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The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has pushed back against criticism of the 2025 oil and gas licensing round.
The Commission argued that reports that portrayed the award of oil blocks as politically influenced distorted a process it described as transparent, competitive and technically driven.
Speaking recently in Lagos at the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council Executive Masterclass on Energy Journalism at the weekend, the Commission Chief Executive (CCE), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, represented by Mr. Dr. Amba Ndoma Egba, Deputy Director, Acreage Administration, said some media reports failed to reflect the technical and commercial rigour behind the exercise.
“Others, regrettably, reduced a rigorous and competitive technical process to political speculation and unsubstantiated headlines,”.
In what appeared to be a direct response to public debate surrounding the recently concluded bid round, the Commission said some reports had unfairly reduced a rigorous regulatory exercise to political speculation, warning that such narratives could weaken investor confidence in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum industry.
She warned that inaccurate reporting could widen the gap between regulatory processes and public understanding of the petroleum industry.
The CCE said the licensing round attracted significant global interest, with 50 blocks offered across onshore, offshore, deepwater and frontier basins.
She explained that, after prequalification, 196 applicants advanced to the technical and commercial stages, while 143 companies submitted 200 bids covering 37 assets before the process culminated in the commercial bid conference held on July 21.
The defence comes days after the announcement of winners in the licensing round, which has drawn scrutiny from industry watchers and commentators. NUPRC said the exercise was designed to meet global standards of transparency and competitiveness and formed part of its broader effort to position Nigeria as an investment-friendly upstream jurisdiction.
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Beyond the licensing round, the Commission used the forum to announce a more aggressive transparency strategy. It said it would hold regular technical engagements with energy editors and correspondents and continue publishing oil production data, acreage status, rig disposition and operational performance reports on its website.
“If you do not understand our methodology, you cannot accurately report our outcomes. And if you cannot accurately report our outcomes, the public cannot hold us accountable,” Eyesan said.
NUPRC argued that many controversies surrounding the oil sector stem from poor understanding of technical concepts such as reserve classifications, licensing categories and field development obligations.
The Commission urged journalists covering the industry to seek technical clarification before publishing reports on reserves, production or asset awards. Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of SPE Nigeria Council, Mr.Francis Nwaochei, said the Masterclass themed: “Engineering the Narrative: Why Technical Knowledge Matters in Energy Journalism” speaks directly to the role that credible journalism plays in shaping public understanding of Nigeria’s energy industry.
“The stories that appear in our newspapers, on television, online platforms and across social media influence public perception, investor confidence and even policy conversations. That is why accuracy matters,”.
He explained that Nigeria’s energy industry is evolving rapidly, hence today’s conversations extend beyond crude oil production but include gas development, energy security, carbon management, digital technologies, local content, infrastructure development, financing, regulatory reforms and the transition to a lower-carbon future.
He argued that, as the industry becomes more complex, reporting on it also requires greater depth and context.
“This Masterclass is not about turning journalists into petroleum engineers. That is not our expectation. Rather, our goal is to inspire you to become even more effective energy journalists by developing the confidence to ask the right questions, conduct due diligence and present accurate, balanced and well-researched reports,”.
