After fulfilling closing obligations, NNPC Ltd and Addax Petroleum Development (Nigeria) Limited amicably terminate their 24-Year Production Sharing Contract Relationship.
Three (3) months after the execution of the Addax Transfer, Settlement, and Exit Agreement (TSEA) for the PSC Oil blocks, OMLs 123/124 & 126/137, operated by Addax Petroleum Development (Nigeria) Limited, the Assets have finally been transferred to the Concessionaire, NNPC Limited.
In 2021, issues around the revocation of the licences by the upstream industry regulator NUPRC (formerly DPR) required the intervention of Mr President, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari.
Consequently, in a Presidential directive, NNPC was directed to oversee a clean, amicable and speedy exit for Addax Petroleum Ltd, operate the asset on interim basis, as a first step and subsequently appoint a competent contractor (with the concurrence of NUPRC) to operate the asset on behalf of the Concessionaire (NNPC Limited)
After over 180 days of intense negotiation, the first step of the directive was achieved.
Exit discussions and formalities were concluded and NNPC Ltd, with the backing of the Presidency, Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, NUPRC, NMDPRA, FIRS, EFCC, and the FCCPC, aligned on a clean and amicable exit for Addax by resolving all the PSC contractual issues in a robust, organized, and tactful manner that culminated to the execution of a Transfer, Settlement, and Exit Agreement (TSEA) on the 1st of November, 2022.
Since then, closing obligations were fulfilled by the parties and effective January 31, 2023, Addax transfers the operatorship of OMLs 123/124 and 126/137 to Antan Producing Limited on interim basis pending the appointment of a substantive Contractor that will operate the blocks on behalf of the Concessionaire (NNPCL)
Already NNPCL has announced the appointment of the Transition Team lead, Mr Sagiru Jajere, as the Managing Director of Antan Producing Limited. Mr Jajere was, before his appointment, the Head of PSC Investment Management at the NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS). He will be supported by a team of highly competent personnel with in-depth knowledge of the peculiarities of the Addax Assets.
The final close-out and handover ceremony for the Addax Assets was well attended with the representative of the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, the Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Justice, Executive Chairman Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Executive Chairman Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Commission Chief Executive, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the Authority Chief Executive, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), NNPC Ltd and Addax top management.
As the Addax Assets return to NNPC Limited, it is expected that the much-needed investments will be deployed to the Assets while prudently conducting petroleum activities and creating value for the PSC, Federal Government, and other stakeholders.
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