NUPRC chief Eyesan targets production boost, revenue expansion in upstream sector

Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan, to head the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, commission chief executive (CCE) of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), has unveiled her vision for the country’s upstream sector, focusing on production optimisation and revenue expansion, regulatory predictability and speed, as well as safe, well-governed and sustainable operations.

The CCE disclosed this in Lagos on Wednesday during a meeting with the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG) and other stakeholders.

According to her, the vision aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and his plan to achieve a production target of 2 million barrels per day by 2027 and 3 million barrels per day by 2030.

Read also: NUPRC, NMDPRA deepen ties to boost petroleum regulation, investment

In a statement signed by Eniola Akinkuotu, head of media and strategic communications at NUPRC, Eyesan said production optimisation and revenue expansion would be achieved through the recovery of shut-in volumes with economic value, arresting production decline, reducing losses, and accelerating time-to-first oil, without increasing regulatory burdens or transaction costs.

This, she said, had already begun by recently ‘turning on the light’ in a long shut-in asset.

“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 also promised that under her leadership, the NUPRC will enhance regulatory efficiency and predictability by publishing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for all major approvals.

She added that 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.

“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 Commission will launch a digital workflow for permitting, reporting and data submissions, the NUPRC will work with the industry to identify capacity gaps and develop tiered intervention in the most critical areas with immediate impact on regulatory efficiency.

“While we harmonize our own internal processes to eliminate conflicting regulatory actions and reduce friction, the NUPRC’s internal transformation programme through a project Management office is in flight and I will provide more details on this in the coming days,” she said.

The NUPRC boss also unveiled a ‘CCE–Operators Leadership Forum’ for monthly engagement. Participants according to her will include all operators (including NNPC), OPTS, IPPG, and emerging players.

The meeting, she said, will be focused on approval timelines, production restoration, infrastructure integrity, and gas monetisation and development. “This is expected to enable the NUPRC to identify systemic bottlenecks and provide greater predictability.”

Eyesan, speaking further, stressed the need to improve hydrocarbon accounting and measurement by tracking every barrel produced and promptly addressing discrepancies or losses.

On host community, the NUPRC boss encouraged all operators to liaise with the commission, stating that plans were ongoing to engage with host community leaders to reaffirm commitment to HCDT (Host Community Development Trust) implementation.

She also said one of her key goals is to ensure 100 percent to the Petroleum Industry Act within 12 months. This, she said, will be monitored with a dedicated team situated in her office.

“The commission going forward will issue quarterly progress reports. Let 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 FDPs, well interventions, rig mobilisation and other quick-win opportunities have commenced,” the CCE stated.

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