By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has called on international oil and gas investors to channel fresh investments into Nigeria, highlighting improved security, attractive fiscal incentives and ongoing regulatory reforms as the country prepares to offer 40 oil and gas blocks in its 2026 licensing round.

The commission said Nigeria was positioning itself as a competitive investment destination amid growing global energy uncertainties and intensifying competition among oil-producing countries for international capital.

The Commission Chief Executive of the NUPRC, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, made the appeal during a roundtable discussion titled, ‘Energy Sovereignty in an Interconnected World: Aligning National Priorities, Markets and Global Security’, at the 2026 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

According to a statement issued by the commission’s Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, Eyesan urged investors to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the forthcoming licensing round.

She disclosed that the bidding portal for the exercise would officially open on November 20, 2026.

Eyesan said Nigeria had strengthened its investment climate through improved security, a more attractive fiscal framework and measures aimed at reducing operating costs and regulatory bottlenecks.

“We are expecting investors to turn to Nigeria. We are going in for another licensing round, and we will be launching our bid portal on November 20. We expect to see interested investors because the environment is a lot more competitive,” she said.

She added that the government had introduced incentives and improved security conditions to make the country’s upstream petroleum sector more attractive to prospective investors.

The 2026 licensing round is part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to attract new capital into the petroleum industry, expand exploration activities and increase crude oil and natural gas production.

Nigeria’s oil and gas sector has faced persistent investment challenges over the years, including regulatory uncertainty, insecurity, crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, high operating expenses and delays in project execution.

However, Eyesan said reforms introduced under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), enacted in 2021, alongside executive orders issued by President Bola Tinubu, had helped address some of the challenges affecting the industry.

According to her, the reforms have strengthened the regulatory framework and improved Nigeria’s ability to compete with other petroleum-producing countries for investment.

She also disclosed that the NUPRC had conducted at least four successful licensing rounds between 2021 and 2026, describing the development as a departure from the less frequent licensing exercises recorded before the introduction of the PIA.

Beyond crude oil, the commission chief executive identified Nigeria’s substantial natural gas resources as another major investment opportunity.

She said the country had approximately 215 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves, while daily production remained below seven billion cubic feet, indicating significant room for increased output.

Eyesan noted that the completion of major gas infrastructure projects would help unlock additional supply, improve domestic availability and support the development of regional and international markets.

She specifically highlighted the proposed Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline and Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline as strategic projects that could expand Nigeria’s gas export capacity.

“The stars are already aligned. For gas infrastructure, we just completed very major infrastructure projects that will unlock gas supply in the country and the sub-region,” she said.

She added that the proposed pipelines would create opportunities to transport Nigerian gas to European markets while meeting growing energy demand across Africa.

The projects are expected to strengthen Nigeria’s position in the regional and international gas market, although their proposed development and completion remain important factors in unlocking the anticipated benefits.

Eyesan acknowledged that competition for global energy investments had intensified, with several countries introducing measures to attract international oil companies and other industry players.

She said Nigeria was addressing key concerns influencing investment decisions, particularly project execution risks, operating costs, delays and regulatory uncertainty.

According to her, investors increasingly prioritise predictable business conditions and efficient project delivery when deciding where to commit capital.

“We understand that investors will prize execution risk, cost, delays and also uncertainty, and so what we have done in Nigeria is to ensure that we guard against these risks and then attract the investment required to enable us unlock the huge resources we sit on,” she said.

The 2026 licensing round will provide prospective investors with opportunities to acquire new oil and gas acreage and participate in the development of Nigeria’s hydrocarbon resources.

The exercise comes as the Federal Government seeks to increase crude oil production, strengthen national energy security, expand gas development and improve revenue generation from the petroleum

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has clarified that the N10 billion emergency health intervention fund approved by President Bola Tinubu was not meant exclusively for Ebola preparedness but to strengthen Nigeria’s overall capacity to prevent and respond to public health emergencies.

The clarification comes amid public concerns and debate over the Federal Government’s allocation following the confirmation of an imported Bundibugyo Ebola case in Nigeria.

NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, who made the clarification in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, said the funding was designed to support prevention, preparedness, early detection and rapid response to several epidemic-prone diseases.

He listed the threats to include Ebola, Lassa fever, cholera, meningitis, diphtheria, measles, Mpox and antimicrobial resistance, noting that these diseases had continued to contribute significantly to illness and deaths across the country.

Idris stressed that the N10 billion was released directly to the NCDC and not to the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President.

According to him, while the task force was established to coordinate the national Ebola response, the intervention fund was intended to address broader health security challenges confronting the country.

He, however, described the N10 billion allocation as inadequate, considering the enormous financial requirements for building a resilient national health security system.

The NCDC chief disclosed that Nigeria’s National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) 2.0, covering 2025 to 2029, requires approximately N522 billion for implementation over five years.

This translates to an average annual funding requirement of N104.4 billion, meaning the N10 billion intervention represents only about two per cent of the plan’s average yearly cost.

Idris explained that NAPHS 2.0 adopted a multisectoral One Health approach, bringing together ministries, departments and agencies, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to strengthen the country’s capacity to tackle health emergencies.

He said inadequate funding had remained a major obstacle to implementing Nigeria’s previous health security plan, stressing that sustainable domestic and international financing was necessary to prevent disease outbreaks from escalating into national emergencies.

On the Ebola situation, Idris said Nigeria responded promptly to its first imported Bundibugyo Ebola case, assuring citizens that there was no need for panic.

He disclosed that the infection was confirmed at the NCDC laboratory on October 20, 2026, less than 24 hours after the agency received the alert in Abuja.

According to him, all identified contacts were under daily monitoring, while Nigeria currently had no active Ebola case following the management of the imported infection.

He added that surveillance would continue until the last identified contact completed the mandatory 21-day monitoring period without developing symptoms or any new case emerging.

Despite the encouraging development, the NCDC director-general cautioned that the country was not yet completely out of danger, promising regular updates through the agency’s official communication channels.

Idris also dismissed concerns that the Ebola situation could warrant the postponement of elections, suspension of political campaigns, prohibition of mass gatherings or imposition of travel restrictions.

He said the NCDC had not recommended such measures, adding that technical guidelines had instead been developed to guide organisers of public gatherings on infection prevention and control.

According to him, public events could proceed safely provided organisers and participants complied strictly with established health and safety protocols.

He warned Nigerians against spreading unverified information, noting that rumours and misinformation could undermine public confidence and frustrate efforts to contain disease outbreaks.

Providing details of government funding for health security, Idris said the NCDC received N4 billion in 2024 and N7 billion in 2025, alongside a N5 billion intervention fund.

He added that the 2026 Appropriation provided N22 billion, while President Tinubu approved an additional N10 billion emergency intervention fund in June 2026 to strengthen preparedness.

The NCDC boss further cited estimates by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, which indicated that countries required between one and two dollars per person annually to maintain acceptable epidemic preparedness and emergency response capacity.

Based on Nigeria’s estimated population of 240 million, he said the country would require between $240 million and $480 million annually to achieve adequate preparedness against public health threats.

Idris called on federal and state governments, development partners and other stakeholders to increase investment in health security, describing it as a critical pillar of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.

He maintained that adequate funding, transparency and accountability were essential to preventing avoidable deaths, protecting livelihoods and reducing the economic consequences of disease outbreaks.

The NCDC director-general assured Nigerians that the agency remained committed to the prudent utilisation of public resources and the protection of public health nationwide.

By David Torough, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his commitment to national development, peace and prosperity, declaring that he prayed for all Nigerians during his recent spiritual visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he was granted the rare privilege of entering the Holy Ka’abah in Makkah to offer prayers.

The President, who concluded his visit on Monday, disclosed that he used the sacred opportunity to seek divine intervention for Nigeria, praying for peace, unity and prosperity for the country and its citizens.

In a statement shared on his verified X handle, Tinubu expressed profound appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, for granting him and members of his delegation access to the Holy Ka’abah and extending gracious hospitality to them.

He described the experience as a historic and deeply cherished spiritual privilege, reflecting the longstanding bonds of faith, friendship, mutual respect and cooperation between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

Speaking on the significance of the visit, the President said the opportunity to pray inside the Ka’abah was an honour he would forever cherish, adding that he remained grateful to the Saudi monarch, the Crown Prince and the administrators of the holy sites for the gesture.

During his reflections on the spiritual journey, Tinubu said he prayed for wisdom and resilience to continue serving Nigerians, expressing confidence that his prayers had been answered.

He recalled undertaking a similar spiritual journey before the 2023 presidential election, when he sought Allah’s blessings for his Umrah and promised to return in gratitude.

The President also drew inspiration from Surah Aal-Imran, Verse 26 of the Holy Qur’an, which affirms that Almighty Allah is the ultimate owner of sovereignty, granting power and authority to whom He wills and taking them away from whom He wills.

According to him, the passage reinforces the understanding that political authority is a divine trust that must be exercised with humility, responsibility and commitment to the welfare of the people.

Tinubu said his emergence as Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces was an extraordinary blessing from Almighty Allah, which must be matched with dedicated service to the nation.

Reaffirming his commitment to Project Nigeria, he declared that his determination to build a prosperous country had become stronger, stressing the need to pursue development in accordance with the will of Allah and the aspirations of Nigerians.

“My commitment to Project Nigeria is higher. I am determined to usher in prosperity and fully develop the country, consistent with the wish of Allah and the support of the people,” he said.

On the economy, the President expressed optimism about the country’s outlook, describing its economic foundation as solid and Nigeria’s emergence from a difficult period as encouraging.

He, however, emphasised that sustainable national development must include deliberate investment in young people, warning that the decisions taken by present leaders would determine how future generations judge their stewardship.

The President maintained that his administration would remain focused on strengthening the economy, expanding opportunities for young Nigerians and creating an enabling environment for citizens to realise their potential.

Meanwhile, members of the presidential delegation, including Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate; and the governors of Borno, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, Yobe and Kwara states, expressed gratitude to Allah for the opportunity to enter and pray inside the sacred shrine.

Business leaders, including Chairman of BUA Group, Abdulsamad Rabiu, and Oando Chief Executive Officer, Wale Tinubu, were also among those who shared the spiritual experience with the President.

Tinubu departed Abuja for Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 29, 2026, to perform Umrah at the Grand Mosque, Masjid al-Haram, in Makkah.

He said the visit had further reinforced his appreciation of the enduring relationship between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, while renewing his resolve to serve the Nigerian people with wisdom, resilience, humility and purposeful leadership.