Licensing round: Oil blocks in Chad basin, Benue Trough for bidding

Borno and Benue States may soon become the latest oil producing state as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has disclosed oil blocks in Chad Basin and the Benue Trough are among the 50 blocks on offer in the 2025 Licensing Round. NUPRC in a post across its social media platforms stated that the […]

Borno and Benue States may soon become the latest oil producing state as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has disclosed oil blocks in Chad Basin and the Benue Trough are among the 50 blocks on offer in the 2025 Licensing Round.

NUPRC in a post across its social media platforms stated that the 50 oil blocks on offer cut across all oil exploration basins in the country except the Sokoto and Bida Basins.

However, a staff of the commission who does not want his name in print as he is not authorised to speak on the matter, said the two states could only become oil producing states if there are bidders for the oil blocks in the basins during the licensing round and if the bidders are awarded. 

Daily Trust reports that the NUPRC had kicked off the process for the award of 50 oil blocks.

The 2025 Licensing Round is the third in a series of licensing rounds, aimed at further development of this prospective petroleum basin.

The licensing round is being held in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 (PIA), which features enhanced legal and regulatory frameworks aimed at encouraging new investors and investments in the next phase of exploration in this region.

The commission had listed 50 oil blocks covering the Onshore, Shallow Water, and Deep Offshore areas to be offered to investors.

The blocks include 15 onshore blocks, 19 shallow water blocks, 15 frontier assets and 1 deepwater block.

The posts also showed that the oil block to be offered include four each in the Chad, Anambra Basins and Benue Trough while the Benin Basin has 5 with the Niger Delta Basin having the major oil blocks to be offered to prospective bidders.

 

Meanwhile, the post added that of the 50 blocks on offer in the 2025 Licensing Round, three are located within the Calabar Flank, namely: PPL 2A61, PPL 2A62, and PPL 2A45?

 

It added that at the Energy Cross River Conference and Exhibition 2026 in Calabar, recently, the Director of Exploration, NUPRC, Benjamin Ewuga, noted that for many years, key geological provinces, including the Calabar Flank, had remained largely underexplored despite their significant potential.

 

Ewuga, who represented the Commission Chief Executive, NUPRC, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed that the 2025 Nigeria Licensing Round has been deliberately structured to advance frontier exploration and unlock new investment opportunities across the country.

 

“Through this initiative, we are unlocking new geological provinces with considerable potential for future discoveries,” he said.

 

He emphasised that by prioritising frontier basins, Nigeria is not only diversifying its exploration portfolio but also laying the foundation for long-term growth and sustainability in the upstream sector.