The Federal Government has announced that 13 of the 50 oil and gas blocks offered during the 2025 Licensing Round will be returned to the licensing pool after failing to attract investor interest.

The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this on Tuesday at an event in Abuja.

Eyesan said only 37 of the 50 blocks on offer received bids from prospective investors, leaving 13 without any representation.

“At the end of the exercise, we had 50 blocks on offer, but we only had representation for 37 of those 50 blocks. Thirteen of those blocks will be returning back to the basket,” she said.

Despite the unclaimed assets, Eyesan described the licensing round as a success, noting that investor participation remained strong. According to her, 143 companies expressed interest in the exercise, submitting about 200 bids for the available oil and gas assets.

“We have a total of 143 companies showing interest for 200 bids. That, for us, was remarkable, and I must say thank you,” she added.

The 2025 Licensing Round is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to attract investment into Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector and expand exploration and production activities.