Don't cancel $260m contracts for ExxonMobil's Usan Field, says group
(Nigeria) The Niger Delta Indigenous Movement For Radical Change,
NDIMRC, has urged the Federal Government to ignore the call by some stakeholders
in the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry to cancel the $260million contracts for
the ExxonMobil's Usan Field.
Some stakeholders, under the aegis of Nigerian Content Front,
NCF, had requested the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe
Kachikwu, to cancel the $260m contracts awarded for the ExxonMobil's Usan
Field.
NDIMRC in its reaction, implored Dr Kachikwu to ignore the
"hired stakeholders" seeking the cancellation/suspension of the
multi-billion Naira deal.
In a statement by its President, Nelly Emma, the group
restated that the contract for the ExxonMobil's Usan Field followed due process
and reaffirmed it’s earlier clean bill of health on the National Petroleum
Investment Management Services, NAPIMS, a subsidiary of the NNPC.
"We want to restate that those seeking the cancellation
of the contract duly awarded and threatening to drag NAPIMS before the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, are being economical with the truth.
This multi-billion Naira deal was managed by Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, TUPNI,
for two years before it was taken over by ExxonMobil and it is not true that
NAPIMS allegedly approved the contract illegally.
"The NNPC had cleared the air on this issue in a recent
advertorial in one of the national dailies and we expected that those still
rooting for the cancellation of the contract would have allowed a sleeping dog
to lie.
"The records of the NNPC concerning the contract for
the provision of 0lMR Vessel and WROV Services for Usan operations--proposed
termination of contract by ESSO are straight enough and it is our humble appeal
to the Federal Government to ignore the hired stakeholders who are out to
mislead the public by calling for the cancellation of the contract as NNPC has
set the records straight on the issue."
The group while hailing the anti-corruption stance of
President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources,
Dr Kachikwu said, "The new management of NAPIMS has brought a lot of
innovations to the system and deserves commendations, especially for the
promotion of the Nigerian local content.
"In as much as people have the freedom of speech, the
right to their personal opinion of which we are expressing here, it is wrong
and worrisome for some hired stakeholders in the Nigerian oil and gas sector to
mislead the whole world by calling on the Federal Government to cancel the
contract for the ExxonMobil's Usan Field and we plead with the government to
ignore such self serving call," NDIMRC said.
The contracts involve the provision of DP2-DP3 construction platform
vessel, provision of DP2 4800 DWT Platform support vessel, PSV and provision of
fast supply intervention vessel, FSIV, for Usan deepwater project.
ESSO took over the operatorship of Usan Field from Total
Upstream Nigeria Limited, TUPNI, on February 1, 2014 and inherited all
contracts running on the Usan Field.
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