From Emmanuel Ogoigbe, Warri

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THE Niger Delta Indigenous Movement for Radical Change (NDIMRC), has urged the Federal Government to ignore calls by some stakeholders in the Nigerian oidonl and gas industry to cancel the $260 million contracts for the ExxonMobil’s Usan Field.
Stakeholders, under the aegis of Nigerian Content Front (NCF), had earlier requested the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, to cancel the $260 million contracts awarded for the ExxonMobil’s Usan Field.
But NDIMRC, in a swift reaction, implored Kachikwu, to ignore the “hired stakeholders” seeking for the cancellation/ suspension of the multi-billion naira deal.
In a press statement signed by its President, Nelly Emma, Secretary, John Sailor and Public Relations Officer, Stanley Mukoro, the group restated that the contract for the ExxonMobil’s Usan Field followed due process and reaffirmed its earlier clean bill of health on the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), a subsidiary of the NNPC.
According to the group, “we want to restate that those seeking for the cancellation of the contract duly awarded and threatening to drag NAPIMS before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are being economical with the truth. This multi-billion naira deal was managed by Total Upstream Nigeria Limited (TUPNI) for two years before it was taken over by ExxonMobil and it is not true that NAPIMS allegedly approved the contract illegally.”
The group also said that, “the NNPC has cleared the air on this issue in a recent advertorial in one of the national dailies and we had expected that those still rooting for the cancellation of the contract would have allowed a sleeping dog to lie.” The statement by NDIMRC added that, “the records of the NNPC concerning the contract for the provision of 0lMR Vessel and WROV Services for Usan operations – proposed termination of contract by ESSO are straight enough and it is our humble appeal to the Federal Government to ignore the “hired stakeholders”, who are out to mislead the public by calling for the cancellation of the contract as NNPC has set the records straight on the issue.”
The group while hailing the anti-corruption stance of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Kachikwu, said, “the new management of NAPIMS has brought a lot of innovations into the system and deserves commendations, especially for the promotion of the Nigerian Local Content.
“In as much as people have the freedom of speech, the right to their personal opinion of which we are expressing here, it is very wrong and worrisome for some ‘hired stakeholders’ in the Nigerian oil and gas sector to mislead
the whole world by calling on the Federal Government to cancel the contract for the ExxonMobil’s Usan Field and we plead with the government to ignore such self-serving call,” NDIMRC said.