The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and multi national oil company, Agip on Wednesday failed to appear before the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Upstream over an allegation bothering on the failure of Agip to pay a $16.5 million debt to a Nigerian company, Decoon Services Limited.
The House Committee has therefore summoned the oil companies as well as OANDO to cause appearance before it to explain their own side of the story following a petition by the Nigerian company.
Decoon Services Ltd, had in a petition accused Agip of failing to pay them the $16.5 million debt arising from what it described as a stop gap contract awarded to it in 2010 and executed but not paid for after series of alleged frustrations and other efforts to shortchange the company by Agip.
At the committee sitting on Wednesday, Agip wrote to the committee starting that it could not appear for the hearing because it has also been invited to appear before the House Committee on Public Petition.
Agip said in the letter that was read by the chairman of the committee, Musa Sarkin Adar (APC, Sokoto) that even if it decide to appear before the committee, it can only do so in September since it was not in operation at the moment as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Members of the committee however rejected the suggestions not a September date and the inability to appear because of another invitation before the Committee on Public Petition, saying even if invited by 50 committees, they have an obligation to appear.
However, in his presentation before the Committee, the Managing Director of Decoon Services, Engr. Nelson Onubogun said the multinational company allegedly breached all the contract agreements entered into between them as joint venture partners.
According to him, despite interventions by the NNPC and other stakeholders, the company refused to bulge and subsequently re-awarded the contract to another company without due process.
He further alleged that, Agip later terminated the contract without paying his company the money it is being owed.
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