The founder and majority shareholder of Intels Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s oil and gas logistics giant with operations in Onne, Rivers State, Warri, Delta State and Lagos, Mr. Gabriele Volpi, has apologised to the federal government and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) over the spat that led to the termination of the Pilotage Agency Agreement between his company and NPA.

Speaking exclusively to THISDAY Thursday evening, the normally reticent Volpi, who holds dual Italian and Nigerian citizenship, said he was not involved in the negotiations between his firm and NPA over the disagreement on the pilotage agreement but was apologetic for the misunderstanding that had taken place.

He also resolved to ensure that Intels undertakes a reconciliation process with the NPA and transfers all the revenue collected from the boats monitoring and supervision services in Nigerian maritime waters to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in compliance with the policy of the federal government.

“We want to apologise to the federal government and NPA over this disagreement with Intels. I was not personally involved in the negotiations with NPA, but we apologise for what has happened.

“We intend to comply with the directive of government and transfer all the revenue to the TSA because we are a law-abiding company,” Volpi informed THISDAY on the phone.

Volpi added that his company was committed to co-operating with the federal government and the NPA in the development of the country’s maritime sector, including the construction of the Badagry deep seaport in Lagos State.

“We are committed to co-operating with the government and NPA in the development of Nigeria’s maritime sector and this includes the Badagry deep seaport.

“The Badagry deep seaport is a massive undertaking which will cost billions of dollars and will be the biggest in Africa and would turn Nigeria into a regional hub for ships bringing goods to the continent.

“It will also help to move a lot of shipping activities at the Apapa and Tin-can Island ports and help to decongest Apapa, so we are serious about our investments in Nigeria,” he said.

Efforts to reach the Managing Director of NPA, Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman, to react to Volpi’s apology were unsuccessful, as her phone was switched off.

Intels and NPA have been engaged in a war of words since the termination of the pilotage agreement by the latter last week over what NPA had said was its refusal to remit the revenue accruable from the pilotage services to the TSA.

THISDAY had exclusively reported that the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), had written to Bala-Usman on September 27, directing her to terminate the pilotage agreement on the grounds that the contract was illegal ab initio.

Malami in the said letter had stated that the agreement which had allowed Intels to receive revenue on behalf of NPA for seven years, was in contravention of the Nigerian Constitution, especially in view of the implementation of the TSA policy of the government.

Drawing the attention of Bala-Usman to the illegality of the agreement, Malami made it expressly clear that the agreement violated Sections 80(1) and 162(1) and (10) of the constitution, and wondered why the parties – NPA and Intels – did not revert their minds to the relevant provisions when they were negotiating the agreement in 2010.

On the basis of Malami’s letter, NPA on October 11 terminated the agreement, drawing the ire of Intels, which in a statement sent exclusively to THISDAY, termed the action “preposterous and the consequences highly injurious” to the interests of Nigeria.

Intels also threatened to take the matter to arbitration, but by Tuesday had soft-pedalled on its combative stance.

Intels is Nigeria’s biggest oil and gas logistics service provider, with its operational headquarters in Onne.
It was set up three decades ago by Volpi and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar who has always held a minority stake in the firm.

Company sources informed THISDAY that until recently, the former vice-president held a 17.2 per cent stake in Intels, which he whittled down after he sold part of his stake to former Lagos State governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu.

“It is often erroneously reported in the media that Intels belongs to Atiku Abubakar. But he has always been a minority shareholder in the company. Until recently, he had a 17.2 per cent stake in Intels, but even that was whittled down when he sold part of his stake to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu,” explained a company source recently.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/10/20/intels-volpi-apologises-to-npa-says-company-will-comply-with-tsa-policy/

And some concluded it was witch hunt.
Meanwhile, I don't give a f**k about FTC.

Em5:
And some concluded it was witch hunt.
Meanwhile, I don't give a f**k about FTC.

Imagine

Assuming doing the right thing to mean witch-hunt is a very dangerous trend in Nigeria these days....courtesy of wailing wailers




No matter how hard they try, "Buhari says No free money again"


Go and die if it pains you.

When the govt does the right thing tht removes money from a few Individuals, masses start shouting witch hunt

Its still political!! Is it today NPA found out about their non compliancy? First we were told intels were doing business in dollars which affects the naira, now its TSA. Lying bastards!

FG is just trying to limit atiku's acces to cash so as to hamper his campaign meanwhile they have stolen $26 billion to fund their own campaign. Period!!

Satanic government!!

This is a case of giving a dog a bad name to hang it, why did they suddenly realized dat d agreement with NPA was illegal after so many years?

Hmmmmm why are they apologizing? Seems Intel's Is truly the cash cow of all Atiku's investments.Why can't we do things the right way yet when karma catches up with us we start shouting marginalization, witch hunting etc.

Seems the impact of the withdrawal affected their income within a week that their shareholders held a meeting and decided to apologize to avoid more catastrophe

....hmm

.

Lomprico2:
Its still political!! Is it today NPA found out about their non compliancy? First we were told intels were doing business in dollars which affects the naira, now its TSA. Lying bastards!

FG is just trying to limit atiku's acces to cash so as to hamper his campaign meanwhile they have stolen $26 billion to fund their own campaign. Period!!

Satanic government!!

The TSA matter had been referenced from the start.

No firm or person is bigger than Nigerian laws or indispensable.

I have always maintained that if Intels felt wronged by NPA/FG, they should head to court.

Instead, those shareholders who are not politically inclined, have headed towards apology. While the politically inclined shareholder continue to display the mindset that they can disregard the laws when you have political sycophants drum up support.

Okay.

Lomprico2:
Its still political!! Is it today NPA found out about their non compliancy? First we were told intels were doing business in dollars which affects the naira, now its TSA. Lying bastards!

FG is just trying to limit atiku's acces to cash so as to hamper his campaign meanwhile they have stolen $26 billion to fund their own campaign. Period!!

Satanic government!!

You can say that again! Kindly ask the drunkard-led administration that ruled cluelessly for 6years. That's the original version of a satanic government!

Lomprico2:
Its still political!! Is it today NPA found out about their non compliancy? First we were told intels were doing business in dollars which affects the naira, now its TSA. Lying bastards!

FG is just trying to limit atiku's acces to cash so as to hamper his campaign meanwhile they have stolen $26 billion to fund their own campaign. Period!!

Satanic government!!

Despite the article shows Atiku has a very minor stake in the company having offloaded some to Tinubu, how does Atiku having access to more cash contribute positively to your personal life?

OGACLO:
Assuming doing the right thing to mean witch-hunt is a very dangerous trend in Nigeria these days....courtesy of wailing wailers




No matter how hard they try, "Buhari says No free money again"


Go and die if it pains you.

my brother...they just wail,,,Reno should come and explain this...King wailer

I wonder what wailers can say about this?

Proudlyngwa:


Your case is beyond pathetic

Mtsww, hate is running inside your blood

We are not interested in how many % gay - Atiku owns in the company.

Until Atiku & Tinubu tell us where they & how they got their stolen monies used in buying shares in the company, Intels licence should remain - withdrawn.

bamidelee:

that naughty girl that called herself salamrushdie will not come out of her shell now to come and read this after everyone don talk finish she come and beat chest and spew thrash here
hypocrite

Mr Volpi is only bringing his survivalist instinct to play to save a company he has worked so hard for so please this apology is called a "survival apology " and is in no way an endorsement that the draconian witch hunting govt was right about its call on 100 percent TSA..As someone who runs a firm that has a lot of revenue sharing agreement with bigger partners I can tell you for free that only 100 percent that belongs to the TSA in this intels case is govts 72 percent .

Zoharariel:
We are not interested in how many % gay - Atiku owns in the company.

Until Atiku & Tinubu tell us where they & how they got their stolen monies used in buying shares in the company, Intels licence should remain - withdrawn.

Atiku is a co founder of intels, he has been with them from day one in 1982 when Mr Volpi started to sell the idea

Throwback:


The TSA matter had been referenced from the start.

No firm or person is bigger than Nigerian laws or indispensable.

I have always maintained that if Intels felt wronged by NPA/FG, they should head to court.

Instead, those shareholders who are not politically inclined, have headed towards apology. While the politically inclined shareholder continue to display the mindset that they can disregard the laws when you have political sycophants drum up support.

Let's be serious no TSA compliance was ever breached ..Mr Volpi has just moved to survival mode to save his firm from the senseless Buhari regime .

SO it is no longer politics.?

Lol. They apologized? Some nairalanders will commit suicide for this.

Everyday story

SalamRushdie:


Mr Volpi is only bringing his survivalist instinct to play to save a company he has worked so hard for so please this apology is called a "survival apology " and is in no way an endorsement that the draconian witch hunting govt was right about its call on 100 percent TSA..As someone who runs a firm that has a lot of revenue sharing agreement with bigger partners I can tell you for free that only 100 percent that belongs to the TSA in this intels case is govts 72 percent .

SO, private companies should continue chopping at the expense of NIgerians.

I was no Jona fan...but if he had not brought in TSA...we would have been broke...as in BROKE.

That is why things don't work well in Nigeria. Take Oando..which is suffering the effects of a bad loan that they took in 2013...and everyone is screaming politics.

SalamRushdie:


Let's be serious no TSA compliance was ever breached ..Mr Volpi has just moved to survival mode to save his firm from the senseless Buhari regime .

Your case is beyond pathetic

. Can it ever be well with cownu pigs and idiots and wailibg wailers? PMB keep heat on the defrauders of Nigeria.

Lol