Nigeria’s oil production fell below 1 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, its lowest level in seven months, data from the petroleum regulator showed on Thursday, after a strike at Exxon Mobil’s local units hit the country’s output.
Oil output plummeted to 998,602 bpd after averaging 1.28 million bpd in the first three months of the year, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s latest numbers for April revealed.
Nigeria, which can produce 2.2 million bpd of oil, has struggled to fulfill its OPEC quota of 1.8 million due to crude theft, vandalism of pipelines, and a lack of new investment in the sector.
Total oil and condensate production fell to 1.25 million bpd in April from 1.52 million bpd in March.
In this year’s budget, the government assumes oil production of 1.69 million bpd.