Drawing on the success of the 2024 Licensing Round, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) announced its intention to deliver an untainted 2025 Licensing Round. NUPRC Chief Executive Gbenga Komolafe made the announcement at an event commemorating International Anti-Corruption Day.
Komolafe noted that corruption in the high-stakes, high-revenue oil and gas sector can severely undermine national development. In 2024, NUPRC adopted a new process to combat corruption by requiring all bid submissions to be conducted fully online, enabling digital, real-time commercial bidding.
“Evaluation processes were automated, measurable, and auditable; human interference was deliberately minimized to near-zero levels. The outcome was a bidding exercise governed by competence instead of connection, process instead of persuasion, and merit instead of influence,” Komolafe said.
He further noted that the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative praised the 2024 Licensing Round for being “free of corruption and procedural compromise.”
The participation of Nigeria’s youth in the licensing round was another topic of discussion during the event. Komolafe encouraged young people who may have been deterred by past corruption to get involved in the 2025 Licensing Round.
“That is why preparations for the Nigeria 2025 Licensing Round continue under the same digital framework, unchanged and uncompromised. This continuity answers a fundamental question asked by young Nigerians, which is: Is good governance temporary or permanent? Our response is clear. Integrity at the Commission is not episodic but institutional,” he said.
Retired Appeal Court Justice Oludotun Adebola Adefope-Okojie also praised the transparency of the 2024 Licensing Round and echoed Komolafe’s sentiments on youth participation while addressing the importance the NUPRC plays in Nigeria’s development as the regulator of the upstream petroleum sector.
“The NUPRC regulates the wealth of Nigeria because oil accounts for over 80% of Nigeria’s FX [foreign exchange] and 70% of government revenue. It is a gatekeeper of Nigeria’s wealth. The Commission doesn’t just process documents but destiny. With this great duty comes great responsibility,” Adefope-Okojie said.
NUPRC opened the 2025 Licensing Round on 1 December. The round includes 15 onshore blocks, 19 in shallow waters, 15 frontier assets, and one deepwater block. According to the Commission, the round is anticipated to add about $10 billion in investment and up to 2 billion bbl of oil output over the next 10 years, with an estimated 400,000 BPD of production when fully operational.
Twenty-five bidders secured blocks in the 2024 Licensing Round. In 2025, fresh players are encouraged to step forward and participate in this year’s round.
“I believe it should be a deliberate policy; we need to give youths a chance to participate. They have done this in the tech space. They have produced the top unicorns in Africa. They can bring in the right partners to help Nigeria’s goal of increasing oil production,” Adefope-Okojie said.