A recent report by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has revealed a significant discrepancy in Nigeria’s crude oil production claims.
According to OPEC, Nigeria’s average daily crude oil production increased marginally to 1.307 million barrels per day (mbpd) in July, contradicting claims by President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) that oil production had risen to 1.6mbpd.
The discrepancy has raised questions about the accuracy of data provided by the Nigerian government.
OPEC’s figure is based on direct communication with Nigeria, while secondary sources put the country’s daily crude production at 1.38mbpd in July.
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The Nigerian government had attributed the claimed increase in oil production to reforms announced in May to address the Petroleum Industry Act.
However, OPEC’s data suggests a more modest increase, casting doubt on the government’s claims.
The NNPC has expressed optimism about achieving a production target of two million barrels per day by the end of the year, with the support of security agencies in combating oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
However, the discrepancy in production figures has raised concerns about the reliability of data and the effectiveness of efforts to increase oil production.
