UNGA78: Nigeria will no longer settle for crumbs, Tinubu tells global energy industry players
Says country has never been more ready for business than now As ExxonMobil pledges nearly 40,000bpd in new Nigerian production in the short-term
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, New York
President Bola Tinubu has assured a delegation consisting of the global leadership of an Oil and Gas transnational giant, ExxonMobil, that Nigeria will no longer settle for crumbs and leftovers on the investment agenda of the world’s most prolific energy conglomerates, saying “Nigeria has never been more ready for business than it is now.”
According to a statement issued by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the President stated this on Monday in New York, on the sidelines of the ongoing 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Tinubu noted that, following an illustrious private sector career as a professional accountant in the oil and gas industry, he has proven capacity to take difficult decisions as President and is best prepared to solve problems and crush all bottlenecks standing in the way of new and large-scale capital flowing into Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
“The knotty issues require direct supervision on my part. Despite many contending obligations, I will sit down and oversee the process of removing these encumbrances to job and wealth creation for the Nigerian people. We know the industry. We grew up in it. We are positioned to solve the problems, and we are pragmatic, and we will solve the problem,” he assured.
ExxonMobil President of Global Upstream Operations, Liam Mallon, gave Tinubu the reassurance that he is aware of the new and personal commitment the President is making on behalf of Nigeria and that the company is in a good position to support those efforts with new investment. In phase one of a new investment push in Nigeria, Mallon promised to increase production at ExxonMobil’s Nigerian operations by nearly 40,000 bpd.
“What you told us was that your team would collaborate with us, and that has proven true. We have made significant progress since we last met. We are growing our production, and we are working hard on expanding in deepwater production. We appreciate your efforts, and we will respond in kind. The time is right. Thank you for your leadership,” he stated.
