Nigeria’s crude oil sector has recorded its lowest losses in nearly 16 years, according to new data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The Commission revealed that daily crude losses from theft and metering issues dropped to 9,600 barrels per day (bpd) in July 2025 — the lowest since 2009, when losses stood at 8,500 bpd.
From January to July 2025, total crude oil losses were contained at 2.04 million barrels, representing a 50 per cent reduction compared to the 4.1 million barrels lost in 2024.
The figure also marks a 94.6 per cent decline from 2021, when losses peaked at 37.6 million barrels — the highest in over two decades.
“This marks a major milestone and a departure from the high-loss years that weakened Nigeria’s oil industry,” the NUPRC said in a statement released on Thursday in Abuja by its Head of Media and Strategic Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu.
Since the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in 2021, the country has steadily reduced crude oil losses: 20.9 million barrels in 2022, 4.3 million in 2023, and 4.1 million in 2024.
The Commission credited the gains to a mix of security operations and regulatory reforms.
These include closer collaboration with security agencies and host communities, comprehensive metering audits to ensure accurate measurement of production and exports, and the approval of 37 new evacuation routes to check oil theft.
NUPRC said the progress not only safeguards national revenue but also strengthens confidence in Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas sector.
