Nigeria, July 13 -- Amidst repeated calls for transparency in the governance of Nigeria's opaque oil industry and delayed passage of Nigeria's Petroleum Industry Bill, the Nigerian government's recent renewal of oil licences may have been marred by accountability and transparency challenges.

The integrity of the exercise, from which the government said it generated over $1 billion, continues to generate ripples among stakeholders.

The renewal was done under an accelerated lease renewal programme initiated by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to raise money for the government and incentivise operations in the country's upstream oil and gas sector.

Despite assurance by the Federal Government that there were no irregularities in...