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.

Suleiman, in an article reviewing the exercise, 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 a commitment to openness and accountability in the allocation of Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas assets.

He said the process, which ended with 31 companies emerging as winners of 37 oil and gas blocks on July 21, 2026, reflected a rules-based approach capable of withstanding independent scrutiny.

According to him, the licensing round began after President Bola 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.

Suleiman said the Commission complied with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 and the 2025 Licensing Round Guidelines by publishing statutory notices in both national and international newspapers.

He noted that under the leadership of the Commission’s Chief Executive, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, transparency was embedded throughout the process through clearly defined participation requirements, technical and commercial evaluation criteria, pre-bid conferences, webinars and dedicated enquiry channels.

The expert said the exercise attracted nearly 300 expressions of interest, with 196 companies prequalified for the bidding stage and 143 firms submitting 200 technical and commercial bids for 37 assets.

He added that the Commercial Bid Conference, which lasted eight hours and 34 minutes, was witnessed by more than 600 participants, including bidders, observers, industry stakeholders and journalists, with proceedings broadcast live.

According to Suleiman, bidders were provided with technical support, standby laptops and power banks to ensure a seamless process.

He explained that commercial bids were assessed based on signature bonus, work programme commitment and work programme performance security, with successful bidders selected through a weighted aggregate scoring system rather than the highest immediate financial offer.

He 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 protect the integrity of the process.

Suleiman said bids were electronically decrypted and automatically validated against approved templates, with results displayed in real time during the evaluation process.

He added that representatives of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources monitored the exercise, providing additional oversight in line with the Petroleum Industry Act.

The communication expert also highlighted commendations from industry stakeholders, quoting the Executive Director of TotalEnergies Nigeria, Abiodun Afolabi, as describing the exercise as “a very transparent and open process” and an improvement on previous licensing rounds.

He also cited the Country Manager of SLB, formerly Schlumberger, Dr. Nosa Omorodion, who said the process strengthened investor confidence, while the Managing Director of AYA Shafa, Abba Abdu Misau, described the bidding process as “excellent” and better than previous exercises.

Suleiman maintained that the 2025 Licensing Round showed that transparent procedures, regulatory compliance and independent oversight could improve investor confidence and enhance the credibility of Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector.