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CEGA Hails Approval of 37 New Crude Oil Routes, Says NUPRC Is Winning the War Against Oil Theft




The Centre for Energy Governance and Accountability (CEGA) has commended the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for securing federal government approval of 37 new crude oil evacuation routes as part of a broader strategy to curb oil theft, deepen transparency, and revive Nigeria’s oil production.

Gbenga Komolafe, chief executive of NUPRC, had on Tuesday at the 2025 Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week in Abuja announced the new routes and provided updates on sector-wide reforms designed to reposition Nigeria’s upstream industry for resilience and global competitiveness. He said the commission’s alignment with the armed forces and security agencies has also helped protect critical oil infrastructure.

In a statement on Sunday, CEGA described the development as “a major milestone” in Nigeria’s decades-long struggle with oil theft and revenue losses, and praised Komolafe for “translating policy into measurable results.”

“The approval of 37 new evacuation routes is not just a bureaucratic adjustment—it is a strategic intervention in a sector that bleeds billions annually. This move signals seriousness in plugging leakages and restoring investor confidence,” said Dr Kelvin Sotonye Williams, executive director of CEGA.

Dr Williams said Komolafe’s leadership at NUPRC has helped stabilise a regulatory environment that had, until the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in 2021, been plagued by uncertainty and opacity.

He said the results are already becoming evident with the $16 billion investment commitments secured under the Tinubu administration in just two years.

“These are not paper promises. These are real inflows driven by clarity of vision, regulatory consistency, and aggressive digitisation,” Williams said.

He also praised the commission’s One Million Barrels Initiative, which aims to ramp up daily production from the current 1.7 million barrels per day (bpd) to 2.5 million bpd by 2026. Komolafe said the strategy was launched in 2024 and is yielding results by reviving dormant fields, accelerating project approvals, and eliminating bottlenecks in the upstream licensing regime.

According to CEGA, raising production is the clearest route to energy security and fiscal independence, especially in an era when global upstream investment needs to reach $640 billion annually to meet demand projections through 2030.

“Komolafe is correct to warn that failure to invest in supply will threaten global and regional stability. Nigeria’s oil reserves are a strategic asset that must be optimally managed, not underutilised,” the CEGA executive director said.

He also highlighted the commission’s HostComply initiative, which ensures real-time compliance with host community obligations under the PIA, as a major factor in securing the social license to operate in restive oil-producing regions.

“Peace cannot be sustained by rhetoric. The HostComply platform makes social obligations traceable and measurable, which is vital to trust-building in the Niger Delta,” Dr Williams said.

He added that CEGA was particularly encouraged by NUPRC’s integration of environmental accountability into its upstream policies, including support for Nigeria’s 2060 net-zero target.

“The transition to clean energy does not mean abandoning oil and gas. It means producing cleaner, more responsibly, and reinvesting in long-term energy security. The commission’s reforms reflect this balance,” he said.

CEGA called on all stakeholders, including state-owned and private operators, to align with the commission’s vision and commit to ethical, climate-conscious operations.

“With Komolafe at the helm, the NUPRC is clearly not content with the status quo. They are thinking beyond survival; they are working towards transformation,” Williams said.

The group urged the federal government to continue supporting the reforms by insulating the regulatory space from political interference and ensuring that executive orders—such as those on local content and cost-efficiency—are enforced consistently.

“As long as this reform momentum is sustained, the Nigerian upstream sector will not only recover—it will lead Africa’s next wave of responsible fossil fuel development,” CEGA stated.

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