DPR disqualifies indebted companies from bidding for marginal field … tasks lubricant producers on export market

Chinazor Megbolu    |   

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has disqualified some participating companies from the 2020 marginal fields bid round.

The oil and gas industry regulator made this known on Wednesday, saying the disqualification was as a result of their indebtedness to the Federal Government.

The DPR noted that some of the companies would not be able to partake in the bidding round as they were discovered to owe the federal government debts in the areas of non-payment of taxes, tariff, fees or other levies.

The agency also noted that some of the bidding organisations were disqualified because their respective Directors are also Directors in other companies that failed to pay statutory fees as well.

The DPR further noted that the prequalification of such companies will be put on hold pending when such Directors pay their respective debts.

According to the DPR, some firms that are yet to be prequalified for the next batch have a deadline set for Friday, July 24 towards meeting up with the requirements.

The DPR, however, noted that the next steps would be the Data Prying, Leasing, and Purchase of Reports set to run from Monday, July 20 -August 30, 2020 once the pre-qualification hurdle has been passed.

The organisation submitted that the submission of technical and financial bid slated between July 20 and August 30, 2020 would follow immediately.

Recall the DPR, early July 2020, said over 600 companies applied to be prequalified for the bid rounds of 57 marginal oilfields in the country.

Meanwhile, the DPR in a statement signed and issued by Head, Public Affairs, Mr. Paul Osu, has tasked lubricant producers in Nigeria to look beyond the shores of Nigeria and target the export market in the distribution of their products.

The Director, DPR, Mr. Auwalu Sarki in the statement urged members of the Lubricant Producers Association of Nigeria (LUPAN) when he hosted them in a virtual meeting that they should target the export market towards distributing their products.

He stressed that members of LUPAN have all it takes and resources to produce for exports, as it used to be in time past.

Sarki gave the LUPAN members assurance that DPR would provide adequate support through its robust regulatory framework to enable them to achieve the mandate.

“The DPR, as the regulator of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria, places high premium on its relationship with the association as partners in the realisation of government’s aspiration for the sector,” Sarki said.

He charged the LUPAN members to see DPR as a business enabler that is always ready to ensure investment success and sustainability for all stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.

In his address, the President, LUPAN, Alhaji Mustapha Adio, noted that the association would continue to collaborate with DPR for the development of the lubricant market in the country.

He lauded the positive interventions of DPR in the creation of enabling business environment for its members.