Nigeria’s crude oil and condensate production rose to 1,677,777 barrels per day in August 2026, representing a 0.4 per cent increase from the 1.67 million bpd recorded in July.

The increase, though modest, marked another month of improved oil production as the country sustained compliance with its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) crude oil quota.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) disclosed this in a statement issued yesterday by its Head, Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu.

The regulator stated that crude oil production, excluding condensates, stood at 1,500,190 barrels per day in August.

It said the country met its OPEC quota for the fourth consecutive month, reflecting continued efforts by operators to restore affected production capacity and address operational bottlenecks.

The latest increase followed the resolution of operational challenges involving the Single Buoy Mooring at the Erha field, which had affected production performance in the preceding month.

The NUPRC said the restoration of normal evacuation and production operations at the asset contributed positively to the overall output recorded during the month.

The statement read, “The NUPRC attributed the modest improvement in August production largely to the resolution of the Single Buoy Mooring operational challenges at the Erha field, which had adversely impacted production performance in the preceding month.

“The restoration of normal evacuation and production operations at the asset contributed positively to overall production volumes during the period under review.”

The regulator added that production activities across most other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators sustaining measures aimed at improving efficiency, maintaining asset integrity and reducing operational disruptions.

According to the commission, the lowest daily crude oil and condensate production recorded in August was 1.64 million bpd, while the highest stood at 1.71 million bpd.

A breakdown of production by terminals and streams showed that the Bonny Terminal recorded the highest average output during the month, accounting for 320.04 thousand bpd.

Forcados Terminal followed with 317.40 thousand bpd, while the Qua Iboe Terminal recorded an average of 171.72 thousand bpd of crude oil and condensates.

Escravos Oil Terminal posted a daily average of 131.71 thousand bpd, while Bonga ranked fifth among the leading producing terminals with an average of 92.50 thousand bdp of crude oil.

The August output represented an increase of 6,777 bpd from July’s 1,671,000 barrels per day, based on the rounded July figure. It was also 57,621 bpd, lower than the 1,735,398 bpd recorded in June.

The June figure represented a decline of about 3.3 per cent in August when compared with the latest available June production data.

The NUPRC said the August performance reflected the industry’s continued efforts to resolve operational constraints and restore affected production capacity.

It stated, “While the increase recorded in August was modest, it reflects the industry’s continued efforts to address operational bottlenecks and restore affected production capacity.

“Stakeholders remain focused on enhancing asset reliability, improving operational resilience and advancing intervention programs to support sustained production growth in the coming months.”

The regulator further emphasised the importance of timely intervention, effective asset management and collaboration among industry stakeholders in safeguarding the country’s crude oil production capacity.

Nigeria’s oil production has remained a major focus of government efforts to increase revenue, improve foreign exchange earnings and strengthen the country’s ability to meet its OPEC production quota.

Chairman, Rivers State Local Government Service Commission (RSLGSC), Sir Israel N. Amadi, has described the critics of the recently conducted biometric verification exercise of local government workers as people who do not mean well for the State.

Amadi stated this at the inauguration of the Ad-Hoc Biometric Verification Complaints Committee in Port Harcourt, recently.

He stressed that the exercise was not designed to sack workers but to sanitise the local government workforce and establish an accurate personnel database.

The LG Commission boss explained that contrary to reports that about 21,000 local government workers had been sacked, the exercise actually uncovered 4,109 additional personnel on the payroll, some of whom were reportedly overseas while others were found to be working in different establishments within the State.

He said the verification also revealed several disturbing irregularities, including the employment of a seven-year-old child, persons allegedly engaged in dual employment, duplicate Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs), closed or suspected forged bank accounts and other discrepancies in workers’ records.

Amadi explained that the total staff strength of the 23 local government councils, based on status reports as of July 24, 2025, stood at 30,523, excluding Emohua Local Government Area, but subsequently rose to 34,684, representing a variance of 4,109 personnel allegedly recruited into the system within one month.

He said the development did not sit well with the Commission and prompted it to invite some principal officers of the affected local government councils for questioning, particularly as the increase occurred after the biometric verification exercise had already been announced.

The Commission Chairman said the verification exercise was initiated following a meeting in September 2025 between the State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, his predecessor, Chief Nyesom Wike, members of the Commission and other stakeholders over lingering disagreements in Emohua Local Government Area and issues involving workers allegedly engaged in dual employment.

He disclosed that Fubara subsequently directed the Commission to conduct physical verification and biometric audit of local government staff across the state, beginning with Emohua on November 3, 2025, while Simforest Limited was engaged as consultant to establish a centralised portal and undertake biometric capture, payroll and human resource management functions.

Amadi said the exercise was preceded by extensive sensitisation through radio, television and print media, while workers were required to submit documents including appointment and confirmation letters, promotion letters, age declaration, First School Leaving Certificate, BVN, NIN and salary account statements covering six years, among others.

He added that the consultant, in collaboration with commercial banks, authenticated the account numbers and statements submitted by workers, leading to the discovery of several closed or allegedly forged accounts, persons in dual employment, duplicate BVNs and workers who were below 18 years at the time of their employment.

According to him, the Commission also constituted a Project Steering Committee comprising representatives of the Office of the Head of Service, Office of the Accountant-General, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), the Local Government Service Commission and the consulting firm to ensure transparency and proper oversight.

He said representatives were deployed to verification centres across the local government areas to monitor the process and ensure that no genuine worker was denied access.

Amadi explained further  that the inauguration of the Ad-Hoc Biometric Verification Complaints Committee was aimed at giving workers who were not captured, or who believed they were wrongly affected by the exercise, an opportunity to present their complaints for consideration.

The 12-member committee, chaired by the Head of Service, Dr. (Mrs.) Iyingi S. I. Brown, has one month to complete its assignment and submit its findings.

Members of the committee include Dame (Dr.) Tong Awani, Dr. Gwara L. Nuka, Dame (Dr.) Josephine Chukwujwe, Sammy Apiat, Hon. Alwell Ihunda, the NULGE President, Rivers State; the NLC President, Rivers State Council, Charles Emini, Biometric Verification Consultant, while Samuel Epogo, Assistant Director, DSS Rivers State, and the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, are to serve as observers, and Barrister George as the Secretary of the committee.

Meanwhile, Dr. Brown, who spoke through a representative, pledged that the committee would be thorough, diligent and objective in carrying out the assignment.

By: King Onunwor

The Rivers State Government has urged Permanent Secretaries in the state civil service to brace up for the challenges of development in the State.

This is as the number of Permanent Secretaries in the State has increased to 39.

The State Deputy Governor, Prof. (Mrs) Ngozi Odu, gave the charge while declaring open a three-day capacity building training programme for Permanent Secretaries in the State public service in Port Harcourt.

Odu charged the Permanent Secretaries to remain committed to due process and the rules of the service, saying they must be prepared to embrace innovation, accountability, results oriented leadership and engage in strategic thinking to deliver tangible results.

The deputy governor added that Permanent Secretaries should see themselves as drivers of development because of the importance of their responsibilities which is saddled with the implementation of government policies and programmes.

She commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for his continued commitment to strengthening the capacity of the State’s Public Service, noting that the training will enhance professionalism and improve service delivery.

The deputy governor also praised the Head of Service, Dr. Inyingi Brown, for her innovative and passion-driven leadership, particularly for organising the capacity building   programme.

She described the theme of the training programme, ‘Permanent Secretaries: From Custodians of Process to Drivers of Transformation,’ as timely and appropriate, and urged the Permanent Secretaries to translate the outcome of the programme into practical improvement in their respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

According to her, the programme provided a valuable platform for continuous professional development, networking and exposure to contemporary leadership and governance practices.

Odu particularly commended the Chartered Institute of Directors of Nigeria (CIoD) for partnering with the Rivers State Government to deliver the programme.

She disclosed that participants would be inducted as members of the institute upon completion of the training programme.

Meanwhile, Rivers State now has 39 Permanent Secretaries.

The State Head of Service, Dr. (Mrs) Inying Brown, disclosed this in her remarks during the  training programme.

Brown said the programme was coming up at an important moment in the history of the State public service, especially with the recent swearing in of 12 permanent Secretaries bringing the number to 39.

The Head of Service said time has gone when Permanent Secretaries were regarded as custodians of files, saying they must be problem solvers, innovators and drivers of results.

“This is the essence of the theme of the training,” she asserted.

Brown also emphasized the need for continuous capacity building and professional development to enhance efficiency and effective service delivery in the State Public Service.

She said the programme, organised in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Directors of Nigeria (CIoD), was designed to reposition Permanent Secretaries as strategic leaders capable of driving innovation, implementing government policies and delivering results.

The Head of Service urged the participants to take advantage of the training programme to broaden their knowledge, strengthen their leadership skills and adopt contemporary approaches to public administration.

She noted that the changing demands of governance required Permanent Secretaries to go beyond routine administrative responsibilities and contribute meaningfully to policy formulation, implementation and institutional transformation.

Brown commended Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, for supporting initiatives aimed at strengthening the capacity of public servants, and expressed optimism that the training would translate into improved performance across ministries, departments and agencies.

She also appreciated the CIoD for its partnership with the State Government, describing the collaboration as an important step towards exposing senior public servants to modern leadership and governance practices.

In his vote of thanks, Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Civil Service Commission, Pastor James Enebeli, stressed the importance of continuous capacity building for Permanent Secretaries to effectively drive government policies and transformation.

He noted that government policies were dynamic and required public servants to continuously update their knowledge and skills to meet changing demands.

According to him, the training will help Permanent Secretaries to move beyond being custodians of Government processes to becoming effective drivers of transformation.

He expressed optimism that the programme would equip participants with the necessary information and knowledge to align their responsibilities with the vision and objectives of the State Government.

Enebeli thanked the organisers for providing the opportunity for Permanent Secretaries to improve their capacity, stressing that such initiatives would contribute to achieving the common objectives of the government.

By: John Bibor & Favour Eke