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.
She said the threats persisted until the eve of the commercial bid opening. Eyesan said, “It has been a journey… If you have been told anything contrary to the fact that this process was going to be credible and transparent, do not believe it.”
Commending members of the evaluation committee, she added, “The evaluators have worked tirelessly since June 12. They have been inundated with calls and with threats, serious threats, but they stood their ground. Up until yesterday, we were still threatened, but we stood our ground to say that the times have changed. Nigeria is really open for business.”
