America’s incoming Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson is not someone who is new to working with Nigeria and the Nigerian government.
Exxon Mobil, the company in which Tillerson is the Chief Executive Officer is a major Independent Oil Company operating in Nigeria.
Exxon Mobil emerged as a unified group in the late 1990s when Exxon acquired Mobil’s operations.
According to Matthew Page, a consultant and a former State Department top expert on Nigeria said Exxon Mobil cleaned up some corrupt activities of Mobil after the acquisition.
“They came in with a much more rigid, by-the-book management culture and totally cleaned up Mobil’s operations there,” he said.
Alan Jeffers, a spokesperson for the company says despite attacks on its facilities by militants, it would continue to fulfil its Corporate Social Responsibility.
“We’ll impose environmental standards on our own operations that may not necessarily be required by law,” Mr. Jeffers said. “It’s a good practice as a responsible operator.”
Exxon Mobil under Tillerson, has been accused of lacking transparency in some of its dealings with the Federal Government. It is currently being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a 2009 license renewal deal after allegations that the company was significantly outbid by a Chinese competitor.
Dolapo is a writer and journalist who works with YNaija. He has interests in Christianity, politics and sports.
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