The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) says Nigeria’s crude production is on a recovery path and could reach about 1.9 million barrels per day in the near term after peaking at 1.86 million bpd in May.
NUPRC Chief Executive Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan made the projection during a meeting with Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) Chairman Zacch Adedeji at the NRS headquarters in Abuja on June 17. Eyesan told the meeting that recent gains reflect the impact of industry reforms, deeper stakeholder collaboration and the Commission’s digitization drive, all of which have helped stabilize output and create a more enabling environment for operators.
“We are back to production. We are ramping up now,” Eyesan said, while acknowledging that infrastructure deficits, asset integrity challenges and shortfalls in human capacity remain constraints the Commission is working to address. She emphasized that NUPRC’s interventions are aimed at enabling operators to survive and succeed so that the sector and government revenues can grow.
The meeting, which focused on strengthening cooperation between the NUPRC and the NRS, underlined both agencies’ commitment to transparency, accountability and efficient collection of oil and gas revenues following changes under the Nigeria Revenue Service Act and Executive Order 9. Eyesan praised reforms that smoothed the transition of revenue-collection responsibilities to the NRS and said closer collaboration is essential to ensure seamless remittance and accurate accounting of royalties and other petroleum-related receipts.
NRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji lauded the Commission’s professionalism and pledged continued support for NUPRC’s objectives, noting that the NRS’s role is to collect and account for federally collectable revenues on behalf of the government. “It is in the interest of Nigeria that we work together to grow revenue for the country in transparency for the good of Nigerians,” he said.
While the NUPRC highlights progress, the sector continues to face longstanding challenges, including crude theft, pipeline vandalism, ageing infrastructure and underinvestment. Eyesan said the Commission will continue to prioritize asset integrity and capacity development as security improvements, renewed investments and regulatory reforms help drive a gradual recovery toward the country’s long-standing target of about two million barrels per day.
