Nigeria barred Halliburton Energy Services Nigeria Ltd (HESNL) from bidding for government contracts in 2003 after it lost two radioactive materials, saying the company was negligent and had refused to cooperate to retrieve the materials.
It also banned HESNL from handling atomic sources, which are used in the oil industry.
"The radioactive sources have been brought back to Nigeria and the president has decided to pardon Halliburton," said Shamsudeen Elegba, head of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority. "So the ban imposed in March 2003 was lifted last month. The radioactive sources were not stolen by Halliburton."
The authority is now evaluating Halliburton's application for a new licence to handle nuclear materials, Elegba said.