The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Gas

  • Time to prioritise gas in Nigeria, says NLNG chief

    Time to prioritise gas in Nigeria, says NLNG chief

    The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), Tony Attah, has said time has come for the country to use gas as catalyst for industrial and economic transformation and become a great gas producing country.

    Attah stated this when the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, paid a courtesy visit to the NLNG’s plant on Bonny Island, Rivers State. He said Nigeria urgently needs to unleash its vast gas potential, which currently is put at 187 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of proven reserves, 600 tcf of unproven reserves. The utilisation of the huge gas reserves will afford the opportunity for growth with NLNG Trains 7 and 8 and an increased supply capacity for one metric tons per annum (mtpa) of cooking gas to the domestic market.

    Attah said: “To promote gas sector investment as a catalyst for economic growth for Nigerian economy, it is necessary that affirmative actions are taken to create opportunities to attract international investments. Gas will continue to be an enabler of economic and industrial development and there is need to strategically reposition Nigeria’s gas sector for sustainable economic and industrial development.

    “In NLNG’s case, there was the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) Fiscal Incentives, Guarantees and Assurances Act (NLNG Act). The assurances and guarantees in the Act allowed investments to flow into the country. It provided investors the confidence that any agreement entered into would be respected and preserved. To amend the Act will not help Nigeria, NLNG and its hopes for expansion. It will erode investors’ confidence that the Act provided in the first place.

    “We need to be creative with incentives that will attract investments and preserve the sanctity of contracts and agreements for all of this to come together in our national interest.”

    Citing the Qatari example,  he said: “Today, oil and gas, and principally LNG is the foundation of Qatar’s economy; and account for more than 70 per cent of total government revenue, and more than 60 per cent of GDP, as well as roughly 85 per cent of export earnings. Qatar has LNG capacity of about 77 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), and generates revenue of about $91 billion per year. In Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) production, Qatar is third in the world with production capacity of about 400kbbl equivalent per day and revenue of about $16billion a year – all from GTL. Gas was the catalyst for transformation of a small emirate to a global economic powerhouse.”

  • ‘How to strengthen oil, gas industry’

    The Federal Government should reposition the oil and gas sector for growth by designing implemen-ting good policies, industry stakeholders have said.

    The stakeholders include the Chairman, Schlumberger in Africa, Mr. Sola Oyinlola, Head of Oil and Gas, Renaissance Capital, Ildar Davletshin and ExxonMobil Production Company President , Mr. Neil Duffin.

    The sector, according to them,  has suffered stunted growth due to problems of theft, pipeline vandalism and poor investments. The development, they said, has resulted in divestment of assets by International Oil Companies (IOCs) and  movement from onshore to offshore fields in order to survive.

    Oyinlola said the government can help solve the problems by providing a well articulated policy framework to guide operators in the industry. He said good policies were lacking in the sector, which also caused problems for the operators and the government.

    He said the laws and regulations guiding the industry were outdated and needed to be overhauled to encourage growth. He urged the Federal Government to implement policies that would spur growth in the sector.

    Oyinlola said: “The Muhammad Buhari led administration is trying to give direction to the sector by ensuring that operators play in line with the rules guiding the industry. We  are optimistic that the challenges in the industry would be tackled expeditiously to provide a new dynamic investment destination.”

    He said there were untapped opportunities in the sector despite the successes recorded by some of the operators. He then advised the government to formulate and implement policies that would enable operators maximise gains of investments and further achieve good profit margins.

    According to him, when good policies are in place, operators would execute projects, bring in new investors and spur the growth of the industry.

    Duffin said ExxonMobil was able to execute Erha North Phase II project because there were good policies in place. He said the project was a deepwater development located 60 miles offshore of Nigeria in 3,300 feet of water and four miles north of the Erha field.

    Duffin said: “Executing successful projects such as Erha North Phase 2 ahead of schedule and under budget results from ExxonMobil’s disciplined project management approach and expertise. It was as a result of a well implemented oil and gas policies. Based on this, we have been able to create additional shareholder value by optimising existing infrastructure, which reduces capital spending requirements and improves capital efficiency.”

    He said Erha North Phase II project has since 2006 delivered additional 165 million barrels of crude to Nigeria with a peak production of 65,000 barrels per day.

    Davletshin urged the government to use its mandate to implement the much-needed reforms in the oil and gas sector since the industry is the mainstay of the economy.

    “While it is unlikely that Nigeria will escape its dependence on the sector, there is clear potential for the country to strengthen its oil and gas industry and develop a more diversified and balanced economy, following the successful models of resource-rich countries such as Canada, Norway and Australia,” he said.

  • ‘People inhaled the gas and got choked to death’

    ‘People inhaled the gas and got choked to death’

    February 22 will for some time remain a sad day for community in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State. That day, a gas explosion rocked Evekwu and the effects are still being felt. It came from an oil facility. More than 10 people are feared dead. Some of the victims identified by their leaders include, Sarah Obisike, Omevem Ezinwo, Nkesi Wodu,  Kingsley Enyadike,  Samuel Amadi. James Nzokurum, Uche Ize, Faith Mannewe, Chidi Wekwa and a young lady (name not ascertained).

    When the incident first happened in the community, there were confusing reports on what the actual cause of the explosion was and how many casualties recorded. Some said it was only one person that died; others said no death was recorded.

    Rivers State Commissioner for Environment Prof. Roseline Konya visited the scene and was quoted as saying that nobody died in the gas explosion because the incident occurred in a forest.

    But the communities disagreed with her and noted that two days after the explosion, they discovered four death bodies inside the bush. They also argued that it was not only Evekwu community  that was affected by the exposition and that  many members of the community are still searching for their relatives who have been declared missing.

    The Chairman of Ikwerre Youth Movement (IYM) Emohua chapter, Sir Lucky Worluh, said he was disappointed when he heard that  Konya claimed nobody died.

    He said the inability of the owners of the exploded facility to show sympathy to the affected community and the families of the victims was a sign of enslavement and disregard for the pains and the suffering of the people.

    Worluh said: “Even a deaf and dumb can disappoint you if you think you can take him or her for granted. What we need now in the affected community is remediation and while that is going on, the companies should send relief materials to the people. God will not forgive those who are seeing white and calling it black. I don’t know what people intend to gain by conniving with oil companies to betray their community.

    “The companies and those who are telling them that nobody died in the explosion that has claimed many lives are only beating the drums of war. First, the companies should go there and assess the level of the damage. We want to know what kind of pipe that was buried on the ground, what quality and how long it has stayed there. The companies cannot allow the people to die after polluting their water and the environment. We are only watching, waiting for their next action because I know they will not take our love for peace as weakness.

    “When the incident happened, the affected community started running for safety; according to them, when they get to the next community the people in that area also ran away to the other village just like that. That was why we are recording more casualties because a lot of people jumped inside the river, pond and water –well. For those who said nobody died, the affected communities have continued to discover death bodies and many are still missing. We have a culture that those who died were buried in the forest; that is the custom of the area”

    Hon. Sam Oge, the lawmaker representing Emohua Constituency in Rivers State House of Assembly, said it was wrong and premature for anyone to give any report concerning the explosion when those investigating the cause of the incident are yet to present their report.

    He said he visited the scene and also interacted with the community and the companies but he was not in a position to inform the public if there was casualty or not from the incident.

    Oge said: “I visited the scene I also interacted with the community and the companies involved. But outside the requests being made by the community, what I was interested in is the impact assessment and I was meant to understand that there was investigation going on by the agencies that are saddled with such responsibility. Some agencies, including the Ministry of Environment, visited the community. They are supposed to turn in their report as to demonstrate what happened. Of course, I am not aware if the report is ready or not but the companies told me that as soon as the final report of the investigation is out, they will inform me but until now nobody has informed me of anything.”

    On whether there was casualty or not, the lawmaker said: “For me, whatever comment anybody made at that stage was preposterous and premature. In fact, it is irresponsible for anybody to draw any conclusion in respect of the explosion. Look, it was a big sound and people were running helter-skelter  to anywhere and whenever they saw people running, they joined.  Even police men in the area took cover. I heard that the customary court in the area abandoned their duty and took off.”

    A socio-cultural group in the area known as Odegu General Assembly  said the death toll has risen to 10. The group said several people in the area have developed different aliments.

    Speaking during a protest, the chairman of the group, Mr. Eke Emenike, said:  “Observably, the explosion caused a deep panic in the minds of our people who ran for safety, thereby leaving so many people physically injured and myriads of health challenges such as hypertension and sundry respiratory problems. As at today, the dead toll from this incident has risen to 10.

    “The walls of so many of our buildings were cracked because of the degree of the vibration; our environment is injected with massive poisonous gaseous substances inimical to human health and so many of our children who fled their homes in panic during the resultant tremor are still missing. The pipeline explosion was a manifestation of the negligence meted against the people of the area.”

    He went on:  “In spite of the high magnitude of contribution of the kingdom to the earnings of the country, the kingdom and her people are debased, neglected in provision of infrastructure and human capital development. To our dismay, instead of addressing the remediation, vigorous investigation, inspection and clean-up of the polluted environment, NLNG, NNPC, DPR, NAOC and IDSL are in conspiracy to build up a diversionary story on whose gas facility did the explosion erupted from, whose activity is responsible and who should bear the burden.”

    The paramount ruler of Rumuji community, Eze Ohna Christian Elechi, said he was disappointed over the behavour of the operators of the exploded facilities.

    Elechi said: “We never knew where to run to. We thank God that this was not a rainy season if not more people would have died. Since this thing happened, we have recorded over nine deaths in the bush.  People inhaled the gas and got choked and others who are hypertensive are also in pain.  Several people got various degrees of injuries. The government should come to our aid.”

  • ‘Poor fiscal regimes disincentive to deepwater gas production ’

    Poor fiscal terms are hindering deepwater blocks owned by international oil companies (IOCs) from optimising gas production, the Chief Operating officer, First Exploration and Production Company Limited, Dr Saka Matemilola, has said.

    According to him, the gas terms are more favourable to those producing onshore than those in the deepwater where oil firms, such as Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron, operate.

    He said IOCs moved to deepwater offshore because they thought it would be more profitable to do so, adding that  the IOCs were not finding things easy.

    Matemilola said the issue was making stakeholders in the value chain to ask for more government participation in the sector.

    He said: “For some time, the industry has been clamouring for the provision of better gas terms, especially in the deepwater to ease the burdens of operation on the oil majors.

    “Beyond the issue of provision of better gas terms, is the issue of economics, which stakeholders including the government, must take into consideration to achieve the desired results in the sector.”

    Matemilola, also the Chairman, Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigerian Council, urged the government and other stakeholders to adopt a private model when it comes to pricing and sale of gas.

    He said: “A willing buyer and a willing seller agreement must be in place to meet the needs of operators in the nation’s gas industry.”

    According to him, when a gas company is forced by the Federal Government to sell at a particular rate, the firm would not achieve its economic goal, noting that bigger and smaller companies are in the industry and that it would not augur well if all the firms were forced to buy gas at a uniform price.

    He urged the government to handle the agreement on associated gas with caution to avoid  crisis in the industry.

    According to him, the government is planning to jettison the agreement, advising that the government think about it well before taking decision on the issue.

    He said the government needed to consider a likely replacement for the agreement, which is being presented to the stakeholders for discussions.

    The government, he said, must think of the implications of jettisoning the agreement since it would not pay all the stakeholders.

    He added:“I understand that the Federal Government is saying that associated gas agreement would favour companies that have oil and gas but how about the companies that have only gas, which implies that they do not have oil to net off?”

  • Reps investigate hike in cooking gas price

    Reps investigate hike in cooking gas price

    The House of Representatives in Abuja on Wednesday mandated its  Committee on Gas Resources and Petroleum Downstream to investigate reasons for the scarcity and incessant hike in the price of cooking gas.

    This followed a motion by Rep. Sergius Ogun (PDP-Edo) which was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote.

    Moving the motion, Ogun explained that the price of the cooking gas had been subjected to incessant hikes with the various players in the sector trading blames.

    He explained that the players ended up doing nothing to stem the rise in price which was usually preceded by the scarcity of the product.

    According to him, in 2016, the price of 2.5 kilogramme of gas increased from N2,700 to between N3, 500 and N4,000, depending on the vendor.

    “The same quantity of the product is currently selling between N5, 000 to N6,000, he said.

    Ogun expressed worry that the lack of information as to the exact reason for the constant scarcity and hike in the price of the product did not go well for the nation.

    This, he explained, had given the impression that the sector was completely unregulated.

    ‘Hike in kerosene price will aggravate environmental challenges’

    He noted that citizens were at the mercy of the players in the cooking gas industry.

    “If the reason for the incessant hike in price and the scarcity of gas which is locally produced without any foreign exchange component is not investigated, the citizens will be further impoverished by the hike in price.

    “If not checked, the citizens can also be forced to adopt alternative but less healthy methods of cooking,” he said.

    In his contribution, the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Yusuf  Lasun, blamed the hike in the price of cooking gas on the activities of the militants in the Niger Delta region.

    He added that the issue went beyond the price of cooking gas but also had effects on the country’s economy.

    Lasun, therefore, called for more efforts to address the restiveness in the region.

    Rep. Bashir Babale (APC-Kano) in his contribution decried the hike in the price of cooking gas, kerosene and coal as the common man could not afford it.

    Also, Rep. Aminu Shagari (APC-Sokoto) said that the parliament needed to do something as the hardship was becoming unbearable for Nigerians.

  • Banks’ loans to oil, gas, power firms hit N4tr

    •Financial institutions may go to capital market for funds

    Nigerian banks are battling imminent liquidity crisis over huge exposure and non-performing loans to oil and gas and power sector, which is presently in excess of N4 trillion, The Nation has learnt.

    The situation is making it difficult for operators in the oil and gas and power to secure loans for operations.

    Head, Energy Research, Ecobank Group Mr. Dolapo Oni told The Nation banks could not release funds to oil and gas industries because there was no fund to release unless they go and raise money in the capital market.

    He stated that this year, a lot of banks will go to the market to raise capital “because if they don’t raise capital, there will be nothing to lend”.

    Oni said: “Banks don’t have funds to release unless they go the capital market to raise capital. If they don’t raise capital, there is nothing to lend. A lot of banks are exposed to 30-40 per cent of their loan books to oil and gas.  The implication of this is that if oil price continues to remain low, most of those banks will start recording losses on those particular assets.

    “Currently, we have about 12.8 per cent of all loans that are non-performing in banking industry, and the bulk of that is from the power, oil and gas sector.

    “So, it is pushing the banking industry into a region that they are approaching a crisis in terms of non-performing loans. Also, the banks have an issue of foreign exchange (forex) in their hands. Most of the loans are in dollars and these companies that took loans are not getting dollars. So, the banks have dollar issues too.

    “Besides, those banks borrowed from their foreign bankers to lend to the oil and gas companies and so, they are finding it difficult to pay their own foreign bankers too. I think for the banks to continue their duties, they need to raise capital or there will be no funds to lend to the oil and gas this year. Next year, things might be a lot easier and we will see banks lending to oil and gas and power sector.

    “As at Q3 (third quarter) last year, banks’ exposure to oil and gas and power sector was N4 trillion but as the value of Naira depreciates, the amount of those loans rise because the loans were in dollars. Also, by the time the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) comes out with its 2016 report, banks’ exposure to the energy sector may be much higher.”

    Oni added that the CBN was not providing enough dollars to the banks, but noted that the apex bank “is having meetings with the banks to see how (they) banks will source more dollars to pay their foreign bankers and other clients”.

    “But unfortunately, CBN insists it doesn’t have such dollars,” the banker said.

    To resolve the forex problem, he said the “Federal Government needs to deregulate the forex market fully so that people can come into the market”.

  • Power generation hits 4,043Mw as gas supply improves

    Power generation hits 4,043Mw as gas supply improves

    The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said power generation rose from 3,528 megawatts (Mw) to 4,043 Mw between Feb.1 and Feb.15.

    TCN, in its website, explained that the 515Mw increase in generation as at Feb.15 was due to slight increase in gas supply to some power generating companies (GenCos).

    “The total output of 4,043 megawatts from all the GenCOos on Wednesday has been transferred to the 11 distribution companies across the country,’’ TCN said.

    An official of Egbin Power Station, who pleaded anonymity, said gas supply to the station had increased slightly in the last seven days.

    The source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the station, which has capacity to generate 1,320Mw now generates 420Mw as against former generation of 160Mw.

    The official called for more gas supply to the station to enable it fire all its five turbines.

    “The 420Mw generated by the station has been linked to the national grid by 5.35 am on Wednesday,’’ the source said.

    The Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) had announced drop in power supply on Jan. 22 to 2,662.20 Mw due to low water levels and the challenge of accessing gas by GenCos.

    Also, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola,  said he would like consumers to be more resistant to the payment of electricity bills, if there was no supply.

    Fashola spoke at the 12th Monthly Power Sector and Stakeholders’ Meeting hosted by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) in Ibadan.

  • Why Fed Govt ‘ll continue to support investors in oil, gas free zones

    Why Fed Govt ‘ll continue to support investors in oil, gas free zones

    Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah has said the Federal Government will continue to support the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA) and investors in the free zones.

    He noted that over the years, the oil and gas free zones attracted more than $20 billion in investments and created about 200,000 direct and indirect jobs, facilitating the transfer  of skills and technology to Nigerians.

    Enelamah spoke yesterday at a stakeholders’ forum organised by OGFZA at Onne in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.

    The minister,  who declared the stakeholders’ forum open, was represented by the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar.

     Enelamah said: “Our ministry has developed what we term the MITI plan, which rests on five pillars namely: creating a friendly business environment, coherence between monetary, fiscal and structural reforms, so that economic policies of government are coordinated and targeted at the common purpose of structural transformation to eliminate distortions and supply constraints, provision of hard and soft infrastructure for growth, implementing the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan, promoting the growth and development of MSMEs and trade facilitation.

    “By  working  out  a  detailed  roadmap   and an information-rich marketing   brochure, OGFZA will strengthen investors’ confidence and give a strong impetus to businesses that want to explore the numerous opportunities that abound in the oil and gas free zones and sectors.

    “Besides its national significance, the roadmap we are unveiling today (yesterday) is a critical work tool for OGFZA. It will provide the means to milestone  the performance of the authority and help to measure economic and social progress in the oil and gas free zones. The steps outlined by OGFZA to enhance service delivery, improve on the ease of doing business and automate its operations will help in creating the enabling environment to create and sustain investments.”

    The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of OGFZA,  Mr. Umana Okon Umana, described the stakeholders’ forum as an important event in the strategic plan of the authority.

    He noted that the minister’s presence at the forum underscored the strong support of government for OGFZA and the management’s efforts to achieve the mandate of the authority.

    He said: “This forum offers us a platform to introduce the new leadership of the authority to our stakeholders and show them the way in which we intend to work together to recreate OGFZA and rebuild prosperity for all in successful partnerships between government and private investors in the free zones.

    “The path to the new OGFZA is well laid out in our roadmap, which we are unveiling today (yesterday), along with our marketing brochure to guide existing and potential investors to the array of incentives available in our free zones. The roadmap is a product of our vision to be the premier investment promotion agency of government by facilitating the establishment of businesses in the Oil and Gas Free Zones, with the creation of an enabling environment for investment.

    “We will make the free zones the first ports of call for investors who are looking for the best opportunities in Africa, to either expand their existing businesses or start new ventures.”

  • PwC: Nigerian firms lack capacity for oil, gas exploration

    PwC: Nigerian firms lack capacity for oil, gas exploration

    •More assets divestments coming

    PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), an auditing firm, has said Nigerian indigenous oil firms still lack capacity to carry out oiland gas exploration despite the push by the Content Act passed into law in 2010.

    Its Director, Tax and Regulatory Services, Kenneth Erikume, said since the passage of the Act, aside funding challenges, indigenous operators still lacked  sufficient capacity to explore for oil and gas.

    Given these challenges, the Federal Government needs to focus more on building capacity at the local level and getting the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to drive the acquisition of technical know-how requisite for the industry.

    He said with necessary expertise, the country would be able to create entities that could help other African countries in their oil and gas sector. This is the direction a country such as Nigeria, that started oil and gas operations in the 1950s, should be taking, he added.

    Erikume told The Nation that the government needed to address uncertainty of investments in the petroleum industry, respect some of the agreements and concessions it has with operators. When this is sorted out, investors would be more comfortable to invest, he added.

    He also urged the government to ensure that the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is passed into law as quickly as possible.

    According to him, when an investor puts his money into a system, he will be interested in making progress.

    Since oil prices have started rebounding, he expressed optimism that investors would returm to the oil fields abandoned in the wake of the slump in prices.

    Erikume said the worst was over, adding that things could only get better. He said if oil price gets to about $60 per barrel, the country would begin to see more investments in the industry.

    “From the national perspective, what most investors are looking forward to is the final decision on the PIB, which has taken too much time to complete. It has implications on the fiscal quality which will impact on how much dollar an investor would be able to recover if he embarked on crude oil exploration and production,” he explained.

    Erikume said there would be more divestments by traditional international oil companies (IOCs). According to him, the multinationals will be focusing more on offshore and deepwater exploration where there are fewer issues of vandalisation and militancy.

    IOCs will continue to seek for divestment from onshore and shallow water assets and indigenous companies can pick up the assets.

    Erikume agreed that the challenge in passing the PIB was around balancing the interest of various stakeholders, including payment to the communities.

    In addition, there are conflicting issues around the fiscal provisions, which also have to be balanced in the interest of all.

    But, to address the issue, he said,  the National Assembly, in consultation with stakeholders, has to expunge the portion of the bill that is related to corporate governance and administration from the fiscal and commercial aspects of the bill.

    He noted that the oil and gas industry governance bill was being proposed. “So the industry governance bill is being considered now, I think it has passed second reading, I am hopeful because it is not carrying the baggage of the fiscal provisions of the full bill, it will be easier to pass into law,” he added.

  • NNPC, Sahara gas vessels leave South Korea

    The  liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vessels, MT Africa Gas and MT Sahara Gas,   jointly acquired by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Sahara Group have left South Korea to begin  operations.

    The vessels will berth in Houston, United States, to convey their first consignment of gas expected to be delivered to the West African coast next month. The vessels’ operations are expected to actualise NNPC’s vision, which harps on boosting the availability of the commodity in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.

    According to Sahara Group spokesman, Bethel Obioma, the two vessels will address the lingering challenges of supply, affordability and fraudulent activities of individuals and organisations seeking to adulterate cooking gas due to scarce supply.

    MT Africa Gas has already taken the lead, commencing its maiden voyage by sailing towards the Caribbean/US Gulf Region. Sahara Gas is due to follow suit in the coming weeks. He said industry stakeholders have commended the Dr. Maikanti Baru led NNPC for taking bold steps at tackling the scarcity of cooking gas nationwide.

    The stakeholders lauded Baru’s giant interventions towards ensuring sustainability, safety and reliability for millions of consumers, who depend on the commodity for their daily energy needs.

    Considered as a cleaner, much safer and more affordable alternative to firewood and kerosene, the acceptability of LPG in the sub-region has been affected by some challenges over the years. These hiccups include low supply, poor logistics and lack of LPG vessels in the region.

    According to him, with the recent unveiling of two LPG vessels, being acquisitions of West Africa Gas Limited, a Joint Venture of NNPC and Sahara Group, there is a renewed optimism for what is popularly referred to as cooking gas in the country.

    The Joint Venture is run by two companies, NNPC LNG Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NNPC and Sahara Energy’s oil and gas trading arm of Ocean Bed Trading Limited.

    Working through the JV, NNPC’s LPG policy will, in addition to improving supply within West African states, check the menace of deforestation in the sub region. “It is expected that in the long run, the growing negative impact of climate change across the globe will be drastically reduced,” Obioma said.

    The NNPC’s chief had at the inauguration of the LPG vessels in South Korea, said it was “an outstanding achievement” for Nigeria, considering the fact “that the Joint Venture between NNPC and Sahara is already recording success stories within a short period having been established in 2013”