The Commission Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has unveiled a new vision for Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas sector anchored on boosting production, speeding up regulation and strengthening sustainability.
She said the strategy is built on three pillars — production optimisation and revenue expansion; regulatory predictability and speed; and safe, governed and sustainable operations — and aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda and the target to raise crude oil output to 2 million barrels per day by 2027 and 3 million barrels per day by 2030.
Mrs. Eyesan unveiled the agenda on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at a stakeholder meeting in Lagos attended by members of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), emerging players and other key industry stakeholders.
She said production growth and revenue expansion will be driven by the recovery of shut-in volumes with economic value, arresting decline, reducing losses and accelerating time-to-first oil, without increasing regulatory burden or transaction costs. According to her, this effort has already begun with the recent reactivation of a long shut-in asset.
On regulation, Mrs. Eyesan said predictability and speed would be achieved by running regulation like a service, enforcing rules transparently and making quick, time-bound decisions, while strengthening governance, process safety, host community outcomes and decarbonisation.
*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 said.
She disclosed that the NUPRC will publish Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for all major approvals and reduce timelines to production through proactive engagement, stage-gate processes and mutually agreed schedules with operators.
“Stakeholders are encouraged to submit their projects for consideration. For matured opportunities, please submit your request latest end of Q1, 2026. This would provide a simplified and holistic framework that creates obligations for both operators and the Commission,” the CCE said.
Mrs. Eyesan also announced plans to launch a digital workflow for permitting, reporting and data submissions, noting that the Commission would work with industry players to identify capacity gaps and implement targeted interventions, “while we harmonize our own internal processes to eliminate conflicting regulatory actions and reduce friction.”
She revealed that an internal transformation programme through a Project Management Office is already underway, alongside the creation of a monthly “CCE–Operators Leadership Forum” to focus on approval timelines, production restoration, infrastructure integrity, and gas monetisation and development.
The NUPRC boss further stressed the need to improve hydrocarbon accounting by tracking every barrel produced, reaffirmed commitment to Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) implementation, and disclosed that a dedicated team in her office will monitor full compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act within 12 months, adding that a 90-day fast-track programme for near-ready projects and quick-win opportunities has commenced.
