Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) Board, Senator Magnus Abe, has declared that the speedy completion of the commission’s ongoing 1,000-capacity permanent headquarters will put an end to the national embarrassment of hosting multibillion-dollar international energy investors in rented blocks of flats.
Speaking during a high-level inspection of the construction site in Abuja’s Central Business District, Abe pointed out that the regulator’s current fragmented operational setup severely undermines Nigeria’s economic credibility and dampens its global investment drive.
The development was contained in a statement issued by the Head of Media and Corporate Communications at the NUPRC, Eniola Akinkuotu.
“It is a thing of great embarrassment to this country when major oil and gas companies come to Nigeria to discuss investments worth billions of dollars, only to meet the regulator in a block of flats and from there proceed to other parts of the city to see different departments to conduct transactions with the NUPRC. This image is not just bad for the country, but bad for business,” he stated.
The ongoing complex dubbed “The Barrel” is a 10-storey architectural masterpiece designed in the shape of a convex, curved cylinder bulging outward at its centre. Initiated in 2020, the project has suffered delays, forcing the Commission to operate out of multiple smaller, residential-style properties scattered across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Abe emphasised that consolidating the NUPRC’s operations under a single modern roof will streamline regulatory processes, project regulatory authority, and stand as a symbol of national pride and investor confidence in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
He credited President Bola Tinubu for providing strong institutional support, policy clarity, and a clear vision for the energy sector. According to Abe, the administration’s strategic policy directives have already sparked a resurgence in upstream oil and gas investments, driving local job creation, business opportunities, host community development, and increased federal revenues.
Also speaking during the site visit, the Commission Chief Executive of the NUPRC, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, tasked the primary contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, to accelerate work on the structure to ensure strict delivery by the first quarter of 2027.
Responding on behalf of the construction firm, the Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Peer Lubasch, assured the Commission’s leadership that the company would deploy the necessary resources to meet the targeted Q1 2027 completion deadline.