By Jibrin Katua
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.
In a statement issued by its management, the commission said the notice was in line with Section 11.2 of the Licensing Round Guidelines and urged prospective applicants to ensure full compliance with all submission requirements within the stipulated timeline.
The NUPRC had earlier, on December 1, 2025, declared the official commencement of the 2025 Licensing Round as part of the Federal Government’s broader strategy to strengthen the upstream petroleum sector and attract fresh investment.
The bid round is offering 50 oil and gas blocks, including 15 onshore, 19 shallow-water, 15 frontier acreages and one deep offshore block.
The exercise is designed to boost reserves, increase production capacity and advance gas development initiatives.
According to the commission, the licensing round is projected to attract between 10 and 15 billion dollars in investment and potentially add up to two billion barrels to Nigeria’s oil reserves over the next decade, with anticipated gains in employment and macroeconomic stability.
The process will run for approximately six months and will adopt a two-stage bidding framework comprising a qualification phase followed by a competitive bid stage for the award of the blocks.
