What’s Up with Abdullah Bashir Haske on the New Chinese Deal?

HighLife

The heat of business management is not something that every Tom, Dick, and Harry can bear. Some are born with an innate capacity to handle all such matters with expertise that is no less than that of time-tested professionals. Does the son-in-law of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Abdullah Bashir Haske, fall into the same category? That remains to be seen.

To understand the narrative that has tied Haske to other oil and gas overlords, Salvic’s Ambrosie Bryant Chukwueloka ‘ABC’ Orjiako and Kaztec’s Emeka Offor, one must first recognise the genius that is Haske. Before the Chinese deal that threw him into the limelight as a true talent, Haske was known as the founder of several progressive business establishments, including AA&R Investments and Mars E&P. Then he tangoed with Orjiako and Offor and things changed.

It was a battle for supremacy, specifically the ownership of Addax Petroleum, a business that appeared to be up for grabs. Although Orjiako and Offor had prior contact with the company and the Chinese parent company that had seemingly discarded the company, Haske came out of nowhere and got 51% of the ownership block. Since then, it has been one battle after the other, with Haske losing one time and gaining another time.

The last gist from the battlegrounds has it that Haske has been significantly beaten back by Orjiako and Offor. Although this should not have come as a surprise, it seemed as if Haske was on the verge of a breakthrough, something that would doubtless have shocked the corporate corridor in Nigeria. Alas, that seems like a straw dream now.

Nevertheless, whether Haske’s youthful exuberance and arrogance are indeed the factors responsible for his loss to the other overlords, time will eventually tell. Right now, things are still under wraps for the most part. But that cannot be the state of things for longer.