A communication expert, Tajudeen Suleiman, has commended the Nigerian National Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for conducting what he described as a transparent and credible 2025 Oil and Gas Licensing Round, saying the exercise successfully passed a critical transparency test.
In a statement, Sunday, reviewing the licencing round, Suleiman said the Commission’s adherence to established guidelines, deployment of a computer-based bid evaluation system and public conduct of the Commercial Bid Conference demonstrated its commitment to openness and accountability in the allocation of Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas assets.
According to him, the process, which culminated in the emergence of 31 companies as winners of 37 oil and gas blocks on July 21, 2026, reflected a rules-based approach capable of withstanding independent scrutiny.
Suleiman noted that the 2025 Licencing Round commenced after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the exercise, with the NUPRC officially launching the bid round in London on November 11, 2025, before opening the registration portal on December 1.
He said the Commission complied with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 and the 2025 Licensing Round Guidelines by publishing statutory notices in national and international newspapers.
According to Suleiman, the Commission, under the leadership of its Chief Executive, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, embedded transparency into every stage of the exercise through clearly defined participation requirements, technical and commercial evaluation criteria, pre-bid conferences, webinars and dedicated enquiry channels.
He stated that the licencing round attracted nearly 300 expressions of interest, with 196 companies prequalified for the bidding stage and 143 firms eventually submitting 200 technical and commercial bids across 37 assets.
Suleiman said the Commercial Bid Conference, which lasted eight hours and 34 minutes, was conducted before more than 600 participants, including bidders, observers, industry stakeholders and journalists, while proceedings were broadcast live.
He added that bidders were provided with technical support, standby laptops and power banks to ensure a seamless exercise.
According to him, commercial bids were assessed based on signature bonus, work programme commitment and work programme performance security, with successful bidders determined through a weighted aggregate scoring system rather than the highest immediate payment.
Suleiman also noted that the Commission introduced a transparent tie-break mechanism through additional signature bonus submissions and prohibited consortium discussions during the commercial bid stage to safeguard the integrity of the process.
