Petroleum Ministry to Fully Digitise Operations for Paperless Service Delivery

The Ministry of Petroleum Resources has announced plans to completely automate its operations, paving the way for paperless transactions across all departments as part of efforts to boost efficiency, transparency and service delivery in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
The initiative, which falls under the Federal Government’s Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system “Go Live”, is designed to digitise internal workflows, approvals and correspondence, while also transitioning engagements with operators, regulators and other stakeholders to secure electronic platforms.

According to the government, the move is expected to curb bureaucratic delays, reduce human discretion in routine procedures and lower operational costs associated with manual documentation.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, described the project—conceived by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOSF)—as a bold and transformative initiative.
Lokpobiri emphasised that the system would ensure government business is conducted seamlessly, noting that the shift from analogue to digital processes would significantly enhance communication within the ministry.
With support from Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB), Nigeria’s national digital infrastructure and shared ICT services provider, the minister explained that departments and agencies would no longer need to incur travel costs to obtain document approvals, as such processes could now be completed online.
“This is a transformative initiative that aligns with global best practices. Perhaps it should have been introduced 10 or 15 years ago, but I am proud that it is now being implemented by this organisation,” Lokpobiri said.
Describing the petroleum sector as the most critical to Nigeria’s national life, he added that the success of the oil and gas industry would have a positive ripple effect on all other sectors of the economy.
In her keynote address, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative would strengthen public service effectiveness by enabling faster work processes, secure record management and reduced dependence on paper.
She noted that for a ministry central to Nigeria’s economic stability and energy security, the milestone was both timely and significant.
“The Ministry of Petroleum Resources occupies a strategic position in national development, with responsibility for policy formulation, coordination and oversight in the oil and gas sector. Its efficiency directly affects revenue generation, investor confidence and national planning,” she said.
Walson-Jack explained that the launch marked a deliberate shift in how work is organised, records are managed and decisions are supported, stressing that manual processes could no longer meet the ministry’s operational demands given its constant engagement with regulators, operators and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
She added that with the deployment, the ministry had joined other Federal Civil Service institutions utilising the Enterprise Content Management System, which ensures secure records, clear audit trails, efficient workflows and reliable institutional memory.
Deployed on the 1Gov Cloud platform, Walson-Jack said the ECMS enables electronic approvals, automated workflows and interoperability across government, allowing decision-making to rely on timely access to accurate information rather than physical file movement.
According to her, the development positions the ministry to comply with the Federal Government’s directive on full digitalisation of work processes by 31 December 2025, while also advancing Pillar Five of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 (FCSSIP25), which prioritises digitalisation across MDAs.
However, she cautioned that digital transformation does not end with system deployment, noting that success depends on consistent usage, adherence to established procedures and sustained digital discipline.
She stated that paper-based processing within the ministry should gradually be replaced with disciplined digital practices, with official correspondence routed through designated registry email addresses for oil and gas operations.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Patience Oyekunle, said the launch marked the transition from manual, paper-based operations to a modern digital platform that would enhance efficiency, transparency and service delivery.
She added that the achievement aligns with ongoing public service reforms being championed by the Federal Government.