NUPRC Developing 10 New Regulations, Gazettes 19 For Upstream Sector

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) is developing 10 additional regulations for the upstream petroleum sector, bringing its regulatory expansion efforts to the next phase after gazetting 19 sector-specific regulations.

Senior Regulatory Officer, Regulations and Special Investigations, Mrs Emmanuella Senlong, disclosed this at a Senate Stakeholders’ Engagement on the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), themed *“Industry Impact and the Path Forward.”*

Senlong said the commission had also issued 25 operational guidelines covering critical areas across the upstream petroleum value chain.

“To date, the NUPRC has gazetted 19 sector-specific regulations—with 10 additional regulations currently under development—and issued 25 operational guidelines covering critical areas across the upstream value chain,” she said.

She, however, stressed that establishing regulatory frameworks was only the first step, noting that effective implementation and demonstrable compliance with statutory requirements were essential to achieving the objectives of the PIA.

According to her, the commission is tackling longstanding challenges and overlapping obligations through standardised reporting templates, risk-based inspection protocols and auditable annual compliance assessments.

She explained that the measures were designed to strengthen regulatory oversight, improve accountability and close implementation gaps across the upstream petroleum industry.