Six months into her tenure as Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan is driving reforms aimed at strengthening regulatory certainty, improving operational efficiency, accelerating decision-making, and enhancing transparency. The early results are becoming increasingly visible, with higher oil production, renewed investor confidence, and stronger interest in Nigeria’s licensing regime. The 2025 licensing round recorded encouraging participation, attracting not only indigenous oil companies but also major international oil companies (IOCs) and, for the first time, significant interest from international independent operators. The development is seen as a sign of growing confidence in Nigeria’s upstream sector. Speaking on the outcome, Eyesan said the level of participation reflects renewed faith in the industry. “The level of participation tells me people have faith in the industry. Not just Nigerian companies, but IOCs and international independents. That is a signal. The question now is whether we build on it, and that depends entirely on whether the regulatory environment continues to move in the direction we have set,” she said. Nigeria’s upstream performance has also improved significantly. In June 2026, combined crude oil and condensate production reached 1.735 million barrels per day (bpd), exceeding the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production quota of 1.5 million bpd by four per cent. It also marked the country’s highest crude output since April 2020. Production has risen steadily throughout the year, climbing from 1.62 million bpd in January to 1.48 million in February, 1.54 million in March, 1.66 million in April, 1.7 million in May, and 1.735 million bpd in June. According to the commission, the increase was driven by improved operational stability, completed maintenance activities, and the absence of major infrastructure disruptions. Gas production also recorded gains, reaching 7.93 billion cubic feet (bcf) per day, up from 7.88 bcf/d in May 2025. Non-associated gas production slightly exceeded associated gas for the first time, reflecting increased investment in dedicated gas projects. Domestic gas supply rose to a record 2.18 bcf per day, while gas flaring declined to 0.57 bcf/d, representing 6.9 per cent of total production, in line with Nigeria’s target of ending routine gas flaring by 2030. Eyesan said the increase in domestic gas supply demonstrates that the sector is delivering greater value to Nigerians. “This is not only a production story. It is a story about an industry beginning to serve the country, it sits inside more gas reaching Nigerian homes, Nigerian industry and Nigerian power. The numbers matter. What they represent matters more,” she said. Before joining the commission, Eyesan spent three decades at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), where she held several senior positions, including Executive Vice President, Upstream, and Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer. She also led efforts that doubled NNPC subsidiary production from 150,000 to 300,000 barrels per day and played a key role in resolving the long-running Production Sharing Contract (PSC) dispute. Upon assuming office, she identified three key priorities for the commission: increasing production and revenue, improving regulatory efficiency and predictability, and promoting safe, transparent and sustainable operations. To strengthen engagement with industry players, the commission established the Chief Executive Operators Leadership Forum, bringing together the NNPC, Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG) and other stakeholders every month to address production challenges, approval timelines and infrastructure integrity. The commission has also accelerated the digitisation of its operations, covering correspondence, permits, reporting systems and financial processes, while introducing a 90-day programme to fast-track field development plans, well interventions and rig mobilisation. In March, NUPRC signed the PEL5 agreement with SeaSeis Geophysical Limited and TGS to conduct broadband 3D seismic acquisition across 11,700 square kilometres offshore the Eastern Niger Delta. The project is expected to improve exploration decisions by providing higher-quality geological data. According to Eyesan, improved data quality is essential to attracting new investment. “Exploration is fundamentally driven by confidence in data and processes. PEL5 is about ensuring that the subsurface case for Nigeria’s offshore acreage is made as compellingly as it can be and that investors have the data quality they need to make decisions with confidence,” she said. The commission is also working to reduce regulatory bottlenecks by collaborating with the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority to create a single-window reporting system, eliminating duplicate compliance requirements for operators. “When you have multiple laws, you will likely have higher costs because each law comes with its own fees and charges. The only way to safeguard investments is to reduce the cost of operating here,” Eyesan noted. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently commended the commission for improving transparency in oil and gas data, with Statistician-General Adeyemi Adeniran highlighting the importance of NUPRC’s data in compiling Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Looking ahead, the commission remains focused on achieving the Federal Government’s target of producing two million barrels per day by 2027 and three million barrels daily by 2030. Eyesan described the goal as an engineering and investment challenge that requires international expertise alongside local capacity. “We are rushing against time. If we are serious about ramping up production, we cannot rely solely on in-country resources. We need to bring in people who have done this at scale internationally and be honest about whether our processes are designed to attract them,” she said. The commission plans to expand international independent participation in future licensing rounds, particularly for deepwater projects that require significant technical expertise and investment. As part of its climate commitments, NUPRC has directed upstream operators to adopt measurement-based methane and greenhouse gas reporting by January 2027, replacing estimation-based reporting with verified emissions data in line with Nigeria’s net-zero target by 2060 and methane reduction goals. The commission is also finalising service-level agreements that will establish publicly available timelines for regulatory approvals, strengthening accountability and investor confidence. Eyesan believes developing skilled manpower remains critical to sustaining long-term growth in the industry. She noted that investment declines following the Petroleum Industry Act slowed talent development across the sector, stressing that rebuilding technical capacity will be essential to achieving
