NUPRC sets Nov 20 for 2026 oil licensing round with 40 blocks amid past controversy
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has fixed November 20, 2026, for the launch of its 2026 licensing round bid portal, offering 40 oil and gas blocks. Chief Executive Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan announced this Monday at the ADIPEC conference in Abu Dhabi, stating the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) has made Nigeria's upstream sector investor-friendly.
The bid portal goes live November 20, and the commission expects interested investors to participate. However, the last licensing round was dogged by allegations that certain blocks were allocated to associates of NNPCL Group CEO Bayo Ojulari—claims both NUPRC and NNPCL have denied.
This fresh round tests whether the regulator can deliver a transparent process under PIA frameworks. For investors, the November 20 portal launch is the key date—registration details and block data will determine serious participation. The controversy backdrop means scrutiny will be high on award criteria and beneficiary ownership disclosures.
Will the 2026 round demonstrate that PIA's transparency provisions have teeth, or will history repeat with opaque allocations?