The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has refuted claims that hundreds of oil blocks across the country have been abandoned, insisting that the status of all 243 oil blocks has been duly accounted for and transparently documented.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the commission described a recent newspaper report suggesting the existence of 220 open oil blocks as “misleading,” affirming that no oil assets have been left idle or neglected.
NUPRC clarified that the publication, which quoted its own data, misrepresented the figures by failing to consider the broader context of Nigeria’s upstream asset management. The commission reiterated that the release of the concession status aligns with the transparency objectives of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
According to the disputed report, the deep offshore terrain allegedly has the highest number of unlicensed blocks at 59, followed by the Benue Trough with 41, the Chad Basin with 40, Sokoto Basin with 28, and the Bida Basin with 16.
Additionally, it claimed the offshore Niger Delta has seven open blocks, while Anambra Basin hosts 13, and eight each remain unlicensed in the Benin Basin and onshore Niger Delta.
However, the NUPRC maintained that these figures were taken out of context and stressed that it remains committed to efficient resource management and the responsible licensing of Nigeria’s hydrocarbon assets.
