By Emmanuella Anokam
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has called for stronger collaboration between regulators and legal professionals to enhance regulatory certainty and attract investment into Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
The Chief Executive of NMDPRA, Malam Rabiu Umar, made the call at its 2026 General Counsel and Legal Advisers Forum in Abuja.
The forum, with the theme, “Beyond Compliance: Driving Regulatory Certainty and Investment Confidence in Nigeria’s Petroleum Sector” brought together legal advisers, regulators, industry operators and other stakeholders.
Umar said effective regulation could not be achieved through laws and regulations alone, stressing that legal advisers, compliance professionals and regulators had critical roles in translating regulatory requirements into practical outcomes.
“We recognise that regulation is most effective when it is informed by engagement. We recognise that implementation challenges exist.
“We recognise that areas of ambiguity occasionally arise within even the most carefully designed frameworks.
“I stand before you all today to make a commitment that NMDPRA will continue to engage openly with stakeholders, act transparently, regulate fairly and consistently, and remain responsive to the realities of an evolving industry.
“We will continue to strengthen regulatory clarity, encourage responsible investment, and foster the collaborative relationships that are essential to achieving the objectives of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
“We cannot achieve those objectives in isolation, we will achieve them through partnership, dialogue, and collective commitment of all stakeholders represented in this room,” he said.
He said while compliance remained the foundation of a well regulated petroleum industry, the broader objective was to build a sector characterised by certainty, transparency, predictability and investor confidence.
He said such an environment would enable investors to commit capital with confidence while allowing operators to make long-term business decisions under clear and consistent regulatory expectations.
Umar said five years after the implementation of the PIA, attention had shifted from the provisions of the law to its practical implementation and impact on the industry.
He said discussions were now focused on how regulations were working in practice, how markets were responding to reforms, how investors viewed emerging opportunities and how institutions could work together to achieve PIA’s objectives.
He said the forum would examine these issues through sessions covering regulatory certainty, investment confidence, institutional coordination, energy security, midstream development and host community implementation.
According to him, the discussions are expected to generate practical solutions that will strengthen the competitiveness, transparency and sustainability of Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
Umar said that implementation challenges and regulatory ambiguities still existed and urged participants to contribute practical ideas that would improve regulatory outcomes.
He described the forum as a listening platform and feedback mechanism designed to promote open dialogue between the authority and legal representatives of licensed operators.
Dr Joseph Tolorunse, Authority Secretary and Legal Adviser, NMDPRA, said Nigeria’s Petroleum future would be defined by the abundance of its hydrocarbons, and also by the credibility, predictability and integrity of its regulatory institutions.
Tolorunse, said beyound compliance lied the path to sustained investments, confidence, economic growth, and national prosperity.
On what the NMDPRA will do differently, he said it would build compliance design, engage stakeholders proactively, dialogue to resolve issues, and treat regulatory certainty as a strategic business asset. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman