Don't Cancel 260M Dollars Contracts For ExxonMobil's Usan Field, Group Tells Kachikwu

By Oluwagbenga Bankole

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 260M Dollars 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 Emmanuel Kachikwu, to cancel the 260M Dollars Contracts awarded for the ExxonMobil's Usan Field.

But NDIMRC in a swift reaction, implored Dr Kachikwu to ignore the "hired Stakeholders" seeking for the cancellation/suspension of the multi-billion Naira deal.

In a press statement signed by its President, Nelly Emma, Secretary, John Sailor and Public Relations Officer, Stanley Mukoro, 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.

According to the group; "We want to restate that those seeking for 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 group also said that; "The NNPC has cleared the air on this issue in a recent advertorial in one of the national dailies and we have expected that those still rooting for the cancellation of the contract would have allowed a sleeping dog to lie."

The statement by NDIMRC added that; "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 that; "The new management of NAPIMS has brought alot of innovations into 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 very 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.