OVH Acquisition: NNPC Debunks Atiku’s Claims Of ‘Criminal Hijack’ By Tinubu’s Allies

A war of words has erupted between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and President Bola Tinubu over the acquisition of OVH by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).

BIGPEN NIGERIA (https://bigpenngr.com) reports that Atiku had alleged that Tinubu has “effectively mortgaged the future of Nigerians” by integrating his business interests into public enterprises, citing the OVH deal as an example.

Atiku stated, “Just as Alpha Beta, Primero, and others act as Tinubu’s proxies in Lagos, managing critical sectors and generating revenue for him and his family, he has begun to replicate this at the federal level.”

However, NNPC Ltd. in a counter statement has denied Atiku’s claims, stating that the acquisition was based on commercial viability and national interest. Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd., said, “Neither Wale Tinubu nor the President has any interest in the OVH acquisition… We shall resist any attempt to draw our Board and Management into partisan politics.”

In a statement entitled; ‘Nigeria is rapidly transforming into a government of Tinubu, by Tinubu, and for Tinubu’, on Thursday, the former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, asserted that the future of Nigerians has been effectively mortgaged to President Bola Tinubu, his family, and associates.

He claimed that even after Tinubu leaves office, it will be nearly impossible to break these shackles.

Atiku, who was the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last election, compares Tinubu’s integration of his business interests into Lagos’s public enterprises to his efforts at the federal level.

“Just as Alpha Beta, Primero, and others act as Tinubu’s proxies in Lagos, managing critical sectors and generating revenue for him and his family, he has begun to replicate this at the federal level,” Atiku said.

He expressed astonishment at the operations of the NNPC and how the government-owned oil company had put its retail arm under the control of OVH, a company in which Oando, led by Wale Tinubu, owns 49%.

Atiku regretted that his intention to privatize the NNPC and increase its transparency has been overshadowed by what he describes as the criminal hijack of the NNPC by corporate cabals around the current president.

“In October 2022, just five months before the elections, the NNPC Retail controversially announced it had acquired OVH and all its filling stations. NNPCL already had about 550 filling stations across the country but claimed it was enhancing its capacity by acquiring OVH, which had only 94 stations and 100 others leased.

“The NNPC did not disclose the purchase price of OVH or the terms of the acquisition. A Freedom of Information request by Premium Times was also rejected by the NNPC, which claimed to be a private company despite still being government-owned.

“Following this dubious deal, Mele Kyari was controversially retained as NNPC GMD despite his incompetence. Tinubu then appointed his former boss at Mobil, turned ally, Pius Akinyelure, as NNPC Chairman, while he himself took on the role of Minister of Petroleum.

“In a move that defies economic logic, OVH, previously owned by NNPC Retail, has now acquired NNPC Retail. This absurd situation means that Wale Tinubu’s Oando now owns 49% of NNPC Retail. Moreover, Nigeria paid Wale Tinubu a significant sum to facilitate the Tinubu family’s acquisition of the national oil company. This represents a clear case of illogical business transactions and abuse of office by President Tinubu, who has prevented NNPC from becoming a public liability company as stipulated by the PIA.”

Atiku acknowledged that the NNPC and its leadership are under legislative investigation but expressed skepticism about the process’s credibility due to the vested interests of those conducting the investigation.

“Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who is heading the National Assembly panel, is a known supporter of Tinubu. He served as a commissioner under Tinubu in Lagos State and publicly calls him his godfather. Given that Tinubu is the Petroleum Minister, he should be held responsible for the sector’s issues. I doubt Bamidele will conduct a thorough investigation that might implicate his patron,” Atiku said.

Atiku also commented on the recent revelation that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project is under litigation.

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a global network of investigative journalists, reported that the coastal highway project has been taken to court and revealed a close relationship between Tinubu’s son, Seyi, and Gilbert Chagoury, who was awarded the contract without competitive bidding.

“I had earlier claimed that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project was fraudulent, but the government denied it. Now, the matter is in court. It is also concerning that Chagoury and Tinubu have a business relationship, and their children are business partners, as revealed by the OCCRP.

Responding to the allegation, NNPCL, in a statement on Friday by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, entitled, ‘OVH Acquisition: The Facts, by NNPC Ltd’, dismissed the claimed made by Atiku through his media adviser, Paul Ibe.

The statement reads; “The attention of NNPC Ltd. has been drawn to a press release signed by Mr. Paul Ibe, a Media Adviser to the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

In the statement, the former Vice President was quoted to have lamented “the criminal hijack of the NNPC by corporate cabals around the current President”.

He was also quoted to have listed the retention of Mr. Mele Kyari as the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd as a compensation for the alleged acquisition of NNPC Retail Ltd. by OVH in which he claimed Mr. Wale Tinubu held 49% stake.

He further alleged that the NNPC Retail Ltd—OVH acquisition deal was part of a grand scheme by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to integrate his personal business interests into Nigeria’s public enterprises at the federal level.

NNPC Ltd. wishes to set the records straight with the following facts:

1. We are a commercially-focused and profit-driven company managed by professionals who are committed to adding value to the nation.

2. Investment decisions by NNPC Ltd. Management are strictly determined on the basis of commercial viability and national interest.

3. At the time NNPC Ltd. acquired OVH in 2022, Oando (in which Mr. Wale Tinubu has equity interest), had fully divested its equity in OVH to the other partners – Vitol and Helios. Oando actually began its divestment in 2016, with Vitol and Helios coming in as equity partners, leading to the change of name from Oando to OVH. In 2019, Oando fully divested its equity interest in OVH resulting in Vitol and Helios holding 50% equity interests, respectively.

4.Upon acquisition of OVH by NNPC Ltd, both NNPC Retail Ltd. and OVH effectively became subsidiaries of NNPC Ltd. However, based on professional advice and sound commercial considerations, NNPC Ltd. opted to merge NNPC Retail Limited into OVH, and thereafter retain NNPC Retail Limited as the company name post-merger.

5. The first step of merging NNPC Retail Ltd. into OVH has been completed and the post-merger renaming as NNPC Retail Ltd. is ongoing.

6. Contrary to the false alarm raised, neither Wale Tinubu nor the President has any interest in the OVH acquisition.

7. As a businessman, the former Vice President should know that effectiveness in business leadership is best measured by balance sheets and bottom lines rather than pedestrian considerations.

8. The management of NNPC Ltd., under the leadership of Mr. Mele Kyari, has done very well in growing the company’s fortunes as shown in the 2023 Audited Financial Statement (AFS), where it reported N3.3 trillion as profit after tax.

9. NNPC Ltd. as a commercial entity is devoid of political interest and shall continue to conduct its business full of commitment to national interest and value creation for the benefit of all stakeholders. NNPC Ltd. shall resist any attempt to draw its Board and Management into partisan politics”.