By Sopuruchi Onwuka

The new Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has begun industry engagement with a call on operating companies to adopt efficient measures that will quickly boost oil production and government revenue.

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Speaking on Wednesday at a stakeholder meeting in Lagos, Eyesan said the drive aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and his target to raise crude oil production to 2.0 million barrels per day by 2027 and 3.0 million barrels per day by 2030.

She said upstream operations under her leadership would be guided by production optimisation and revenue expansion, regulatory predictability and speed, and sustainable operations.

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.

Eyesan explained that the planned output boost would focus on recovering shut-in volumes with economic value, arresting production decline, reducing losses, and accelerating time to first oil without increasing transaction costs or regulatory burdens.

She disclosed that this effort had already begun with the recent reactivation of a long shut-in asset.

On regulatory efficiency, Eyesan said predictability and speed would be achieved by “running regulation like a service,” enforcing rules transparently, and making time-bound decisions.

She said the commission would strengthen governance, process safety, host community outcomes, and decarbonisation through safe, well-governed, and sustainable operations.

“Going forward, the Commission will be measured on key success metrics, including faster and predictable regulatory approvals, higher and more secure production, credible licensing and disciplined acreage performance, world-class health, safety and environmental outcomes, trusted measurement, transparency, governance, and data integrity,” she said.

Eyesan announced that the NUPRC would publish Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for all major approvals to enhance regulatory efficiency and certainty. She added that timelines to production would be shortened through proactive engagement on required approvals, stage-gate processes, and mutually agreed timelines with operators.

She encouraged stakeholders to submit projects for consideration, noting that matured opportunities should be submitted by the end of the first quarter of 2026 to allow for a simplified and holistic approval framework with clear obligations for both operators and the regulator.

The commission will also launch a digital workflow for permitting, reporting, and data submissions. Eyesan said the NUPRC would work with industry players to identify capacity gaps and deploy tiered interventions in critical areas with immediate impact, while harmonising internal processes to reduce conflicting regulatory actions.

She revealed that the commission’s internal transformation programme, driven through a Project Management Office, is already underway, with further details to be provided in the coming days.

Eyesan also announced the creation of a monthly CCE–Operators Leadership Forum, which will include all operators, including NNPC, OPTS, IPPG, and emerging players. The forum will focus on approval timelines, production restoration, infrastructure integrity, and gas development, with the aim of identifying systemic bottlenecks and improving predictability.

She stressed the importance of accurate hydrocarbon accounting, saying every barrel produced must be tracked and discrepancies or losses addressed promptly.

On host communities, Eyesan urged operators to engage with the commission ahead of planned meetings with host community leaders to reaffirm commitment to the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) framework.

She added that one of her key goals is full compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act within 12 months, monitored by a dedicated team reporting directly to her office. The commission will issue quarterly progress reports to track performance.

“Let us bring all high-impact shut-in fields forward for approval,” she said. “On the Commission’s part, a 90-day program to fast-track approvals for near-ready field development plans, well interventions, rig mobilization, and other quick-win opportunities has already commenced.”