The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has remitted a substantial ₦8.79 trillion to the Federation Account. This covers the period between January and October of this year. The Federation Account is jointly managed by the federal, state, and local governments.

A significant increase in revenue inflows was recorded in October 2025 alone. During this single month, the commission contributed ₦873,104,663,972.70 to the Federation Account.

This figure represents a 17.67 percent rise compared to the ₦741.99 billion collected in September 2025. It signals improved operational performance, even with ongoing volatility in the crude oil market.

These funds came from several sources. They included royalty collections, gas flare penalties, rentals, and miscellaneous oil revenues for October.

The commission’s total performance from January to October 2025 reached ₦8,795,528,705,538.82. This includes ₦1,021,550,672,578.87 from NNPC Ltd Joint Venture (JV) and Production Sharing Contract (PSC) Royalty Receivables for that period. Additionally, it incorporates Project Gazelle receipts of ₦835,689,852,435.38 for November 2024.

NUPRC clarified that no Project Gazelle receivables were due for December 2024. The same applied to February, August, September, and October 2025.

Boosting Federal Allocations Amid Fiscal Pressures

October’s revenue improvements are crucial for the federal government. Nigeria continues to grapple with significant fiscal pressures. It also faces exchange rate challenges and declining oil production. These issues are largely due to facility downtimes.

The 17.7 percent month-on-month increase in October provided a much-needed financial breather. This boost enhances federal allocations, enabling state and local governments to meet their recurrent spending obligations.

Despite this positive month-on-month growth, overall collections still fell below the approved monthly budget. The actual collections were 72.47 percent of the ₦1.204 trillion revenue projection. This resulted in a negative variance of ₦331.70 billion.

The commission attributed this shortfall primarily to fluctuating crude oil prices. A noticeable drop in crude oil production also contributed. These factors have repeatedly impacted government revenue projections in 2025.

The shortfall against the budget, representing a 27.53 percent underperformance, underscores the need for intensified efforts. These efforts include stabilizing production volumes, enforcing compliance, and deepening reforms across the upstream oil sector.

Addressing NNPC’s Outstanding Obligations

Data from the October 2025 FAAC meeting showed significant outstanding obligations for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited. These included $1,480,610,652.58 for oil liftings and ₦6,332,884,316,237.13 for royalty receivables.

Subsequently, a portion of these outstanding obligations was ‘nil off’. This amounted to $1,421,727,723.00 and ₦5,573,895,769,388.45 respectively. The commission confirmed that appropriate accounting entries have been passed for these adjustments.

From these figures, NUPRC reported NNPC’s remaining statutory obligations from January to October 2025. These include $56,808,752.32 for Production Sharing Contract (PSC) and Modified Carry Agreement (MCA) liftings, plus ₦1,021,550,672,578.87 for Joint Venture (JV) royalty receivables.

The commission received $55,003,997.00 in the month under review towards these outstanding amounts. This leaves a balance of $1,804,755.32 and ₦1,021,550,672,578.87. The received sum of $55,003,997.00 contributed to the total collection reported for sharing by the federation in November.

Mixed Performance Across Revenue Categories

A detailed review of revenue categories revealed mixed performance for October. Oil and gas royalties stood at ₦807.08 billion, representing 70.54 percent of the monthly budget for this category. Though below target, this marked an increase of ₦143.28 billion from September’s ₦663.80 billion. This indicates a clear recovery in royalty inflows.

For gas flare penalties, the commission collected ₦61.70 billion. This figure surpassed both the budgeted amount and the previous month’s collections. It represented 105.52 percent of the monthly target and a modest month-on-month increase.

Rental revenue in October reached ₦3.60 billion, higher than the September figure of ₦2.16 billion. This represents a positive variance and 65.15 percent month-on-month growth.

Conversely, collections in the miscellaneous category dropped sharply to ₦0.394 billion. This was considerably below expected levels and the previous month’s ₦5.62 billion. It marked the steepest decline among all categories.

Overall, the total revenue of ₦873.10 billion for October exceeded the previous month’s performance by ₦131.12 billion. This reinforces a steady recovery after earlier-year fluctuations. It offers some relief for federal and state governments, who are heavily reliant on oil-linked revenues.