Nigeria’s oil and gas regulators in waiting have signalled a decisive shift towards stricter oversight, digital regulation and contract discipline, as the Federal Government moves to restore investor confidence under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
President Bola Tinubu’s nominees for the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) made the commitments during their Senate screening on Thursday, against the backdrop of declining revenues, ageing infrastructure and intensifying global energy transition pressures.
Their pledges point to a regulatory reset aimed at sealing value leakages, improving transparency and positioning Nigeria as a competitive energy destination once again.
Digitisation, data and upstream discipline
The NUPRC nominee, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, told lawmakers that Nigeria was losing enormous value due to weak data integration and excessive reliance on manual regulatory processes.
According to her, effective regulation in today’s oil and gas industry depends on real-time data, asset integrity monitoring and transparent digital systems. Without these, she said, regulators cannot accurately measure production, enforce compliance or maximise government revenues.
Drawing from nearly 33 years of experience at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), where she retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, Eyesan stressed that collaboration between regulators, operators and policymakers would be critical to resolving long-standing bottlenecks in the upstream sector.
She described the Petroleum Industry Act as a powerful regulatory instrument capable of unlocking fresh investments, but warned that its benefits would only materialise through firm and consistent implementation. Eyesan also highlighted her role in resolving disputes with international partners, restoring investor confidence during divestment pressures, and supporting deep offshore projects that helped lift crude oil production to about 1.8 million barrels per day.
Contract enforcement to stabilise gas supply
On the midstream and downstream front, Saidu Mohammed, the NMDPRA nominee, placed strong emphasis on restoring discipline through enforceable contracts and quality standards, particularly in the gas value chain.
He argued that persistent gas shortages, especially in the power sector, were largely the result of weak contractual frameworks. He said producers must treat gas strictly as a commodity and sell and deliver it under clear obligations to transporters and end-users.
Mohammed said enforcing the Gas Network Code would stabilise supply, reduce disputes and rebuild investor confidence. He also warned that neglecting domestic refining and processing could undermine Nigeria’s energy security, cautioning that local value must be protected even as exports grow.
The nominee pledged to revive pipeline transportation of petroleum products, attract significant investments into gas processing infrastructure and strengthen product quality assurance through in-house laboratory testing.
Senate eyes closer regulatory collaboration
Reacting to the presentations, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Senator Sumaila Kawu, said the screening was taking place at a critical moment for Nigeria’s economy.
He noted that improving energy production, efficiency and regulatory clarity was central to economic recovery, adding that further engagements with the nominees would continue into January to deepen legislative regulatory collaboration.
The Senate is expected to consider the committee’s report in the coming days, paving the way for confirmation. If approved, the appointments would mark a new phase in Nigeria’s oil and gas regulation following the exit of the pioneer chief executives of both agencies appointed after the PIA came into force in 2021.