PRESS STATEMENT SIGNED BY H.E ATIKU ABUBAKAR

Tinubu’s administration owes Nigerians an explanation for the NNPC $3.3bn emergency loan

In what appears to be a landmark economic decision of the Bola Tinubu-led administration, the Federal Government last year, precisely on August 16, 2023 through the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) secured a $3.3 billion emergency crude repayment loan, which according to the NNPC, was to help give support to the Naira and stabilize the Foreign Exchange market.

The curious thing about this transaction is that up till now, the Federal Government continues to keep mum about it, and the only information available to the public on the mega deal is coming only through unofficial sources from the NNPC.

The deal is supposed to be a crude-for-cash loan arranged by the African Export-Import Bank.

According to information available, a Special Purpose Vehicle called Project Gazelle Funding Limited is driving the deal, and it was incorporated in the Bahamas.

The SPV is the borrower while the NNPC is the sponsor, with an agreement to pay with crude oil to the SPV in order to liquidate the loan at an interest rate that is a little over 12 per cent.

What is even more confounding about this deal is why the Federal Government would register a company in the Bahamas, knowing full well the recent scandal of the Paradise Papers that involved that country.

Curiously also, Nigeria’s current Barrels Produced Daily (BPD) is 1.38 million, and according to the Project Gazelle deal, Nigeria is to supply 90,000 Barrels of its daily production, starting from 2024 till it is up to 164.25 million barrels for the repayment of the loan.

Now, this is where the details get disturbing because Nigeria’s benchmark for the sale of crude per barrel in 2024 is $77.96. A simple multiplication of that figure by 164.25 will give us a whooping $12bn.

It is on this note that we are calling on the Federal Government to speak up on this shady deal.

It is inconceivable that the Federal Government will lead the country to take a loan of $3.3b with an interest rate that is not more than 12 per cent, but with estimated repayment amounting to $12bn.

That is a humongous differential of about $7b between what is in the details of the deal on paper and what indeed is the reality.

There are questions to be answered on the integrity of this deal, and we earnestly request the Federal Government to talk directly on these cloudy details behind the deal.

We therefore demand, on behalf of the ordinary people of Nigeria, that the Federal Government provides answers to the following questions.

1. Has the Federal Government accessed the loan?
2. Is the loan in the government’s borrowing plan as approved by the National Assembly?
3. Who are the parties to the loan, and what specific roles are they expected to play?
4. What are the conditions to the loan, including tenor, repayment terms, the collateral, and the interest rate?
5. And, lastly, why register an SPV in the Bahamas knowing the recent scandal of the country’s notoriety for warehousing unclean assets?

Signed:
Atiku Abubakar
Vice President of Nigeria, 1999-2007
25th January, 2024.


https://twitter.com/Rasheethe/status/1750559205746974972?t

This is why I continue to blame the bastard that orchestrated the first coup on Nigeria.

With regional government each region will have found way to source for fund instead of waiting on the federal government.

Arobaga:
Imagine a Nigeria without oil





Imagine if this country divides and they can’t get a hold of oil money again




How they wan take survive



How many billions of cocoa they wan harvest to get this much



Respect South South

Shawnnn01:
This is why I continue to blame the bastard who orchestrated the first coup on Nigeria.

With regional government each region will have found way to source for fund instead of waiting on the federal government.

Who was that bastard who orchestrated the first coup?

No be Ifeajuna, Nzogwu with one mumu Yoruba man Ademulegun...that Yiibo people used and dumb....I doubt if any Yiibo person still remembers the family of this Buffon whom Yiibo people used to fulfill their evil project in 1965.....
What a wasted life... It is better for. me to die with my people than to live with my foe...

Atiku has raised a good question.

The drug lord has no answer because he and his gang of bandits in aso rock won't stop looting the country dry.

What them and their grey hair professor and erudite cultist will forever keep quite is what a patriotic Nigerian has asked.

Yes I know! Yeah I know! The corn god worshippers will come here to type rubbish as usual even if their god sinks Naira to 2000/$1 it's all good for them.