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.
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.
SaharaReporters learnt that despite that the four OMLs were revoked by President Muhammadu Buhari and returned to Addax, Sylva is plotting to have the House of Representatives led by Gbajabiamila and Sarkin Addah, the Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum upstream, to do the latest hatchet job.
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.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives summoned Buhari, asking him to come and explain why the four OMLs were returned to NNPC and Addax.
A top source revealed to SaharaReporters that the House of Representatives had been compromised by Sylva and his cronies.
He said, “The same way that Emeka Offor (Sylva’s crony) used the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee headed by Hon (Abdulrazak) Namdas (during the tenure of Hon Dogara Yakubu) to clear allegations of fraud levelled against him, Kaztec and his companies by the Buhari-led government.
“This happened between late 2016 and early 2017 (when President Buhari was sick and in London. The then House of Representatives through a phantom adhoc committee headed by Hon Namdas in a well-orchestrated plot by Emeka Offor and Hon Dogara as the Speaker absolved Emeka and his companies of any complicity and ill-doings. Then, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was the one acting for President Buhari. He was cajoled and deceived to sign the report and resolution of the House of Representatives that set Emeka Offor free.
“All these were done when Mr President was on sick bed in London from 2016 to early 2017. Now, they have procured Femi Gbajabiamila and Hon Sarkin Addah from Sokoto, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum upstream to do the latest hatchet job of trying to cajole the President to reverse his decision over the four oil blocks.”
SaharaReporters had on April 26 reported that the minister, Sylva, also set up a kangaroo committee of the NNPC headed by Senator Magnus Abe to look into the four leases – OMLs 123, 124, 126 and 137 – which were all operated by Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria Limited but which were being plotted to be given to Kaztec Engineering Limited/Salvic Petroleum Resources Limited.
Kaztec is owned by Emeka Offor – a strong ally and crony of Sylva and Daura also.
SaharaReporters had reported that the minister of state would receive the Magnus Abe report and thereafter recommend to the Federal Government to implement the recommendations which would favour Emeka Offor and his firm, and sidestep Addax, the original handlers of the OMLs.
“On May 30, the Federal Government reconstituted the NNPC Board. Emeka Offor nominated Senator Magnus Abe to represent South-South and also he nominated his cousin, Dr Stephen Dike, to represent South-East. He facilitated the appointment through Mamman Daura and also through the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva. He has sufficiently gagged and caged the NNPC and Ministry of Petroleum.
“Now that Sylva has set up and received the kangaroo report of Sen Magnus Abe’s committee, the next plan is that the Ministry of Petroleum via Sylva and his accomplices will now recommend to the Federal Government to implement. Then, Emeka Offor, via his company, Kaztec, will now go to court to force the Federal Government to implement,” a top source had explained.
On April 6, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that the leases – OMLs 123, 124, 126 and 137 – all operated by Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria Limited – had been taken away and awarded to Kaztec Engineering Limited/Salvic Petroleum Resources Limited.
The decision to hurriedly sell the OMLs had been conveyed in a letter signed by the Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources, the industry’s regulatory agency.
However, on April 23, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the restoration of the leases on four OMLs to the NNPC and its partner – Addax.