Nigeria's Upstream Petroleum Regulator Seeks Data Partnership and Financing for Gas Sector

During a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in Abuja, Statistician‑General of the Federation Prince Semiu Adeyemi Adeniran praised the commission’s data transparency and announced the creation of a dedicated National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) team to deepen collaboration on crude production, gas reserves, oil‑spill incidents and exploration data. He highlighted the NBS’s Integrated System of Administrative Statistics, now linking 15 ministries, and the compilation of petroleum national accounts under a natural‑capital framework.

NUPRC Chief Executive Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, meeting senior executives of Rand Merchant Bank, called on financial institutions to provide funding for operators expanding domestic gas production. She noted strong investor interest in the 2025 licensing round, with nearly 300 applications, and outlined energy‑transition steps such as issuing Permits to Access Flare Gas to 28 firms and targeting a 60% cut in fugitive methane emissions by 2031. Rand Merchant Bank’s head of oil‑and‑gas coverage affirmed the bank’s willingness to support Nigeria’s gas development, citing projects like the OB3 gas pipeline.