The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission on Tuesday declared 31 companies as winners of 37 oil and gas blocks under the 2025 Licensing Round, despite what the commission described as sustained threats and pressure mounted against members of its evaluation team before the conclusion of the exercise.
The successful conclusion of the commercial bid conference marked the end of an eight-month licensing process, with the winning firms now required to pay their signature bonuses and satisfy other post-award conditions within 90 days or risk forfeiting the assets to reserve bidders.
Speaking after the commercial bid conference in Abuja, the Commission Chief Executive of the NUPRC, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed that officials involved in evaluating the bids faced repeated intimidation throughout the process but refused to compromise the integrity of the exercise.
The commission announced that 31 companies emerged successful after 143 companies submitted about 200 bids for 37 oil and gas blocks out of the 50 assets offered during the licensing round.