The Federal Government says 13 oil and gas blocks offered under the 2025 Licensing Round will be returned to the licensing basket after they failed to attract bids from prospective investors.

Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this on Tuesday at the 2025 Commercial Bid Conference in Abuja.

Eyesan said 50 blocks were initially made available during the licensing exercise, but only 37 received representations from interested companies. She added that 143 companies submitted about 200 bids for the available assets, describing the level of interest as a positive indication for Nigeria's upstream petroleum sector.

The NUPRC chief executive said nearly 300 companies initially expressed interest in the licensing round, before the number was reduced to 196 after the prequalification stage. She said the successful applicants proceeded to the technical and commercial evaluation phases, reflecting renewed confidence in investment opportunities within Nigeria's oil and gas industry.