By Julius Peter, Abuja
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) have renewed their commitment to strengthening transparency, accountability and integrity in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector.
The commitment was made when the NUPRC Commission Chief Executive, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, and members of her management team paid a courtesy visit to the ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The two institutions agreed on the need for stronger inter-agency collaboration, improved information sharing and enhanced institutional safeguards to prevent corruption, wastage and leakages in the petroleum industry.
The ICPC Chairman stressed the strategic importance of the upstream petroleum sector to Nigeria’s economy, noting that weaknesses in the operations of the industry regulator could have significant consequences for the country’s economic wellbeing.
Aliyu said maintaining integrity and transparency within the petroleum sector was critical to attracting and retaining investors, particularly given the capital-intensive nature of upstream oil and gas operations.
“Integrity in your sector is very important. We need investors, and if we are not transparent, it will be difficult for NUPRC to operate optimally,” the ICPC chairman said.
He noted that corruption tends to flourish where institutional safeguards and systems are weak, stressing the need for both organisations to work together to strengthen processes and ensure that public resources and national assets are properly protected.
Aliyu also commended the NUPRC for its performance in the ICPC’s Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS), describing the achievement as an indication of the regulator’s commitment to ethical standards and institutional integrity.
According to him, effective information sharing and mutual trust between the two institutions would be essential to improving anti-corruption efforts in the petroleum sector.
He said the ICPC would benefit from the technical expertise of the NUPRC in investigations involving the upstream petroleum industry, while also calling for greater collaboration in procurement processes and efforts to block wastages and leakages.
The engagement therefore underscored the importance of combining regulatory expertise with anti-corruption mechanisms to strengthen governance across the petroleum value chain.
Speaking earlier, Eyesan described the upstream petroleum sector as a major source of revenue for Nigeria and emphasised the importance of effective regulation, sound governance and a conducive investment environment.
She said the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) had introduced significant changes intended to restructure the regulatory environment and improve investor confidence, particularly against the background of declining investment in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry over the years.
Eyesan explained that the NUPRC was working to unlock the country’s significant gas resources while simultaneously strengthening governance and regulatory oversight across upstream operations.
She also disclosed that the Commission was reviewing the qualification criteria for its regular bidding exercises following challenges associated with some indigenous operators who lacked the financial and technical capacity required to develop assets awarded to them.
According to her, disputes involving some assets had also contributed to delays in their development.
The review, she said, was intended to ensure that prospective awardees possess the requisite financial and technical capabilities to develop and operate petroleum assets effectively.
Eyesan further disclosed that the NUPRC would organise an onboarding programme for successful awardees in October, adding that the regulator intends to involve the ICPC in the programme.
The involvement of the anti-corruption agency is expected to provide an opportunity to sensitise successful operators on good governance, integrity and regulatory compliance from the outset of their engagement with the sector.
She expressed appreciation to the ICPC for its support and assured the Commission that the NUPRC would continue to collaborate and share relevant concerns with it in order to improve the regulator’s operations.
The development reflects a broader emphasis on institutional cooperation as Nigeria seeks to improve governance, attract investment and maximise the economic benefits of its petroleum resources.
For the upstream sector, stronger collaboration between the petroleum regulator and the country’s anti-corruption agency could provide additional mechanisms for identifying systemic weaknesses, improving compliance and protecting public resources.
The two agencies’ renewed collaboration also places transparency and accountability at the centre of efforts to create a more predictable and investment-friendly upstream petroleum environment.
The ICPC, whose mandate includes investigation, prosecution and prevention of corrupt practices as well as improvement of public-sector systems, has continued to emphasise preventive measures and institutional reforms as key components of its anti-corruption strategy.
For the NUPRC, the partnership comes amid efforts to strengthen regulatory governance, improve investor confidence and ensure that awarded petroleum assets are developed by operators with the necessary technical and financial capacity.
Both institutions are expected to sustain information exchange and cooperation as they work towards plugging institutional leakages and promoting integrity in one of Nigeria’s most strategically important economic sectors.
