BREAKING: Nigeria’s Oil Production Threatened As NUPRC Workers Begin Industrial Action

… Shut Down Operations Over Welfare Disputes

Workers of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) have commenced an indefinite strike action, shutting down all commission offices across Nigeria over unresolved welfare and administrative grievances.

Sources told THE WHISTLER that the industrial action began on Monday morning, with staff enforcing a total nationwide shutdown after the breakdown of negotiations with management over long-standing demands.

According to the sources, the decision followed prolonged but unsuccessful engagements between the union and management over issues bordering on staff welfare, promotions, training opportunities, and broader governance concerns within the commission.

The workers are also demanding a review of the current cost-of-collection structure, particularly the allocation of one per cent of the cost of collection to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

They insist the arrangement should be reversed, arguing that it weakens the operational capacity and financial efficiency of the upstream regulator.

Beyond financial concerns, the union accused the commission’s management of failing to address persistent issues relating to staff development, career progression, and institutional capacity building, affecting both unionised and management-level employees.

They further alleged that repeated engagements with management had not yielded meaningful results, leaving workers with no option but to withdraw their services nationwide.

The striking workers also raised concerns over governance within the agency, accusing the leadership of running the commission “like an operator rather than a regulator.”

According to them, this approach has created overlapping responsibilities within Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory framework, with other agencies allegedly taking on functions they believe should remain strictly under NUPRC’s mandate.

Sources added that tensions had been building for months, with internal communications and meetings failing to produce any concrete agreement or implementation roadmap.

They said frustration among staff had reached a peak, prompting the immediate shutdown of operations.

“All NUPRC offices in Nigeria are shut,” one of the sources confirmed, stressing that the strike action covers the entire country.

However, terminal and essential operational staff have been exempted pending further directives depending on management’s response to the ongoing industrial dispute.

The shutdown has paralysed activities across all major offices and field formations of the commission.

The closure has already disrupted administrative and regulatory functions at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, with operations expected to remain grounded until further notice.

As of press time, there was no official detailed response from NUPRC management regarding the strike action or the specific demands raised by the workers.

The development raises fresh concerns over labour relations within Nigeria’s upstream petroleum regulatory sector, particularly at a time when stability in the oil and gas industry remains critical to government revenue and ongoing sector reforms.