Indications have emerged that a letter written by a human rights
activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. to the Minister
of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, when he was the
Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Corporation (NNPC),
exposed Nigeria’s huge losses in the Production Sharing Contracts
(PSCs) signed with the international oil companies (IOCs) on the
deep offshore oil fields.
THISDAY Not TheNigerialawyer had reported that the country lost
close to $60 billion to the non-enforcement of the terms of the
PSCs signed between the federal government and the IOCs in 1993,
quoting the minister, who had disclosed this at the 2017 conference
of the Nigerian Council of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)
held recently in Lagos.
The federal government had in 1993, awarded some oil blocks in
the deep water to the IOCs under PSCs, which provide that the
royalties to be paid by the IOCs would depend on the depth of the
water where oil is found.
The 1993 PSC also provides that royalties paid by the IOCs on
oil blocks located in deep water should be reviewed upward when
crude oil price exceeds $20 per barrel.
Nigeria lost out in the PSCs as oil was discovered in water
depths above 1,000 metres in all the five deep-water oilfields that
came on stream between 2005 and 2010, as the contracts stipulate
that royalty is zero in water depths exceeding 1,000 metres.
Though the terms of the PSC also stipulate that the agreements
would be reviewed when oil price exceeded $20 per barrel, the
federal government did not enforce this provision.
In a letter dated August 5, 2015 written by Falana to Kachikwu
when he was the group managing director of the NNPC, the
constitutional lawyer had called on the National Assembly to repeal
the provision of the PSCs, which stipulates that royalty on crude
oil production in water depths exceeding 1,000 metres is zero.
Falana’s letter titled “Re: Deep Offshore and Inland Basin
Production Sharing Contracts Act,” which was obtained by THISDAY,
also recalled how the military administration of Abdulsalami
Abubakar in 1999 enacted “the Deep Offshore and Inland Sharing
Contracts Act Decree in order to give effect to certain fiscal
incentives for the oil and gas companies operating in the Deep
Offshore and Inland Basin under production sharing contracts
between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and
other companies holding oil prospective licences or mining licences
and various petroleum exploration and production companies”. Falana
noted that by virtue of section 5 of the Act, the payment of
royalty in respect of the Deep Offshore production sharing
contracts shall range from 4 to 12 per cent while no royalty shall
be paid whatsoever in areas in excess of 1000 metres depth.
According to him, since a large quantity of the oil and gas
produced by Nigeria is located beyond 1000 metres depth, the
multinational oil companies have taken advantage of the Act to
avoid the payment of royalties to the Federation Account.
“Thus, the fiscal incentives given to the oil companies have led
to the loss of several billions of dollars by the Federal
Government. As the existence of the obnoxious law can no longer be
justified the National Assembly ought to repeal or amend it by
taking advantage of section 16 thereof which provides for a review
“after a period of fifteen years from the commencement and every
five years thereafter,” Falana said.
“In view of the fact that the 15-year period of non-payment of
royalty expired last year, for the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation collect royalties from the oil companies, the National
Assembly should amend section 5 of the Act by deleting the section
which provides for zero per cent royalty “in areas of 1000
metres.
“If the National Assembly fails to discharge its constitutional
duty in the circumstance we shall not hesitate to file an
application for mandamus at the Federal High Court with a view to
ensuring compliance with the law forthwith,” Falana added.
THISDAY’s investigation revealed that on receipt of the letter,
Kachikwu was said to have directed that the NNPC’s Secretary/Legal
adviser, Mr. Chidi Momah should discuss with constitutional lawyer
on the matter.
Kachikwu was also said to have spoken totally in agreement with
the position of Falana and also directed that a legal opinion be
sought internally to enable him respond to the issue.
THISDAY could not confirm if Falana had any discussion with the
NNPC’s Secretary/Legal Adviser on the matter.
Culled : THISDAY
Indications have emerged that a letter written by a human rights
activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. to the Minister
of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, when he was the
Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Corporation (NNPC),
exposed Nigeria’s huge losses in the Production Sharing Contracts
(PSCs) signed with the international oil companies (IOCs) on the
deep offshore oil fields.
THISDAY Not TheNigerialawyer had reported that the country lost
close to $60 billion to the non-enforcement of the terms of the
PSCs signed between the federal government and the IOCs in 1993,
quoting the minister, who had disclosed this at the 2017 conference
of the Nigerian Council of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)
held recently in Lagos.
The federal government had in 1993, awarded some oil blocks in
the deep water to the IOCs under PSCs, which provide that the
royalties to be paid by the IOCs would depend on the depth of the
water where oil is found.
The 1993 PSC also provides that royalties paid by the IOCs on
oil blocks located in deep water should be reviewed upward when
crude oil price exceeds $20 per barrel.
Nigeria lost out in the PSCs as oil was discovered in water
depths above 1,000 metres in all the five deep-water oilfields that
came on stream between 2005 and 2010, as the contracts stipulate
that royalty is zero in water depths exceeding 1,000 metres.
Though the terms of the PSC also stipulate that the agreements
would be reviewed when oil price exceeded $20 per barrel, the
federal government did not enforce this provision.
In a letter dated August 5, 2015 written by Falana to Kachikwu
when he was the group managing director of the NNPC, the
constitutional lawyer had called on the National Assembly to repeal
the provision of the PSCs, which stipulates that royalty on crude
oil production in water depths exceeding 1,000 metres is zero.
Falana’s letter titled “Re: Deep Offshore and Inland Basin
Production Sharing Contracts Act,” which was obtained by THISDAY,
also recalled how the military administration of Abdulsalami
Abubakar in 1999 enacted “the Deep Offshore and Inland Sharing
Contracts Act Decree in order to give effect to certain fiscal
incentives for the oil and gas companies operating in the Deep
Offshore and Inland Basin under production sharing contracts
between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and
other companies holding oil prospective licences or mining licences
and various petroleum exploration and production companies”. Falana
noted that by virtue of section 5 of the Act, the payment of
royalty in respect of the Deep Offshore production sharing
contracts shall range from 4 to 12 per cent while no royalty shall
be paid whatsoever in areas in excess of 1000 metres depth.
According to him, since a large quantity of the oil and gas
produced by Nigeria is located beyond 1000 metres depth, the
multinational oil companies have taken advantage of the Act to
avoid the payment of royalties to the Federation Account.
“Thus, the fiscal incentives given to the oil companies have led
to the loss of several billions of dollars by the Federal
Government. As the existence of the obnoxious law can no longer be
justified the National Assembly ought to repeal or amend it by
taking advantage of section 16 thereof which provides for a review
“after a period of fifteen years from the commencement and every
five years thereafter,” Falana said.
“In view of the fact that the 15-year period of non-payment of
royalty expired last year, for the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation collect royalties from the oil companies, the National
Assembly should amend section 5 of the Act by deleting the section
which provides for zero per cent royalty “in areas of 1000
metres.
“If the National Assembly fails to discharge its constitutional
duty in the circumstance we shall not hesitate to file an
application for mandamus at the Federal High Court with a view to
ensuring compliance with the law forthwith,” Falana added.
THISDAY’s investigation revealed that on receipt of the letter,
Kachikwu was said to have directed that the NNPC’s Secretary/Legal
adviser, Mr. Chidi Momah should discuss with constitutional lawyer
on the matter.
Kachikwu was also said to have spoken totally in agreement with
the position of Falana and also directed that a legal opinion be
sought internally to enable him respond to the issue.
THISDAY could not confirm if Falana had any discussion with the
NNPC’s Secretary/Legal Adviser on the matter.
Culled : THISDAY