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Tag: John Ofikhenua

  • 29 Ex-NNPC casual staff to protest for pay-off Wednesday

    29 Ex-NNPC casual staff to protest for pay-off Wednesday

    • As corporation says go to court
    29 ex-causal staff of the Nigerian National Corporation Corporation ( NNPC) are set to protest non-payment of their severance package at the Towers in Abuja on Wednesday.
    The assistant spokesman of the disengaged casual workers of NNPC, Mr Okolo Barnabas made this known to The Nation on a phone call.
    “I want to invite you to cover our protest slated for Wednesday at the NNPC Towers,” he said.
    The group had cried out for free legal services from any charity human right activists in order to collect their N4 billion pay-off from the corporation to no avail.
    They said they have become hapless in the pursuit of the payoff as it is obvious that some NNPC management staff are using their might to frustrate them from requesting for the cash.
    Speaking with The Nation, the spokesman and also leader of the disengaged casual workers of NNPC, Mr Eze Ene and his assistant  Barnabas, had last week said they lack the means to engage lawyers to sue NNPC.
    Asked to tell the corporation’s part of the story on phone, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Ndu Ughamadu told The Nation that there is not like that nomenclature ‘casual staff’ in NNPC.
    He described them as daily paid workers that NNPC must have engaged their services that should ordinarily leave when there was no need for their service.
    The NNPC spokesman however advised that  “if you are making claims and assuming that there was something like that in NNPC and you believe that NNPC engaged your services and you were not paid, you go to court. It is as simple as that.”
    The disengaged staff however submitted that “we don’t have the means to engage lawyers and that is why we are calling on human right lawyers to come and help us and if there is anywhere we are found guilty the law should take its course. We don’t have money to take them to court. They have money. They are even saying they will be happy if we will go to court so that they will frustrate it.”
    The spokesman recalled that NNPC engaged them as casual staff in 1998 for its present day corporate headquarters in Abuja, while it was still operating from Lagos.
    According to them, “the then Group Admin Service department engaged some casual workers here in Abuja for them to arrange documents in the different departments. They also engaged people to receive furniture and equipment from suppliers like Julius Berger. Some of us were engaged and put in charge of partitioning. But finally, in 2000, they resumed in Abuja. In June 2000 they gave us to whom it may concern and called us casual staff under group services admin of NNPC.”
    They said following the agitation of some of the senior casual workers NNPC regularised their appointments as contract and permanent staff in 2004.
    The group said that suddenly in 2005, NNPC started saying that it had no causal staff but daily paid workers while we were casual workers. They stressed that the various departments were calling them casual staff in their memo and not daily paid workers.
    Consequently, in 2009, the corporation was already owing the staff for nine months till date they have not been paid.
    Lamenting, Ene said: “They should pay us off for over 15 years because now we don’t know where to start life. In the existence of NNPC no casual staff has been set off without conversion.”
  • NNPC raises gas power to 3,056MW

    NNPC raises gas power to 3,056MW

    Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that the daily average national gas supply to gas power plants increased to 689mmscfd or the equivalent to power generation of 3,056mw. 
    Its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu disclosed this in a statement.
    He said that the March 2017 edition of the monthly Financial and Operations Report of the Corporation, released yesterday in Abuja, said the average national daily gas production for the period stood at an impressive 226.918 billion cubic feet, bcf, which translates to over 7.319 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, mmscfd.
    The March 2017 figure is an improvement on the previous month’s record which stood at 582 mmscfd. The supply is also over 29 percent higher than the corresponding supply record for March 2016. 
    However, pipeline sabotage in the country increased from 49 downstream pipelines vandalised points in February 2017 to 94 in March 2017. This represents over 91 percent increase relative to the previous months despite Federal Government’s and the NNPC’s continuous engagement with the stakeholders. Nevertheless, there is a noticeable improvement compared to corresponding period of March 2016 which posted 259 cases. 
    Also, in the downstream sector, NNPC has in stock, a robust inland supply of over 1.2billion litres of petrol sufficient for more than 34 days forward consumption. On Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, and Aviation Turbine Kerosene, ATK, NNPC continued to import to supplement AGO local refining and the Central Bank has released foreign exchange to marketers to import AGO and ATK. 
    The report notes that the inaugurated 497.2 km System 2B petroleum pipeline network which was achieved within the period under review has helped the NNPC to sustain the gale of uninterrupted supply and distribution of products throughout the country. 
    Only recently the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, noted that the Corporation’s re-commissioned Mosimi and Kano depots had impacted positively on highways across the Country. 
    Dr. Baru had stated that the two depots had relieved the impacts of long haulage of petroleum products on the roads, saving the nation of serious environmental consequences of bridging to motorists, settlements along highways and the general ecosystem in the country. 
    The March 2017 NNPC monthly Financial and Operations Report is the 20th edition
  • 29 Ex-NNPC casual staff cry for free legal services

    29 Ex-NNPC casual staff cry for free legal services

    • Seek N4b severance package
    • As corporation says go to court

    The ex-causal staff of the Nigerian National Corporation Corporation (NNPC) cried out for free legal services from any charity human right activists in order to collect their N4 billion pay-off from the corporation.

    They said they have become hapless in the pursuit of the payoff as it is obvious that some NNPC management staff are using their might to frustrate them from requesting for the cash.

    Speaking to The Nation at the weekend in Abuja, the spokesman and also leader of the disengaged causal workers of NNPC, Mr. Eze Ene and his assistant Okolo Barnabas, said they lack the means to engage lawyers to sue NNPC.

    Asked to tell the corporation’s part of the story on phone, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu told The Nation that there is not like that nomenclature ‘casual staff’ in NNPC.
    He described them as daily paid workers that NNPC must have engaged their services that should ordinarily leave when there was no need for their service.

    The NNPC spokesman however advised that “if you are making claims and assuming that there was something like that in NNPC and you believe that NNPC engaged your services and you were not paid, you go to court. It is as simple as that.”

    The disengaged staff however submitted that “we don’t have the means to engage lawyers and that is why we are calling on human right lawyers to come and help us and if there is anywhere we are found guilty the law should take its course. We don’t have money to take them to court. They have money. They are even saying they will be happy if we will go to court so that they will frustrate it.”

    The spokesman recalled that NNPC engaged them as casual staff in 1998 for its present day corporate headquarters in Abuja, while it was still operating from Lagos.

    According to them, “the then Group Admin Service department engaged some casual workers here in Abuja for them to arrange documents in the different departments. They also engaged people to receive furniture and equipment from suppliers like Julius Berger. Some of us were engaged and put in charge of partitioning. But finally, in 2000 they resumed in Abuja. In June 2000 they gave us to whom it may concern and called us casual staff under group services admin of NNPC.”

    They said following the agitation of some of the senior casual workers NNPC regularised their appointments as contract and permanent staff in 2004.

    The group said that suddenly in 2005, NNPC started saying that it had no causal staff but daily paid workers while we were casual workers. They stressed that the various departments were calling them casual staff in their memo and not daily paid workers.

    Consequently, in 2009, the corporation was already owing the staff for nine months till date they have not been paid.

    Lamenting, Ene said: “They should pay us off for over 15 years because now we don’t know where to start life. In the existence of NNPC no casual staff has been set off without conversion.”

  • NNPC promises to support gas flare out law

    NNPC promises to support gas flare out law

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that it has put in place measures and facilities to curb gas flaring preparatory to the 2020 flare out deadline by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

    NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, who was represented by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Mr. Yusuf Matashi, made this submission during a one-day public hearing on Gas Flaring Prohibition Bill 2017, at the National Assembly in Abuja.

    It Group Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Commission, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu disclosed this in a statement yesterday.

    According to the statement, Baru expressed NNPC’s strong support for the legislation to reduce gas flaring, adding that the Corporation considered the legislation from the financial benefits it promises to capture rather than seeing it from the point of view of penalty.

    “NNPC supports the legislative intervention to prohibit gas flaring in line with global best practices, considering its negative impacts on the environment and the communities where the gas is flared.

    PDC, the Exploration and Production arm of the Corporation, is going ahead to see that the monetization of flared gas is realised despite the challenges of the past,” Baru stated.

    He informed that NPDC was the highest gas supplier to Nigerian domestic market and was therefore committed to the reduction and elimination of gas flaring to generate more revenue for the country.

    Earlier, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who was represented by the Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Nallah, while declaring open the public hearing said the issue of gas flaring was a national embarrassment adding that the 8th Senate was committed to enacting a legislation that would end gas flaring in the country.

    “Gas flaring is as old as crude oil exploration in the country. We are, therefore, committed to this legislation which seeks to put an end to gas flaring which has deprived the nation of huge revenue, impacted the lives of oil producing areas negatively and depleted the ozone layers,” Dr. Saraki averred.

    On his part, the Senate Committee Chairman on Gas, Senator Albert Bassey, stated that the Gas Flaring Prohibition Bill 2017 served as a legislative panacea to end gas flaring in the country.

    He said the public hearing was to collate views of relevant stakeholders that would enrich the bill and find a lasting solution to the challenge of gas flaring in line with the Paris Agreement on a clean environment and World Bank 2030 flare out deadline.

  • NDIC to lead Africa in deposit insurance

    NDIC to lead Africa in deposit insurance

    The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) is set to lead the African Sub-Region in enhancing capacity building and bridging skills gaps in the banking industry in general and the Deposit Insurance Scheme (DIS) in particular.

    The NDIC’s Managing Director/Chief Executive, Alh. Umaru Ibrahim made this remark during the accreditation ceremony of the NDIC Academy as a training service provider for its staff and the banking industry by the Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) at the Bankers House, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Ibrahim said with the NDIC Academy’s new status, it is positioned to fulfil the Corporation’s goal of serving as a center of academic excellence for capacity building on the Deposit Insurance Scheme (DIS) for countries in the Sub-SaharanAfrica. He added that the Corporation prides itself on establishing high standards of professionalism and competency among its staff through the Corporation’s NDIC Academy and other human capital development initiatives, including the Chartered Banker/MBA program of University of Bangor, Scotland in partnership with the CIBN. 

    NDIC’s head, Communication and Public Affairs, H. I. Birch I made this disclosure in a statement yesterday.

    The NDIC CEO emphasized the importance of continuous high level training in order to achieve the Corporation’s core mandates of deposit guarantee, bank supervision, bank distress resolution and bank liquidation. The ultimate goal, he said, would be to enhance depositor protection and public confidence in the banking system.

    In his earlier address, the President and Chairman, Council of CIBN, Prof. Segun Ajibola commended the Corporation for its consistent efforts toward meeting high standards for the benefit of the banking industry and larger economy. Prof. Ajibola described the NDIC’s readiness to subject itself to the rigors of the accreditation process as a testimony of its Management’s commitment towards capacity development in order to equip its workforce with critical skills to enhance their performance and productivity. 

    He said that there would be periodic monitoring to ensure that standards were maintained, adding that the accreditation would last for three years after which the Corporation would require recertification.

  • Banks lose N2.19b to fraudsters in 2016, says CBN

    Banks lose N2.19b to fraudsters in 2016, says CBN

    The Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday said that Deposit Money Banks lost a total sum of N2.19bn to fraudsters in the 2016 fiscal period.
    19,531 fraud cases were reported for banks in 2016 as against 10,743 recorded in 2015, according to the CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, who unveiled the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum annual report in Abuja.

    It was in the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeF) NEFF stakeholders workshop on cyber-crime with the theme: Tackling Enforcement Challenges under the Cybercrime Act”,

    A breakdown of the actual amount lost showed that across the counter transactions with a total value of N511.07m accounted for the highest losses.

    This was followed by Automated Teller Machine transaction with N464.5m, internet banking N320.66m, Point-of-Sale transaction N243.32m, and mobile banking transactions N235.17m among others.

    Speaking on the theme of the workshop, Emefiele who was represented by the CBN Deputy Governor, Operations, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, said the challenges faced while enforcing the Cybercrime Act of 2015 had made it imperative for a review of the act.

    He said, “It is now about two years into the commencement of the Act, and so it is not too early to conduct a holistic review of its implementation.

    “Thus, your deliverables at this workshop should include a careful examination of the extent to which the obligations placed by the Act are fulfilled, and the general assessment of any challenges experienced in compliance with the provisions of the Act.”

    He expressed optimism that the workshop would profer the much needed solutions and making practical recommendations for the effective implementation of the Act.
    The Governor said that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) world has revolutionalized the world.

    His words: “We have all witnessed how such developments in electronic payment as the ATM, POS, Mobile Money, Internet Payment, etc. have continuously eroded the significance of physical locations for financial institutions. ICT has revolutionized the way financial services are created, offered, and delivered.

    This is why the protection of information infrastructure utilized in the delivery of financial services is considered critical all over the world, and it was because of the importance of securing infrastructures such as those of the financial sector, and protecting the underlying services from cyber-attacks that the Cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act was enacted in 2015.

    “As we saw recently with the Wannacry Ransomeware attack, even the most secure systems are still subject to breaches and simply protecting the network does not absolve it from attack. Another lesson from that attack is the speed with which attack once disseminated, becomes global in its spread and effect.

    As you know, in several countries, including the United Kingdom, regular banking activities were suspended temporarily as security experts were working hard to learn more about the unfolding impacts of the attack and the extent of harm to the various banking systems and networks in their country.

    “So no one is in doubt about the serious consequences of a network breach or similar cyber incident in any industry where the use of technology is the standard, such as is the case in our financial sector today. We all know that the incentive for network breach or cyber-attack in the financial sector is more compelling for obvious reasons, than other sectors”, he explained.

  • PIGB will curb corruption, says IPMAN, NEITI

    PIGB will curb corruption, says IPMAN, NEITI

    Major stakeholders like the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) are of the view that the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) will curb corruption in the distribution of petroleum products. However, the Oil and Solid Mineral Producing Area Landlords’ Association of Nigeria (OMPALAN), has viewed it from a different perspective, stressing that what will make the difference is not a mere passage of the bill but implementation of its content, reports JOHN OFIKHENUA.
    Owing to the Senate passage of Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) that now awaits President Muhammadu Buhari assent, stakeholders in the oil and gas industry, including Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, and Solid Mineral Producing Area Landlords’ Association of Nigeria (OMPALAN), and Civil Society Organization expressed their observations about the new order.
    The upper chamber of the National Assembly had last Thursday scrapped the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). In its place, the Senate established three entities: the  Petroleum Regulatory Commission (PRC), National Petroleum Company (NPC), Nigerian Petroleum Assets Management Company (NPAMC). Following the bill, the PRC shall be the Industry Regulator and watchdog, responsible for licensing, monitoring, supervising of petroleum operations, enforcing the laws, regulations and standards across the value chain.
    Should Mr. President pass the bill into law, the PRC will absorb the Department of Petroleum Resources, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency and the Petroleum Equalization Fund.
    Although there are two other parts of the Petroleum Industry Bills (PIB) that the Senate is yet to pass, the present PIGB is simply meant to restructure the administration of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
    Soon after the Senate broke the news of the passage, the IPMAN National Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi, told The Nation on phone that should the law see the light of the  day, it will address the issue of corrupt practices in the petroleum industry. He has been very critical about the effect of corruption on the distribution of petroleum products, which he describes as a setback to this administration’s fight against corruption. He advised President Buhari to quickly sign it into law to improve the anti-corruption battle in the industry and attract investment in refineries and depots.
    Maigandi said: “That bill is a good thing to Nigeria because it will reduce a lot of corruption in the industry. It will allow people to participate fully in the industry. So, it is a good thing. It will bring the marketers to start thinking about the establishment of refineries and private depots. I advise Mr. President to sign it in a hurry so that it will reduce the rate of corruption. And it will add value to the Nigerian economy. It will remove the bureaucracy that allows a few individuals to shortchange the country.”
    Speaking for the Oil and Solid Mineral Producing Area Landlords’ Association of Nigeria (OMPALAN), Prof. David Esezobo, said that the implementation of the law is as important as its enactment. What would make the difference, said the don, is its ability to stop the priority which was given to oil multi-nationals to the detriment of local content in the industry. He tasked the government on encouraging local participation in the refining of petroleum.
    His words: “Encouraging the local people that are having refineries here will boost the economy of the nation. But you find out that the people that are supposed to encourage these indigenous refineries, their outfits are being burnt and given all sorts of name. This is because there is always international conspiracy to the nation wealth to impoverish the local communities. I think that they should strengthen these people, otherwise it will just look like a paper.”
    The Chief Economist of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Dr. Peter Ozon-Eson, who spoke with The Nation on phone on Sunday, recalled that the congress had always sought the abrogation of the omnibus National Petroleum Corporation. He could neither commend nor condemn the PIGB, according to him, the NLC was yet to read it.
    He said: “I am yet to see the bill for me to make comment. I know there were issues we had raised. They had to do with omnibus regulator both for upstream and downstream. I don’t know whether that has been addressed so until I see it before we can comment on it.”
    The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) issued a statement commending the lawmakers on its courage. Its Director of Communication, Dr. Oji Ogbonanya Oji said that the “decision of the Senate to consider the bill as priority resulting in its passage is not only legendary, but historic given the challenges the bill has passed through in its legislative journey for almost two decades.”
    The Watchdog organization recalled that the passage of the bill is coming more than 17 years after the process commenced in April 2000. It stressed that “We also note that the objective of a petroleum sector Law remains to develop a dynamic governance  framework that will re-position the Petroleum industry to fully embrace competition, openness, accountability, professionalism as well as better profit returns on investments. “
    NEITI noted that in 2016, it was in realisation of the current stagnation of investment opportunities in the Petroleum Industry, the negative consequences to the economy as a result of the absence of the new law that made the agency to publish a researched Policy Brief titled “Urgency of a new Law for the Petroleum Sector”.
    In that publication shared with members of the National Assembly, NEITI alerted the nation that Nigeria had so far lost over $200 billion as a result of absence of the Law. “These lost revenues were as a result of investments withheld or diverted by investors to other (more predictable) jurisdictions. The hedging by investors stems from the expectation that the old rules would no longer apply, but not knowing when the new ones would materialize”.
    While NEITI looks forward to carefully studying the contents of the PIGB as passed by the Senate, it joins all stakeholders to commend Senate for what has been achieved so far in the passage of this important Bill. NEITI also commends the media, civil society organizations, industry, stakeholders and experts who have followed the bill in the National Assembly for their valued contributions to the process.
    Also speaking  with the Nation on phone, Emmanuel Ojugbena of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), extolled the Senate for passing the bill. His association, according to him, was yet to study the to the extent of making informed comments on it. “We are yet to take a look at it. We are happy that at least eventually the bill is passed but we have not really taken a lot at what has been done. For now, we may not be in a position to make a statement on it. But generally we are happy that the Senate was able to pass that bill. When we go through it we will know what to say about the bill.”
    While working with the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), a stakeholder that had been advocating for the passage of the bill and improvement of governance issues in the industry, Dr.  Garuba Dauda yesterday told The Nation that Since the bill has unbundled the NNPC, inter-governmental agencies: Bureau of Public Enterprises, Federal Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Petroleum  will now be interacting as stakeholders who can now make it difficult for NNPC to hide anything in the industry from stakeholders. According to him, these organizations will now bring their ideas and interest to bear in the governance of the industry instead of leaving it solely in the hand of NNPC.
    On how the bill will contain corrupt practices if signed into law, Dauda said “this PIGB also addresses the issues of transparency and accountability. Let  me just say that even if it is signed into law as it is, it is not going to be automatic. There are still going to be quite a lot of some work to make things happen. We are going to have six months after the assent to unbundle all that is supposed to be done in this content and push on. But to me, it is a fine way to begin that process. This bill for restructuring the oil and gas industry has been on for many years, and we are just starting it is not going to look as if all the problems of opacity  and accountability issues in this industry is going to be solved all in one day. But at least, we now have a roadmap towards narrowing all those issues and ensuring that the public put their eyes in what is happening in the oil and gas industry. Like I said, the share division of the assets and liabilities and serious involvement of the various government agencies into it are also going to be party to getting it right.”
    In retrospect, the advocate of social justice in the industry traced the history of the bill to when former President Olusegun seventeen years ago first commissioned a series of reports through the efforts of the World Bank to carry out a study on the ills of the sector. Dauda noted that the effort to restructure the industry with a law commenced  in December 2008.
    He added that “before us, we have seen how that effort failed under the 6th assembly after which we faced a very serious crisis with what culminated in the January 2012 subsidy issue. That, also culminated in the sending of another bill to the National Assembly in 2012, which we also saw crumble at the last minute during the end of the past administration by the administration of Goodluck Jonathan.”
    Extolling the lawmakers that passed the bill, Dauda said that “what I find particularly ingenious about those who moved the present effort was the decision not to do the business in the same way again because you cannot do a particular thing the same way and expect a different result. He added that: ” I found it particularly ingenious in terms of the decision taken to pursue this from a different perspective and I thank seriously the  Senate for their effort, and also the House of Representative.”
    He explained that previous efforts at passing the bill were unsuccessful because people were pursuing various interests that were inimical to the system.
    On his expectations from the bill, Dauda said it was surprising the private bill that is on the management of the industry was passed before that the executive bill which is on the 7 Big Wins of the federal government.
    He explained that “What we were expecting at least ,if you read the 7big wins which actually is defining the roadmap for the restructuring of the oil and gas industry under the administration particularly from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. The the big wins told us that we were going to get a new bill by December and because the Senate has gone ahead to do something. The pressure on the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and executives since last year was to tell them not to put forward another bill again so that, that will not like take us back to the basis. That they could actually make submission to the National Assembly to incorporate into what was before the Senate. And for me, that actually works. It is in that context that even the ministry of petroleum resources is also currently forthcoming with a fiscal policy,  and it is also going to the National Assembly.”
  • Pollution scares ExxonMobil from relocation, says community

    Pollution scares ExxonMobil from relocation, says community

    The core communities paramount rulers’ forum has opened up on why the authority of the ExxonMobil is reluctant to relocate its headquarters to Akwa-Ibom.

    According to the communique that the forum issued on its meeting with the oil giant at the place of the paramount ruler of Ibeno, HRM Owong Effiong Achianga in the state, the firm is afraid of exposing its expatriates to the hazards of environmental pollution.

    The communique that was made available to The Nation in Abuja, said that ExxonMobil has always cited insecurity in the region as excuse for not complying with Presidency directive to relocate its headquarters to the state.

    The communique said that : “After the meeting of the above-named groups, where deep retrospection was given to the litany of excuses given by ExxonMobil for its barefaced refusal to relocate its operational headquarters from Lagos to Akwa Ibom State, we are compelled to state as follows:

    “That the company has always claimed that it was not feasible to relocate at various times in the past because of a number of reasons, including insecurity but the community feels that the American oil giant is simply scared of its shadow;

    “That we have it on good authority ExxonMobil is deeply worried about exposing its expatriate and other senior workers to the hazards of the environmental pollution and devastation they have caused through long years of negligent operation;

    That they have refused to move because they know the level of destruction their operations have brought to the land and people of Akwa Ibom State and so they believe the environment is unsafe, health-wise for their senior staff considering the frequency of early deaths and reduced life span of the inhabitants of the area.”

    The communique said that the onus for the relocation of international oil companies to their areas of operation, however, rest squarely on the Federal Government of Nigeria. It noted that with its 60 percent investment against 40 percent by the Joint Venture Partners, the Federal Government should show commitment and give a clear directive to its partners to relocate.

    It submitted that “ investments in the mainstay of the country’s economy should not be managed by “squatter” companies operating from briefcases and computers with a readiness to leave as soon as the oil is finished.”

    The forum recalled that the company started out as Mobil Producing Nigeria in 1955 to prospect for oil around the Badagry area with head office in Lagos. 

    It noted that from its Lagos office, it explored the Nigerian coastline and found oil in commercial quantity off the coast of the then South Eastern State. By 1969, the volume of business had peaked to a level it had to establish an airstrip, a liaison/operational office in Eket. Two flights or more operated daily to carry its workers, contractors and light materials from Lagos to Eket for the operations of the company. 

    Continuing, the forum said that “between 1969–1989, the business grew to the extent that it established full operational office; built a housing estate for its senior staff – both expatriates and local; acquired residential accommodation in town for several other workers and began to invest in infrastructure development within the area;

    “That in 1989, the oil producing communities noticed that while the oil company was growing rapidly and its staff reveling in affluence, the communities had remained stagnant. The communities also observed discriminatory practices in the staff recruitment, deployment, promotion etc., induced leader of the communities to compel the company to a meeting on July 15, 1989, where terms of relations were negotiated and agreed. Among the issues in contention then was the relocation of the head office of the company from Lagos to its operational area where all its businesses were domiciled;

    “That Mobil Producing Nigeria cited constraints which made such movement untenable then and these included the absence of communication facilities outside the area; inadequate infrastructure; lack of an airport; proximity to federal government agencies and inadequate accommodation for offices and staff;

     “That the communities agreed with the company to give more time for improvement in those areas of deficit with the hope that in 10 years, the movement would be feasible;

    That in 1998, a major protest ensued between the youth/women of the communities on one side and Mobil Producing Nigeria and the state military government on the other side. The intervention of elders of the communities led to a negotiated settlement which culminated in the singing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 1998. One of the agreements in the MoU was a phased movement for the headquarters from Lagos to its operational area;

    “That when Exxon took over Mobil Producing Nigeria late in 1998, it abandoned most of the agreements in the MoU including the phased movement of its headquarters;

    That rather it transferred most of the operational departments to Lagos; moved most of its senior staff from the housing estates to Lagos; closed down Jetty and took several obnoxious decisions which could have precipitated crisis but the people kept their cool. It has now become clear that these negative administrative changes were geared at isolating the company staff from the hazardous conditions prevalent in the operational area;

    “That when democratic rule commenced in 1999, the civilian government led by Obong Victor Attah, took up the agitation for relocation but regrettably, the regime fell prey to ExxonMobil’s intrigues and manipulations and the momentum was lost;

    That it was, therefore, a pleasant surprise when Acting President Yemi Osibanjo rekindled hope for the Niger Delta region when he directed the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, IbeKachikwu to “engage” with IOCs “on the way forward” over calls for their relocation;

    “That it is important to reiterate that as at now, all constraints envisaged in the past have been overtaken by developments in the polity. With the GSM and broadband infrastructure, communication is no longer an issue. An airport is now available within 30 minutes of its operational area. Infrastructure facilities are much improved and nearly perfect;

    “That the Federal Government agencies had moved from Lagos to Abuja; office and residential accommodation would be readily available once the company indicates a commitment to move. After-all, in Lagos, ExxonMobil is still squatting in a rented office accommodation owned by Mobil Oil Nigeria Limited and using facilities in hotels (some with tunnels to its offices) and setup by its proxies in Lagos;

    That the excuse recently canvased by ExxonMobil that its three companies are coordinated from Lagos office is grossly deficient, untenable and not even worth discussion. It is a mere hyperbole designed to cover the real reason for its refusal to relocate. Mobil Oil Nigeria Limited has been bought over by NIMPCO and thus nullified the argument;

    “That we take notice of the recent attempt at the House of Representatives to settle the issue of relocation through a motion and point out that it was a wrong approach. It is a decision for the executive. However, it is pertinent to point out that the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila (because he represents Lagos) allowed his selfish interest to becloud his sense of judgment and patriotism when he kicked against the motion. He appears not to be in touch with his people, who have persistently and vociferously been clamouring for a restructuring of the country in line with fiscal federalism. When the federation is restructured, would the IOC’s remain in Lagos to exploit the resources of the Niger Delta region?”

  • Jaiz balance with CBN hits N21.5b

    Jaiz balance with CBN hits N21.5b

    Jaiz Bank on Wednesday said that its cash and balance with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was N21.5billion.

    The money, according to the bank’s annual report and 2016 accounts that were presented to its investors in Abuja, in the year under review, hit N2.58billion cash the at hand, the current account of  N6.3billion and deposit of N12.6billion, totalling N21.5billion.

    It was an improvement over the previous year when the bank recorded total of N18billion cash and balance with the apex bank.

    In the year under review, the bank recorded N5.2billion assets, which was an increase from the N4.1billion in 2015.

    In terms of taxation, the bank noted posted a total of N77million, stressing that its balance brought forward was N43.8million, prior year tax adjustment N11.2million, and charge for the year N11.7million.
    The bank explained that it “operates the unrestricted type of Mudaraba Investment in which the Mudarib (the bank)is authorised by the providers of funds (Rabbul Mal) to invest their fund in the manner which the Mudarib deems appropriate.

    “Profits are shared as a common percentage rate rather than a fixed amount. The investments were jointly funded by the bank and the equity of investment account-holders. The account of N1.18billion paid by the bank to the Mudaraba account holders for 2016 financial year.”

    According to the report, the bank’s profit for the period under review was N343million in 2016 as it declined from N794million in 2015.

    The report said that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria represented by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources (FMA&WR) established the Commercial Agricultural Credit Schemes (CACS).

    But during the year, it did not receive any amount for on-lending to customers as specified by the guidelines.

    The report said that financing granted under the scheme is for a seven year period at an interest rate of 9% per annum.