By Milcah Tanimu

The Nigerian Federal Government has withdrawn five oil blocks from the ongoing 2024 licensing round due to legal disputes, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

In a recent circular, NUPRC confirmed the removal of oil blocks PPL3008, PPL3009, PML51, PPL267, and PPL268 from the bidding process. The commission did not disclose the parties involved in the litigation.

These five blocks were part of the 12 initially announced by NUPRC Chief Executive Gbenga Komolafe at the Miami International Roadshow for the 2024 licensing round. The event was hosted by NUPRC in collaboration with the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria and Zetse Advisory & Consulting.

The original list of 12 oil blocks up for bidding included PPL 300-CS, PPL 301-CS, PPL 3008, PPL 3009, PPL 2001, PPL 2002, PML 51, PPL 267, PPL 268, PPL 269, PPL 270, and PPL 271.

“PPL3008, PPL3009, PML51, PPL267, and PPL268 have been removed from the bid process due to ongoing litigation,” NUPRC stated in a notice.

The commission also highlighted that some assets on offer should be applied as a single unit, specifically PPL 300-CS & PPL 301-CS, and PPL 2000 & PPL 2001.