Three months after the execution of the Addax Transfer, Settlement, and Exit Agreement (ATSEA) for the PSC Oil blocks, OMLs 123/124 & 126/137, operated by Addax Petroleum Development (Nigeria) Limited, all closing obligations have been concluded and 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 President Muhammadu Buhari.
A statement said consequently, the President directed NNPC to take over the assets and oversee a clean, amicable and speedy for Addax Petroleum Ltd, operate the asset on interim basis as a first step and subsequently appoint a competent replacement, PSC contractor while NNPC Limited continues to remain the Concessionaire of the assets in line with extant Laws and regulations
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, Government, and other stakeholders.
After over 180 days of intense negotiation, the first step of the directive was achieved. Exit negotiations 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 agreed on the 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.
With the fulfilment of the closing obligations 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 through the transition period pending the emplacement of a substantive replacement PSC in compliance with the directive the President.
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 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.
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