Top Locations of Crude Oil in Nigeria: Full List

There are many top location states where crude oil can be found in Nigeria. Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa and the 14th largest in the world.

The country’s oil industry has significantly contributed to its economy, accounting for over 90% of its export earnings and about 70% of government revenue.

With over 37.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, Nigeria’s oil industry is a significant player in the global market.

This blog post will provide a comprehensive overview of the top locations of crude oil in Nigeria.

Top Locations of Crude Oil in Nigeria

The top locations of crude oil in Nigeria are located in onshore and offshore fields in the Niger Delta region. The Niger Delta region covers nine Nigerian states, including Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers.

It is also home to some of Nigeria’s largest oil fields, including the Bonny oil field, one of the largest in the world. Other major oil fields in the region include the Forcados, Bonga, and Agbami.

Onshore Fields

Rivers State

• Notable Oil Fields: Bonny, Bomu, Kolo, Obite, Soku
• Key Areas:
  • Port Harcourt: Hosts major oil facilities and refineries
  • Bonny: Known for the Bonny Light crude oil and NLNG plant
  • Eleme: Houses petrochemical industries and oil pipelines
• Crude Oil Pipelines: Trans Niger Pipeline, Nembe Creek Trunk Line, Oguta-Ebocha Pipeline, and others.
• Crude Oil Export Terminals: Bonny & Belema Crude Oil Export Terminals.
• Overview: Rivers State is Nigeria’s top crude oil location. It is home to Port Harcourt, a hub for industry in Nigeria. Several multinational and indigenous oil companies are in Port Harcourt, Including TotalEnergies, Shell, Oando, ExxonMobil, Lekoil, and others. In addition, the state is home to NLNG, the country’s only LNG processing company. Furthermore, Rivers State is home to two major refineries in Eleme.

Bayelsa State

• Notable Oil Fields: Nembe, Brass River, Gbaran-Ubie, Kolo Creek
• Key Areas:
  • Oloibiri: The site of Nigeria’s first commercial oil discovery in 1956
  • Brass: A significant area with the Brass Oil Terminal dedicated to oil exports
  • Nembe Creek: Hosts several oil wells and pipelines
  • Yenagoa: The capital city and a hub for oil exploration
• Crude Oil Pipelines: Trans Niger Pipeline, Nembe Creek Trunk Line, Tebidaba-Brass Pipeline.
• Crude Oil Export Terminals: Brass & Stubb Creek Oil Export Terminal.
• Overview: Bayelsa State is another top location for crude oil in Nigeria. Several multinational and indigenous oil companies operate in the state, including Aiteo, ENI, Oando, and Shell. Agip operates the Brass export Terminal in Brass. At the same time, Shell manages the Gbaran-Ubie Integrated Oil and Gas Project. The state is home to several major oil fields, including the Nembe and Bonga oil fields.

Delta State

• Notable Oil Fields: Ughelli West & East, Forcados, Escravos 
• Key Areas:
  • Warri: A major oil city with refineries, petrochemical plants, export terminal
  • Sapele: Known for offshore oil drilling
  • Escravos: Houses the Escravos Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) plant and oil terminals.
  • Forcados: Known for its export terminal
• Crude Oil Pipeline: Trans-Forcados Pipeline.
• Crude Oil Export Terminals: Warri, Forcados, & Escravos Terminal.
• Overview: Delta State is another top location for crude oil in Nigeria. Several multinational and indigenous oil companies operate in the state, including Chevron, NNPC, Seplat, and Midwestern. The state has several major oil fields, including the Forcados and Escravos.

Akwa Ibom State

• Notable Oil Fields: Ibeno, Stubb Creek, Qua Iboe, and Eket.
• Key Areas
  • Eket: Home to several offshore oil platforms.
  • Ibeno: Hosts ExxonMobil’s operational headquarters.
  • Qua Iboe Terminal: An important export point for Qua Iboe crude oil.
• Crude Oil Pipeline: Qua Iboe Pipeline Network
• Crude Oil Export Terminal: Qua Iboe Terminal
• Overview: Akwa Ibom is one of Nigeria’s top oil producers, primarily known for the Ibeno oil field, one of the country’s largest. The state’s oil fields are mainly offshore. Still, the state also has significant onshore reserves in the Qua Iboe and Eket regions. ExxonMobil previously operated many of these fields. However, in 2024, it sold its JV shares to Seplat Energy. Also, the primary oil export terminal in Akwa Ibom State is the Qua Iboe Terminal. Initially managed by ExxonMobil, this facility is now under Seplat Energy management. It is one of Nigeria’s largest crude oil export terminals. Located near Ibeno in Akwa Ibom, the terminal receives crude oil from offshore fields approximately 20–40 miles off the coast.

 Imo State

• Notable Oil Fields: Ohaji/Egbema, Assa North fields, Oguta, Oru East, and others
• Key Areas:
  • Ohaji/Egbema: A key location for onshore oil fields.
• Crude Oil Pipeline: Assa North-Ohaji South (ANOH) Pipeline Network
• Overview: Imo State is another top location for crude oil in Nigeria. Several multinational and Indigenous oil companies operate in the state, including Seplat, NPDC, ANOH, and Shell. Shell is one of the major international oil companies operating in Imo State, particularly in the Assa North-Ohaji South gas development project. This project is part of a joint venture involving Shell, NNPC, and others.

Other Onshore Fields

Ondo State

• Notable Fields: Okitipupa and Apoi.
• Key Areas: Ilaje and Ese-Odo.

Abia State

• Notable Fields: Imo River and Owaza.
• Key Areas: Umuahia and Ukwa West.
• Ukwa West is known for crude oil exploration activities.

Cross River State

• Notable Fields: Odukpani.
• Key Areas: Calabar and Odukpani.

Anambra State (New Frontier)

• Notable Fields: Anambra Basin.
• Key Areas: Aguleri and Ogbaru.

Lagos State

• Notable Fields: Aje Field (offshore).
• Key Areas: Badagry.

Edo State

• Notable Fields: Oredo, Ovia
• Key Area: Ologbo, which hosts oil and gas operations.

Gombe and Bauchi States (Northern Frontier)

• Notable Fields: Kolmani River Oil Field, Lake Chad Basin, Sokoto & Bida Basins
• Key Areas: Kolmani.

Offshore Oil Fields

Offshore oil fields, particularly Deepwater in the Gulf of Guinea, are Nigeria’s top crude oil locations. Some of the largest global oil companies manage these fields in partnership with local firms.

Bonga Field (Deepwater)

• Location: About 120 km offshore, in the Gulf of Guinea.
• Operator: Shell
• Overview: The Bonga field is one of the most significant Deepwater oil fields and one of Nigeria’s top locations for crude oil. It contributes substantially to Nigeria’s crude oil output, with an estimated production capacity of 200,000 barrels per day. The field was discovered in 1996, and production began in 2005.

Erha Field (Deepwater)

• Location: About 60 km off the coast of Nigeria, in water depths of around 1,000 meters.
• Operator: ExxonMobil
• Overview: The Erha field is one of Nigeria’s largest deepwater and top crude oil locations. Initially discovered in 1997, production began in 2006, and production capacity is roughly 200,000 barrels per day. The field mainly produces crude oil but also produces gas.

Agbami Field (Deepwater)

• Location: Located in water depths of about 1,500 meters, about 70 km offshore.
• Operator: Chevron
• Overview: The field has been a key contributor to Nigeria’s oil output, producing over 250,000 barrels daily. Production began in 2008.

Egina & Akpo Field (Deepwater)

• Location: about 200 kilometres from the coast of Nigeria.
• Operator: TotalEnergies
• Overview: Operated by TotalEnergies, the Akpo and Egina fields are large deepwater oil and gas fields and the top location of crude in Nigeria. Production began in Akpo in 2009, while production began in December 2018 in Egina. Akpo’s production capacity is over 150,000 barrels per day of condensates, while Egina’s is roughly 250,000 barrels daily of crude oil.

USAN Field (Deepwater)

• Location: About 100 km from the coast of Akwa Ibom State.
• Operator: ExxonMobil
• Overview: USAN is a major Deepwater oil field operated by ExxonMobil. Discovered in 2002 and in production since 2012, the field has a production capacity of around 180,000 barrels per day. It is an important asset for ExxonMobil and Nigeria’s overall oil industry.

Other Offshore Assets

• Zabazaba Field (Bayelsa State): A yet-to-be-fully-developed Deepwater project.

Key Oil Companies Operating in Nigeria

• Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC Limited): The NNPC is Nigeria’s state-owned oil company. It is responsible for managing the country’s oil and gas resources and operates joint ventures with several international oil companies, including Chevron, Total, and ExxonMobil.
• Shell: One of the largest players in Nigeria, operating in both onshore and offshore fields, especially in the Niger Delta region. Gbaran-Ubie, Bonny, EA, Forcados, and Brass.
• ExxonMobil: A major operator in Nigeria, particularly in offshore fields like Erha, USAN, and Qua Iboe.
• Chevron: Active in both onshore and offshore fields in Nigeria, including Agbami, Escravos, and Olero Creek.
• TotalEnergies: Operates key offshore fields like Obite, Egina, Akpo and Usan.
• Oando: Active in the Niger Delta region, particularly with the Ebocha, Ogbainbiri and Okpai fields. In 2024, Oando bought NAOC’s JV assets.
• Seplat Energy: An emerging player in Nigeria operating in onshore fields like Oben, Sapele, Ovhor, Amukpe, and Okporhuru Fields. Seplat also purchased ExxonMobil’s JV assets.