NUPRC closes 2025 Licensing Round Pre-Qualification Friday

2026-02-25 - 18:57

By Udeme Akpan The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has announced that registration and submission of applications for pre-qualification under the Nigeria 2025 Licensing Round will close at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, February 27, 2026. In a notice issued to the public, the Commission said the deadline is in line with Section 11.2 of the Licensing Round Guidelines and advised applicants to ensure full compliance with stipulated requirements within the prescribed timeline. The development comes as the Commission reiterates that technical competence and financial strength — rather than high signature bonuses — will determine success in the ongoing exercise. Speaking during the 2025 Licensing Round pre-bid webinar, the Commission’s Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said only applicants with strong technical and financial credentials, professionalism and credible development plans would progress to the critical stages of the bid process. According to her, the licensing round, which features 50 oil and gas blocks across Nigeria’s sedimentary basins, follows a clearly defined five-step process: 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,” she said. Eyesan disclosed that with the approval of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, signature bonuses for the 2025 round have been structured within a defined value range to lower entry barriers and enhance competitiveness. She explained that the revised framework places emphasis on technical capability, credible work programmes, 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,” she stated, describing the licensing round as an open call for committed investors ready to deploy capital and fast-track assets from exploration to production. The NUPRC boss further assured stakeholders that the entire process would strictly comply with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act, while leveraging digital tools to ensure seamless data access. She added that the bid process would remain open to public and institutional scrutiny through the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and other oversight bodies. Describing the exercise as more than a routine bidding process, Eyesan said the 2025 Licensing Round signals a re-imagined upstream sector anchored on the rule of law, data-driven regulation and long-term value creation. The Commission noted that the availability of 50 oil and gas blocks offers investors access to key hydrocarbon basins nationwide and positions Nigeria to attract serious capital amid intensifying global competition for upstream investment.