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Nigeria could authorize Exxon's $1.3 billion oil asset sale to Seplat in weeks

Exxon Mobil's. possession sale to Seplat Energy might be approved in. less than 2 weeks, Nigeria's oil regulator informed on. Thursday, ending a twoyear hold-up given that the deal was first. agreed.

The $1.28 billion sale in Africa's biggest oil exporter has. waited for regulative approval given that 2022.

Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). chief Gbenga Komolafe told the companies would be. welcomed to a meeting on Friday.

Subject to the result of the conference, consent ... might be. given in less than 2 weeks from the date of the meeting, he. said.

NUPRC would offer the companies 2 mutually unique. alternatives that, if accepted, would permit approval of the deal,. Komolafe stated.

He did not spell out what these alternatives were, however said the. law requires money to be reserved for decommissioning, host. community development and environmental remediation.

As a commission, we do not desire our nation to bring. baseless monetary burdens emerging from the operations of the. possessions with time by the divesting entities, he stated.

Spokespeople for Exxon and Seplat declined to comment.

Africa's leading oil producer relies on the commodity for more. than 90% of its forex and half its budget. However output. has actually declined in the last few years due to underinvestment and theft.

Oil majors operating in Nigeria, including Shell. and TotalEnergies, have exited their onshore shallow. water operations, citing security concerns, such as theft and. sabotage, to focus on deepwater drilling. Those relocations have actually run. into regulatory difficulties.

Analysts state authorizing the Exxon-Seplat offer would inject. much-needed capital into Nigeria's oil industry, possibly. leading to enhanced oil output, and also signal to investors. that similar offers such as Shell's possession sale to Renaissance in. January are likely to get regulative assent.

Former Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari initially. consented to the transaction, however withdrew that consent days. later on after the oil regulator declined to sign off.

President Bola Tinubu, who took workplace last year, has actually made. drawing in investment a crucial top priority.