LAGOS, Federal Republic Of Nigeria. A Federal High Court In Lagos Has Issued An Interlocutory Injunction Restraining The Attorney General Of The Federation (AGF), Samsung Heavy Industries Nigeria Limited And Total Upstream Nigeria Limited From Executing The Award Of Contract For The Floating Production Storage And Offloading Unit (FPSO) In The Egina Field Within Oil Mining Lease (OML)130.
The Contract Is Estimated At $3.1 Billion.
Others Restrained From Executing The Contract By Justice Okon Abang Included The National Petroleum Investment Company Management Services (NPICMS), A Subsidiary Of The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) And The Nigeria Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Restraining Order, According To The Judge, Is To Be In Force Pending The Determination Of A Suit Filed By A Lawyer, John Iyene Owubokiri To Challenge Alleged Irregularities In The Award Of The Contract.
The Court Also Restrained The Defendants And Their Agents From Giving Effect Or Implementing The Award Of The Aforesaid Egina FPSO Contract Either By Way Of Operating, Or Executing Same In Any Way Whatsoever Pending The Determination Of The Substantive Suit.
Justice Abang Gave The Order After Hearing The Arguments And The Submissions Of The Parties Involved In The Suit.
Owubokiri, In An Affidavit Filed By His Lawyer, Olukayode Enitan, Had Averred That The Scope Of Egina FPSO Oil Field Which Is Expected To Produce 200,000 Barrels Of Oil Per Day As Stated By Samsung Heavy Industries Nigeria Ltd, Was Expected To Create 50,000 Jobs And Is Thus Strategic To The Future Of The Nigerian Economy.
Owubokiri Recalled That There Were Established Guidelines By NNPC For Tendering And Award Of Fabrication Projects In The Oil And Gas Industry, But The Guidelines Were Not Complied With In The Final Award Of The Egina FPSO To Samsung Company, As There Were Alleged Several Irregularities And Various Breaches Of Extant Nigerian Laws In The Award Of The Contract To Samsung.
The Plaintiff (Owubokiri) Had Specifically Alleged That The Defendants Breached Provisions Of The Nigeria Oil And Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act Of 2010 And Relevant Laws Guiding The Fiscal Regime Of The Oil And Gas Industry.
Credit: Daily Independent
