Kyari lauds outgoing NETCO MD for contribution to oil, gas sector

Mr Johnson Awoyomi, outgoing Managing Director, National Engineering and Technical Company flanked by his wife, Nike and Mr Simbi Wabote, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board during his book launch on Saturday in Lagos.

By Solomon Asowata

Malam Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd. has lauded Mr Johnson Awoyomi, outgoing Managing Director of the National Engineering and Technical Company (NETCO).

Kyari who spoke at Awoyomi's birthday, book launch and retirement party on Saturday in Lagos, commended him for his contribution to the development of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

The three books authored by Awoyomi are : The Cost of Fuel Scarcity in Nigeria  and Maximising Government Net Revenue in the Oil, Gas and Energy Sector- Cost Engineering Perspectives.

It also include Cost Engineering and Cost Control of Medium to Large Capital Projects.

The NNPC boss noted that the books were very vital to operators in the industry as it provides solutions to some of the current challenges in the oil and gas sector.

He noted that the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) had transformed NNPC and its subsidiaries including NETCO into commercial entities that must deliver dividends to its shareholders.

Kyari said cost optimisation was very key in driving profitablity of NNPC , adding that the book would serve as a manual in sustaining the achievements made so far by the company.

On the current situation of Premium Motor Spirit in the country, he said the imported off-spec products have been contained while loading and distribution to filling stations was ongoing.

He said Awoyomi was a veteran of the "NNPC Fuel War Room" having served the nation on numerous occasions in addressing fuel scarcity and eliminating queues at the retail outlets.

Also, Mr Billy Okoye, Group Executive Director, Ventures, NNPC Ltd., said the need for significant cost management could not be overemphasised.

Okoye said the book on cost optimisation was a practitioners manual in managing project cost, cost control, investment appraisal as well as risk analysis.

He added that it was also useful to others outside the industry, especially real estate developers and people with interest in project management.

On his part, Awoyomi who joined NNPC on Nov. 17, 1992 said the books were based on his over 30 years experience in the oil and gas sector.

Awoyomi said: "It is important to put our experiences into perspective for generations unborn to learn.

"It is a privilege to have served this nation and I thank God for His mercies on my life."

Substandard petrol: IPMAN directs members to compile inventory of affected customers

Motorists on queue to buy fuel at a petrol station in Lagos.

By Solomon Asowata

Lagos, Feb. 10, 2022 (NAN) The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has directed its members to compile an inventory of customers’ cars affected by the recent dispensing of substandard Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in their retail outlets.

IPMAN’s National President, Mr Chinedu Okoronkwo, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

NAN reports that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) had confirmed that four cargos of PMS imported into the country were discovered to contain methanol above the specified volume.

The authority had thereafter withdraw the affected product from the market and set up technical and commercial teams to address the challenges posed by the development.

Okoronkwo noted that some IPMAN members had received complaints from their customers regarding dispensing of the substandard petrol into their vehicles.

“In our Central Working Committee meeting yesterday, we agreed that members should take inventories of customers’ vehicles affected by the adulterated fuel.

“The list will be sent to the government because there is need to compensate those vehicle owners affected by the situation.

“We will be scrutinising all claims to ensure that some unscrupulous persons don’t take advantage of the situation.

 

“The marketers have their sales records and all claims will be thoroughly investigated just like we have in insurance,” he said.

 

According to him, the purpose of the inventory is to know the extent of damage and how the owner of the vehicle will be compensated.

 

On the fuel situation, Okoronkwo said the scarcity would soon end based on the assurances of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd and the NMDPRA.

He noted that the withdrawal of the affected products disrupted the supply chain which led to panic buying by Nigerians, particularly in Lagos and Abuja.

Meanwhile, a NAN correspondent who monitored the fuel situation at Oshodi, Igando, Ikeja and Abule Egba areas of Lagos State on Thursday observed that many filling stations were still not selling petrol.

Long queues were seen at the few stations selling with both private and commercial motorists  complaining about the situation.

 

A commercial bus driver who gave his name as Akin, said he spent over an hour before he could fill up his vehicle on Wednesday night.

 

“This thing is becoming frustrating for us as drivers because we cannot increase our fares despite the stress and time it takes for us to buy fuel.

 

“The government needs to look into the situation, he added.

 

Another motorist, Mr Jones Awe, said he had not taken his vehicle to work this week because of the fuel situation.

 

“I work on the Island and I normally use my vehicle but I have not been able to get fuel so I am using commercial transport for now until the issue is resolved,” he said.

 

NAN reports that the NMDPRA had assured Nigerians that there was no need for panic buying because the country had 20 days sufficiency of PMS.

 

Mr Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive, NMDPRA, who gave the assurance after inspecting some depots in Apapa and Ijegun-Egba, Lagos State on Wednesday, had said loading activities were going on seamlessly.

 

He had expressed optimism that the market would soon be wet with petroleum products which would restore normalcy across the country. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Petrol scarcity: We’ll restore normalcy in Abuja, others in 3 days – NMDPRA

(L-R ) Mr Adeyemi Adetunji, Group Executive Director, Downstream, NNPC Ltd., Mr Adetunji Oyebanji, Managing Director, 11 Plc and Mr Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive, NMDPRA during the agency’s visit to the 11 Plc depot on Wednesday in Lagos.

By Solomon Asowata

Lagos, Feb. 9, 2022 (NAN)The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says normalcy will be restored to petrol stations in Abuja and other areas in about three days following the resumption of loading in Lagos depots.

Mr Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive, NMDPRA, made this known when he visited some petroleum products depots in Apapa and Ijegun-Egba areas of Lagos State on Wednesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the depots visited by Ahmed who was accompanied by Mr Adeyemi Adetunji, Group Executive Director, Downstream, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd., included 11 Plc, NIPCO, A.A. Rano and Emadeb.

Ahmed said the scarcity was caused by the stoppage of loading for some days when a vessel of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) imported into the country was discovered to contain methanol above the specified volume.

He said the technical team comprising stakeholders in the downstream sector had been able to identify, isolate and quarantine the limited amount of PMS affected by the methanol volume that was discovered.

Ahmed said: “We have gone round some of the depots in Apapa and Ijegun-Egba and they are loading.

“These products that are being loaded have been tested and are being distributed to Lagos and other Northern parts of the country.

“There is a vessel that just arrived with 39,000 MT, which would be distributed to the major marketers here in Apapa.

“Once they start loading, Lagos will be cleared in a day or two but trucking from here to Abuja and other areas will take two to three days.”

He noted that the incident had taught the authority a lesson on the need for extra due diligence in carrying out its regulatory activities.

“I will not make any excuses. The fact is that there were mistakes made because we received product that was off specification even though there was a surveyor that actually went on board and took sample.

“Because this parameter was not indicated, they didn’t capture that parameter.

“So it was a mistake but now going forward, obviously we have to balance all these parameters and components of imported products not only PMS but other petroleum products.

“The component that was in excess was methanol and the fuel was not toxic or something that can destroy the environment but it was a matter of how it affects machineries and vehicles,” said Ahmed.

He said the withdrawn products would be re-blended to ensure it met the country’s specification.

According to him, it will be tested to ensure it is of good quality and recertified before it is redistributed into the market. (NAN)

NUPRC, others embark on joint investigation visit to FPSO Trinity Spirit

By Solomon Asowata

Lagos, Feb. 5, 2022 (NAN) The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and other relevant stakeholders have embarked on a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility which exploded on Wednesday.

The NUPRC confirmed the development in a statement issued on Saturday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Trinity Spirit FPSO located at Ukpokiti field (OML 108) in Delta State exploded leading to a fire incident on the vessel.

Providing an update, the commission said the fire had been successfully extinguished.

It said: “The commission will commence JIV with relevant stakeholders immediately in line with our regulatory oversight function for upstream operations.

“The commission will further deploy its incident management strategy while also ensuring that the removal of the FPSO is carried out professionally to prevent an escalation of the incident.

“The commission will continue to ensure that all safety and environmental measures are strictly adhered to in the management of the incident.”

Also in a statement, the Management of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Ltd. (SEPCOL), which owns the FPSO, confirmed that the JIV with relevant stakeholders and experts had been scheduled for Feb. 5.

The statement was signed by Mr Ikemefuna Okafor, the Chief Executive Officer, SEPCOL (In receivership).

Okafor had disclosed that that there was still no reported fatalities from the incident.

He said the company would continue prioritising investigations with respect to establishing the whereabouts, safety, and security of the 10 crew members who were on board the vessel prior to the incident.

Okafor lauded the assistance provided by the Clean Nigeria Associates, the Chevron team, government agencies and the people of the community, particularly the fishermen since the incident occurred. (NAN)

NMDPRA seeks upgrade of petroleum products storage facilities in Apapa jetty

(L-R) Mr Adeyemi Adetunji, Group Executive Director, Downstream, NNPC Ltd., Mr Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and Mr Olumide Adeosun, Chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) during Ahmed’s inspection visit to Apapa Jetty in Lagos on Thursday.

By Solomon Asowata

Lagos, Feb. 3, 2022 (NAN) Mr Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has called for the upgrade of petroleum products storage facilities in Apapa Jetty, Lagos.

Ahmed said this would help enhance safety and smooth distribution of petroleum products across the country.

He made the call on Thursday after an inspection visit to some facilities operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. and the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN).

Ahmed, who was accompanied by Mr Adeyemi Adetunji, Group Executive Director, Downstream, NNPC, inspected the storage facilities of Ardova Plc, TotalEnergies and OVH Energy Marketing Company.

Ahmed noted that Lagos was one of the key areas through which Nigeria receives imports of petroleum products.

According to him, Apapa is also one of the major facilities for offloading of vessels and also trucking out petroleum products to other parts of the country.

He said: “This visit is in line with our oversight responsibility to see the reality on ground.

“There have been a lot of complaints about facilities being dilapidated and need some upgrade for efficient delivery of petroleum products.

“There is a lot of work to be done to upgrade these facilities. We went round some of the marketers facilities and we saw that most of them have not been upgraded in 20 to 25 years.

“We also saw that some marketers are upgrading their facilities and there are a lot of expansion projects going on in terms of storage facilities for petroleum products and Liquefied Petroleum Gas, as well as, truck out facilities.

“So, it is very good to see the upgrade in those areas but generally speaking, the jetty need a lot of work to be done in order to meet up with the new safety requirements.”

Ahmed said the authority would be having quarterly meetings with the marketers to review areas of concern that requires improvement.

On his part, Mr Clement Isong, Executive Secretary, MOMAN, thanked Ahmed for visiting the facilities to gather first hand information on the challenges facing the marketers.

He said: “This is the sort of regulator we have been looking for.

“The one that supports us, that supports our business, works with us, feels our pain and does what he can do to help us.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

FG pays petrol bridging claims of N22.7bn to transporters – NMDPRA

By Solomon Asowata

Lagos, Feb. 2, 2022 (NAN) The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says the Federal Government has paid bridging claims amounting to N22.7 billion to transporters of petroleum products.

The Chief Executive Officer, NMDPRA, Mr Farouk Ahmed, made this known during an interactive session with downstream industry stakeholders on Wednesday in Lagos.

Ahmed added that the government would pay another N30 billion to the transporters before the end of this week to ensure the smooth distribution of petroleum products across the country.

The session had in attendance top officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd., the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria.

He said: “Another area of concern is the transporters and payment of their bridging funds.

“Since the last meeting in December, we have paid about N12.7 billion to the transporters and on Jan. 24, we paid another N10 billion.

“This week, we are paying another N30 billion to transporters in a bid to give them respite because of the difficulties they are facing with the economic realities.”

He attributed the delay in the payment of the bridging funds, which was paid for transporting petroleum products by road to long distances, to verification of the claims of the transporters by the agency.

“We had to do our due diligence to reconcile before we make the payment.

“The reconciliation is still ongoing and the more we collect, the more we pay, in order to catch up with the backlog we inherited,” Ahmed said.

On the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, he said, regulations were being put in place by the Presidential Steering Committee chaired by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.

Ahmed noted that out of about 38 regulations that relate to the NMDPRA, the authority had received about eight draft regulations forwarded for review.

He said: “The intention is to review these regulations and invite all the stakeholders to get input because we do not intend to do this alone.

” We need to invite stakeholders to review the regulations before they are put in place because the PIA is here to stay.”

Also,  Mr Adeyemi Adetunji, Group Executive Director, Downstream, NNPC Ltd., said that NNPC would play its role as an energy supplier of last resort for the country.

Adetunji said: “We will continue to ensure that all petroleum products are available.

“Thankfully, we went through the last festive season (Christmas/ New Year) with zero queues in the country.

“So, we thank all the stakeholders in the industry, we thank Nigerians for ensuring that they were able to access petroleum products at all retail stations and outlets.

“NNPC will continue to put in place and supply the market with adequate petroleum products even as we are now NNPC Ltd., a fully commercial company governed by both the PIA and Companies and Allied Matters Act.”

He said the company would continue to subscribe to the highest standards of all the regulations in the industry and collaborate with stakeholders.

Adeyemi said this was to ensure that Nigerians have adequate and quality flow of petroleum products at all times.

On his part, Mr Olumide Adeosun, Chairman, MOMAN, said a lot of the key issues tabled by the marketers had been addressed.

Adeosun said: “Some are yet to be addressed and some are work in progress.

“A case in point over work in progress is the plan that we need to have in place post- announcement of the postponement of the subsidy removal with the PIA.” (NAN)

Reliable electricity supply will boost MSMEs – FGN Power boss, Anuwe

Training --- From Left: Mr. Cheidu Ugbo, MD/CEO Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Engr. Idowu Oyebanjo, Chief Technical Officer, FGN Power Company, Mallam Dahiru Moyi, Chief Commercial Officer, FGN Power Company, Sean Manley, Siemens Presidential Power Initiative Project Director, Hon. Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, Hon. Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed and Board Chairman, FGN Power Company, Kenny O. Anuwe, MD/CEO, FGN Power Company, Umar Waziri, Chief Financial Officer, FGN Power Company, Mr. Ahmed Bolaji Nagode, DG, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria, Oladayo Orolu, Head Business Development and Government Relations, Siemens Energy and Fabrice Yamgoue Hakoua, Senior Consultant and Trainer, Distribution Networks Planning, Siemens AG at the official kickoff of the first Network Development Studies training under the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) in Abuja, yesterday.

By Solomon Asowata

Lagos, Jan. 31, 2022 (NAN) The Managing Director, FGN Power Company, Mr Kenny Anuwe, says reliable electricity will boost economic activities and improve Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country.

A statement posted on Monday on the company’s website said Anuwe made the assertion at the inauguration of the first Power System Simulator (PSS) Software training session of the Power Technologies International.

Anuwe said the project was in line with the company’s mandate and the Federal Government’s Next Level agenda to resolve the existing bottlenecks in transmission and distribution networks aimed at increasing electricity access across Nigeria.

He said: “I am humbled to be a part of such a laudable project that will transform our power sector.

“It is important to stress that the benefits of constant and reliable electricity will boost economic activities; improve the lives of micro, small and medium enterprises across and deliver the much-needed power supply across the country.

“I want to assure you that we will do our best to deliver on this project to ensure greater success and sustainability.”

Anuwe commended the efforts of the Federal Government, the Ministry of Power, Ministry of Finance, and other stakeholders in providing reliable electricity to Nigerians. (NAN)