The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has handed crude term lifting contracts for a two-year period to an unprecedented number of 50 companies.
Half of the beneficiaries are Nigerian companies, with suggestions that the administration is having an eye on the 2019 general election.
Previous attempts to get the full list of the lucky companies met with a brick wall at the corporation.
Included in the jealously guided list of beneficiaries are Wale Tinubu’s Oando, Sayyu Dantata’s MRS, Tonye Cole’s Sahara Energy, Obateru Akinruntan’s, Obat Petroleum owned and Ladi Bada’s Shoreline
The NNPC had in January conducted an open tender exercise for the 254 bids it received for the lifting of over one million barrels per day (bpd) of Nigeria’s crude, but refused to make public the list of beneficiaries — three months after it was billed to be announced.
Reuters has, however, revealed that the list was delayed by the federal government as it pondered over how it would use the juicy contracts to bolster its electoral fortunes in the 2019 elections.
To back up the assertion, the period of the crude lifting contract will now cover two years as against the usual one year period, thus ensuring the contracts extend beyond the 2019 elections.
“The government may have delayed an announcement this time by several months as it sought to line up more local firms for awards, so it could drum up support for next year’s election,” Reuters reported quoting sources.
NNPC spokesman Ndu Ughamadu, declined comments when contacted by TheCable Petrobarometer to confirm release of the list.
Several officials of the corporation also refused to comment on the matter.
This year’s overall total of 50 foreign and local firms was more than the 39 listed in 2017.
The list last year also included three bilateral government deals.
THE WINNERS
International trading firms and refiners
Augusta Switzerland based
BB Energy Lebanon
Cepsa Spain
Glencore Switzerland based
HPCL Indian refiner
Litasco Trading arm of
Russia’s Lukoil
Mocoh Switzerland
Petraco Switzerland
Petrobras Brazil
Sacoil South Africa
SEER South Africa’s SacOil
Energy Equity
Resources Ltd
Socar Trading arm of
Azerbaijan’s Socar
Total France
Trafigura Switzerland
Vitol Britain
Calson Vitol/NNPC joint
venture
Sonara Cameroon refining co
ZR Energy
Nigerian companies
AA Rano
Aipec
AMG
Arkleen
Barbedos
Bono Energy
Casiva
Cretus
Emadeb
Eterna
Gladius Commodities
Hinstock
Leighton
Levene
Masters Energy
Matrix
MRS
North West
Oando
Sahara Group
Ocean Bed (Sahara
trading subsidiary)
Propetrol
Prudent
Setana
Setraco
Shoreline
Ultimate Gas
Voyage
West African gas
Zitts and Lords
Obat Oil & Gas
Duke Oil (NNPC
subsidiary)
Deals with governments
China
India
South Africa
Turkey
Ivory Coast
Ghana
Liberia
Niger
Sierra Leone
Senegal
Togo
Malawi
-The Cable
Tags
Business