Thirty-one companies emerged as winners of 37 oil and gas blocks at the end of the 2025 Licensing Round organised by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The keenly contested bidding process took place on July 21, 2026, at the Transcorp Event Centre in Abuja. A total of 143 companies submitted 200 bids for 37 out of the 50 blocks offered.
The blocks covered several terrains: 16 in Niger Delta Onshore, 18 in Niger Delta Shallow Water, one in Niger Delta Deep Offshore, three in Benin Basin Onshore, four in Anambra Basin Onshore, four in Chad Basin Onshore, and four in Benue Trough.
The 37 blocks that received bids came from all terrains, including frontier basins. This marked the first time frontier basins attracted strong investor interest in Nigeria’s energy sector. Thirteen blocks received no bids.
Winners included SSonic Petroleum Limited, CFP Pipeline and Flowlines, Dutchford E&P Limited, Attabanson Global Company Limited, Rosem Energy Limited, Pivot-GIS Limited, Network E&P, Asharami, LexOil, BVOF, Gupsco Energy Limited, Saratoga, Volante, Concept-Reel Petroleum Services Limited, Clinton Oil Field, and Nuway Oaklane Limited.
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Others were Ramec, Italia, Blueridge E&P, Up Energies Limited, AYM Shafa, Blackrock Holdings Limited, Funtay Integrated Business Limited, Riparian Development and Production Limited, Nikstallis, Stardeep Petroleum, Dakoda & U Limited, Southborne Oil and Gas Limited, Lanaka Petroleum, Highban Resources Limited, and Eyre Energy Limited.
The companies will receive final awards after they pay the required signature bonuses and secure approval from the Minister of Petroleum Resources, as stated in the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021.
The commercial bid conference was closely monitored by representatives of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Nigeria Extractive Industry and Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and several other stakeholders in line with the extant laws.
NUPRC Chief Executive Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan thanked President Bola Tinubu for his support. She urged the winners to pay their bonuses quickly and develop the assets or risk losing them under the drill or drop policy.
