NUPRC chief eyes increased oil revenue, 2m-barrel output

The Commission Chief Executive, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has unveiled plans on increasing production and revenue expansion through the recovery of shut-in volumes with economic value, arresting decline, reducing losses, and accelerating time-to-first oil—without increasing burdens or transaction cost. She stated that this had already begun by recently beaming light […]

The Commission Chief Executive, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has unveiled plans on increasing production and revenue expansion through the recovery of shut-in volumes with economic value, arresting decline, reducing losses, and accelerating time-to-first oil—without increasing burdens or transaction cost.

She stated that this had already begun by recently beaming light on long shut-in assets.

She unveiled her agenda on Wednesday at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, disclosing that this aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda and his plan to hit a production target of 2mmbopd by 2027 and 3mmbopd by 2030.

The meeting was attended by members of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), emerging players and other major stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.

According to her plan, regulatory predictability and speed can be achieved by running regulation like a service, enforcing rules transparently and making quick time-bound decisions. 

The new NUPRC boss plans to strengthen governance, process safety, host community outcomes, and encourage decarbonisation through safe, governed and sustainable operations.

“Going forward, the Commission will be measured on the following key success metrics -Faster, predictable regulatory approvals, higher, more secure and sustainable production, credible licensing and disciplined acreage performance, world-class HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) and process safety outcomes, trusted measurement, transparency, governance and data integrity,” she added.

She promised that under her leadership, the NUPRC will enhance regulatory efficiency and predictability by publishing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for all major approvals. 

The timeline to production will be reduced through proactive discussions regarding all necessary approvals, implementation of stage-gate processes, and mutual agreement on timelines with the commission, she stated.

“Stakeholders are encouraged to submit their projects for consideration. For matured opportunities, please submit your request at the latest end of Q1, 2026. This would provide a simplified and holistic framework that creates obligations for both operators and the Commission,” the CCE added.

The Commission will launch a digital workflow for permitting, reporting and data submissions, she stated, adding that the NUPRC will work with the industry to identify capacity gaps and develop tiered intervention in the most critical areas with immediate impact on regulatory efficiency “while we harmonize our own internal processes to eliminate conflicting regulatory actions and reduce friction.”

She revealed that the NUPRC’s internal transformation programme through a project Management office is in flight and “I will provide more details on this in the coming days.”

The NUPRC boss also convened a “CCE–Operators Leadership Forum for monthly engagement”.

The participants will include all operators (including NNPC), OPTS, IPPG, and emerging players. 

The meeting, she said, will be focused on approval timelines, production restoration, infrastructure integrity, and gas monetisation and development. 

This is expected to enable the NUPRC to identify systemic bottlenecks and provide greater predictability. 

She also stressed the need to improve hydrocarbon accounting and measurement by tracking every barrel produced and promptly addressing discrepancies or losses. 

On host communities, the NUPRC encouraged all operators to liaise with the commission “as we plan first engagement with host community leaders to reaffirm commitment to HCDT (Host Community Development Trust) implementation.

She also said one of her key goals is to ensure 100% to the Petroleum Industry Act within 12 months. This, she said, will be monitored with a dedicated team situated in her office. 

“The commission going forward will issue quarterly progress reports. Let therefore bring all high impact shut in fields for approval. 

“On the Commission’s part, a 90-day program to fast track approvals for near-ready FDPs, well interventions, rig mobilisation and other quick-win opportunities have commenced,” the CCE stated.