By The Nigeria Oil and Gas Integrity Forum has praised the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for its key role in the success of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). The forum described the commission’s work as “critical and patriotic” in helping the oil and gas sector regain stability.
Forum President Vivian Okorafor said that without the leadership of NUPRC’s Chief Executive, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, the passage of the PIA alone would not have solved the industry’s challenges. “The PIA was a monumental achievement, but the real success story is what followed,” she stated.
Okorafor noted that strong enforcement by NUPRC restored investor confidence in Nigeria’s upstream sector. “Without the solid and transparent enforcement of the law by NUPRC, we would still be grappling with regulatory uncertainties, capital flight, and investor distrust,” she said.
The forum highlighted that NUPRC’s approach has shifted regulation from a burden into a driver of growth. They pointed to positive trends in investment indicators since the agency began implementing the PIA under Komolafe’s leadership.
“In the past, regulatory opacity drained our oil industry of investments. But the NUPRC under Engr. Komolafe has reversed that trend,” Okorafor emphasized. She added that the Commission’s support for indigenous companies and use of digital technology had brought major improvements.
Okorafor also mentioned the new fiscal rules introduced after the PIA, saying they have made Nigeria more competitive. “Before the PIA and the new fiscal frameworks enforced by NUPRC, Nigeria was losing out to other African nations like Angola and Ghana,” she explained.
