The Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, has addressed allegations of corruptly awarding petroleum exploration licences.
Responding to accusations on social media and in relation to Landless People's Movement (LPM) MP Henny Seibeb's questions, Alweendo underscores the importance of vigilance against corruption in the oil and gas sector.
Alweendo clarified the application process, stating that the minister does not handle licence applications directly.
"In this respect, it is the Petroleum Commissioner who receives, evaluates and then recommends to the Minister to either award or reject an application. To directly address the allegations, the following are the facts: Titan Oil and Gas is a Namibian registered company, and it has a minority participating interest in two petroleum exploration licences, namely PEL98 and PEL106. In addition, Namcor also has a minority participating interest in the two licenses. PEL98 was awarded in February 2021 to Eco Oil and Gas Services, a Namibian-registered company, while PEL106 was awarded in December 2022 to Oranto Petroleum, a Nigerian-registered company. It is therefore important to point out that the applicants in both licences were not Titan, but Eco Oil and Gas in the case of PEL98 and Oranto Petroleum in the case of PEL106. Hence, the licences were awarded to Eco Oil and Oranto Petroleum and not to Titan, as was alleged."
Acknowledging a personal connection with a Titan shareholder, Alweendo refuted claims of corruption, emphasising his longstanding commitment to combating corruption.
"It is, however, an absurdity to assume that just because a person is known to the Minister or is a friend to the Minister, his or her participation is only on account of the minister's meddling influence. Throughout my long professional career, I always spoke out against corruption and promoted good governance."
LPM member Henny Seibeb expressed dissatisfaction with Minister Alweendo's statement on corruption allegations.
"I know that this preemptive action may hinder my ability to present evidence, but he's preempting. Therefore, I am uncertain how to proceed in terms of the rules. Because once the question was put on the floor, I expected him to come and read the answers, but now it's a matter of a ministerial statement."
Minister Alweendo promised to formally address Seibeb's questions, ensuring transparency and accountability within the parliamentary process.