NNPCL REFUTE CLAIMS OF $6.8 BILLION DEBT TO INTERNATIONAL TRADERS
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has refuted claims that it owes international traders $6.8 billion.
In a statement issued on Sunday, August 18, the companyās Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, addressed the allegations.
Soneye stated that NNPCLās attention was drawn to a media report alleging that the company is indebted to international oil traders for $6.8 billion and that it has not remitted revenues to the Federation Account since January, among other accusations.
āConsequently, the following clarifications have become necessary: That NNPC Ltd. does not owe the sum of $6.8bn to any international trader(s),ā he said.
Soneye noted that in the oil trading business, transactions are carried out on credit, and so it is normal to owe at one point or the other.
He further explained that NNPC Ltd., through its subsidiary, NNPC Trading, has many open trade credit lines from several traders.
The spokesperson added that the company is paying its obligations of related invoices on a first-in-first-out (FIFO) basis.
The rejoinder said: āIt is not correct to say that NNPC Ltd. has not remitted any money to the Federation Account since January.
āNNPC Ltd. and all its subsidiaries remit their taxes to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) regularly. This is in addition to payments of CIT to road contractors under the Road Investment Tax Credit Scheme.
āIn all, NNPC Ltd. is the largest contributor to the tax revenue shared every month at the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
āOn the issue of quality/quantity fiscalization of imported petroleum products, NNPC Ltd. has no role whatsoever as it is not a regulator. The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), which is the relevant regulatory agency in charge of such issues, is an independent body and does not report to the NNPC Ltd.
āThat NNPC Ltd. is not averse to inquiries by the media into issues on and around its operations before dissemination to the public either through the print or electronic channels of communication as the company will, always, gladly take the opportunities to state the facts of the subject matter(s). āThis is in line with the companyās commitment to the Transparency, Accountability, and Performance Excellence (TAPE) philosophy as emplaced by the Mele Kyari-led management since stepping into the saddle in 2019.ā