Nigeria Revokes Six Oil Licences Belonging To MKO Abiola, Others

Nigeria has revoked six oil block licences, one of which belong to later MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, a notice by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) showed on Thursday.

According to the notice, DPR said the licences were revoked due to “legacy debts,” without further clarifications.
Summit Oil International, one of the owners of the licences was a known company of later Abiola, inherited by his first son Kola.
Other companies involved are Pan Ocean Oil Corporation, owners of OML 98, while Allied Energy Resources Nigeria Limited owns OML 120 and 121, Express Petroleum & Gas Company Limited owns OML 108 and Cavendish Petroleum Nigeria Limited owwns OML 110.
Abiola's Summit owns OPL 206.
The action comes as Nigeria takes a more aggressive approach to collecting taxes and royalties that the country says it is owed. Oil industry sources said Nigeria has also been increasingly vocal about rescinding licences that are not being actively developed.Details of the size or value of the blocks were not immediately available.
A spokesman for the president declined to comment. A petroleum ministry spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.