The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has assured prospective investors of a transparent, merit-based, and competitive process for Nigeria’s 2025 Oil and Gas Licensing Round.
The commission said that only applicants with strong technical and financial credentials, professionalism, and credible plans would proceed to the critical stage of the bidding process.
The NUPRC’s chief executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, gave the assurance on Wednesday during a pre-bid webinar organised by the commission.
The commission inaugurated Nigeria’s 2025 Licensing Bid Round on December 1, 2025, offering 50 oil and gas blocks across frontier, onshore, shallow-water, and deepwater terrains to potential investors.
The basins included the Niger Delta basin, with 35 blocks; Benin (Frontier), with three blocks; Anambra (Frontier), with four blocks; Benue (Frontier), with four blocks; and Chad (Frontier), with four blocks on offer.
Ms Eyesan explained that the licensing process would follow five stages: registration and pre-qualification, data acquisition, technical bid submission, evaluation, and a commercial bid conference, with only bidders that meet strong technical and financial criteria progressing.
She said the licensing round represented a deliberate effort by Nigeria to reposition its upstream petroleum sector for long-term investment, transparency, and value creation amid increasing global competition for capital.
MS Eyesan said that energy security and supply resilience had become key global economic and geopolitical priorities, while investment capital was increasingly selective and disciplined.
“Our national priority is clear: to attract capital, grow reserves, and improve production in a responsible and sustainable manner.
“A structured and transparent licensing round is essential to achieving these objectives.
“The NUPRC is legally mandated to conduct licensing rounds in a periodic, open, transparent, and fully competitive manner, and the entire 2025 process will be governed strictly by published rules,” she said.
She disclosed that 50 oil and gas blocks across Nigeria’s major basins are on offer in the 2025 licensing round, providing investors with access to high-potential assets within a stable, rules-based regulatory framework.
Ms Eyesan further revealed that, with the approval of President Bola Tinubu, signature bonuses for the 2025 round have been set within a range designed to lower entry barriers and prioritise technical capability, credible work programmes, financial strength, and speed to production.
The NUPRC boss emphasised that the bid process will fully comply with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and remain open to public and institutional scrutiny through the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and other oversight agencies.
She added that all licensing materials have been available on the commission’s bid portal since December 1, 2025, and that dedicated help channels are available to assist applicants.
According to Ms Eyesan, the 2025 Licensing Round is not merely a bidding exercise but a signal of a reimagined upstream sector anchored in the rule of law, driven by data, and aligned with global investment realities.
(NAN)