By Naomi Sharang
Abuja, Dec. 18, 2025 (NAN)
In a pivotal Senate hearing that could define the trajectory of Nigeria’s most critical economic sector, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, the nominee for Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), issued a stark and urgent call to action. Appearing before the Senate Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources, chaired by Sen. Kawu Sumaila, Eyesan framed her confirmation not as a routine appointment, but as a last-chance opportunity for collaborative reform to rescue Nigeria’s oil and gas industry from irrelevance.
Eyesan’s testimony went beyond platitudes, delivering a blunt diagnosis of systemic failures. She warned lawmakers that persistent fragmentation among agencies, outdated bureaucratic processes, and a lack of digital integration were collectively hemorrhaging national value, stifling revenues, and eroding Nigeria’s standing in a global energy market undergoing a “jet speed” transition. “We are leaving value on the table today,” she declared, emphasizing that inaction has a tangible, escalating cost.
Her proposed remedy centered on three interconnected pillars:
- Actionable Stakeholder Collaboration: Eyesan stressed that collaboration must move “beyond rhetoric.” She called for a structured, ongoing dialogue with the National Assembly, state governments, host communities, and international investors to co-create enabling laws, regulations, and policies. This, she argued, is essential to provide the long-term stability and predictability the capital-intensive energy sector requires.
- Non-Negotiable Digital Transformation: Highlighting a critical operational flaw, Eyesan identified the lack of a digitized system as a direct source of revenue leakage and inefficiency. “Without real numbers, you don’t know what you’re dealing with,” she stated. A modern digital ecosystem for production monitoring, revenue tracking, and license management is no longer an IT project but a fundamental governance and fiscal imperative.
- Leveraging the PIA to Unlock Gas: While affirming the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) as a “valuable document,” Eyesan pointedly highlighted the glaring paradox it has yet to resolve: Nigeria sits on over 200 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves yet suffers profound energy poverty. “How can we be impoverished, struggling with electricity, yet so richly endowed?” she questioned. Her implication was clear: the PIA must be aggressively implemented to catalyze domestic gas utilization, power generation, and industrialization, transforming geological wealth into tangible national development.
The context of the screening underscored its urgency. The hearings for Eyesan and her counterpart, Saidu Aliyu Mohammed (nominee for the Midstream and Downstream authority), were expedited following the resignations of the former agency heads. Chairman Sumaila confirmed the “necessity and emergency nature of these appointments,” with a committee report due within a day. This signals that the Tinubu administration views stabilizing and reorienting the regulatory framework as a immediate priority.
Analysis: Eyesan’s testimony marks a significant shift in regulatory discourse. It moves the conversation from mere compliance to strategic value optimization in an era of energy transition. The global shift towards renewables and decarbonization is not just an environmental trend but a competitive threat to oil-dependent economies. Nigeria’s window to monetize its hydrocarbon resources and use the proceeds to fund a diversified future is narrowing. Eyesan’s agenda—if empowered—would position the NUPRC not just as a policeman, but as a facilitator of investment, a guardian of national interest, and a driver of the domestic gas economy that could finally bridge the nation’s crippling power deficit. The swift Senate action that follows will be the first real test of whether her urgent call for collaboration will be heeded.
(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
NNL/KTO
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Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo
