The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has inaugurated Metering Audit and Advance Cargo Declaration project teams, to promote transparency and accountability in the upstream oil and gas.

The Commission Chief Executive, Mr Gbenga Komolafe, who spoke at the inauguration of the project teams, on Wednesday in Abuja, said the projects were designed to combat crude oil theft and boost revenue.

It will be recalled that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved a 21 million dollars contract to audit metering and measurement equipment in the  187 oil flow stations in the country and also put in place an advance cargo declaration solution.

These initiatives as earlier announced by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, aims at enhancing monitoring and accountability in crude oil production and distribution, addressing rampant oil theft.

Komolafe, while inaugurating the project monitoring teams, announced a four-month deadline for the completion of the projects.

According to him, the initiatives zre in line with NUPRC’s mandate to ensure optimal government revenues from upstream petroleum operations, as specified in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

He said the projects would be executed by PE Energy Limited and P-Lyne Energy.

“Audit of Upstream Measurement Equipment and Facilities project aims to establish reliable baseline data for all measurement points, identify gaps in production and allocation measurement, and implement targeted interventions to enhance metering infrastructure.

“This project is crucial in addressing issues such as the presence of obsolete equipment, lack of a comprehensive database and absence of real-time production measurement across many locations.

“Advance Cargo Declaration Solution complements the metering audit by establishing a robust system for declaring and tracking crude oil transportation and exports from Nigeria,” he said.

He said the project would monitor and account for the movement of crude oil within the country, prevent disruptions, theft, and under-declaration, and ensure that only certified products were being exported.

“It will also enable real-time tracking, reconciliation, and reporting of crude oil exports to facilitate accurate revenue billing and generation.

“For a long time as a nation we have suffered from the menace of crude oil theft and there have been contentions on the accuracy in terms of our hydrocarbon accounting in Nigeria in a manner that has impacted our federal revenue unfavourably.

“So what has happened is that the commission, within its assumption of office, has been able, as a regulator, to take a very bold measure to address this issue.

“We have 31 crude oil loading terminals. So we are trying to ensure that we put in place a framework where the nation will be able to accurately determine and measure the volume of crude that is loaded from these terminals,” he said.

He tasked the teams, comprising experts from various NUPRC’s departments, to discharge their duties professionally, adding that the projects would be delivered within four months, while any request for timeline extension would not be entertained.

The NURPC boss said that each project had a dedicated team, led by Mr Enorense Amadasu, Executive Commissioner for Development and Production, NURPC, with strict timelines for completion.

While commending President Bola Tinubu for his support, Komolafe urged stakeholders to cooperate with the teams to facilitate successful implementation of the projects.

“Team for Audit of Upstream Measurement Equipment and Facilities in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry” project comprise ; Manuel Ibituroko – Deputy Director, Facilities Engineering & Optimisation; Mohammed Sirajo – Manager, Facilities Engineering; Ike Chidi – Manager, Facilities Engineering; and Bashir Shariff – Principal Regulatory Officer.

“Team for Advance Cargo Declaration Solution” project, comprise: Bello Shehu – Assistant Director, Crude Oil & Gas terminal Operations; Abdulrahman Idris – Manager, Petroleum Accounting; Omeje Desmond – Deputy Manager, COTO PHC; Dimkpa I. H. – PRO, COTO Warri and Olatunji Babatunde – NDR”.

He said the teams would liaise with the  contractors to ensure the fulfilment of the Commission’s specified obligations and monitoring the implementation of the projects to ensure alignment with the scope and specifications.

Responding, one of the two contractors, Chief Executive Officer,  PE Energy Ltd, Daere Akobo, thanked the Federal Government for the confidence repose in them to take a pragmatic look at hydrocarbon accounting.

Also, the Director, P-Lyne Energy, Tomi Ogunwole assured that the company would abide by the four-month deadline set by the commission.