The Commission Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has unveiled a comprehensive roadmap to transform Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas sector.
Speaking at a major stakeholder meeting in Lagos, Eyesan outlined a vision anchored on three strategic pillars: production optimization and revenue expansion; regulatory predictability and speed; and safe, governed, and sustainable operations.
She stated that this agenda aligns directly with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope mandate to achieve a production target of 2 million barrels of oil per day (mmbopd) by 2027 and 3mmbopd by 2030.
The meeting drew attendance from key industry players, including members of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), emerging players, and other major stakeholders.
Eyesan emphasized that the commission is focused on recovering shut-in volumes with economic value, arresting production decline, reducing losses, and accelerating the time-to-first oil.
She noted that these goals would be pursued without adding unnecessary burdens or transaction costs to operators.
Highlighting early success, she revealed that the commission has already turned on the light in a long shut-in asset.
To improve the ease of doing business, Eyesan promised to run regulation like a service.
She announced that the NUPRC will enhance efficiency by publishing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for all major approvals and enforcing rules transparently.
“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.
She encouraged stakeholders to submit projects for consideration, specifically urging operators with matured opportunities to submit requests by the end of the first quarter of 2026 to benefit from a simplified framework.
The commission also plans to launch a digital workflow for permitting, reporting, and data submissions.
Eyesan added that the NUPRC is working to harmonize internal processes to eliminate conflicting regulatory actions and reduce friction.
Under the pillar of safe and sustainable operations, the NUPRC boss pledged to strengthen governance, process safety, and host community outcomes while encouraging decarbonization.
“Going forward, the Commission will be measured on key success metrics: faster, predictable regulatory approvals; higher, more secure and sustainable production; credible licensing; and world-class Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) outcomes,” she said.
To foster closer collaboration, Eyesan convened a “CCE–Operators Leadership Forum,” a monthly engagement platform involving the NNPC, OPTS, IPPG, and emerging players. These meetings will focus on approval timelines, production restoration, infrastructure integrity, and gas monetization.
She also stressed the need for improved hydrocarbon accounting to track every barrel produced and promptly address discrepancies.
On community relations, she encouraged operators to liaise with the commission ahead of planned engagements with host community leaders to reaffirm commitments to the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT).
Eyesan set an ambitious goal to ensure 100 percent compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) within 12 months, which will be monitored by a dedicated team in her office.
“The commission, going forward, will issue quarterly progress reports. Let us, 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 Field Development Plans (FDPs), well interventions, rig mobilization, and other quick-win opportunities has commenced,” she declared.