Nigeria has blocked Shell's sale of its entire onshore and shallow-water oil operations, but approved a similar deal by Exxon Mobil , the country's upstream oil regulator said on Monday.

Nigeria has declined to approve the sale of Shell's (NYSE:SHEL) onshore and shallow-water oil and gas in the Niger Delta region to a consortium of local companies, the country's upstream regulator said Monday.

Shell plc’sSHEL deal to sell its onshore Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company Ltd ("SPDC"), for $1.3 billion has suffered a setback, with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission ("NUPRC") stating that the future buyer lacked the required qualifications to manage the assets.

Nigeria has approved the sale of Exxon Mobil Corp's onshore assets to Seplat Energy , the chief executive officer of the country's upstream regulator said on Monday, more than two years after the $1.28 billion deal was first agreed.