Abuja, Nigeria – The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has issued a final call to prospective investors, announcing that the window for pre-qualification applications for the Nigeria 2025 Licensing Round will officially close on Friday, February 27, 2026.
Okay News reports that the Commission, in a public notice released on Wednesday, stated that the registration and submission portal will close at 4.30 pm in accordance with Section 11.2 of the Licensing Round Guidelines. The Nigerian government is offering 50 oil and gas blocks across onshore, swamp, shallow water, and offshore terrains spanning diverse basins, with expectations of attracting about $10 billion (approximately N15.1 trillion) in investments.
The licensing round, which commenced in December 2025, is expected to add up to 2 billion barrels of oil output over the next 10 years, with an estimated 400,000 barrels per day of production volumes when the blocks become fully operational. Commission Chief Executive Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan explained that signature bonuses for the round are set within a value range between $3 million and $7 million, reducing entry barriers and placing greater weight on technical capability, credible work programs, financial strength, and the ability to deliver production within the shortest possible time.
Eyesan stated that the reduction in signature bonuses aims to increase competitiveness in response to capital mobility. She emphasised that the 2025 Licensing Round is not merely a bidding exercise but a clear signal of Nigeria’s deliberate effort to reposition its upstream sector for serious, long-term investment. While investment capital is increasingly selective and disciplined, Nigeria’s priority is to attract capital, grow reserves, and improve production in a responsible and sustainable manner.
The process follows five steps: registration and pre-qualification, data acquisition, technical bid submission, evaluation, and a commercial bid conference. Only candidates with strong technical and financial credentials, professionalism, and credible plans move forward, with winners chosen through a transparent, merit-based procedure. The Commission urged all applicants to ensure full compliance with the stipulated submission requirements within the prescribed timeline. This licensing round represents Nigeria’s most significant effort to attract upstream investment in recent years, with the streamlined process designed to appeal to international investors. The success of the licensing round will depend on the quality of applications received and the subsequent development of awarded blocks.
