The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, has said that international investors are losing confidence in the nation’s oil and gas industry.
Kyari, who stated this while playing host to members of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) who were on an oversight visit to the Corporation, said that the absence of a stable fiscal environment is inhibiting the growth of the Nigerian petroleum industry, especially the upstream sector.
The NNPC Boss tasked the lawmakers to act fast and arrest the situation.
“We need to act quickly to move from this unstable situation to a very stable one and the only way is for us to get the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to work so that countries and investors can work with us,” the GMD stated.
He disclosed that the uncertainty in the sector created by the long delay in the passage of the PIB has led to a number of divestments from the country in the recent past.
He said that a number of divestments in the country came as a result of the uncertainty in the sector created by the long delay in the passage of the PIB
On the upside, the GMD stated that lenders are now willing to grant credit to the corporation due to NNPC’s culture of transparency
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Musa Sarki Adar, expressed the readiness of his committee to provide the necessary support for the Corporation to discharge its duties without hindrance.
He acknowledged the Corporation’s efforts at deepening transparency and accountability, stressing that the Committee was impressed with the level of professionalism exhibited by the NNPC Management and the leadership role played by the GMD in rallying the oil and gas industry to provide support for the Federal Government’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a presentation, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Engr. Mansur Sambo, said the company has increased its gas production to 860mmscf/d and is now the largest supplier of gas to the domestic market.
All the business units in the Upstream arm of the NNPC made presentations to the committee.