Oil rigs Abuja, Nigeria — Nigeria has lost its position as Africa’s top oil producer to Angola, industry insiders say, and could soon become third after Libya. Oil analysts say Nigeria’s production struggle is coming at the worst time, as oil prices have jumped, partly because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the Nigerian oil regulation commission, the country’s oil production during August dropped to 972,000 barrels per day, down from about 1.1 million barrels per day in July. That allowed Angola to pass Nigeria in monthly oil production for the third time this year. The other months were May and June. Nigeria’s oil production has been declining steadily for months. Authorities blame rising crude oil theft and sabotage at production sites. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said recently that thieves from all levels of society, including religious groups, were stealing 200,000 barrels of crude oil per […]