Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — The Nigerian Midstream & Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, hosted the 61st Meeting of the Consultative Committee on Petroleum Statistics in Abuja.
The aim of the Committee is to improve coordination among agencies, strengthen reporting standards, and promote a culture of transparency that enables the comparison, clarification and harmonisation of petroleum data across key government institutions, including NMDPRA, NUPRC, CBN, Customs, PTDF, NNPC, PTI, the Energy Commission, NSCDC, NNRA, MPR, FMITI, FIRS, NCDMB and NBS.
Representing the NMDPRA, Prof. Zainab Gobir, Executive Director, Economic Regulations and Strategic Planning, reiterated the Authority’s commitment to data excellence.
She said: “Over the past months, the Authority has intensified efforts to strengthen evidence-based governance across the midstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry.
“We recognise that effective regulation must be anchored on credible data, advanced analytics and timely insights.
“To this end, the Authority is undertaking several strategic initiatives, including the upgrade of our industry data reporting systems and the design of the Authority Data Analytics Centre (ADAC).
“These interventions are aimed at enhancing data integrity, improving forecasting capabilities, enabling real-time monitoring of market dynamics, and ensuring that regulatory decisions are driven by verifiable evidence.”
Prof. Gobir added that the Authority was also expanding its capacity in statistical modelling, market analysis and digital automation to foster a more transparent, predictable and efficient regulatory environment.
Similarly, Mr. Abdulkadir Usman, Director of Planning, Research and Statistics at the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, noted that the petroleum sector relies heavily on reliable statistics for effective decision-making and the attainment of national energy security objectives. He therefore stressed that sustained collaboration among stakeholders is critical to achieving these goals.
The meeting concluded with presentations and a renewed commitment by all participating agencies to deepen inter-agency collaboration, improve the timeliness and quality of petroleum data, and sustain a unified statistical framework that supports sound policy formulation, investment planning and regulatory oversight across the sector.
