Abuja, July 21, 2026 – The Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) says 143 companies are participating in the 2025 licensing round of commercial bid for 50 oil and gas blocks.
The company disclosed this in a statement.
It said the affected blocks, located across the country, included 16 onshore blocks located in the Niger Delta, 18 shallow water blocks, one deep offshore block, three onshore blocks in the Benin Basin, four in the Anambra Basin, four in the Chad Basin and four in the Benue Trough
NUPC said the commercial evaluation of the bids would be based on key bid parameters, including the signature bonus, work programme commitment and commitment to performance security.
“These factors will be combined into a weighted technical and commercial score to determine the successful bidders,” it stressed.
The commission said the 2025 Licensing Round was announced on Nov. 11, 2025, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, while the bid portal opened for registration on 1 December, 2025.
It added that a pre-bid conference was held on Jan. 14, 2026 at Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos to familiarise prospective bidders and other stakeholders with the licensing guidelines.
Registration and submission for prequalification closed on Feb. 27, while the prequalification exercise was completed on 16 March.
NUPRC said 286 companies submitted applications for prequalification, out of which 196 qualified to proceed to the technical and commercial bidding stage.
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