POWERFUL NORTHERN OLIGARCHS CONTROL 83% OF NIGERIAN OIL BLOCS.
So what is the problem? Why are they fighting?
Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Ita Enang has revealed that eminent Nigerians benefited from the distribution of the oil blocs. He named late President Umaru Yar’Adua; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; the Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero; former Minister of Petroleum, Dr. Rilwanu Lukman; former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma from 1999-2003 and also Chief of Army Staff (1975-1979).
Others are Alhaji Aminu Dantata; Col. Sani Bello; Alhaji Mai Deribe from Borno State; Mallam Sanusi Lamido; Alhaji Saleh Gambo; Emeka Offor; Mike Adenuga; Yinka Folawiyo, among others.
Senator Enang said in his paper: “Cavendish Petroleum, the operators of OML 110, awarded to Alhaji Mai Deribe of Borno State (North-East), nets an average of about N4 billion monthly;
Seplat/Platform Petroleum, operators of the ASUOKPU/UMUTU marginal field with Mallam Sanusi Lamido as a major shareholder and director.
“South Atlantic Petroleum Limited, SAPETRO, established by Danjuma, who is also the Chairman of ENI Nigeria Limited. SAPETRO partnered with Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, TUPNI, and Brasoil Oil Services Company Nigeria Limited to become operators of the OPL 246.
“AMNI International Petroleum and Development Company is owned by Colonel Sani Bello of Kotangora, Niger State. They are operators of OML 112 and OML 117. A former Petroleum Minister and former OPEC Chairman, Rilwanu Lukman, another northerner, manages AMNI oil blocs and with very key interests in the NNPC/Vitol trading deal.
“Oriental Energy Resources Limited, a company owned by Alhaji Indimi, runs three oil blocs: OML 15, the Oldwok field and the Ebok field. Alhaji Aminu Dantata’s Express Petroleum and Gas Limited operates OML 108; OML 113 allocated to Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum Limited is owned by Alhaji. W. I. Folawiyo.
“OPL 291 was awarded to Starcrest Energy Nigeria Limited, owned by Emeka Offor, which was sold by Starcrest to Addax Petroleum. Emeka Offor still has a stake in Addax operations in Nigeria.”
Continuing, he revealed that “Mike Adenuga’s Conoil is the oldest indigenous oil exploration industry in Nigeria with six oil blocs; Alhaji Saleh Mohammed Gambo’s North East Petroleum Limited is the holder of the OPL 215 license.
“NOR’EASTER Petroleum was awarded the blocs OPL 276 and OPL 283 and closing thereupon a Joint Venture Agreement with Centrica Resources Nigeria Limited and CCC Oil and Gas; and INTEL is owned by Atiku Abubakar, Yar’Adua and Ado Bayero and has substantial stakes in Nigeria’s oil exploration industry, both in Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe”