Key points
- NMDPRA has called for stronger collaboration between regulators and legal professionals to improve regulatory certainty.
- The authority says transparent and predictable regulation is essential to attracting long-term investment.
- It pledged greater stakeholder engagement, fairness and consistency in implementing the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
- The forum will explore practical solutions to strengthen Nigeria’s petroleum industry’s competitiveness and sustainability.
Main story
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 greater investment into Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
The Chief Executive of NMDPRA, Malam Rabiu Umar, made the call at the 2026 General Counsel and Legal Advisers Forum in Abuja.
The forum, themed “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 all had critical roles in translating regulatory requirements into practical outcomes.
He reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to maintaining open engagement with stakeholders, transparent regulation, fairness and consistency while responding to the evolving realities of the petroleum industry.
According to him, NMDPRA will continue to strengthen regulatory clarity, encourage responsible investment and promote collaborative relationships necessary to achieve the objectives of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
He said the authority recognised that implementation challenges and regulatory ambiguities still existed and pledged to work with stakeholders to address them through continuous dialogue.
Umar noted that while regulatory compliance remained the foundation of a well-regulated petroleum industry, the broader objective was to create 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 stable regulatory expectations.
According to him, five years after the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act, attention had shifted from the provisions of the law to its practical implementation and measurable impact on the industry.
He said discussions now centred on how regulations were functioning in practice, investor perceptions of emerging opportunities and how institutions could collaborate more effectively to achieve the objectives of the PIA.
The NMDPRA chief said the forum would examine issues relating to regulatory certainty, investment confidence, institutional coordination, energy security, midstream development and host community implementation.
He expressed confidence that the deliberations would generate practical recommendations to strengthen the competitiveness, transparency and sustainability of Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
Umar also described the forum as a listening platform designed to encourage constructive feedback between the authority and legal representatives of licensed operators.
Also speaking, the Authority Secretary and Legal Adviser of NMDPRA, Dr Joseph Tolorunse, said Nigeria’s petroleum future would be determined not only by its hydrocarbon resources but also by the credibility, predictability and integrity of its regulatory institutions.
He said sustainable investment, economic growth and national prosperity depended on moving beyond compliance to build greater regulatory certainty.
Tolorunse added that the authority would place greater emphasis on designing compliance frameworks, engaging stakeholders proactively, resolving issues through dialogue and treating regulatory certainty as a strategic business asset.
The issues
Although the Petroleum Industry Act has introduced sweeping reforms to Nigeria’s petroleum sector, investors continue to seek greater regulatory clarity and policy consistency before committing long-term capital. Industry stakeholders say predictable regulation remains critical to unlocking investment across the midstream and downstream segments.
What’s being said
“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.” — Malam Rabiu Umar
“Beyond compliance lies the path to sustained investment, confidence, economic growth and national prosperity.” — Dr Joseph Tolorunse
What’s next
The recommendations from the forum are expected to inform future regulatory reforms as NMDPRA continues implementing the Petroleum Industry Act and strengthening engagement with industry stakeholders to improve investor confidence.
Bottom line
NMDPRA says stronger collaboration with legal professionals and more predictable regulation are essential to attracting investment and ensuring the long-term success of Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
