Strike Disrupts Administration, Not Oil Production — NUPRC

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has assured Nigerians that the country's oil and gas production remains stable despite an ongoing strike that has disrupted administrative activities at its offices nationwide.

The assurance follows industrial action by members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), who shut down commission facilities after negotiations with management reportedly broke down. Workers blocked access to the commission's headquarters and other offices across the country, effectively paralysing administrative operations.

Speaking on the development, Head of Corporate Communications and Media at the NUPRC Eniola Akinkuotu, acknowledged that the strike had affected office activities but stressed that oil production and critical field operations remain fully operational.

"It is true that some administrative activities were affected due to the industrial action, but this has not impacted oil and gas facilities or production activities in any way," he said. According to him, the commission's leadership has already opened discussions with labour representatives in a bid to resolve the dispute and restore normal operations.

Sources familiar with the matter revealed that the disagreement centres on overseas training opportunities for staff. The union reportedly accused management of limiting foreign training programmes, while management insists that many specialised courses can now be effectively conducted within Nigeria.

The commission believes localising training programmes would significantly reduce costs and help strengthen domestic institutional capacity. One of the key areas of disagreement reportedly involves training related to Factory Acceptance Tests for Positive Displacement (PD) meters, which management argues can be conducted locally.

Union leaders, however, insist that international training remains essential for staff development and exposure to global industry best practices.

Despite the disruption, NUPRC management says regulatory oversight, compliance monitoring and field inspections across the country's oil-producing regions remain unaffected.

Industry observers note that a prolonged standoff could eventually affect regulatory functions if a resolution is not reached quickly, making ongoing negotiations between management and labour particularly crucial.

For now, the commission maintains that Nigeria's oil and gas output remains secure and that efforts are underway to restore full operational normalcy.