NUPRC, NNRA Partner To Cut Oil Production Costs, Strengthen Safety Regulations

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) have begun efforts to harmonise regulatory processes aimed at strengthening radiological safety in oil and gas operations while reducing the cost of doing business in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector.

The initiative followed a meeting between the Chief Executive of NUPRC, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, and the Director-General of NNRA, Yau Idris, in Abuja.

According to NUPRC, the collaboration is designed to eliminate overlapping regulatory requirements, close gaps in oversight, and create a more efficient compliance framework for operators in the oil and gas industry.

While NUPRC regulates the technical, commercial, and operational aspects of petroleum exploration and production, the NNRA oversees the use, transportation, storage, and disposal of radioactive materials and radiation-emitting equipment across Nigeria.

Speaking during the meeting, Eyesan stressed the importance of stronger cooperation among regulatory agencies, noting that multiple regulations and compliance requirements often increase operational costs for investors and industry operators.

She explained that reducing regulatory duplication would help improve Nigeria’s investment climate and enhance the competitiveness of the petroleum sector.

The NUPRC boss also announced the nomination of senior officials from the commission to work closely with the NNRA in identifying critical areas for collaboration and addressing existing regulatory gaps.

On his part, Idris said the partnership was necessary because the oil and gas sector remains one of the largest users of radioactive materials and radiation-emitting technologies in the country.

He noted that radioactive technologies are widely used in well logging, industrial radiography, and other exploration and production activities.

According to him, the agencies aim to establish a single-window compliance system that will allow information sharing between regulators and reduce the need for operators to submit the same data multiple times.

The NNRA also seeks to ensure that radiological impact assessments become part of broader environmental impact studies, while management protocols for Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) are integrated into upstream environmental guidelines.

Both agencies agreed to deepen collaboration in training, capacity building, and knowledge sharing to promote safer operations and improve regulatory efficiency across the industry.