Sopuruchi Onwuka

Digitization of regulatory processes at the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has significantly improved the tracking and enforcement of royalty payments, according to the Commission’s Chief Executive, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan.

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Eyesan said default rates on royalty payments were “enormous” before 2025, prior to the Commission going live with its digital system. Since the transition, she noted, compliance has improved markedly.

“I can tell you without a shadow of doubt that for royalty payments, the default rate was enormous prior to 2025 when the Commission went live on the system. Now, compliance has improved,” she said.

Building on those gains, Eyesan announced that the Commission has launched a 60-day programme to fully digitise its internal communications and eliminate paper-based processes. She said the move is aimed at strengthening transparency, improving efficiency and enabling better monitoring of regulatory activities.

“We have set for ourselves a 60-day programme to digitise our interactions and communications within the Commission. I can assure you that once we get to day 60, there will be no paper trail within the Commission,” she said. “All our transmissions will be electronic, which also means speed is assured. It means we will be able to trace where we have hiccups.”

Eyesan made the remarks on February 23, 2026, when the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Hon. Musa Sarkin Adar, visited the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

She called for closer collaboration between both agencies to deepen transparency in the upstream sector, particularly as activities intensify around the 2025 Licensing Round.

In his response, Adar urged the Commission to carry NEITI along in its operations to strengthen public accountability and enhance investor confidence. He also advised the regulator to remain firm in enforcing the Petroleum Industry Act against oil companies that breach its provisions.

Adar further encouraged the Commission to actively participate in the 2026 flagship conference of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative to gain further insight into evolving global transparency standards. He also requested stronger data-sharing mechanisms between the two institutions to support NEITI’s oversight mandate.

“We are here to seek understanding and we must collaborate,” Adar said.