Digital Bids Will Block Graft In 2025 Oil Licensing Round, Upstream Regulator Assures

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has pledged a corruption-free 2025 Licensing Round, building on the digital success of 2024 with fully online bids, automated evaluations, and near-zero human interference to ensure merit over influence.

The commission restated its commitment to preventing and tackling corruption, promising to deliver an untainted 2025 Licensing Round.

The chief executive of the NUPRC, Engr Gbenga Komolafe made the assurance during International Anti-Corruption Day celebrations at the commission’s headquarters, in Abuja.

Komolafe highlighted how technology transformed last year’s round—earning praise from the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI)—and vowed to maintain this “institutional integrity” for youth participation and national prosperity in the oil-rich upstream sector.

At the event which was put together by the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of the Commission, Engineer Komolafe said corruption is not an abstract issue but a danger to Nigeria’s growth and prosperity.

He said in the oil and gas sector, where the stakes are high and revenues substantial, corruption can have devastating effects on national development.

The CCE therefore stressed that the role of the NUPRC in national development could not be overemphasised.

The NUPRC helmsman further noted that one of the major ways the Commission had been able to tackle corruption was by reducing human interference and promoting technology like in the 2024 Licensing Round.

He said, “The most compelling illustration of this reality was the Nigeria 2024 Licensing Round. For the first time in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector, bid submissions were conducted fully online; commercial bidding was digital and real-time.

“Evaluation processes were automated, measurable, and auditable; human interference was deliberately minimized to near-zero levels.

The outcome was a bidding exercise governed by competence instead of connection, process instead of persuasion, and merit instead of influence.

“This achievement did not go unnoticed. The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) formally commended the process, verifying that the Nigeria 2024 Licensing Round was conducted free of corruption and procedural compromise.”

Speaking on the theme, ‘Uniting with the Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity,’, Engineer Komolafe said for the youth of Nigeria watching the petroleum industry, many of whom doubt the integrity of the system, the licensing round offers an opportunity for them to believe once more.

“That is why preparations for the Nigeria 2025 Licensing Round continue under the same digital framework, unchanged and uncompromised: This continuity answers a fundamental question asked by young Nigerians, which is: Is good governance temporary or permanent? Our response is clear. Integrity at the Commission is not episodic but institutional.”

Delivering a lecture at the event, Retired Appeal Court Justice Oludotun Adebola Adefope-Okojie (JCA) said the NUPRC plays a key role in Nigeria’s development as the regulator of the upstream petroleum sector.

“The NUPRC regulates the wealth of Nigeria because oil accounts for over 80% of Nigeria’s FX and 70% of government revenue. It is a gatekeeper of Nigeria’s wealth. The Commission doesn’t just process documents but destiny. With this great duty comes great responsibility,” Justice Adefope-Okojie said.

While commending the NUPRC for conducting a transparent 2024 licensing round, the retired judge advised the Commission to deliberately encourage the participation of youths in the 2025 licensing round.

She added, “With the recent announcement of the 2025 licensing round, there is an opportunity for fresh players to step forward and demonstrate their capability. The time for the youth is now. Building on the success of the 2024 licensing round, I believe it will be transparent where the younger generation, who are frustrated, will be given more opportunities to participate in the award of licenses and leases.

“I believe it should be a deliberate policy; we need to give youths a chance to participate. They have done this in the tech space. They have produced the top unicorns in Africa. They can bring in the right partners to help Nigeria’s goal of increasing oil production,” she said.