-As Lawmakers Allege Flaws and “Wickedness”
By Jerromie S. Walters
MONROVIA – Major legislative concerns over two major oil contracts are intensifying, with prominent lawmakers from both houses of the Legislature launching successive critiques that threaten to derail a key component of President Joseph Boakai’s investment agenda. The controversy, centered on Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) for TotalEnergies and Oranto Petroleum, has escalated from detailed allegations of illegal terms to a formal demand for an independent investigation.
The firestorm was ignited last week by Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, the influential former Speaker and current Representative of Grand Kru County District #2. In a series of social media posts from October 27-31, Koffa, a seasoned lawyer, launched a blistering, clause-by-clause critique of the Oranto agreement, alleging it contained provisions that were not only unfavorable but potentially illegal.
Koffa’s detailed legal analysis set the stage for Gbarpolu County Senator Amara Konneh to amplify the concerns this past Saturday. After reviewing the contracts, Konneh issued a powerful statement demanding a “professional, comprehensive, rigorous due diligence” on the Oranto deal, explicitly citing “substantial” concerns about the company’s history and capacity.
The convergence of criticism from these two influential figures—Koffa from the House of Representatives and Konneh from within the Senate—signals a formidable political challenge for the Boakai administration. It transforms the ratification process from a procedural formality into a serious policy debate over national resource governance.
At the heart of Koffa’s critique was a fundamental concern: that the Oranto contract systematically strips away benefits meant for the Liberian people. On Friday, October 31, he pointed to Section 36(a) of the 2019 Petroleum Law, which mandates that Liberians receive a 5% stake in each block and the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) receives 10%.
“The Oranto agreement says NOCAL will get the 15% and Liberians should leave their own with government,” Koffa stated. He further highlighted a “poison pill” in Section 17.1(a)(ii), warning that if NOCAL fails to act within 180 days of an oil discovery, Oranto could claim the entire 15% stake for free.
Koffa’s analysis also targeted the financial terms of the deal, which he derided as grossly inadequate. On Thursday, October 30, he contrasted Liberia’s arrangement with that of Ghana, which secured a $20 million signature bonus for a deep-water block. “By Contrast, Oranto (The Flipper) signature bonus is only 1.2 million, not even enough to pay for a presidential limo,” he quipped.
More seriously, he declared the treatment of the bonus itself to be “illegal.” Citing the 2016 Petroleum Law, he asserted that all money from petroleum activities must be paid into the Consolidated Fund. He argued that Section 17 of the Oranto agreement, which attempts to divide these funds, violates this statute, prompting his stark warning: “Injunction loading!!!!”
The Grand Kru Representative saved his most scathing characterization for what he calls Oranto’s business model: flipping. On Wednesday, October 29, he dissected Section 16.3 of the PSC, explaining that it ensures Oranto is reimbursed for every cent spent to acquire the block—including the signature bonus and data permits—when it sells the contract. “Even the cost of the pen they used to sign they will get back. Chey!!!!!” he exclaimed, portraying the company as a speculative middleman.
This view of Oranto as a “flipper” was central to Koffa’s outright rejection of the deal on Monday, October 27. He vowed to oppose the Atlas Oranto PSC, stating its track record “shows that it does not mean well for Liberia” and lacks the operational capacity. He recalled that Oranto’s previous Liberian contract was “so corrupt that it had to be ‘cleaned’ through a Canadian company” before being sold to Chevron.
Senator Konneh’s statement on November 1st directly built upon this foundation. His fear that Oranto “often secures licenses, then fails to explore or develop them for years”—a pattern he called ‘sit on licenses’—directly echoed Koffa’s “flipper” accusation and provided a continental context, noting Oranto’s troubled history in Senegal, Uganda, and Equatorial Guinea.
While Koffa provided the technical and legal ammunition, Konneh elevated the issue to a matter of national procedural integrity. He demanded that the Senate Joint Committee, chaired by Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe, conduct an investigation funded by the Government of Liberia, not Oranto, “to ensure independence and integrity.”
Konneh’s call for rigorous due diligence is a direct response to the serious questions Koffa raised about equity, finance, and the company’s intent.
The government has yet to issue a formal response to these grave allegations.
On October 21, 2025, the Plenary of the House of Representatives instructed its relevant committees to scrutinize Eight (8) New Oil Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) signed between the Government of Liberia and two (2) International Oil Companies.
The Joint Committee mandated to review and advise the full body include Hydrocarbon, Contracts and Monopolies, Investment and Concessions and Judiciary.
The PSC Agreements between the Government of Liberia and TotalEnergies EP Liberia LLC on the one hand and Oranto Petroleum Liberia Limited on the other for offshore blocks was submitted to the Honorable House of Representatives for ratification by President Joseph Nyumah Boakai on Tuesday, 21 October during the 3rd Day sitting of the 3rd Quarter of the 2nd Session of the 55th Legislature.
According to the PSC, TotalEnergies EP Liberia LLC was awarded offshore blocks LB-06, LB-11, LB 17 and LB-29. In the PSC Agreement with Oranto Petroleum Liberia Limited, the company will operate Offshore Blocks LB-15, LB-16, LB-22 and LB-24 respectively. The House Joint Committee is led by the Chairman on Hydrocarbon, Hon. Sam P. Jallah.
Oranto Petroleum (part of Atlas Oranto Petroleum International) is a privately owned Nigerian oil and gas company, founded by Prince Arthur Eze, that holds exploration blocks across West Africa and beyond, with recent significant, but controversial, oil deals in Liberia and expansion to other regions. The company has faced scrutiny over transparency and operational capacity in Liberia, despite the government’s view that these deals will boost the nation’s dormant oil sector.
On the other hand, TotalEnergies SE is a French multinational integrated energy and petroleum company and one of the world’s seven “supermajor” oil companies. It operates across the entire energy value chain, producing and marketing various forms of energy including oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables, and electricity.
The concerns from boths lawmakers about the deals come as a new World Bank report reveals that while Liberia’s macroeconomic health showed notable improvement in 2024, these gains have failed to address a deepening employment crisis, leaving the majority of the workforce trapped in informal and vulnerable work. The sixth edition of the Liberia Economic Update acknowledges a strengthened fiscal position, with the deficit narrowing sharply from 7.1% to 2.0% of GDP, and inflation falling to 8.3%.
However, this stabilization has not translated into better livelihoods for most Liberians, with poverty remaining persistently high and formal job creation stagnant. Beneath the surface of fiscal consolidation lies a troubling reality: the growth is not creating quality jobs. The report highlights that a staggering 78% of the workforce is in vulnerable employment, marked by informality and a lack of social security benefits, underscoring a critical disconnect between macroeconomic policy and everyday economic reality.
