The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted leave to Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd to apply for a judicial review by way of declarations and injunctions against the executive action of the Federal Government in splitting OPL 245.
Justice Mohammed Umar, in a ruling, held that the motion ex-parte, moved by the company’s lawyer, Reuben Atabo, SAN, in respect of the relief sought, was meritorious.
Justice Umar, who took particular notice of some paragraphs in the affidavit attached to the motion, said the court was satisfied by the depostions.
The judge then adjourned the matter until June 11 to enable Malabu file and serve the originating summons in respect of the prayers sought.
Malabu had, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/871/2026, named the president, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Minister of Petroleum Resources as 1st to 3rd respondents respectively.
The company had alleged that the government splitted OPL 245 into four separate assets and further reallocating them to Shell Nigeria Ultra-Deep Limited, Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Ltd, Nigerian Agip Exploration Company Ltd and Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
It said the reallocation was via the OPL 245 Resolution Agreement executed on or about March 5.
It further alleged that this was done without the consent of the company’s directors.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
