NUPRC begins signature bonus compliance as 31 firms secure 37 oil, gas blocks
By Firdaus Jibril
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has commenced compliance with the payment of signature bonuses by companies that emerged winners of 37 oil and gas blocks in the 2025 licensing round.
This comes exactly one month after the Commission hosted the 2025 Commercial Bid Conference in Abuja, where 31 companies emerged as winners of the 37 blocks.
The NUPRC said it has issued the successful bidders provisional awards, with the payment of signature bonuses now underway.
According to the Commission, winners who fail to pay their signature bonuses within the stipulated timeframe, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), will forfeit their bid guarantees and lose their provisional awards to the reserve bidders.
The Commission subsequently released the full list of winning and reserve bidders for the 37 petroleum prospecting licences (PPLs).
The awarded blocks are spread across the Niger Delta, Anambra, Benin, Chad and Benue areas, covering onshore, shallow-water and deep offshore terrains.
In the Niger Delta, Ssonic Petroleum Limited emerged winner of PPL 2A29, while CFP Pipelines and Flowlines Company Limited won PPL 2A30.
Dutchford Exploration and Production Company Limited won PPL 2A32, while Attabason Global Company Nigeria Limited emerged winner of PPL 2A33 in the Niger Delta shallow-water terrain.
Other winners include Rosem Energy Limited for PPL 2A38; Pivot GIS Limited for PPL 2A39; Network Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited for PPL 2A40; and Asharami Deepwater Resource Limited for PPL 2A41.
Lexoil Nigeria Limited won PPL 2A42, while BVOF Energy Company Limited, GUPSCO Energy Limited and Saratoga Energy Resources Limited emerged winners of PPLs 2A43, 2A44 and 2A45 respectively.
In the Niger Delta onshore terrain, Volonte Oil and Gas Limited won PPL 2A46, Concept-Real Petroleum Services Ltd won PPL 2A47, Clinton Oil Field Limited won PPL 2A48, Nuway Oaklane Limited won PPL 2A49, Ramec Integrated Services Limited won PPL 2A50, and GUPSCO Energy Limited won PPL 2A51.
Italia Company Limited won PPL 2A53, Blueridge Exploration and Production Limited won PPL 2A54, Concept-Real Petroleum Services Ltd won PPL 2A55, Up Energies Limited won PPL 2A56, and AYM Shafa Limited won PPL 2A57.
Blackrock Energy Holdings Ltd emerged winner of PPL 2A58, Funtay Integrated Business Limited won PPL 2A59, Riparian Development and Production Limited won PPL 2A60, while Nikstalis Nigeria Limited and Clinton Oil Field Limited won PPLs 2A61 and 2A62 respectively.
The list also includes PPL 2010 in the Niger Delta deep offshore terrain, which was awarded to Star Deep Water Petroleum Limited, with Boma Energies E&P Limited listed as the reserve bidder.
Beyond the Niger Delta, Dakoda and U Limited emerged winner of PPL 308 in the Benin frontier onshore terrain.
In the Anambra frontier, Nikstalis Nigeria Limited, Attabason Global Company Nigeria Limited, Southborne Oil and Gas Limited and Lanaka Petroleum Limited won PPLs 900, 901, 902 and 903 respectively.
Highban Resources Limited won PPL 700 in the Chad frontier, while Dakoda and U Limited and Eyrie Energy Limited won PPLs 800 and 801 respectively in the Benue frontier.
The released list also identifies reserve bidders for a number of the blocks, who may take over the provisional awards if the successful bidders fail to meet the required conditions.
For PPL 2A29, for instance, Mag Energy Ltd was listed as Reserve Bidder 1, while Danem Oilfield and Energy Limited, Gifait International Limited and Vhelbherg International Ltd were listed as subsequent reserve bidders.
The signature bonus compliance process is therefore the next major stage for the successful bidders, as failure to meet the payment deadline could result in the forfeiture of bid guarantees and the transfer of the provisional awards to reserve bidders.