Nipco Launches $16m Offer for Mobil Oil Shares

• Nipco Launches $16m Offer for Mobil Oil Shares

Nipco Plc has launched a N4.84bn offer for the shares it needs to take its stake in Mobil Oil to 70 per cent to comply with Nigerian takeover rules, its advisers said on Wednesday.

Nipco’s investment subsidiary bought 60 per cent of Mobil Oil Nigeria from Exxon Mobil Corporation in October, when the US giant pulled out of downstream fuel distribution in Nigeria.

Nipco, which was founded in 2001, now owns 66.7 per cent of the fuel retailer, according to an offer document seen by Reuters.

It is offering minority shareholders N417.12 per share for the 3.23 per cent of the capital, or 11.6 million shares, it needs, the same price it paid Exxon last year and a 75 per cent premium to Wednesday’s market price of N238.36.

The offer ends on June 29.

Shares in Mobil Oil have lost 10 per cent this year, giving the company a market value of N85.95bn. The shares rose 74 per cent last year.

The downstream oil industry in Nigeria is consolidating as multinational oil firms divest to focus on upstream exploration with higher margins, especially given the backdrop of lower crude prices.

Nigeria exports nearly two million barrels of oil a day but imports the bulk of its refined products because its refining capacity is unable to meet the country’s daily fuel needs of 40 million litres.

Mobil Oil rival, Oando, has now shifted away from being a fuel distributor to explore for oil and gas. It sold a 60 per cent stake in its downstream business last year to Vitol and Helios Investment Partners for $210m.