Petroleum

Abuja, March 12, 2024: The Association of Nigerian Refineries Petroleum Marketers on Monday appointed Mr Ikechukwu Chukwu, as its National Task Force Coordinator 1 and Mr Innocent Ogu as secretary.

Mr Usman Ali, Chairman, Board of Trustees of the association, announced the appointments at a news conference in Abuja.

He said the appointments would boost efforts to eliminate irregularities in the petroleum industry, and reposition the association to offer stronger support to Nigeria’s petroleum sector.

“This is to foster stronger support for the present administration and to see more economic growth through elimination of bunkering, exploitation, hoarding, sharp practices, artificial scarcity and adulteration of products,” he said.

Ali urged the new appointees to swing into action immediately to ensure that the mandate of the association was achieved.

He said the association had the mandate to prosecute any defaulters, and that towards this end, it was collaborating with relevant security agencies in the country.

Ali said plans were underway to organise a stakeholders meeting scheduled for March 23 in Abuja.

He said the event would serve as a platform where State Task Force Coordinators and other important officers would be appointed.

He pledged the association’s commitment to promoting the welfare and interest of its members operating petrol stations.

He urged the newly appointed officials to promote peace, unity and good relations among members of the association.

Ali also reminded them of the need to assist one another, especially in the area of capacity building to ensure that members were gainfully employed.

He emphasised the need to mobilise members of the association to import petroleum products, to build modular refineries, filling stations, gas plants, renewable/alternative energy products and consumer shops.

This, he said, would meet the increasing demand of goods and services and price stability.

In his acceptance speech, Chukwu commended members of the association for the trust reposed in him and promised not to disappoint them.

Similarly, Ogu pledged to relate with other stakeholders to ensure the mandate of the association was achieved.

The association’s objectives include ensuring availability, easy access and even supply of unadulterated kerosene, cooking gas and fuel to members and non-members at reasonable and affordable prices.

The association also aims at eliminating bunkering, exploitation, hoarding, dubious middlemen, sharp business practices, artificial scarcity and adulteration of fuel products in the chain of distribution, while offering effective services.

Abuja, Feb. 19, 2024: The convener of the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) says it is targeting collaboration among stakeholders for energy sustainability.

James Shindi, Chief Executive, Brevity Anderson, consultants to NIES, said to actualise this objective, the NIES 2024 summit, the seventh in the series, would feature a new session tagged the Nigerian Petroleum Producers’ Forum.

Shindin said in a statement on Sunday that the summit would be a platform for industry leaders to address critical challenges and opportunities facing independent energy producers.

He said it would also be an opportunity to share insights and perspectives on navigating the evolving energy landscape.

He said the session had its sub-theme as “Innovation, Collaboration, and Resilience: Empowering Independent Producers in the Dynamic Energy Era.”

He said this innovative platform would empower independent producers and foster a resilient energy landscape for sustainable growth.

Shindi said the session would address the current challenges faced by independent energy producers, actionable strategies to promote innovation, collaboration and resilience among independent producers.

He said it would also explore innovative approaches to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of energy producers.

He added that it would highlight the importance of collaboration among stakeholders for mutual benefit and identify policy interventions to support independent producers in navigating the dynamic energy era.

According to him, it will make practical inputs for policymakers to formulate supportive policies and regulations for the independent energy sector; sharing best practices and success stories from different regions.

The event will feature many speakers including Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) as keynote speaker and Mr Osagie Okunbor, Country Chair/CEO of Shell Companies in Nigeria/Chairman of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS).

Others are: Mr Gbenga Komolafe, Commission Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group /Waltersmith Group, Mr Abdulrazaq Isa, who will deliver the opening keynote speech.

Abuja, Nov. 19, 2023: The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTDs) have threatened to exit its umbrella body the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), if its President Williams Akporeha and General-Secretary, Afoloabi Olawale did not resign.

Mr Gbenga Olawale, an Ex-Officio of the PTD from Ibadan depot, said in a statement on Sunday that their members would begin a nationwide protest to press home their demand.

The statement directed PTD members across the country to move with leaves in front of their trucks to serve as a warning to NUPENG and police against interference and incessant harassment of their leaders.

According to Olawale, Williams is not a member of NUPENG and as such lacks the competence to lead the union.

He alleged that Williams was drafted into petrol station workers of NUPENG (PSW) to enable him to contest election as NUPENG president which according to them was a departure from the NUPENG constitution.

“Williams is not a worker or a pump attendant on record as at the time he was verifying for the president position,” the statement said.

Olawale further alleged that Williams planted his surrogates to collect all revenue of the union which were not used for the development of the union and tanker drivers.

He called for a fresh election as members of the PTD have decided to stand with Lucky Osusan and Dayyab Garaga to be the new NUPENG President and General-Secretary respectively.

Olawale added that they decided to support Osusan and Garaga because they have sacrificed so much to ensure that their members were free from all kinds of extortion.

Abuja, Oct.13, 2023: The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in compliance with provisions of Section 71 (1) – (10) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 has granted a Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) to TGS-PetroData Offshore Services Limited (TGS-PD).

The PEL is the first under the PIA 2021 and is under the licence agreement which the Commission and TGS-PD executed for a Geophysical Survey Project for the acquisition of about 56,000 square kilometres of 3D seismic and gravity data.

Mr Gbenga Komolafe, Commission Chief Executive, NUPRC in a statement on Thursday said the development was another milestone in the smooth implementation of the PIA for the attraction of investment in the oil and gas sector.

“Without data, reserves cannot be auctioned for development and revenue attraction. “Data acquired under the PEL is not proprietary but speculative/multi-client survey data acquired in partnership with the NUPRC.

“The licence therefore authorises TGS-PetroData Offshore to carry out non-exclusive Petroleum Exploration Operations on a multi-client basis within the licensed area and permits the use of the acquired 3D seismic and gravity data by exploration companies.

“Due to the specialised nature of the Geophysical Survey Vessel to be used for the acquisition of the 3D seismic and gravity data, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board granted no objection to TGS-PD to deploy the facility,” he said.

He said the acquisition of the 3D seismic and gravity data commenced on July 17, 2023, and the processed data would be available for use by mid-2024.

He included the scope of the Geophysical Survey Project as Phase one acquisition of about 11,900 sq. km of new 3D seismic and gravity data in water depth ranging from 30m to 4000m offshore Niger Delta.

According to him, acquiring seismic and gravity data at the same time will improve the correlation of identified structures and reservoirs.

“Record length of 14 seconds. This is the first of its kind in Nigeria. This will image deeper reservoirs that have not been imaged offshore Niger Delta before now.

“The acquired seismic and gravity data will be processed using the latest TGS proprietary technology. The acquired data will be licensed to exploration companies,” he said.

The CCE however listed the benefits that Nigeria would derive from the new 3D seismic and gravity data acquisition to include availability of new regional 3D seismic and gravity data in deep waters ranging from 30m to 4000m offshore Niger Delta.

He said the Commission had the sole right and title over the acquired raw and interpreted data to be obtained by the licensee (TGS-PD) under a petroleum exploration licence.  Therefore, the 3D seismic and gravity data belongs to the Nigerian Government.

“Based on section 71(7) of the PIA, the Commission and Federal Government of Nigeria shall benefit from the revenue that will be generated from the data use licence that will be granted to interested exploration companies by TGS-PD.

“The new 3D seismic and gravity data being acquired will further provide an opportunity for understanding the regional petroleum system of the ultra-deep waters of Nigeria and unlock the hydrocarbon prospectivity of Nigeria’s frontier basins (Ultra-deep offshore).

“The 3D seismic and gravity data when acquired will be useful in future deep water licencing rounds which will attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) into oil and gas exploration in Nigeria,” he said.

Abuja, Oct. 10, 2023: The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has begun consultation with stakeholders prior to finalising seven more petroleum draft regulations, in compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA 2021).

Mr Gbenga Komolafe, the Commission’s Chief Executive, said this at the 4th Phase of its Consultation Forum with Stakeholders on regulations development, as mandated by Section 216 (4)(g) of the PIA, on Thursday in Abuja.

The regulations include Draft Upstream Commercial Operations Regulations, Upstream Petroleum Code of Conduct and Compliance

Regulations as well as Upstream Petroleum Development Contract Regulations.

Others are: Upstream Revocation of Licences and Lease Regulations, Petroleum Assignment of Interest Regulations, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum (Administrative Harmonisation) Regulations and Amendment to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Host Communities Development Regulations 2022.

Komolafe, represented by Dr Kelechi Ofoegbu, Executive Commissioner, Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning, NUPRC, said the regulations were significant in line with recent happenings in the industry and that it formed part of the framework of key regulatory tools for PIA implementation.

“This phase of public hearings on the making of regulations for the upstream is divided into two segments.

“The first segment will run from Oct. 9 to Oct. 13, while the second segment will start from Nov. 8 to Nov. 10,” he said.

He said the Draft Upstream Commercial Operations Regulations 2023 proposed to establish commercial operations framework on the procedure and process for evaluation and approval of Field Development Plans and annual work programme and budget approvals.

“Upstream Petroleum Development Contract Administration Regulations prescribed the framework for the regulatory administration of petroleum development contracts joint development Agreements and Production sharing agreements (Service Agreements) relating to upstream petroleum operations.

“Upstream Revocation of Licences and Lease Regulations propose to set out the framework for implementing the Revocation Provisions of the Act and for dealing with post revocation issues in a systematic manner.

“Draft Petroleum Assignment of Interest Regulations 2023 propose to elevate the provisions of the existing guidelines on divestment of interest to a regulation and by so doing, improving the rules to reflect current realities,” Komolafe explained.

He also listed the relevance of the draft regulations, which the second segment would consider.

Komolafe described the Draft Upstream Petroleum Code of Conduct and Compliance Regulations 2023 as a novel regulation aimed at ensuring commitment by licensees, lessee and permit holders to maintain high ethical standard in the conduct of upstream petroleum operations.

“The Draft Nigerian Upstream Petroleum (Administrative Harmonisation) Regulations 2023 seeks to provide regulatory clarity on the implementation of the dual regulatory regime in the upstream occasioned by the preservation of licences and leases.

“Draft Amendment to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Host Communities Development Regulations 2022 seeks to introduce certain amendments to the existing regulation on the implementation of the host community regime.

“This will further ease the administrative process and provide regulatory clarity to the challenges that the implementation of the regime has thrown up in the last one year since the initial regulation was established,” he said.

He reiterated that the process of formulating the above regulations had been a rigorous and strenuous exercise.

He added that they were products of critical thinking and the evaluation and process was incomplete until the stakeholders’ critical inputs were obtained, discussed, and incorporated.

Recall that PIA 2021 empowers the Commission to make regulations which will give meaning and intent to the spirit of the PIA.

Consequently, Komolafe said in fulfilment of this mandate, the commission swung into action with the drafting of regulations of which 12 regulations have been successfully gazetted into law and published to date between June 2022 and July 2023.

According to the CCE, the gazetting of these regulations demonstrated the Commission’s commitment towards providing a business enabling environment in the Nigerian Upstream Oil and Gas industry space.

Earlier, in a remark, Mr Kingston Chikwendu, Head, Compliance and Enforcement, NUPRC, said the PIA had seen accelerated implementation on the side of the upstream sector and part of the process was anchored on developing framework for regulations.

“We have been able to issue 12 regulations out of 26 priority regulations identified by the Presidential Implementation Committee of the PIA.

“We are here to consider more regulations which will be forwarded to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for approval,” he said.

The event was attended by the NUPRC executive commissioners, officials from Oil Producers Trade Section of the Lagos Chambers of Commerce, Independent Petroleum Producers Association and Indigenous Operators among others.

Port Harcourt, Sept. 1, 2023: Petroleum Products Retail Association of Nigeria (PETRON) said it will continue to ensure an uncompromised process in the distribution of petroleum products in retail outlets.

Mr Francis Dimkpa, Chairman, Rivers Chapter of the body gave the assurance on Friday in Port Harcourt while reacting to a trending video showing pump attendants caught in an act of cheating.

He said that as part of efforts to unravel the perpetrators in the viral video, the union had set up a surveillance team in collaboration with the Rivers State Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.

“Upon conclusion on investigation, it was gathered that the entire scenario was actually a deliberate action by two pump attendants in one of the Oando outlets newly acquired by NNPC (not an NNPC Mega Station) in Port Harcourt.

“The alleged pump attendants had resorted to cheating both management and customers of the station by shortchanging them,” he said.

Dimkpa also noted that the management of alleged station have relieved the culprits of their jobs.

“Henceforth, we have mandated our team to increase survivance, focusing more on the activities of pump attendants because we cannot afford to allow some greedy staff continue to cheat our customers and even our stations.

“We are so far, satisfied with efforts to the state government through the commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources and the Nigerian Police for their prompt interventions.

“We also want to assure the public the dealer in the alleged fuel station had no hand in all of the anomalies especially seeing that the culprits have since been dismissed by the station’s management,” he said.

Meanwhile, a staff in the alleged NNPC outlet who pleaded anonymity had denied the allegation attributing d anomaly to faulty pump norsle on the dispense metres, she however, confirmed dismissal of indicated staff.

Some customers have called for more stringent penalties for retail stations contravening stipulated operational guidelines.

Abuja, Aug. 20, 2023: Mr Gabriel Aduda, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources has signed Performance Contracts (PC) with the ministry’s directors.

The contract is aimed at enhancing accountability and advancement.

Aduda, in a statement, on Saturday, signed by Mr Chris Ugwuegbulam, Assistant Director (Information) of the ministry urged the directors to diligently fulfil their obligations under the contract.

This step advances the implementation of the Performance Management System (PMS) within the ministry.

The PC is a formal agreement outlining responsibilities and targets between the supervisor and supervisee.

Its purpose is to enhance career advancement, accountability, results, and a performance-oriented culture within the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

The permanent secretary emphasised that the process would establish a framework for effective performance reporting, feedback, monitoring and evaluation of departmental expectations and deliverables.

He encouraged the directors to extend the approach to their divisional heads and individual staff for heightened accountability and improved service delivery.

Aduda also highlighted the ministry’s ongoing efforts to fully digitise and automate work processes, reducing paperwork and enhancing workflow, as outlined in the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan FCSSIP 2021-2025.

Mrs Adaji Shehu, Director of Human Resources Management of the ministry, expressed gratitude to the Permanent Secretary for his commitment to institutionalising the New Performance Management System in the Ministry.

The signing ceremony had witnesses from the Ministry’s Performance Management System Champions and other staff.