Reps summon NNPC, NAPIMS, Oando, Agip over $16.5m debt

THE Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and multi-national oil company, Agip, yesterday failed to appear before the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Upstream over an alleged failure of Agip to pay a $16.5 million debt to Decoon Services Limited, an indigenous firm.

The House Committee has, therefore, summoned the oil firms as well as Oando to appear before it to explain their side of the story following a petition by the company.

Decoon Services Limited, had in a petition, accused Agip of failing to pay it the debt arising from what it described as a stop-gap contract awarded to it in 2010 and executed but not paid for after alleged frustrations and other efforts to shortchange the company by Agip.

At the committee sitting, Agip wrote to the committee, stating that it could not appear because it had also been invited to appear before the House Committee on Public Petition.

Agip said, in the letter read by the Chairman of the committee, Hon Musa Sarkin Adar, that even if it decided to appear before the committee, it could only do so in September since it was not in operation at the moment as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Members of the committee however rejected the September suggestion date and the inability to appear because of another invitation before the Committee on Public Petition, saying even if invited by 50 committees, they have an obligation to appear.

However, in his presentation before the Committee, the Managing Director of Decoon Services, Engr. Nelson Onubogun said the multinational company allegedly breached all the contract agreements entered into between them as joint venture partners.

According to him, despite interventions by the NNPC and other stakeholders, the company refused to bulge and subsequently re-awarded the contract to another company without due process.

He further alleged that, Agip later terminated the contract without paying his company the money it is being owed.