…May have justified stakeholders’ position on better ways to protect oil assets in eastern corridor
The confirmation that Nigeria has jumped over 1.6 million barrels per day (mbpd) in crude oil production by the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has elicited joy in the eastern oil corridor where stakeholders recently applauded the Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) that oversees its protection.
The announcement by the NUPRC came barely a week after the Pipeline Host Ethnic Nationality Leaders (PHENL) hosted a press conference to express their satisfaction of PINL’s exploits along the eastern corridor of the Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP).
The NUPRC confirmed that Nigeria’s crude oil production crossed the 1.8 million barrels per day (mbpd) mark in the month of July, 2025
The Host Ethnic Nationality Leaders had urged the Federal Government and relevant agencies to retain PINL’s pipeline surveillance contract saying the company has contributed immensely to increased production of crude oil the country has achieved in recent months.
Gbenga Komolafe, CEO of NUPRC announced the latest increase on Monday, August 4, 2025, while addressing industry stakeholders at the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigerian Council.
Read also: Nigeria’s oil sector received $16bn commitment in two years – NUPRC
Represented by Enorense Amadasu, NUPRC’s Executive Commissioner, Development and Production, the NUPRC boss highlighted the commission’s pursuit of the “One mbpd Incremental” project, which has recorded modest gains through a multi-stakeholder collaborative approach.
Komolafe said the commission was also pursuing the initiative with modest gains recorded owing to the multi-stakeholder collaborative approach adopted.
“We are glad to report that we crossed the 1.8 mbpd mark on peak production last month, with average production hovering at 1.78 mbpd” he said.
These pronouncements by the NUPRC seem to make the pipeline ethnic nationality leaders happy that the work of the stakeholders is yielding positive results in terms of crude oil boost.
NUPRC’s Komolafe disclosed how the boost was achieved, saying that since the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) of 2021, the commission had made a gazette of 21 key regulations, saying others were at various phases of becoming a gazette.
“These regulations provide the clarity required to support investment, streamline administration, and align upstream operations with national and global priorities,” he said.
Highlighting some of the regulations, he said the upstream petroleum measurement regulations would promote transparency and accountability through technology deployment for accurate production measurement.
The NUPRC boss said the gas flaring, venting, and methane emissions regulations directly support sustainability by tackling emissions and entrenching de-carbonization.
He said the host community development regulations enhance social inclusion and local participation in the energy value chain.
“The Domestic Gas Delivery Obligation Regulations (DGDOR) improves energy access and strengthens the local supply chain,” Komolafe said.
“The Upstream Petroleum Safety Regulations (UPSR) ensure safe operations and workforce protection.
“The Decommissioning and Abandonment Regulations (DAR) sets clear standards for responsible end-of-life asset management.
“These instruments demonstrate our commitment to creating a regulatory environment that fosters innovation, secures long-term value, and ensures the responsible stewardship of Nigeria’s upstream resources.”
He added that the NUPRC was also implementing core initiatives to drive positive industry actions and imperatives.
He said; “To begin with, just last week, the Commission assembled industry practitioners to deliberate on a workable strategy to foster cluster development in the shallow and deepwater segments,” he said.
“Through an industry-wide implementation vehicle, we will evolve policy frameworks and operational mechanisms to valorise stranded or marginally economic oil & gas resources through joint development strategies”.
As part of its commitment towards sustainable production, Komolafe said the commission was optimising the maximum efficient rate (MER) framework, addressing produced water management, and aligning operational shutdowns and turnaround maintenance schedules to reduce production disruptions.
“Given the above and with the concerted efforts of all, the presidential mandate on production increase is well within reach,” he said.
“On another breadth, the NUPRC is implementing the Upstream Oil & Gas De-carbonisation & Sustainability Blueprint anchored on seven critical pillars to signal direction for industry sustainability.”
The agency’s approach, Komolafe said, is to future-proof the upstream sector and position it for investment attractiveness, sustained funding, and global competitiveness.
“We call on all operators to collaborate with us as we incorporate de-carbonization measures in Field Development, Facility Engineering, and Production Operations to accrue the afore-mentioned benefits,” he added.
As NUPRC targets another 800,000 bpd addition, it hopes to meet a 3mbpd target in the near future. Stakeholders thus urged the FG and the NNPCL to consolidate on pipeline and assets protection schemes especially on what has been achieved in the eastern corridor (Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo, and Abia) where PINL is overseeing.
