About 45 minutes after the submission of
tenders was closed, the opening of the bid
commenced, a process which the Group
Managing Director of the corporation, Dr Ibe
Kachikwu, said he looked forward to its
conclusion and the selection of the most
competent companies to allow him focus on
other urgent matters.
The NNPC GMD said that only credible and
competent companies capable of taking
Nigeria’s crude to the appropriate market
without hawking the crude or engaging in
sharp practices would henceforth be
shortlisted for the sale and purchase of crude
oil grades.
Dr Kachikwu said that the practice in the
crude allocation business this time would be
a far departure from previous years as
accountability and transparency would be
enforced.
He told representatives of 278 companies
bidding for crude oil grades that the
corporation needs money back from 20
cargoes of crude oil which were still hanging
and must be sold within one week, after a
successful bidding process.
Total sale of crude oil in Nigeria is said to
be between 35 to 40 billion dollars annually
and Mele kyari of the Crude Oil Marketing
Division of the NNPC said that this was low
compared with other oil producing countries.
To set things right he said credible
companies who will get to the end users in
time must be brought on board.
The NNPC management sounded notes of
warning to the bidding companies that no
preferential treatment would be given in the
selection process and no payment need be
made to a third party or NNPC staff for the
selection as only credible and competent
companies would be selected.
