By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has disclosed that international investors were losing confidence in the nation’s oil and gas industry as the volatile fiscal environment is inhibiting the growth of the Nigerian petroleum industry, especially the upstream sector.
The NNPC upstream operations involve joint partnerships with major oil companies.
In a statement released by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the company, it was stated that the Group Managing Director of the agency, Mr Mele Kyari, informed members of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) that urgent steps must be taken to change the narratives.
“We need to act quickly to move from this unstable situation to a very stable one and the only way is for us to get the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to work so that countries and investors can work with us,” the GMD told the lawmakers, who visited for an oversight function.
He said foreign capital was needed in the upstream sector and that the only way to attract it was to have stable laws and a friendly business environment that could guarantee cost recovery and a decent return on investment for investors.
He disclosed that the uncertainty in the sector created by the long delay in the passage of the PIB has led to a number of divestments from the country in the recent past.
The GMD also stated that the drive by the management of NNPC to entrench the culture of transparency in the corporation has improved its business fortunes and creditworthiness as lenders are now willing to grant credit to it.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Musa Sarki Adar, expressed the readiness of his committee to provide the necessary support for the NNPC to discharge its duties without hindrance.
He acknowledged the corporation’s efforts at deepening transparency and accountability, stressing that the committee was impressed with the level of professionalism exhibited by the NNPC management and the leadership role played by the GMD in rallying the oil and gas industry to provide support for the federal government’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a presentation, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Mr Mansur Sambo, said the company has increased its gas production to 860 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d) and is now the largest supplier of gas to the domestic market.
Dipo Olowookere