Oil & Energy

NUPRC Unveils Metering Facility To Curb Oil Losses

Published

11 hours ago

February 23, 2026

In the bid to tighten accountability in the crude oil sector, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has inaugurated a Gravimetric Multifaceted Flow Metering Calibration Facility in Eket, Akwa Ibom State.

The facility, the first of its kind in West Africa, addresses the hydra-headed, long-standing industry challenge of uncertainty in crude measurement, as a result of inaccurate metering, which has contributed to disputes, revenue leakages and reliance on overseas laboratories for calibration.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Chief Executive, NUPRC, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, commended Engineering Automation Technology Limited (EATL), the indigenous firm that developed the facility, for its vision, belief, courage, and patriotism in investing in the project.

Represented by the Deputy Director for Development in the NUPRC, Manuel Ibituroko, Eyesan described the plant as “a transformative leap forward,” featuring zero-touch automation, tamper-proof audit trails and high-precision gravimetric standards designed to eliminate human error and minimise downtime.

According to the regulator, accurate measurement would curb revenue losses, strengthen reserves management, and free public funds for infrastructure, healthcare, and education, while positioning Nigeria as a regional hub for metering excellence.

Earlier, the EATL Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, EATL, Dr. Emmanuel Okon, said the project emerged from Nigeria’s local content drive after indigenous companies were encouraged in 2020 to build in-country technical capacity.

“Without dependable calibration, even advanced meters produce inconsistent narratives. With it, we align on a unified truth,” he said.

Okon said the facility incorporates traceable standards, automated data capture, and documented uncertainty budgets certified to international benchmarks, allowing regulators, auditors, and commercial partners to rely on a single verified dataset.

The facility, he further explained, can calibrate turbine, ultrasonic, Coriolis, electromagnetic, and positive displacement meters, which are critical devices used to determine volumes of crude flowing through pipelines and export terminals — thereby improving operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and production optimisation.

In his words, “This facility promises streamlined revenue reconciliation and compelling investment cases, as Nigerian oil producers will now experience reduced measurement uncertainties.

“It empowers regulators and oil field operators to demonstrate precision, while communities receive transparent insights into production, royalties, and environmental impacts. Such clarity fosters social license, which is the essential and ongoing consent that sustains exploration and production.

It would be noted that the project was executed under NUPRC oversight with support from the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and other stakeholders, ensuring certificates are recognised for statutory reporting and compliance..

The facility is also projected to develop technical hubs within the host community, create hundreds of skilled jobs, and deepen domestic technical expertise in petroleum measurement technology.

Industry analysts expect the development to improve transparency in royalties and taxes, tackle crude oil theft, and enhance investor confidence through verifiable production figures.

Oil & Energy

NERC, OYSERC Partner To Strengthen Regulation

Published

11 hours ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

THE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has stressed the need for strict adherence to due process in operationalizing state electricity regulatory bodies.

It, however, pledged institutional and technical support to the Oyo State Electricity Regulatory Commission (OYSERC).

The Chairman, NERC, Dr Musiliu Oseni, who made the position known while receiving the OYSERC delegation, emphasised that the establishment and take-off of state commissions must align fully with the law setting them up.

Oseni said that the NERC remains committed to partnering with State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERC) to guarantee their institutional stability, operational effectiveness and long-term success.

He insisted that regulatory coordination between federal and state institutions is critical in the evolving electricity market framework, noting that collaboration would help to build strong institutions capable of delivering sustainable outcomes for the sector.

Also speaking, the Acting Chairman, OYSERC and leader of the delegation, Prof. Dahud Kehinde Shangodoyin, said that the visit was aimed at formally introducing the commission’s acting leadership to the NERC and laying the groundwork for a productive working relationship.

Shangodoyin said , the acting members were appointed to provide direction and lay a solid foundation for the commission during its transitional period, pending the appointment of substantive members.

“We are here to formally introduce the acting leadership of OYSERC and to establish a working relationship with NERC as we commence our regulatory responsibilities,” he said.

He acknowledged NERC’s readiness to provide technical and regulatory support, particularly in the area of capacity development, describing the backing as essential for strengthening the commission’s operations at this formative stage.

“We appreciate NERC’s willingness to support us technically and regulatorily, especially in building our capacity during this transition,” he added.

Oil & Energy

NLC Faults FG’s 3trn Dept Payment To GenCos

Published

11 hours ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Association of Power Generation Companies have engaged in a showdown over federal government legacy debt.

NLC president Joe Ajaero has faulted the federal government’s move to give GenCos N3 trillion from the Federation account as repayment for a power sector legacy debt, which amounts to N6.5 trillion.

In a statement on Thursday, Ajaero said the Federal Government proposed the N3 trillion payment and the N6 trillion debt as a heist and grand deception to shortchange the Nigerian people.

“Nigerians cannot and should not continue to pay for darkness,” Ajaero stated.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Power Generation Companies, APGC, Dr. Joy Ogaji, said Ajaero may be ignorant of the true state of things, insisting that the federal government is indebted to GenCos to the tune of N6.5 trillion.

She feared the longstanding conflict could result in the eventual collapse of the country’s power.

According to her, the federal government’s N501 billion issuance of power sector bonds is inadequate to address its accumulated debt.

Oil & Energy

PENGASSAN Rejects Presidential EO On Oil, Gas Revenue Remittance ……… Seeks PIA Review

Published

11 hours ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria(PENGASSAN) Festus Osifo, has faulted the public explanation surrounding the Federal Government’s recent oil revenue Executive Order(EO).

President of the association, Festus Osifo, argued that claims about a 30 per cent deduction from petroleum sharing contract revenue are misleading.

Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, last Wednesday, February 18, signed the executive order directing that royalty oil, tax oil, profit oil, profit gas, and other revenues due to the Federation under production sharing, profit sharing, and risk service contracts be paid directly into the Federation Account.

The order also scrapped the 30 per cent Frontier Exploration Fund under the PIA and stopped the 30 per cent management fee on profit oil and profit gas retained by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

In his reaction, Osifo, while addressing journalists, in Lagos, Thursday, said the figure being referenced does not represent gross revenue accruing to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

He explained that revenues from production sharing contracts are subject to several deductions before arriving at what is classified as profit oil or profit gas.

Osifo also urged President Bola Tinubu to withdraw his recently signed Presidential Executive Order to Safeguard Federation Oil and Gas Revenues and Provide Regulatory Clarity, 2026.

He warned that the directive undermines the Petroleum Industry Act and could create uncertainty in the oil and gas industry, insisting that any amendment to the existing legal framework must pass through the National Assembly.

Osifo argued that an executive order cannot override a law enacted by the National Assembly, describing the move as setting a troubling precedent.

“Yes, that is what should be done from the beginning. You can review the laws of a land. There is no law that is perfect,” he said.

He added that the President should constitute a team to review the PIA, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and forward proposed amendments to lawmakers.

“When you get revenue from PSC, you have to make some deductibles. You deduct royalties. You deduct tax. You also deduct the cost of cost recovery. Once you have done that, you will now have what we call profit oil or profit gas. Then that is where you now deduct the 30 per cent,” he stated..

According to him, when the deductions are properly accounted for, the 30 per cent being referenced translates to about two per cent of total revenue from the production sharing contracts.

“In effect, that deduction is about two per cent of the revenue of the PLCs,” he added, maintaining that the explanation presented in the public domain did not accurately reflect the structure of the deductions.

Osifo warned that removing the affected portion of the revenue could have operational implications for NNPC Ltd, noting that the funds are used to meet salary obligations and other internal expenses.

“That two per cent is what NNPC uses to pay salaries and meet some of its obligations.The one you are also removing from the midstream and downstream, it is part of what they use in meeting their internal obligations. So as you are removing this, how are they going to pay salaries?” he queried.

Beyond the immediate impact on the company’s workforce, he cautioned that regulatory uncertainty could affect investor confidence in the sector.

“If the international community and investors lose confidence in Nigeria, it has a way of affecting investment. That should be the direction. You don’t put a cow before the horse,” he added.

According to him, stakeholders, including labour unions and industry operators, should be given the opportunity to make inputs at the National Assembly as part of the amendment process saying “That is how laws are refined,”