It monitors the oil and gas industry to ensure compliance with relevant regulations and laws.
[2] As part of its activities, the department manages the upstream and downstream sectors in Nigeria petroleum industry.
[4] DPR started as Hydrocarbon section under the Ministry of Lagos Affairs, with direct supervision from the Governor-General.
By the beginning of 1971 the FGN created Nigerian National Oil Corporation (NNOC), to manage commercial operational activities in the petroleum industry.
In 1977, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was formed by the decree 33 of 1977 through the merger of MPR and NNOC.