How NNPC tackled DPR, pushed Buhari to return revoked oilfields to Addax
The clash is another example of how government agencies appear to work at cross purposes and succeed in having the president do their bidding.
Days before the restoration of four oil mining licenses to Addax Petroleum, the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) launched a blistering tackle on its sister agency, Department of Petroleum Resources, with a strong appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse DPR’s revocation of the OMLs and reject a reallocation to another company.
The NNPC in a letter to the president on April 20 argued that the revocation of the oilfields would have implications on the Nigerian economy and the diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and China. Addax is owned by Sinopec, a state-owned Chinese firm, the nine-page memo seen PREMIUM TIMES shows.
Reps panel threatens to summon Buhari
The Reps panel is investigating the controversy surrounding some oil licenses. 3 min read
The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum (Upstream) has given the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) 14 days ultimatum to appear before it. Should the NNPC fail to appear, the committee said, it will summon the Minister of Petroleum, President Muhammadu Buhari.
The committee is investigating the revocation and reversal order on the operating licences of OML 123, 124, 126 and 137.
The oil assets have been the subject of dispute between Chinese-owned oil companies and the federal government. The dispute led to the revocation and restoration of the mining licenses by the Buhari administration.
EXCLUSIVE: Oil Minister Plots With Gbajabiamila, Others To Regain Four Oil Blocks Revoked By Buhari
SaharaReporters gathered that the latest plot is to try to pressurise Buhari to reverse his decision on the four OMLs the President had returned to Addax and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
by Saharareporters, New York
May 07, 2021
In a desperate move, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has consulted with the Speaker of the House of the Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila to perfect his plot to ensure that four Oil Mining Leases, formerly operated by the Addax Petroleum Nigeria Limited, are diverted to his proxy firms.
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is to appear before the committee in two weeks, but lawmakers say they will invite President Muhammadu Buhari as the minister of petroleum resources if NNPC fails to appear as it has done in the past.
Sylva defended the revocation using portions of the Act that give the minister power to “revoke any oil prospecting licence or Oil Mining Licence” in the event of clear breaches by a “Licence” and other reasons specified in the Act.
Sylva informed that the said assets have not been optimally managed, adding that they were producing 130,000 barrels per day before acquisition by Addax which fell to 25,000 barrels per day.
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