The Extractive Industry Transparency Forum (EITF), a prominent civil society watchdog for efficiency in Nigeria’s oil and gas operations, has thrown its weight behind the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) over its Project One Million Barrels Per Day, describing it as a potential lifeline for Nigeria’s crude production and economic stability.
The initiative, unveiled under the leadership of NUPRC Chief Executive Gbenga Komolafe, aims to ramp up Nigeria’s crude oil production by an additional one million barrels per day (bpd). It comes at a time when the country is grappling with dwindling output, pipeline vandalism, and underinvestment in the upstream sector.
In a statement released in Kaduna on Monday, Dr. Sani Yusuf Kura, President of EITF, praised the project as a bold, data-driven intervention that signals a new era of upstream recovery and accountability.
“We are particularly impressed by the strategic design of Project One Million Barrels Per Day. For the first time in years, we are seeing a regulator not just enforcing compliance but actively coordinating recovery by identifying shut-in wells, facilitating re-entry processes, and unlocking dormant capacity. It is a sign that the NUPRC under Mr. Komolafe understands both the urgency of the moment and the technical demands of the industry,” he said.
According to NUPRC data, Nigeria currently produces an average of 1.4 million barrels per day; a figure well below the 1.8 million bpd target set in the 2024 national budget and the 1.5 million barrels daily quota allocated by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The commission believes that with targeted support, brownfield development, and quick wins from low-hanging assets, Nigeria can swiftly close this gap.
Kura noted that the EITF’s independent review of upstream field operations corroborated the NUPRC’s assessment, revealing that over 900,000 bpd are currently shut-in due to regulatory delays, community issues, logistics challenges, and aged infrastructure.
“If even half of that capacity can be restored within the next 12 months, it would significantly improve our foreign exchange inflows, reduce fiscal deficits, and inspire investor confidence. The beauty of the project is that it combines short-term gains with long-term structural reforms. This is not a cosmetic fix; it’s a systemic reboot,” he said.
The group also lauded the commission’s collaboration with international oil companies (IOCs), independent producers, and joint venture partners in rolling out the initiative. According to the NUPRC, many operators have already submitted reactivation plans for idle wells and brownfield assets.
“What this means is that we are witnessing a shift from regulation by fear to regulation by coordination. The oil industry is complex and capital-intensive, and you cannot get results without building trust. Komolafe has brought that trust, and at the same time, he is assertive on national interest. That balance is rare,” Kira said.
The EITF president urged the National Assembly and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to give NUPRC full backing in terms of budgetary support, legal clarity, and inter-agency coordination.
He also called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to synergise with the project and reduce bottlenecks in field logistics and crude evacuation.
“Let us not forget that crude oil remains the backbone of our national budget. If we fail to stabilise output, we will continue to run deficits and borrow recklessly. This project is not just a petroleum initiative; it is a fiscal rescue mission,” Kura said.
He also encouraged local communities in oil-producing states to support the project by cooperating with operators and prioritising peaceful engagement over sabotage.
“We must move beyond the era of pipeline vandalism and oil theft. Host communities should see themselves as partners in progress. With proper benefit-sharing frameworks and community development agreements, the people will gain more from oil production than disruption,” he stated.
EITF called on other stakeholders in the civil society and media space to help monitor the implementation of the project and hold all parties accountable for timelines, safety, and environmental compliance.
“We will not be silent if this project fails due to avoidable sabotage, lax enforcement, or political interference. Our role is to be vigilant, not just supportive. But as of today, this is one of the most promising things we’ve seen in Nigeria’s upstream oil sector in a decade,” he added.
NUPRC has said that the project will be implemented in phases and monitored with a performance dashboard, allowing for transparency in progress reporting. It also promises to publish monthly updates on recovered volumes and status of field reactivation across Nigeria’s key basins.
and then