34 firms jostling for downstream oil industry assets

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has received bids from 34 firms interested in providing security services to its various petroleum products depots and pump stations across the country.

The NNPC did not, however, disclose the names of the bidding firms in the official statement it issued announcing the bid exercise. It confirmed that a total of 34 out of the 54 companies firms that submitted bids were invited for the jobs through selective tendering.

The Managing Director of the corporation’s midstream subsidiary in charge of pipelines, depots and other storage facilities, NPSC, Luke Anele, disclosed in Abuja at the official bids opening exercise to select firms to provide the security services, according to a statement by the NNPC spokesperson.

Mr. Anele said the exercise was part of the corporation’s strategies to boost security around its depots and pump stations, to ensure steady supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country, particularly in the run up to the forthcoming yuletide season.

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Represented by the NPSC’s Executive Director in charge of Pipelines, Danladi Ahmed, the MD said the NPSC was desirous of engaging reputable and competent security firms to safeguard its critical assets to ensure unimpeded operations and efficient service delivery.

The MD explained that the bid opening, which was witnessed by representatives of the bidding companies, was to demonstrate NNPC’s commitment to transparency and due process in all its activities.

He assured the bidders of a level playing ground to guarantee the emergence of the best companies among them.

A representative of one of the bidding firms, Pentagon Securities Limited, Dozie Tassie, was quoted in the statement has describing the bidding process as “credible and satisfactory,” saying all bidders were given the opportunity to compete fairly.

“NNPC demonstrated that it was committed to global best practices. Now that everybody has been given the opportunity to verify and confirm that the documents they submitted were not tampered with and the names of participating companies made known, there won’t be cases of people raising eyebrows when winners emerge, because they have witnessed the process and could testify that no company was smuggled in,” Mr. Tassie reportedly said.

Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Department of the corporation, Ndu Ughamadu, said in the statement that public opening of bids was part of the Corporation’s commitment to transparency as a focused, accountable, competitive and transparent organisation, conducting its business with Integrity.

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The Managing Director of Goldlight Security Limited, John Eke, also reportedly applauded the NNPC Group Managing Director, GMD, Maikanti Baru, for allowing transparency and due process during the bidding exercise.