As National Tender Board chairman Abdilahi Hasan says 4R Security failed to satisfy the tendering process while castigating alleged NTB corrupt practices made by the American Firm terming them as bitterness based as British Firm ASSAYE Risks divulges that the OPU tendering process was fair and Transparent
By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – British security company Saladin Security will train Somaliland’s controversial new oil protection unit (OPU) at a cost of US$6 million.
This was disclosed by the chairman of the Somaliland National Tender Board-NTB Aden Abdilahi Hasan”Nugaal” during an exclusive interview with Somalilandsun at his Hargeisa offices where he also termed accusations of corrupt practices in the OPU tendering process by American Firm 4R as based on bitterness for failure to be awarded.
“Saladin Security won the OPU contract after satisfying the NTB and its committee of external stakeholders who were in attendance during the entire process” said Dugaal
The NTB had an external committee in assistance that was present during the entire OPU tendering process composed of the ministers of Interior, Energy, Defence, Foreign Affairs and Presidency as well as Assaye Risk a UK firm that drew the blueprint for the OPU and subsequent tender documents.
Similar sentiments were expressed by an Assaye Risk Director JMR Hopkins who revealed that the entire tendering evaluation process was undertaken in a fair and transparent manner thence the awardee was recognized devoid of corruption or external interference from any quarters whatsoever. See ASSAYE testimony below
4R which was one of the 6 firms that had responded to the BID damn the government of Somaliland that it accused of corruption and especially as pertained to the Saladin Security the $6m OPU training contract award the American security firm was unsuccessful in obtaining.
In a bulletin that smack of bitter bitterness a spokesman of 4R Mark Foreman accused the NTB and government of Somaliland for being 
corrupt thus leading to the failure of his company to win the OPU contract even after having, purportedly, full filled all requirements not to mention that being AMERICAN based they were the best option.
“We have worldwide expertise in similar actives undertaken for government’s, development organizations and private companies but because of the corrupt practices in Somaliland 4R lost out in the OPU contract bid. Watch 4R bitternes filled verbosity below
But according to Nugaal the NTB was not interested in the home origin of the bidders but their suitability and aptness in fulfilling the over $6m OPU contract that entails training, procurement and Evaluation of the specialist 420 member strong force that shall recruit for existing elements of the police and army.
OPU whose creation was legalized through presidential decree #JSL/M/XERM/249-2800/092014, issued by President Ahmed Mahmud Silanyo from the presidency in Hargeisa on the 27th Sept 2014Thence now a legal force under the overall command of the police commissioner and interior as line ministry with the mandate to secure and protect the oil exploration and extraction actives of international companies contracted by the government of Somaliland.
Citizens consulted by Somalilandsun are aghast with 4R for making baseless accusations since they were not backed with evidence but empty talk, more so Somalilanders are irked by 4R claim that its AMERICAN “ness” was enough reason to be considered and awarded.
‘While boasting that it had the best plan presented 4R never mentioned how it reached that opinion since it did not have access to those submitted by the other security firms most notably that of the winning Saladin and runners up Olive security” Says Younis Jama a journalist in Hargeisa upon wat5ching the 4R video.
On the issue of the 4R feelings for the citizens of Somaliland whose future Spokesperson Leonard termed gloomy, Journalist Younis visibly incensed by assertions that Somaliland citizens were in a sorry state and that the Americans are pursuing avenues of suing the Somaliland government said,
“As for our sorry state 4R is mistaken for we are content in what we have and have managed to single handedly attain while the American government is busy putting pressure on us to rejoin the union with Somalia but more so intent to sue a government you don’t recognize”
While the 4R bitterness induced accusations were shocking the most surprising was that of the UN that had warned that the OPU and subsequent oil activities in Sool region shall creat insecurity in the Horn region as per a report from its Eritrea and Somalia monitoring group which according to ASSAYE Risk was consulted at all stages of the blueprint for standing orders of the specialized oil protection unit.
“Assaye Risk engaged and consulted with all stakeholders and the UN monitoring group at all stages of its production of the OPU blueprint and subsequent tender documents’ informed Director JMR Hopkins of the London based security firm that is nurturing the birth, infancy and maturity of the specialized oil protection force.
Meanwhile a team of government officials composed of the interior minister Ali Mohamed Waran’ade and his energy colleague Eng Hussein Abdi Duale accompanied by Assaye Risk officials is in Dubai to brief Somaliland contracted international oil firms on the OPU development as a prelude to finalizing exploration activities and commencement of oil extraction latest by mid 2015.
