Business

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

Published

3 years ago

September 19, 2022

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

PUNCH

Business

Report Any MRS Filling Stations Selling Fuel Above N739 Per Liter — Dangote Refinery To Nigerians

Published

17 minutes ago

December 23, 2025

Editor

Dangote Refinery has urged Nigerians to report any MRS filling station outlets nationwide selling fuel above the N739 per liter announced price.

The company disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

The refinery insisted that its petrol being at retail outlets remain N739 per liter while the gantry price is N699.

It further called on other filling station owners to patronize its refined petroleum products at the N699 rate.

“We also call on other petrol station operators to patronize our products so that the benefits of this price reduction can be passed on to Nigerians across all outlets, ensuring broad-based relief and a more stable downstream market.”

Recall that Aliko Dangote, the president of Dangote Refinery, had pegged the retail price of his petrol at a maximum of N740.

DAILY POST reports that MRS filling and other filling stations had reduced fuel prices to between N739 and N912 per liter in Abuja.

However, reports emerged that some MRS filling stations were selling above the N739 per liter announced price benchmark.

Business

Naira Records Significant Appreciation Against US Dollar

Published

37 minutes ago

December 23, 2025

Editor

The Naira recorded significant appreciation against the United States dollar on Monday at the official foreign exchange market to begin the week ahead of Yuletide on a good note.

The Central Bank of Nigeria’s data showed that the Naira strengthened to N1,456.56 per dollar on Monday, up from N1,464.49 traded on Friday last week, 19th December 2025.

This means that the Naira gained N7.93 against the dollar when compared with the N1,464.49 was exchanged as of Friday, December 19, 2025. DAILY POST reports that Monday’s gain at the official FX market is the first since December 15th.

Business

CBN Revokes Licences Of Aso Savings, Union Homes As NDIC Begins Deposit Payments

Published

1 week ago

December 16, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the operating licences of Aso Savings and Loans Plc and Union Homes Savings and Loans Plc, citing persistent regulatory infractions and deepening financial distress in the two primary mortgage banks.

The revocation, which took effect on December 15, 2025, was carried out under Section 12 of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020 and Section 7.3 of the Revised Guidelines for Mortgage Banks in Nigeria, the CBN said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

According to the apex bank, the affected institutions failed to meet minimum paid-up share capital requirements, had insufficient assets to cover their liabilities, recorded capital adequacy ratios below prudential thresholds, and consistently breached regulatory directives.

“The CBN remains committed to its core mandate of ensuring financial system stability,” a statement, signed by the apex bank’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali said.

Following the licence revocation, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) was appointed liquidator of the defunct banks in line with the law.

The Corporation said it has commenced the liquidation process and begun verification and payment of insured deposits to customers.

Under the deposit insurance framework, depositors are entitled to receive up to two million naira per depositor, with payments made through BVN-linked alternate bank accounts.

Depositors with balances above the insured limit will receive the initial two million naira while the remaining sums will be paid as liquidation dividends after the realisation of the banks’ assets and recovery of outstanding loans.

The NDIC said depositors may submit claims either online or physically at designated branches of the closed banks, while creditors will be paid after all depositors have been fully settled, in accordance with statutory provisions.

The two mortgage banks have faced prolonged operational challenges, including depositor complaints, governance concerns, and delisting from the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) in 2024 for failure to submit audited financial statements for more than six years.

The CBN assured the public that the action was taken to strengthen the mortgage banking sub-sector and protect depositors, adding that banks whose licences have not been revoked remain safe and sound.

This means the two financial institutions can no longer operate as licensed financial institutions.