Nigeria’s active oil rig count has surged from just eight in 2021 to 46 as of July 2025, reflecting renewed momentum in the country’s upstream petroleum sector.
Mr Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), announced the figures on Wednesday at the launch of a media workshop in Abuja for journalists covering the oil and gas industry.
The rig count—a crucial measure of operational activity and investment in oil exploration and production—demonstrates the sector’s recent revival, driven by reforms and targeted initiatives.
Komolafe credited the significant rise in rigs to the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) passed in 2021, alongside the commission’s strategic Project One Million Barrels initiative, which aims to boost Nigeria’s daily crude output. Since its launch in October 2024, the project has increased daily production by around 300,000 barrels, pushing output closer to 1.7 million barrels per day.
The NUPRC chief also praised President Bola Tinubu for issuing Executive Orders 40, 41 and 42 in 2024. These measures introduced fiscal incentives, enhanced local content requirements, and streamlined contracting timelines—steps Komolafe said have triggered billions of dollars in new investment and several major Final Investment Decisions (FIDs).
He urged journalists to report on the commission’s work accurately, clarifying that the NUPRC’s role as regulator differs fundamentally from that of an operator.
“Our position is quasi-judicial; we mediate, oversee and ensure compliance, rather than drill oil ourselves,” Komolafe explained.
