An aviation services firm Obike Systems Consults Limited has petitioned the  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ( ICPC ), as well as the National Assembly Committees on Upstream sector of the oil and gas industry to investigate the refusal of the Department of Petroleum Resources ( DPR) , to release funds to contractors  engaged to wet lease  three helicopters for the off shore monitoring of oil terminals.

The firm said since 2010 when it secured approval for the contract to supply three helicopters for the offshore monitoring of oil terminals to be managed by the the DPR, it is yet to be paid for the job it has carried by , despite budgetary release of funds to the DPR.

Addressing reporters at the weekend in Lagos, the chief executive officer of Obike System Consults  Limited, Navy Captain Jerry Ogbona (rtd), said he had to petition relevant anti graft agencies of government and the National Assembly to draw attention to the stumbling blocks erected by officials of the DPR , to his bid to get paid for the job he has done, which he said is key to cleaning up the oil and has sector.

Ogbonna said since 2010, when over N2.17 billion has been budgeted for the three helicopters, the DPR is yet to release substantial amount to several contractors handling several segments of the project.

He explained that for the past three years officials of the DPR have been frustrating efforts to release money for the firm to complete the job of bringing in three helicopters, for which he secured a bank guarantee as advance payment for the lease.

He said :" In 2012, we got two helicopters from a Tunisian firm to facilitate the project. It was an eleven seater helicopter to enable us move material and men offshore for the job, yet the DPR will not pay us.

The important thing here is that in 2010 government budgeted N1.19bn for this project, in 2011 government budgeted N489m and in 2012 government budgeted N300m.

The  important thing is that government has been making all these monies available all these years, a total of N2.17bn has been budgeted for this project and has been made available through the ministry of finance but the DPR had always said that the money has been mopped up.

In 2010,  they said  money has been mopped, in 2011 and 2012 they were saying the same thing. The truth is that we have done the contract, we have done everything, we have presented our invoice, we have not brought in the helicopters but we have finished the terms of the contract which required us to achieve certain things and we have achieved those things first of all to identify the helicopter, to send their people for inspection and also we sent civil aviation authority for inspection, they went and confirm, they have seen two helicopters and they are air worthy and the helicopters can be allowed to operate in Nigeria.

In 2012 NCAA confirmed that the helicopters are air worthy and they should be allowed to operate in Nigeria so the next thing for us now is let us get the money because we have already given them a bank guarantee from Zenith bank so the total amount that they are due to pay us now is N280m to pay in order for the aircraft to get to Nigeria.

 This DPR also frustrated the entire programme so this is three years running now."

On how the firm was engaged for the contract, Captain Ogbonna said :" We signed the contract with the ministry of petroleum and then we were asked to go the DPR being the user department that will be using these helicopters so we now went to DPR but unfortunately since 2010, DPR has become an obstacle.

The scope for the contract was to supply the helicopter while we will provide the maintenance because it is a lease helicopter, we will provide the maintenance, we will provide the crew, the insurance for the period of 225 days ."