Again, OPEC Snubs Nigeria, Raises Output Quota for S’Arabia, Others

Stories by Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja 

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) have once again adjusted crude oil output among key producers, excluding Nigeria from the latest production increase as the group moves to stabilise the global oil market.

At a virtual meeting held at the weekend, eight member countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman agreed to increase production by a combined 206,000 barrels per day starting in May 2026.

The adjustment formed part of a gradual unwinding of the 1.65 million bpd voluntary production cuts first announced in April 2023. The group noted that the increases could be paused, accelerated, or reversed depending on evolving market conditions, underscoring a cautious approach to managing supply.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, was not included among the countries benefiting from the latest output adjustment, reinforcing a pattern in recent OPEC+ decisions where the country has been sidelined due to its inability to consistently meet existing production quotas.

The eight countries reiterated their commitment to market stability and full compliance with the Declaration of Cooperation (DoC), with output levels to be closely monitored by the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC). They also pledged to compensate for any overproduction recorded since January 2024.

Nigeria’s OPEC quota is set at 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) under the current OPEC+ framework, but despite this target, Nigeria has repeatedly produced below that quota for many years.

Rather than improving, it has deteriorated in recent months with 1.45 million bpd output in January 2026. In December 2025, Nigeria’s production was approximately 1.42 million bpd, off the 1.5 million bpd quota mark, while in February it dropped massively to 1.3 million bpd.

Nigeria has occasionally met or slightly exceeded its quota in isolated months, for instance in January and July 2025 at about 1.54–1.507 million bpd, but these instances are exceptions rather than the norm. 

“In their collective commitment to support oil market stability, the eight participating countries decided to implement a production adjustment of 206,000 barrels per day from the 1.65 million barrels per day additional voluntary adjustments announced in April 2023. This adjustment will be implemented in May 2026,” an OPEC statement after the meeting said.