Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) Chidi Izurah has commended the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for driving transparent bid-opening processes for the rehabilitation of NNPC pipelines and its critical downstream infrastructure.
A press release on Sunday by NNPC spokesman Kennie Obateru quoted Izurah as saying that the novel NNPC virtual public bid-opening exercise was in line with the ICRC infrastructure revolution drive.
“You showed to the world that you’re driving a totally transparent Public Private Partnership process in line with the infrastructure revolution of President Muhammadu Buhari. Today’s public bid-opening for the rehabilitation of NNPC pipelines, depots/terminal infrastructure is quite commendable,” he said.
“I commend the GMD Mallam Mele Kyari, his team and the NNPC Group for showing to the world that things can be done properly and in the best interest of the shareholders.”
No fewer than 78 companies submitted virtual bids to rehabilitate critical downstream pipelines, associated depots and terminal infrastructure of the NNPC through the finance, build, operate and transfer (BOT).
In his opening remarks, NNPC Group Managing Director Mele Kyari stated that the exercise was in fulfilment of NNPC’s avowed commitment to transparency and accountability as an extractive industries transparency initiative (EITI) partner company and as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari that all its operations must be guided by integrity.
“Nobody will cut corners, nobody will cheat the shareholders of this company and also this company will ultimately deliver value to its shareholders,” Kyari stated.
Kyari said that by the end of the first quarter of 2021, the final partners of the bid opening would be selected.
He assured the bidders that the NIPEX portal which was deployed for the pre-qualification exercise was a time tested technology that would not give room for any human indiscretion.
Other external observers who witnessed the exercise were the Bureau of Public Procurement, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Civil Liberty Organization and the Centre for Transparency Watch.
