By Engineer Gbenga Komolafe
This media engagement underscores the high value in which the NUPRC holds the media, given your strategic role as society’s watchdogs and the stewards of public trusts on information dissemination.
As you are aware, Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is unequivocal in its mandate: the press, radio, television, and all agencies of mass communication shall always, be free to uphold the responsibility and accountability of government to the people. Likewise, Section 7(m) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 directs the NUPRC to publish reports and statistics on upstream petroleum operations, an obligation rooted in transparency and designed to stimulate the growth of Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
It is therefore clear that at the heart of both our missions, yours as the Fourth Estate of the Realm and ours, as a regulatory institution, is a shared commitment to openness, accountability and service to the Nigerian people.
This workshop was conceived with that shared purpose in mind, to give you a deeper, behind-the-scenes understanding of the Commission’s work and Nigeria’s dynamic upstream petroleum industry. Over the past two days, our subject-matter experts from exploration, development, production, acreage management, economic regulation, host community relations, and other critical departments have offered you first-hand insights into the sector’s evolving realities.
One central takeaway from these engagements is that, globally, investments in oil and gas are declining as countries intensify the shift towards cleaner energy. Despite this global headwind, Nigeria has continued to record steady, measurable progress in the upstream sector.
This has been driven by the Commission’s regulatory instruments developed under the PIA and further reinforced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s far-reaching Executive Orders.
Accordingly, this year alone, Nigeria’s daily crude oil production has, on multiple occasions, exceeded 1.7 million barrels per day, demonstrating our capacity to surpass OPEC targets. Our rig count has risen to nearly 70, with over 40 rigs active.
Final Investment Decisions valued in billions of dollars have been taken, and within the last 10 months, we have approved Field Development Plans worth approximately $20 billion.
Looking ahead, the NUPRC remains fully committed to the national aspiration of adding one million incremental barrels of oil per day to our daily production profile.
To this end, the Commission will conduct another licensing round on December 1, 2025, one that we anticipate will be even more transparent and globally competitive than the 2024 round. This initiative is designed to open new frontiers, unlock fresh prospects and further strengthen our reserves base.
However, as we advance these reforms and attract much-needed investments, the role of the media becomes more critical. Nigeria’s position as Africa’s leading producer depends not just on policy, regulation and geology, but also on how the nation’s story is told.
The oil and gas sector is highly sensitive to perception and your reporting has the power to reassure investors or deter them.
It is therefore essential that while you continue to inform the public, such reportage remains factual, contextual and development oriented. The narrative must reflect Nigeria’s aspirations, opportunities, and progress, not merely its challenges.
In this regard, I once again urge you members of the Fourth Estate, to put the national interest at the center of your work, as the country competes on the global stage for energy investments.
On our part, the NUPRC remains committed to deepening transparency.
As the custodian of upstream data, we consistently publish updates on our website, across our social media platforms and through our quarterly magazine, The Upstream Gaze. We will continue to strengthen these channels and expand access to accurate, timely information.
More so, we remain dedicated to nurturing our relationship with the media because we recognize that a strong partnership between the regulator and the press ultimately serves the Nigerian people.
Let me conclude by echoing the wise admonition of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR at the recently concluded 21st Nigerian Guild of Editors Annual Conference (ANEC) 2025: “Report boldly, but do so truthfully. Critique government policy but do so with knowledge and fairness. Your aim must never be to tear down, but to help build a better society.”
Being the full text of Engineer Gbenga Komolafe (D. Sc), OFR, FNSE, Commission Chief Executive, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, at the two-day strategic media workshop for Energy Correspondents in Vintano Hotel, Lekki, Lagos
