Osaretin Osadebamwen, Author at Tribune Online

Nigerians are urged to dismiss media campaigns against the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited regarding the award of pipeline security to a Northern Cabal. The President of Civil Society Groups for Good Governance (CSGGG), Comrade Dominic Ogakwu, made this call in Abuja, dismissing the allegations as unfounded. “We urge those who are bent on undermining the transformative leadership of President Bola Tinubu to rethink and stop these baseless agitations and threats. Instead, they can contribute positively to support the progress and growth of NNPC Limited under the patriotic leadership of Mele Kyari. We have only one country to build! “Peddling gross misinformation and unsubstantiated allegations on oil pipeline rehabilitation and surveillance contracts has now become a weapon of choice for these unpatriotic elements. He said the allegations to discredit Mele Kyari were a ploy to distract the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, which is not what the country needs at the moment. The focus should be on providing all the requisite support for the administration to succeed in these challenging times. “It is evident to all well-meaning Nigerians that some individuals are exerting a lot of negative energy to discredit the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari, to push him out of office and gain unfettered access to seize and manipulate state resources for their personal advantage. “The recent attempts are not new and amount to a red herring when there is absolutely no evidence or basis for the allegations. The claim of “quietly awarding the control of Nigeria’s pipelines to a Northern oil cabal” is not only fallacious but also cowardly and raises questions.” Ogakwu stated that the level of work that goes into contracting any firm to secure the oil pipeline was enormous and required multi-agency participation for transparency purposes. “First, for those who understand the contracting process and are willing to be unbiased in their judgement, awarding such a contract requires tender notices in the form of public advertisements for qualified companies to bid. “The process for awarding contracts, as has been the case since Mallam Kyari assumed office, remains rigorous in line with industry norms. “Each bidding company has been subjected to a competitive tender selection process guided by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, and a transaction advisor. These regulatory institutions have also worked with the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the Ministry of Justice in the project development and evaluation exercise. So, it is contrary to reason that, after such a rigorous process, anything untoward would be suggested by any rational mind. “Findings show that the winning companies do not suggest otherwise, as seen below: LOT 1: Oilserve Ltd., Chu Kong Steel Pipe Group Company Ltd., Saudi Crown Oilserve; LOT 2: MacReady Oil and Gas Services, COBRA Instalicios S.A., Control y Montajes Industriales & International De Pipelines, Iron Products Industries Ltd., Batelitwin Global Services Ltd., Bauen Empresa Constructora SAU, Sanderton Energy Ltd., and the Spanish National Association of Manufacturers. LOT 3: A A Rano, Zakhem Construction Nigeria, Bablinks Resources Ltd., VAE Controls S.R.O; LOT 4: MRS Oil and Gas, CPPE Nigeria Ltd.,” it added. Ogakwu further stated that the task of pipeline security was not an easy one and therefore required specific capabilities to qualify. “Pipeline surveillance is not a simple task, as recent events have shown. Therefore, being an ex-militant is not enough qualification to be awarded such a critical task. “The priority of NNPC Limited is to ensure a safe and secure oil infrastructure and a functional pipeline corridor to sustainably deliver national production targets. There is nothing personal about Mele Kyari and the management of NNPC Limited; it is about what is possible and best for the country. “Since his appointment in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari as GCEO of NNPC Limited, the successor company to the NNPC, Mallam Kyari has been guided by his “Roadmap to Global Excellence” anchored on the principles of Transparency, Accountability, and Performance Excellence (TAPE). “In this period, Nigeria’s oil production has seen significant improvement through the curbing of waves of mindless theft of Nigeria’s oil by criminal elements. This initiative has led to many seizures of tankers laden with illegal crude and the discovery of a four-kilometre illegal oil connection line from Forcados Terminal into the sea, which had been in operation for nine years!” “Nigerians would not be wrong to believe that beneficiaries of this heinous economic crime will fight back in any way their influence can afford as their pockets get dry. “Today, our country is witnessing a spike in oil production to over 1.8 million barrels per day, in addition to regaining our national position as the largest crude oil producer in Africa, ahead of Algeria’s 1.021 mb/d and Angola’s 1.088 mb/d. “It remains on record that in 2022, NNPC Limited, under the astute leadership of Mele Kyari, recorded a profit for two consecutive years. Nigerians have seen NNPC make a profit for the first time in 44 years, growing from N287 billion in 2020 to N674.1 billion in the 2021 financial period. “The figure represented an increase of N387 billion, or 134.8 per cent when compared to the previous profit recorded in 2020. “Aside from recording a profit for the company, Kyari has also led NNPC Limited to resolve age-old disputes with its business partners, notably the International Oil Companies (IOCs). “Consequently, NNPC and the IOCs signed various Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) agreements that would ensure the production of about 10 billion barrels of crude oil and generate over $500 billion in revenue. “The agreements include the Production Sharing Agreement, Dispute Settlement Agreements, Settlement Repayment Agreement, and Escrow Agreement. “In 2022, NNPC Limited, under Kyari, sealed a $1.4 billion external project finance agreement for hydrocarbon projects in the Niger Delta. Codenamed Project Panther (under the NNPC Limited/Chevron Nigeria Limited joint venture), the agreement was signed at a ceremony in London. “That same year, NNPC Limited, pursuant to its vision of maintaining a leading position in the Nigerian petroleum downstream sector, acquired OVH Energy Marketing (OVHEM), owner and operator of the Oando downstream assets. Through this acquisition, NNPC Retail Limited will build on the existing success of OVH and operate model service outlets, leveraging OVH’s extensive asset base and commercial capabilities. “Regarding refineries, the timeline of December remains for the Port Harcourt refinery to be back on stream and ameliorate the present difficulty caused by a spike in forex. It must be stated that NNPCL has no control over monetary and fiscal policies but has continued to work hard to address forex shortages through strategic interventions in this regard. 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