Nigeria is Africa’s largest producer of sweet crude oil, with 159 oil fields and 1,481 wells, mainly in the Niger Delta. This region holds 78 oil fields and produces light, low-sulfur crude like Bonny Light and Forcados.
Offshore exploration is growing, with major fields such as Agbami and Usan in deep waters. The Kolmani River Field in northern Nigeria is a rare find outside the Niger Delta, holding up to 1 billion barrels of reserves.
Shell, Chevron, and ExxonMobil dominate production, with Shell handling about 50% through onshore and offshore operations. Marginal fields left by international firms create opportunities for local companies.
Nigeria’s proven reserves total around 37 billion barrels, backed by a strong pipeline network and export hubs like Qua Iboe and Escravos. Oil contributes roughly 9% to Nigeria’s GDP.
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Top Oil Fields In Nigeria And Their Location
Here are some of the major oil fields in Nigeria, including their location, operator, type, and lots more.
| Oil Field | Location | Operator |
|---|---|---|
| Agbami Field | Offshore, Niger Delta | Chevron (Star Deep Water), Famfa Oil, NNPC |
| Akpo Field | Offshore, Niger Delta | TotalEnergies, CNOOC, Petrobras, NNPC, Sapetro |
| Atala Oil Field | Bayelsa State | Bayelsa State Government |
| Bomu Oil Field | Rivers State, Onshore | Shell |
| Bonga Field | Offshore, Niger Delta | Shell, Exxon, Nigerian Agip, Elf Petroleum |
| Delta Field | Offshore, Niger Delta | Chevron |
| Okoro Oilfield | Offshore, Niger Delta | Amni International Petroleum |
| Oloibiri Oilfield | Bayelsa State, Onshore | Shell |
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1. Agbami Field
Agbami Field is a major oil field in Nigeria. It was discovered in late 1998 and became the second deepwater oil field in the Niger Delta after Shell’s Bonga Field.
Located in about 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) of water, the field is operated by Star Deep Water Limited, an affiliate of Chevron. Other stakeholders include Famfa Oil, owned by the Alakija Family, along with Petrobras, Statoil, and NNPC.
The field’s oil reserves are mainly in lower and middle Miocene deepwater sandstones. It holds about 900 million barrels, with potential reserves reaching 1.5 billion.
This makes it one of Nigeria’s largest deepwater fields. The crude oil has a high API gravity in the 40s. The field’s structure includes an anticlinal trap with a small reverse fault and mobile shale or mud at its core.
Oil production began in 2008, initially exceeding 70,000 barrels per day. Peak production is estimated at 250,000 barrels per day. The floating production unit, which processes the oil, is as long as three football fields and costs over $1.2 billion to build.
Also, the Agbami Scholarship Scheme supports students in engineering, medicine, and pharmacy. Engineering students receive ₦100,000, while medical and pharmacy students get ₦200,000 under specific conditions.
2. Akpo Field
Discovered in 2000, the Akpo field is in Nigeria’s ultra-deep waters, about 200 kilometers from Port Harcourt. It is located in water depths ranging from 1,100 to 1,700 meters.
This gas and condensate field is operated by Total, which holds a 24% stake. Other partners include CNOOC with 45%, Petrobras with 16%, NNPC with 10%, and Sapetro with 5%.
Development began in 2005 with plans for 44 wells: 22 for production, 20 for water injection, and two for gas injection. So far, 22 wells have been drilled and connected to an FPSO. The subsea setup covers 110 kilometers of complex infrastructure.
By November 2009, BJ Services completed a major pre-commissioning operation on Akpo’s subsea pipelines. Akpo started producing in March 2009.
By the fourth quarter of the year, peak production was expected to reach 175,000 barrels of condensate per day, along with 320 million cubic feet of gas daily.
3. Atala Oil Field
The Atala Oil Field, also known as OML 46, is in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. It covers about 34 square kilometers in the state’s southwestern region.
Discovered in 1982 by Shell Oil Company, the field was identified after drilling reached 4,058 meters, revealing hydrocarbons. Bayelsa Oil Company has been linked to the field, with exploration efforts including seismic surveys in 2012, 2015, and 2018.
Hydrocarbons are found across five geological layers: till, mudstone, sandstone, limestone, and dolomite. Advanced geophysical methods, including electrical resistivity and electromagnetic techniques, have been used to assess these formations.
However, only 12.5 kilometers of the planned 60-kilometer depth has been explored due to processing constraints. In April 2020, the Federal Government of Nigeria revoked Bayelsa State’s operating license over allegations of mismanagement and asset stagnation. The field was reassigned to Halkin Exploration and Production Limited.
The revocation caused disputes over the field’s 20,700 barrels of remaining crude and accusations of improper reallocation. In October 2020, former President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the discretionary reinstatement of revoked licenses to qualified companies, but the field stayed under Halkin’s control. The Niger Delta region, home to Atala, holds an estimated 34 billion barrels of oil and 93 trillion cubic feet of gas.
4. Bomu Oil Field
The Bomu oil field is in the Gokana Local Government Area of the Eastern Niger Delta, Nigeria. It sits within Ogoniland, a region rich in oil reserves.
The discovery well was spudded in February 1958. It uncovered 265 feet (81 meters) of gas sands and 165 feet (50 meters) of oil-bearing sands within the Agbada formation.
Production started in 1959. At its peak, the field produced 75,000 barrels per day before the Nigerian Civil War. A 12-inch (30 cm) pipeline linked it to Bonny for transportation.
In 1970, a blowout caused severe environmental damage, destroying vegetation and farm crops. Like much of the Niger Delta, the field has suffered from oil spills, gas flaring, and waste discharge.
Soil and groundwater contamination is a critical issue. A UNEP report found that benzene levels in groundwater far exceed WHO guidelines. The damage has harmed plant life, depleted aquatic species, and wiped out mangrove swamps.
Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, operates the field. It consists of 96 oil wells and five flow stations.
The Bomu Manifold, one of Africa’s largest, handles high-pressure crude oil and gas transportation to Bonny export terminals. Despite the economic potential, the local population has seen little benefit.
Shell employed less than 2% of the Ogoni people. Environmental degradation has led to economic hardship, unemployment, and a lack of basic infrastructure.
Oil production has been disrupted by activism and regulatory changes. In 1993, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) forced companies to halt gas flaring.
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5. Bonga Field
The Bonga Field, Nigeria’s first deepwater oil project, sits offshore in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 118, about 120 km southwest of the Niger Delta. Operated by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo.
Since its discovery in 1996, following extensive 3D seismic surveys in 1993–1994, the field has significantly boosted Nigeria’s oil production. Production started in November 2005.
The field covers around 60 km² in water depths exceeding 1,000 meters. Shell Nigeria holds a 55% stake, with ExxonMobil at 20%, while TotalEnergies and Nigerian Agip Exploration each own 12.5%.
The reservoir consists of Middle to Late Miocene unconsolidated turbidite sandstones. Its light crude oil has an API gravity between 28° and 35°.
The field holds about 6 billion barrels of oil in place. Initially, production began with 16 pre-drilled wells, including nine producers and seven water injectors.
Peak production reached around 202,000 barrels per day, with gas output at 144 million cubic feet per day. Waterflooding is used to maintain injection and production rates, exceeding 60,000 barrels per day per well.
A Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, built by Samsung Heavy Industries, processes up to 225,000 barrels of stabilized crude oil daily. It stores oil for transport via tankers and exports gas through pipelines to Nigeria’s LNG facilities.
Subsea development includes tie-backs, pipelines, manifolds, umbilicals, flowlines, and tree systems installed at depths over 1,000 meters, using remotely operated robots.
Bonga North West, commissioned in August 2014, added six wells, four producers, and two injectors tied back to the existing FPSO. It contributes an extra 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
Bonga Southwest/Aparo, discovered in 2001, holds notable recoverable reserves and is set to drive further deepwater expansion within OML 118. The field has faced challenges, including shutdowns due to militant attacks.
In June 2008, production stopped for three weeks after an attack by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). Routine turnaround maintenance keeps operations running smoothly. By the end of 2018, Bonga had delivered over 819 million barrels of oil.
The project has been essential to Nigeria’s crude oil output, increasing it by about 10%. Gas production supports exports through the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company at Bonny Island, generating revenue from global LNG markets.
6. Delta Field (Niger Delta)
The Delta Field is an offshore oil field in the Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria. It operates under Oil Mining Leases 49 and 95, sitting in shallow waters about 12 feet deep. Production began in 1968 after the Delta 1 well was completed in 1965.
The Niger Delta is a wave-dominated delta on the continental margin of the Gulf of Guinea. It formed during the Paleogene period, fed by sediment from the Niger River, which drains 2.23 million square kilometers.
The delta covers 75,000 square kilometers, with sediment layers reaching 12 kilometers thick at its center. It has over 34 billion barrels of oil and 93 trillion cubic feet of gas, ranking as the world’s 12th largest hydrocarbon province.
Hydrocarbons in the Delta Field come from the Tertiary Niger Delta (Akata–Agbada) Petroleum System, the region’s only discovered petroleum system.
Oil and gas accumulate in structural traps within the Agbada Formation. The Niger Delta Basin contains growth-fault-bounded depobelts, formed through sedimentary progradation.
Hydrocarbons are generated mainly in the upper Akata Formation and lower Agbada Formation. Thermal gradients vary: Benin Formation (1.3–1.8 °C/100 m), Agbada Formation (2.7 °C/100 m), Akata Formation (5.5 °C/100 m).
Migration is influenced by temperature, tectonic deformation, and sand/shale distribution. By 2013, 37 wells had been drilled, 14 vertical and 23 deviated. Most wells target middle Agbada Formation reservoirs. The eastern fault block contains 12 wells, while the western block has 25. Before 2000, 53 different reservoirs were discovered.
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7. Okoro Oilfield
The Okoro Oilfield is about 12 kilometers offshore Nigeria in the eastern Niger Delta, within the OML 112 block, formerly known as OPL 469. It is seen in shallow waters, with an average depth of 14 meters (46 feet). The oil-bearing sands are in the Agbada Formation.
Discovered in 1973 by Japan Petroleum, the Okoro-1 well revealed two oil-bearing sands. However, the 1974 appraisal well, Okoro-2, was water wet, leading to the field’s abandonment.
In 2006, a fresh assessment with the Okoro-3 well confirmed hydrocarbons, making development viable. Production started in June 2008, following the drilling of seven wells.
Amni International Petroleum Development Company Limited operates the field and holds full ownership. Previous agreements involved Total and Afren Energy Resources. Oil production relies on a wellhead platform linked to the Armada Perkasa FPSO. Initial production exceeded 3,000 barrels per day from each of the first two wells.
By 2009, output averaged 18,872 barrels per day. The estimated oil in place is around 130 million barrels, though some sources suggest 25 million barrels. Peak production came in 2009, surpassing expectations due to strong reservoir quality and aquifer support.
However, the field is set for abandonment in 2025. There have been discussions on infill drilling to boost recovery. Currently, there are 34 active wells, including those drilled in 2016 and 2018.
8. Oloibiri Oilfield
The Oloibiri Oilfield is Nigeria’s first commercial oil discovery. Located in a small creek community within Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, it is about 72 kilometers east of Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta.
Discovered on January 15, 1956, by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), Oloibiri became a turning point after years of unsuccessful exploration.
The discovery well, Oloibiri-1, was drilled on August 3, 1955, reaching a depth of 3,660 meters. It tested at around 5,000 barrels per day, officially launching Nigeria into the global oil industry.
The field covered approximately 13.75 square kilometers in a swampy area. Oil was found in the Agbada Formation, with an estimated 40.94 million barrels in place. Recoverable reserves stood at about 20.06 million barrels.
Peak production in 1964 reached around 5,100 barrels per day, extracted from eleven wells. The crude oil was heavy and sour, with an API gravity of 20.6.
Since there were no gas-processing facilities, associated gas was flared. Nigeria’s first crude oil pipeline was laid from Oloibiri to Port Harcourt for export.
Between 1956 and 1958, eleven appraisal wells were drilled, with six encountering oil. By 1958, four additional development wells were completed alongside the discovery well.