Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, NUPRC CCE
…Assures investors that process would be transparent, merit-based and fully compliant with PIA.
…2025 Licensing Round, a strategic signal of Nigeria’s upstream reset.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has formally opened 50 oil blocks to investors under its 2025 Oil and Gas Licensing Round, making it clear that only bidders with strong technical capacity, financial strength, and credible development plans will progress through the process. It will no longer be business as it usual.
NUPRC Chief Commission Executive (CCE) Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan said this at the 2025 licensing round pre-bid webinar on Wednesday, “The process follows five steps: registration and pre-qualification, data acquisition, technical bid submission, evaluation, and a commercial bid conference.
“Only candidates with strong technical and financial credentials, professionalism, and credible plans move forward. Winners are chosen through a transparent, merit-based procedure.”
The CCE stated that with the approval of President Bola Tinubu, signature bonuses for the 2025 licensing round are now set within a value range that reduces entry barriers and places greater weight on what truly matters: technical capability, credible work programs, financial strength, and the ability to deliver production within the shortest possible time.
“This has been done to increase competitiveness and in response to capital mobility,”
Speaking at a Pre-Bid Webinar she assured investors that the process would be transparent, merit-based, and fully compliant with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), with strict adherence to published guidelines.
Eyesan described the licensing round as an open call for committed partners; those ready to invest capital, bring technical excellence, and accelerate Nigeria’s assets from license award to exploration, appraisal, and ultimately, full production.
The NUPRC boss restated the Commission’s commitment to a transparent licensing round, insisting that Nigeria is “ready to be the beautiful bride to capital and playroom for advanced technological deployment for hydrocarbon recovery.”
She added, “In this licensing round, 50 oil and gas blocks across Nigeria are available, allowing investors to access the country’s key basins and create long-term value.”
Eyesan further assured the public that the bid process will comply with the Petroleum Industry Act, promote the use of digital tools for smooth data access and remain open to public and institutional scrutiny through the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and other oversight agencies.
According to the NUPRC boss, the 2025 Licensing Round is not merely a commercial exercise, but a strategic signal of Nigeria’s upstream reset.
“Let me emphasise that the Nigeria 2025 Licensing Round is not merely a bidding exercise,” Eyesan said. “It is a clear signal of a re-imagined upstream sector, anchored in the rule of law, driven by data, aligned with global investment realities, and focused on long-term value creation.”
During the webinar, NUPRC subject matter experts walked investors through guidelines, model contracts, bid parameters, and evaluation criteria, aimed at reducing uncertainty and reinforcing confidence in Nigeria’s regulatory framework.
The webinar of Wednesday came two weeks after a previous stakeholders engagement by the NUPRC in lagos where the commission’s chief executive rolled out her agenda for driving growth within the upstream sector of the Nigerian petroleum industry.
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