The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has disclosed that the country’s upstream rigs engagement has surged to 762.5% over the years under review. The commission has highlighted this milestone performance in its list of 16 high-impact achievements in the four years since its establishment,
The Commission, in a statement, called on Nigerians to take note of the myriad high-impact achievements of the Commission in the last four years despite the legacy challenges it inherited from the pre-Petroleum Industry Act era. This indicates the oil industry as a fact-based industry with clear metrics for declaring performance.
The NUPRC stated: “As a testament to the renewed vigour in Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas sector, the rig count rose geometrically from eight in 2021 to 69 as of October 2, 2025. The latest rig count of 69, which comprises 40 active rigs, 8 on standby, 5 on warm stack, 4 on cold stack, and 12 on the move, represents a 762.5% increase in barely four years. “
According to the commission, the country’s rig count is expected to increase even further in the coming months, and has showcased a renewed investor confidence in Nigeria. The success is also aligned with the current reforms of President Tinubu, that Nigeria is ready for business, and that the right investment climate prevails now in the Nigerian upstream.
Also highlighted in the commission’s list of 16 high-impact achievements is the commission’s Removal of Hindrances to enhance Exploration with 2D and 3D Seismic Data and unalloyed commitment in increasing the nation’s crude production through curbing crude oil theft.
NUPRC in the list, said that since the inception, crude oil production has increased, with the current average daily production of 1.65Mbopd expected to rally further with the Project 1 Mbopd initiative, which is aimed at achieving 2.5 Mbopd in 2027 compared to the NUPRC commencement.
The NUPRC issued Nigeria’s first Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) for a large offshore geophysical survey covering 56,000 km² of 3D seismic and gravity data. Furthermore, the Commission has reprocessed 17,000 line-kilometres of 2D seismic data and 28,000 square kilometres of 3D seismic data,
This has produced sharper, higher-resolution images of petroleum systems, reducing the uncertainties that once hindered exploration decisions. Other data acquisition includes: 11,300 Sq.km of newly acquired 3D data, processed to PSDM, and 80,000 Sq.km of Multibeam Echo Sounding & Seafloor Geochemical Coring data.
The commission stated that in 2021, the average daily crude oil loss was 102,900 barrels per day or 37.6 million barrels per year. However, due to combined efforts of the General Security Forces and Private Security Contractors (TANTITA) as well as the collaborative effort of the Commission, this has been reduced by 90% to specifically 9,600bpd in September 2025.
Furthermore, two pioneer regulations introduced by the Commission have also contributed to the success, namely: The Upstream Measurement Regulation and the Advanced Cargo Declaration Regulation, respectively, which have pioneered efforts in achieving transparency in hydrocarbon accounting.
