NUPRC Shortlists Bidders for Nigeria’s Oil Licensing Round

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has shortlisted bidders for Nigeria’s 2025 oil and gas licensing round, marking the conclusion of the pre-qualification phase.

In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its Head of Media and Strategic Communication, Eniola Akinkuotu, the commission confirmed that successful applicants have been formally notified.

The regulator said the milestone signals a transition from the screening phase to the competitive bidding stage of the exercise.

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“The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission wishes to inform the public that it has completed the pre-qualification stage of the 2025 Licensing Round and has notified successful pre-qualified applicants accordingly.

“This was done on March 16, 2026, in line with the 2025 Licensing Round Guidelines.

“With the pre-qualification stage now completed, the Commission will, from today, permit successful applicants to lease data in preparation for the technical and commercial bid submissions,” the statement read.

The commission emphasised that only applicants who scaled the pre-qualification process would gain access to subsurface data required for bid preparation.

It added that access to geological and geophysical data would be strictly controlled to ensure transparency and standardisation throughout the process.

Pre-qualified bidders are required to obtain data exclusively from approved sources and must upload proof of payment as part of the bid submission requirements.

The licensing round involves 50 oil and gas blocks across five sedimentary basins, including onshore, shallow water, frontier, and deepwater assets.