Lokpobiri, Adoke Hail Final Resolution of 15-Year-Old OPL 245 Dispute

*Oil minister urges ENI to fast-track investment decision before year end

*Adoke demands FG’s apology for his persecution, humiliation 

Peter Uzoho

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri and the former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, have commended President Bola Tinubu for his decision to finally implement the Resolution Agreements on the long-standing Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245 dispute between the Nigerian government and Italian oil giant, ENI.
Both Lokpobiri and Adoke expressed their commendations in separate statements issued yesterday.
Lokobiri specifically stated that the eventual signing off on the resolution was a major step toward strengthening investor confidence and unlocking the full potential of one of Nigeria’s strategic offshore assets.
He also urged Eni to speed up the process of taking Final Investment Decision (FID) on the asset before the end of 2026.
Tinubu had on Thursday presided over the successful conclusion of the historic settlement agreement between the parties
Representatives of the Nigerian government at the signing ceremony held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, included the President, Lokpobiri; Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; and the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen.
On the other hand, Eni officials present at the event were Chief Executive Officer of Eni, Claudio Descalzi; Chief Operating Officer of Eni, Guido Brusco; Head of Sub-Saharan Region, Mario Bello; and Managing Director of Nigerian Agip Exploration, Fabrizio Bolondi.
The agreement brought to a close the long-standing dispute over OPL 245, paving the way for the development of one of Nigeria’s most significant deepwater resources.
Implementing the agreement will help to restore clarity and stability to an asset widely recognised as one of Nigeria’s most commercially promising deepwater blocks.
With the dispute now settled, the pathway is clear for Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Zabazaba–Etan development, a project capable of adding approximately 150,000 barrels per day (bpd) to Nigeria’s production capacity and strengthening the country’s long-term energy outlook.  
Speaking on the landmark development, Lokpobiri n a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Nneamaka Okafor, welcomed the successful resolution of the dispute, describing it as a major step toward strengthening investor confidence and unlocking the full potential of one of Nigeria’s strategic offshore assets.
The dispute was resolved through a settlement agreement involving the Federal Government of Nigeria, Eni, and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAEL), paving the way for renewed investment and the accelerated development of the asset.
On his part, ex-AGF, Adoke, in a statement personally signed by him, commended President Tinubu for overseeing the implementation of the Resolution Agreements, nearly 15 years after the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan resolved the knotty disputes between the concerned parties and tried to set the oil-rich block on the path to productivity.
He said the action was a testimony to Tinubu’s full understanding of the workings of the economy and the importance of the oil-rich asset to the attainment of national economic goals.
“I wholeheartedly welcome the decision of the Federal Government of Nigeria to finally implement the OPL 245 Resolution Agreements nearly 15 years after the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan resolved the knotty disputes between the concerned parties and tried to set the oil-rich block on the path to productivity.

“I also commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for finally resolving this thorny issue in the national interest and in the spirit of statesmanship. This is a testimony to the fact that he fully understands how the economy works and the importance of the oil-rich asset to the attainment of national economic goals,” Adoke said.

He took a swipe at the late former President Mohammadu Buhari, describing the decision of the current President as “a further indictment of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration who decided to scandalise and criminalise the hard work we did in the national interest to resolve the disputes caused by the unilateral revocation of the oil block by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2002.”

Adoke said it was most unfortunate that he was subjected to humiliation and defamation home and abroad for the patriotic role he played as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in resolving the dispute to get the vital national asset working.

He said if the Buhari administration and the alleged trophy-hunting anti-corruption activists had not dragged the country backwards with their uninformed intervention, the Nigerian economy would have been far better off today.

He, however, demanded an unreserved apology from the federal government for the persecution and humiliation he was subjected for nine years.

“I strongly believe that I deserve an unreserved apology from the federal government for the persecution and humiliation I was subjected for nine years and the scar I still bear in my body simply because I advised the Goodluck Jonathan administration to do the right thing on the oil block.

“Nevertheless, I forgive all those who connived to smear my name across the world. I take it as part of the burden of service to my fatherland. I remain steadfast and unshaken in my belief in Nigeria,” Adoke stated.