Fragmented Offices Harming Nigeria’s Oil Investments Drive—NUPRC

… Seeks speedy completion of headquarters

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has warned that its fragmented office set‑up was harming Nigeria’s drive to attract oil and gas investments and urged the speedy completion of its long‑planned headquarters, The Barrel.

Chairman of the NUPRC Board, Senator Magnus Abe, speaking during an inspection of the proposed head office, said the speedy completion of its proposed headquarters would improve the regulator’s efficiency and strengthen Nigeria’s appeal to investors.

The 10-storey building, designed as a convex curved cylinder that bulges at the centre and able to hold 900 to 1,000 people, is being built in the Central Business District of Abuja. Work on the project began in 2020 but the structure is not yet finished, forcing the commission to run its operations from several smaller offices across the Federal Capital Territory — a fragmentation the NUPRC says undermines investor confidence and gives a poor impression to firms bringing multibillion-dollar proposals.

“It is a thing of great embarrassment to this country when major oil and gas companies come to Nigeria to discuss investments worth billions of dollars, only to meet the regulator in a block of flats and then travel across the city to see different departments. This fragmented arrangement is not just bad for our image — it’s bad for business,” Senator Abe said.

Senator Abe added that the proposed permanent site would provide a central location for the Commission’s operations and engagements with industry players, while also serving as a symbol of national pride and confidence in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

“The edifice will enable the industry to operate from one central location, bring pride to our nation and serve as a symbol of confidence,” Senator Abe added.

Senator Abe commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for giving members of the board the opportunity to serve the country and for providing what he described as strong support, policy clarity and a clear vision for the oil and gas industry.

According to him, the impact of the administration’s policies was already evident in the resurgence of investment in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector.

The chairman said the investments were already creating employment and business opportunities while driving development in host communities and increasing revenues for the country.

Also speaking, the chief executive, NUPRC, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, asked the contractor to fast-track the construction and deliver the project by the first quarter of 2027.

The managing director, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Engineer Peer Lubasch, promised to make efforts to meet the timeline.