News
PH Refinery May Resume Operation, July …As NNPC Releases 1.1bn Litres Of Fuel To Public
Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly voting yesterday to approve a N10bn loan from Zenith Bank Plc for the State Governor to undertake developmental projects in the state.
The Group Managing Director (GMD), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Joseph Dawha, yesterday said the Port Harcourt Refinery might resume operation by July.
Dawha said this while addressing newsmen after a tour of some filling stations in Abuja with some top management staff of the corporation.
“When the refinery comes up stream in late June or early July we expect that it will run at least 80 per cent installed capacity.
“It will give us a contribution of about five million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) on a daily basis.”
Dawha said the ongoing Turn Around Maintenance(TAM) of the refineries was a conscious effort to ensure that they were all running.
“If the refineries were not in depth or in good state to process crude for maximum gain there was no need of sending crude to such refineries for processing.
“What we do is to fix them so that we can get the real value for products.
“We are satisfied with the level of work carried out so far at the Port Harcourt Refinery so that if we start processing crude now we will get value for the refined products.
“So there will not be distraction as it will be, if refineries were operating properly.”
The GMD also decried the spate of vandalism of the pipeline in the country, stressing that the NNPC was working hard to put in place mechanism to minimise the menace.
He described the situation as “a very serious matter”, noting that NNPC could not use the pipeline network supply because of vandalism.
“If you send products through the vandalised pipeline then you lose the product.
“We cannot live it that way; we have to repair them but as you do that, it is vandalised again. It is a very serious matter.
“We are left with the option of trucking which involves a lot of logistics to succeed.”
The Managing Director of the Pipeline Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Prince Haruna Momoh, condemned the recent vandalised system 2B pipeline of the NNPC in Lagos.
According to him, the system 2B pipeline in Ije Ododo in Lagos is the most vandalised structure.
He said that already the situation had been controlled and repair of the pipeline would soon begin.
“As at today, the NNPC imports 50 per cent of the petroleum products into the country as part of the 40 million litres daily consumption by Nigerians.
“The corporation will continue to intensify its efforts to wet the country with products from its coastal depots to inland depots.”
He said the NNPC was ready to work with all the relevant stakeholders in the downstream sector of the Oil and Gas Industry to end the lingering fuel scarcity.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said yesterday that it had 1.1 billion litres of petrol in stock to ease the current fuel scarcity nationwide.
The NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr Joseph Dawha, made the disclosure in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the petrol supply situation.
“As today, (Thursday), June 11, 2015, PPMC/PPMC has Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) stock level of 1.1 billion litres, representing 27 days sufficiency.
“This stock is excluding volumes with firmed delivery Laycans (dates) within the next couple of days.
“With this level of stock, we have intensified our vessels and trucking operations to ensure that PMS is available at our inland depots and retail outlets nationwide,” he said.
According to him, NNPC, through its subsidiary, NNPC Retail Ltd., has embarked on massive PMS lifting to its mega and affiliate stations in Abuja and across the nation.
“In the last five days, we have brought into Abuja 428 trucks of PMS, averaging 85 trucks daily to address the PMS requirement in Abuja and its immediate environs,” he said.
Dawha said that NNPC/PPMC was committed to ending the fuel queues in Abuja and across the states by the weekend in collaboration with the major marketers and other stakeholders.
“Evidence has begun to emerge in the last two days as most of our stations are wet and the severity of the queues has started to reduce,’’ the NNPC chief said.
He said that this was sequel to the Federal Government’s meeting with the oil marketers and other stakeholders on June 5.
“We have taken steps, as supplier of last resort, to improve availability of PMS in the country and ensure its effective distribution nationwide.
“The supply and distribution efforts must be sustained with the support and cooperation of our stakeholders in the downstream and government agencies, such as police, army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC).
“We are optimistic that we can put this ugly experience behind us,” he said.
Dawha appealed to the public not to engage in panic buying, hoarding or patronising the black market operators.
He also urged all major and independent marketers, Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association (DAPPMA) and other stakeholders to deliver their PMS allocation as given by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency.
The NNPC chief said that this would further assist in stabilising the system.
He also reminded them of the commitment made during the stakeholders’ meeting at the Ministry of Petroleum to deliver the agreed number of trucks to Abuja daily.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the nomination of four new members to the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement yesterday, said the appointment is to fill existing vacancies and strengthen the board’s capacity.
The statement said the approved nominees are Mr. Olusegun Omosehin of the National Insurance Commission and Engr. Wole Ogunsanya of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria.
Tinubu also endorsed the nomination of Sam Onyechi, who represents the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum and Barrister Owei Oyanbo from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The President encouraged the new members to leverage their expertise and dedication to enhance local content development within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
It added, “The nominations arose from the exit of previous institutional representatives from the Governing Council.
“The NCDMB Governing Council, established under Section 69 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010, comprises representatives from key institutions.
“These include the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum, and the National Insurance Commission.”
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has announced plans to construct additional hostels, rehabilitate roads, and enhance power supply in the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this during a visit to the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday by a delegation from the UNIPORT’s Governing Council.
Ogbuku stated that the NDDC had committed to upgrading facilities at UNIPORT as part of efforts to foster partnership with educational institutions across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the implementation of additional projects at the university forms part of a broader strategy to improve education standards in the region.
“Aside from the construction of new hostel blocks and installation of a 300 KVA solar inverter system, the NDDC will also facilitate more projects in the university.
“The commission will also deploy its engineers to assess the condition of UNIPORT’s roads and hostels for potential rehabilitation,” he said.
Ogbuku noted that upon completion, the projects would add to various initiatives previously undertaken by the commission at the university.
“These and other projects reflect our commitment to actualising President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Niger Delta region,” he added.
He reaffirmed the NDDC’s dedication to fostering development and strengthening partnerships across the region.
Earlier, Sen. Mao Ohuanbunwa, Chairman of UNIPORT’s Governing Council, who led the delegation commended the current leadership of the NDDC for its achievements in accelerating development in the Niger Delta.
He highlighted the university’s infrastructural challenges, noting that it lacked adequate facilities to accommodate its growing student population, and appealed for the NDDC’s support in addressing the shortfall.
“Currently, UNIPORT has a total student population of about 50,000, while its hostel accommodation capacity can only cater for 5,000 students.
“We therefore urge the NDDC to assist in the construction of additional hostels, improve transportation facilities, and facilitate the acquisition of gas turbines to enhance power supply for our students,” Ohuanbunwa pleaded.
The Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, commended NDDC for its impactful projects across the Niger Delta and extended an invitation to the commission to participate in the institution’s forthcoming 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Senate has rejected a motion to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after the former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, late Prof Humphrey Nwosu.
Nwosu presided over the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was truncated by the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
The election which was won by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, was adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the electoral history of Nigeria.
The motion to rename INEC after Nwosu was re-sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe yesterday after lawmakers threw it out last Wednesday.
Abaribe called for posthumous national honours to be conferred on Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
However, the proposal sparked a heated debate once again, with lawmakers deeply divided over Nwosu’s legacy.
Senator Osita Ngwu acknowledged that Nwosu operated under a military regime, which restricted his ability to announce the results.
He argued that “there was no way he would have announced the results with a gun to his head. That doesn’t change the fact that some of us see him as a hero.”
Senator Austin Akobundu, however, described it as most uncharitable for lawmakers to dismiss Nwosu’s contributions, insisting that he deserved a place in Nigeria’s hall of honour.
On the other hand, several senators like Senator Jimoh Ibrahim dismissed the idea outright, questioning why the Senate should honour someone who failed to announce the results insisting that “nothing should be named after him”.
Senator Cyril Fasuyi argued that history does not reward efforts, but only results.
“As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him,” he submitted.
Also, Senator Sunday Karimi criticised Nwosu for lacking the courage to speak out, while Senator Afolabi Salisu warned that immortalising him would undermine the memory of MKO Abiola, the widely accepted winner of the June 12, 1993, annulled election.
“Any attempt to do anything beyond a one-minute silence is to rubbish Abiola’s legacy,” he tendered.
After intense deliberation, most senators rejected the motion through a voice vote.
They, however, agreed to honour him with a one-minute silence and extend condolences to his family, effectively dismissing the other prayers to immortalise Nwosu.