The Commission Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has disclosed that the agency will go fully digital within 60 days as part of efforts to enhance transparency, efficiency and accountability in its operations.

According to a statement from the commission, Eyesan stated this when the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Musa Adar, paid her a courtesy visit in Abuja on Monday.

The NUPRC boss stressed that previous digital reforms had already yielded positive results, particularly in the enforcement of royalty payments by oil and gas operators.

She said: “We have set for ourselves a 60-day programme to digitise our interactions and communications within the Commission. I can assure you that once we get to day 60, there will be no paper trail within the Commission.

“All our transmissions will be electronic, which also means speed is assured. It means we will be able to trace where we have hiccups.

“I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that for royalty payments, the default rate was enormous prior to 2025 when the Commission went live on the system. Now, compliance has improved,” she added.

Eyesan also called for deeper collaboration with NEITI to strengthen transparency in the upstream sector, especially as the country prepares for the 2025 Licensing Round.

In his remarks, Adar urged the Commission to carry NEITI along in its operations, noting that such cooperation would enhance transparency and deepen investor confidence in Nigeria’s extractive industry.

He further called on the regulator to be firm with oil companies that violate provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act and encouraged active participation in the 2026 Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative flagship conference.

Additionally, he emphasised the need for stronger data sharing between both agencies, stressing that collaboration remains key to sustaining reforms in the sector.

(The Sun)

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