$5BN OIL BLOCKS SALE: EFCC, ICPC, FOREIGN GOVTS TO SCRUTINISE BIDDERS

THE allocation of $5 billion four oil wells from which Shell is divesting its holdings in Nigeria will be done under very strict scrutiny by global anti-graft institutions as well as foreign governments.
The agencies are said to be working in league with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and foreign governments looking into sources of funds of the bidding firms.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that the global institutions and governments had made up their minds that no “politically exposed persons or those who have corruptly enriched themselves” would win the bid for the blocks.
Also, to be automatically disqualified are firms linked to individuals serving jail terms, either in or out of the country or granted reprieve, following their conviction, as they would have their dossiers sent to Shell Nigeria, its parent company in The Netherlands, the Nigerian authorities and foreign governments.
A top official of Shell discreetly revealed that individuals and bodies believed to have benefitted from proceeds of corruption would not be allotted the oil blocks.
“Former and serving public officers would not be allowed to “corner the nation’s patrimony after corruptly enriching themselves using proxies,” he added.
According to the official of Shell, “one area that cannot be overlooked is the sources of funds of interested bidders and the eventual owners of these assets.
“That they have submitted high bids is not enough, their track record in oil exploration , their technical know-how is equally important,” the official, who is in the know, said, adding that also being considered by Shell was the antecedents of the bidding firms.
He cautioned against a repeat of the recently concluded sale of the unbundled firms in the power sector, where competence and technical know-how were sacrificed and the attendant worsening of the power situation in the country.
Such, he advised, should not be allowed in the current sale of Shell’s stake in the four blocks.
The four oil wells in which Shell has a 45 per cent stake are OML-18, OML- 29, OML-25 and OML-24.
The official said the attention of the global community was on Nigeria with the “rapacious inclination of many of its officials to milk the treasury dry using willing businessmen and women as fronts.”
The bidders for the blocks are Dangote/Dansa, Midwestern/Mart/Notore and Sahara Consortium for OML-18 ; Vertex/ Seplat/Maurel&Prom/VP Global, Glencore/Neconde, Transcorp, Aiteo/Taleveras for OML-29; Lekoil, Crestar, GreenAcres/CCC/Signet petroleum, NDPR/SAPETRO and Essar for OML-25.
Others are Sahara Consortium, PanOcean/Newcross, Shoreline, Aiteo/ Taleveras for OML-24.
Behind Dangote/Dansa is business mogul and the 25th richest man in the world, Alhaji Aliko Dangote. Midwestern/Notore has Jide Omokore and Wade Chewenko as backers. Tonye Cole, Tope Shonubi and Ade Odunsi are behind Sahara Consortium.
Aiteo/Taleveras has Benedict Peters, and Igho Sanomi as backers; Transcorp has Tony Elumelu; Greenacres, Funsho Kupolokun and Basil Omiyi; SAPETRO, General Theophilus Danjuma, while Lekoil has Lekan Akinyanmi and some other Nigerians as promoters.
Source: Tribune