As President Bola Tinubu prepares to receive the United States President Donald Trump’s new envoy for Africa this week, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the U.S. State Department’s Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Frank Garcia, who is on a three-nation tour of Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali, is expected to present the Trump administration’s new migration agreement, which is meant to expedite deportations and potentially link compliance to U.S. visa restrictions.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s crude oil production climbed to a record high in recent years in June, moving the country closer to its 2026 budget production target and strengthening prospects for improved government revenues.

Latest data released yesterday by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed that combined crude oil and condensate production averaged 1.735 million barrels per day (mbpd) in June, marking the fourth consecutive month of growth.

This latest U.S. diplomatic effort is coming on the heels of an initial proposal that was reportedly turned down by President Bola Tinubu’s administration in July 2025, which was designed to speed up deportations to Nigeria. Despite denials at the time, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, had linked the U.S. visa restrictions to Nigeria’s refusal to accept deported non-Nigerian citizens to the country.

While the details of this new proposal to be presented by Garcia are yet to be disclosed, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria captured the envoy’s inaugural visit as advancing objectives that would keep Americans safe, promote economic prosperity in the U.S. and advocate for Uncle Sam’s interests.

According to the consulate, Garcia is visiting Nigeria on his inaugural trip to the continent, which focuses heavily on security cooperation, counter-terrorism and a proposed migration deal to accelerate the deportation of Nigerian nationals, amid stricter U.S. visa policies.

The Guardian gathered last night that key items to be discussed during Garcia’s visit include issues bordering on the migration deal as well as security and counterterrorism. The choice of Nigeria for his first official tour underscores the deeply intertwined security and intelligence partnership between Washington and Abuja. This heightened strategic focus is coordinated under the U.S.-Nigeria Joint Working Group, which tackles counterterrorism, regional stability and migration.

The recent push coincides with an intensified U.S. immigration crackdown and an updated list of 124 Nigerian nationals flagged for removal due to serious criminal convictions last week. Deportees are being flown directly into the country via Lagos.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government, through the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has called for compliance with international deportation protocols, allowing deportees time to wind down their assets.

AT an average oil price of about $85 per barrel during the month, Nigeria’s total oil output was valued at roughly $132.6 million daily, translating to approximately $4.2 billion for the month before production costs, operators’ share, royalties and other deductions.

The performance places the country within touching distance of the 1.84mbpd oil production benchmark of the 2026 budget.

In crude oil terms alone, excluding condensates, production rose to 1.56mbpd, exceeding Nigeria’s 1.5mbpd production quota allocated by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) by four per cent. The output represents the country’s highest crude oil production since April 2020, a 74-month high.

Production momentum has remained consistent in recent months, rising from 1.483mbpd in February to 1.546mbpd in March; 1.663mbpd in April; 1.7bpd in May and 1.735mbpd in June, representing a month-on-month increase of 2.2 per cent.

The country’s peak combined production reached 1.89mbpd during the month, suggesting that Nigeria is edging closer to the long-standing target of producing two million barrels daily. The lowest production recorded in June stood at 1.57mbpd.

According to the industry report, the improved output was driven largely by stable operations across producing assets, the absence of major pipeline disruptions and more efficient crude evacuation.