, which reached 47.43 million barrels, represented a modest 1.61% year-on-year increase when compared to the 1.55 million bpd recorded in September 2024. This marginal annual growth suggests that despite recent volatility, the sector is experiencing a gradual, albeit fragile, recovery.
Earlier in the month, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had provided initial estimates of the strike's immediate consequences, projecting substantial losses. NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Ojulari, in a letter dated September 29, 2025, indicated that within the first 24 hours of the strike alone, production deferments reached approximately 283,000 bpd of oil, which he noted equated to about 16% of the national oil output. The final figures from the NUPRC now confirm the tangible economic consequences of industrial unrest on the nation's key revenue stream.