Nigeria’s crude oil production topped its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota in May, reaching its pinnacle in 15 months and cementing its position as Africa’s leading oil producer.

Data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed the country produced an average of 1.53 million barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) during the month.

With a condensate production of 170,446 bpd included, the commission put Nigeria’s average total hydrocarbon output at 1.7 million bpd.

“Nigeria’s oil production witnessed an upswing in May 2026, averaging 1,530,354 barrels of crude oil and 170,446 barrels of condensates per day, bringing the total combined production to 1,700, 800 barrels per day and consolidating Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest oil producer,” NUPRC said in a statement on Thursday.

The figure represents 102 per cent of Nigeria’s OPEC production quota of 1.5 million bpd, according to the regulator.

The latest performance marks a significant milestone for the country’s oil sector, with total production standing at its peak since last July, when the combined crude oil and condensate output reached 1.71 million bpd.

With the figure for condensates excluded, the 1.53 million bpd in May represents Nigeria’s strongest performance since January 2025, when output touched 1.538 million bpd.

The May figure also represents a 15-month high for crude oil production, excluding condensates.

While Nigeria’s oil production continues to witness significant growth, oil rich communities from the country’s Niger Delta region are grappling with unprecedented levels of oil and gas pollution amidst renewed exploration targets.

Remediation efforts across the region have been conspicuously slow, raising concerns over the country’s refusal to prioritise the welfare of the residents of the region.

Production rises month-on-month

Crude oil production (excluding condensates) in May increased by 2.8 per cent from 1.48 million bpd a month earlier.

The trend has remained positive over the past five months. Combined crude oil and condensate production rose from 1.48 million bpd in February to 1.54 million bpd in March, 1.66 million bpd in April and 1.7 million bpd in May.

The steady rise suggests sustained improvements in operational efficiency across the upstream sector, despite the ongoing challenges facing the global oil market.

READ ALSO: UPDATED: UAE withdraws from OPEC, OPEC+

Among Nigeria’s major production streams, Bonny Terminal recorded the highest output, contributing 293,870 bpd.

Forcados Terminal followed closely with 289,900 bpd, while Qua Iboe produced 173,360 bpd.

Escravos Oil Terminal accounted for 135,470 bpd, while Odudu (Amenam Blend) completed the top five production streams with 63,250 bpd.

Improved operations

The NUPRC attributed the improved production performance to stable operations across the industry.

According to the commission, there were no significant pipeline disruptions or facility outages during the period under review.

It also noted that all the previously scheduled turnaround maintenance programmes have been successfully completed, contributing to improved operational reliability and higher production efficiency.

The latest figures could boost government revenues and strengthen confidence in the ongoing efforts to raise Nigeria’s oil production capacity, which has been constrained in recent years by crude theft, pipeline vandalism and operational challenges.

With output now above its OPEC quota, attention will turn to whether the country can sustain the momentum in the coming months.

Meta on Wednesday previewed upcoming additions to its video-editing app Edits at an invite-only creator event in L.A., showing off features like a new AI assistant and a desktop version of the previously mobile-only app.

The company also announced other new tools will launch in the app today, such as a “Beta” tab for experiments and expanded audience insights.

Edits first arrived last year as a direct competitor to ByteDance’s CapCut. With the addition of the new and upcoming tools, Meta is looking to both retain and attract new users.

The upcoming AI assistant will help creators analyze their insights and brainstorm ideas for their content. The assistant will use their Instagram data, like their views and video-retention insights, to help them see what’s working and why. It will suggest video ideas based on performance and suggest making content with trending audio.

By integrating an AI assistant directly into Edits, Meta is aiming to keep creators engaged on Instagram as it continues to compete with TikTok and YouTube for creators’ attention. Additionally, by offering creators content ideas, Meta is encouraging more frequent posting, which could, in turn, boost user engagement. Direct access to an AI assistant also gets rid of the need for creators to turn to outside tools like ChatGPT when brainstorming content ideas and understanding performance.

Meta launched a similar AI assistant tool for creators on Facebook last week. It’s worth noting that YouTube and TikTok also offer tools to creators to help them brainstorm ideas. For instance, YouTube Studio features an Inspiration tab that uses AI to help creators generate video ideas, while TikTok offers creators an AI assistant that can brainstorm ideas and uncover trends.

The desktop version of Edits will give creators more precise control over the editing process as well as the ability to work on a larger screen, which can be helpful during more advanced editing workflows. The company says creators will be able to sync their workflows seamlessly between mobile and desktop devices.

The upcoming desktop version will also allow Edits to better compete with CapCut, which already offers a desktop version.

Among the new features launching today is a Beta tab, which will provide creators with early access to experimental features that are still in development and allow them to provide Meta with feedback. The rollout of the Beta tab indicates that Meta wants to better compete with CapCut and accelerate feature development based on what creators actually want and will use.

Creators will also now be able to see more detailed metrics like their audience demographic breakdown and the time of day their audience is the most engaged. The new metrics join the app’s existing analytics, which include data such as how long viewers watch a video, how many followers were gained from a specific video, where users stop watching a certain video, and more.

Additionally, creators can search specific topics within the app’s Inspiration feed to discover reels and templates other creators are making around a given trend or idea. They’ll also be able to create multiple versions of a single piece of content to test what performs best before publishing.

Although Instagram didn’t share specific numbers about how many users Edits has, the company says that content made with the app sees a 10% higher save rate and 2% higher reshare rate compared to content not made on Edits, and that more than half of people watching reels on Instagram are seeing Edits-created content every day. 

Edits is free to download on iOS and Android.

The AI assistant announced today is currently in testing with attendees of Thursday’s creator event, while the desktop version of Edits is “coming soon,” Meta says. The rest of the features are launching to everyone today.