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Nigeria’s Oil Production Crashes To 900,000b/d

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Nigeria’s crude oil revenue has continued to slump as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ newly released Monthly Oil Market Report for September revealed that the country’s crude oil output fell to 900, 000 barrels per day (b/d) last month.

According to the OPEC report, Nigeria’s crude oil production (according to data reported by direct sources) dropped from 1 million b/d recorded in July, to 900, 000b/d in August.

This is as the price of the country’s crude grade, Bonny Light, also dropped by 10 per cent within the space of one month (July-August). Bonny Light, which was sold for $117/b in July, dropped to $106/b in August.

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However, the country’s revenue from crude oil rose significantly year-on-year, as Bonny Light price rose by 64 per cent between 2021 and August 2022.

READ ALSO: Crude Oil Production: Angola, Libya Overtake Nigeria — OPEC Report

According to the report, the price of Bonny Light as of 2021 was $67 per barrel. However, this increased to $110 per barrel in August 2022.

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Bonny Light is a light-sweet crude oil grade produced in Nigeria. It is an important benchmark crude for all West African crude production, and usually $1+ higher than international crude grade, Brent.

Nigeria’s crude oil production has been witnessing significant drops for some years now, as the country last recorded a 1.4mb/d in 2020.

Production gradually crashed further to 1.3mb/d at the beginning of 2021,and further to 1.2mb/d in the first quarter of this year.

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As at the second quarter of this year, output dropped to 1.1mb/d, to 1mb/d in July, and 900, 000b/d last month.

Further checks by The PUNCH revealed that the country’s rig count went from 16 recorded in 2019 to 10 in August 2022.

Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Akpan Ekpo, told The PUNCH during an interview that despite crude oil retaining 80 per cent of the total trade, Nigeria needed to diversify as oil revenue was no longer reliable.

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Oil prices are volatile, and we need to think of other ways to boost revenue,” he said.

This is the U.S oil rig count rose by four to 763 in the preceding week to Sept. 16, its highest since August, according to energy services firm Baker Hughes Co said.

Baker Hughes said that put the total rig count up to 251, or 49 per cent over this time last year.

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OPEC has said demand for its crude in 2023 remained unchanged from the previous MOMR to stand at 29.8 mb/d, which is around 0.9 mb/d higher than in 2022.

Despite the continuous rise in demand for OPEC crude, Nigeria’s low output puts its earnings at risk, as the country has been unable to benefit fully from the rise in demand.

The Group Chief Executive Officer, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, Mele Kyari, had, in an interview late last month, blamed the country’s low crude oil outputs on theft resulting from pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.

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READ ALSO: Nigeria Loses N101bn Worth Of Oil, OPEC Says

According to him, 295 illegal connections had been located around the pipeline, which, according to him, led to the shutdown of production.

On his part, Lawyer advising NNPC Ltd on oil and gas projects and transactions and partner at Bloomfield Law Practice, Ayodele Oni, advised the Federal Government to provide solutions to the oil theft challenges bedeviling the country.

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CBN Sets POS Maximum Transactions In Fresh Guidelines

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The Central Bank of Nigeria has rolled out fresh guidelines for agent banking, known as Point of Sales, across the country.

The apex also in the guidelines pegged daily POS transactions at N1.2 million per agent and N100,000 per individual.

CBN disclosed this in a circular signed by its Director of the Payments System Management Department, Musa Jimoh.

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The guidelines further mandate all financial institutions to publish the list of all their POS agents on their website and to display it in their branches.

READ ALSO:CBN Establishes New Unit To Tackle Financial Crime

CBN noted that the guidelines would take effect from April 1, 2026.

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“The Guidelines aim to establish minimum standards for operating agent banking in Nigeria, enhancing agent banking to provide financial services and promoting financial inclusion, encouraging responsible market conduct and improving service quality in agent banking operations.

“This circular takes effect from the date of release, while the implementation of agent location and agent exclusivity shall be in effect from April 1, 2026.

“POS agents are restricted to a maximum of N1.2 million per day. Individual customers are limited to N100,000 in daily transactions.

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“These limits are intended to curb misuse, enhance financial integrity, and protect consumers within the agent banking framework,” it stated.

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Naira Records First Appreciation Against US Dollar At Official Market

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The Naira recorded appreciation on Wednesday against the United States dollar at the official market, the first time in three days this week.

The Central Bank of Nigeria’s exchange rate data showed that the Naira strengthened to N 1,470.62 per dollar on Wednesday, up from N1,471.09 traded on Tuesday.

This means that the country’s currency firmed up slightly by N0.47 against the dollar on a day-to-day basis.

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READ ALSO:Naira Appreciates Massively Against US Dollar In The Black Market, Highest In 15 Months

Monday and Tuesday, the Naira recorded negative sentiment at the official foreign exchange market.

However, at the black market, the Naira remained unchanged at N1,500 per dollar on Wednesday, the same rate exchanged on Tuesday.

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The apex bank data indicated that the country’s external reserves, a determinant of the exchange rates, stood at $42.57 billion as of October 7, 2025.

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SEC Warns Nigerians Of AfriQuantumX Ponzi scheme

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Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has named AfriQuatum, with a claimed worth of N76 billion, as a Ponzi scheme.

The regulator also urged the public to be cautious about investing with the firm.

SEC disclosed this in a recent statement.

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According to the SEC, any person who places an investment or engages with the entity does so at his or her own risk, adding that its operations exhibit characteristics commonly associated with fraudulent Ponzi schemes.

READ ALSO:SEC Warns Nigerians Over AI-generated Investment Scams

“The attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission has been drawn to the activities of AfriQuantumX, which holds itself out as an investment platform trading on and selling cryptocurrency and stocks to investors in Nigeria.

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“The Commission hereby informs the public that AfriQuantumX is not registered by the Commission either to solicit investments from the public or operate in any capacity within the Nigerian capital market,” SEC stated.

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