The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has said the 2025 oil and gas licensing round will be driven by transparency, with only bidders that demonstrate strong financial capacity and technical competence allowed to progress in the process.
The Commission’s Chief Executive, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this at the 2025 licensing round pre-bid webinar, explaining that the exercise will follow a five-stage process covering registration and pre-qualification, data acquisition, technical bid submission, evaluation, and a commercial bid conference. She stressed that winners will emerge strictly through a transparent, merit-based procedure.
Eyesan noted that signature bonuses for the 2025 bid round have been set within a flexible value range to lower entry barriers and encourage wider participation. According to her, the emphasis has shifted from upfront payments to bidders’ technical capability, credible work programmes, financial strength, and speed in delivering production.
She described the licensing round as an open call to serious investors ready to deploy capital and advanced technology, adding that 50 oil and gas blocks across Nigeria’s key basins are on offer to accelerate exploration and production and create long-term value.
The NUPRC boss assured stakeholders that the process will fully comply with the Petroleum Industry Act, leverage digital tools for data access, and remain subject to public and institutional oversight through the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and other agencies, positioning the exercise as a signal of a reformed and investment-ready upstream sector.
