Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, have strengthened collaboration on data transparency, accountability and regulatory reforms in Nigeria’s petroleum sector, with both institutions pledging closer cooperation to improve industry reporting and governance.
The commitment was made during a visit by a NEITI delegation led by its Executive Secretary, Alhaji Musa Sarkin Adar, to the headquarters of NMDPRA, where discussions focused on enhancing data management, technology-driven regulation and transparency across the midstream and downstream segments of the oil and gas industry.
Speaking during the meeting, the Authority Chief Executive of NMDPRA, Mallam Rabiu Abdullahi Umar, said the Authority is implementing key reforms aimed at improving regulatory efficiency and ensuring the integrity of industry data.
According to him, two major initiatives, Project NEXUS and Project 365, are central to the Authority’s reform agenda.
He explained that “Project NEXUS is designed to transform the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, while Project 365 is focused on automating the Authority’s processes and services.”
Umar stressed that accurate and reliable data remain critical to effective regulation, policy formulation and decision-making in the petroleum sector.
“Reliable data remains critical to effective regulation and policy formulation,” he said, adding that NMDPRA is leveraging technology to improve product tracking across the petroleum value chain and enhance operational transparency.
The NMDPRA boss further reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to working closely with NEITI, noting that stronger collaboration would support efforts to deepen transparency and accountability in the industry.
In his remarks, NEITI Executive Secretary, Alhaji Musa Sarkin Adar, sought NMDPRA’s support in providing critical industry data and information required for the agency’s forthcoming reports.
Adar specifically requested information relating to refinery operations as well as beneficial ownership in the midstream and downstream petroleum sectors, areas that have increasingly become key components of transparency reporting in the extractive industry.
He also invited NMDPRA to participate in NEITI’s exhibition at the 2026 Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, EITI, Global Conference scheduled to hold on October 8 and 9, 2026, in Brussels, Belgium.
The meeting also featured contributions from NMDPRA’s Executive Director, Hydrocarbon Processing Plants, Installations and Transportation Infrastructure, HPPITI, Mr. Francis Ogaree, and Executive Director, Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning, ER&SP, Prof. Zainab Gobir.
Both executives assured NEITI of the Authority’s full cooperation in advancing transparency, accountability and data-driven regulation across the petroleum industry.
The engagement comes as regulators intensify efforts to improve industry governance and leverage digital solutions to strengthen oversight, data management and implementation of reforms under the Petroleum Industry Act.
