Nigeria’s federal government says 13 of the 50 oil and gas blocks made available in the 2025 Licensing Round will be returned to the licensing pool after failing to draw bids from investors. The disclosure was made by Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, during an event in Abuja on Tuesday.
Quick facts
- Thirteen of 50 oil and gas blocks from Nigeria’s 2025 Licensing Round will go back into the licensing basket.
- Only 37 of the 50 blocks drew interest from potential investors.
- Eyesan said 143 companies submitted roughly 200 bids for the offered assets.
- Participation was described as “remarkable” despite the 13 non-bid blocks.
Eyesan said that while the licensing round began with 50 blocks on offer, investor representation was recorded for just 37 of them. “At the end of the exercise, we had 50 blocks on offer, but we only had representation for 37 of those 50 blocks,” she said, adding that the remaining 13 blocks would be returned.
She also pointed to broader market engagement as a positive signal for the upstream sector. According to her, 143 companies expressed interest through about 200 bids for the available assets, a level of activity she characterized as encouraging.
“We have a total of 143 companies showing interest for 200 bids,” Eyesan said, describing the outcome as “remarkable” and thanking companies that participated in the process.
