The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has called for the speedy completion of its proposed headquarters, The Barrel, saying the facility will improve the Commission’s efficiency and strengthen Nigeria’s appeal to investors.
The proposed headquarters is a 10-storey building designed to accommodate between 900 and 1,000 people. The structure features a distinctive convex, curved-cylinder design that bulges outward at the centre.
Located in the Central Business District, Abuja, the project was initiated in 2020 but remains unfinished. The delay has forced the NUPRC to operate from smaller offices at different locations across the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking during an inspection of the proposed headquarters, the Chairman of the NUPRC Board, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, expressed concern over the effect of the unfinished project on Nigeria’s image, particularly when dealing with major international oil and gas investors.
He said it was embarrassing for companies seeking to invest billions of dollars in Nigeria to meet the country’s petroleum regulator in a block of flats and then move around different parts of Abuja to meet various departments of the Commission.
“It is a thing of great embarrassment to this country when major oil and gas companies come to Nigeria to discuss investments worth billions of dollars, only to meet the regulator in a block of flats and from there proceed to other parts of the city to see different departments to conduct transactions with the NUPRC.”
Abe stressed that the situation does not only affect the country’s image but also has implications for business and investment.
“This image is not just bad for the country, but bad for business.”