The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kudo Eresia-Eke

  • Nigeria LNG reiterates commitment to cleaner environment

    Nigeria LNG reiterates commitment to cleaner environment

    The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) has reiterated its commitment to sustained supply of cooking gas to the local market, to boost domestic consumption and a cleaner environment.

    Mr Tony Okonedo, the company’s Manager, Media Communications, disclosed this in a statement in Lagos on Friday.

    Okonedo said that the Managing Director of Nigeria LNG, Mr Tony Attah, restated the commitment during a visit to key Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) facilities in Apapa.

    Attah said that the assurance became necessary to ensure the use of cleaner energy for the health benefit of Nigerians and for a cleaner environment, in line with the mission of the company to help to build a better Nigeria.

    According to him, NLNG is the biggest receptacle for gas in the country and its contribution has changed the game in the nation’s gas industry.

    “We have since helped in the reduction of gas flared in the country from 65% to less than 20 per cent.

    “And as part of our vision to help build a better Nigeria, we are focused on the sustained supply of LPG in a bid to deepen its usage in the country.

    “Also, to promote a healthy environment, and reduce deaths from inhalation of smoke from the combustion of dirty fuels,’’ he said.

    Attah said that the volume of LPG in the market was less than 50,000 tonnes per annum, before the NLNG intervention in 2007, and since then, deliveries have been on the increase with 262,000 tonnes delivered in 2016.

    He, however, said the total domestic consumption was at over 450,000 tonnes, adding that the company was focusing on a better environment through steady supply of LPG.

    The Deputy Managing Director of Nigeria LNG, Mr Sadeeq Mai-Bornu, said that there were opportunities for partnerships with Nigeria LNG and businesses, to create employment from new business opportunities, thereby reducing poverty.

    Mai-Bornu said that Nigeria LNG was the arrowhead of the Federal Government’s drive to reduce gas flared in the country and was committed to ensuring reliable supply of the product for a cleaner environment.

    On his part, Mr Kudo Eresia-Eke, General Manager, External Relations, Nigeria LNG said, “As part of NLNG’s constant advocacy in helping to build a better Nigeria, it is focusing on supply of LPG and has currently dedicated 350,000 tonnes per annum for the domestic market.

    He said that the visit of the management of NLNG was to explore new ways to enhance the flow of the product into the market, so that its price can be reduced and the product becomes easily affordable.

    “Before the intervention of Nigeria LNG in the local LPG market, the product, like all other petroleum products in the country, was imported and sold to marketers for distribution and retail supply to consumers.

  • NLNG exports landmark 4000th cargo

    NLNG exports landmark 4000th cargo

    The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Ltd., says the company has reached another major milestone with the exportation of its 4,000th cargo of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from its Bonny Island Terminal, Rivers State to Mamara LNG in Turkey.

    This is according to statement by the company’s General Manager, External Relations Mr Kudo Eresia-Eke, on Monday in Lagos.

    Eresia-Eke  said that the cargo shipped on board one of NLNG’s chartered vessels, LNG Sokoto was sold to Botas Petroleum Pipeline Corporation and was estimated to arrive its destination by May 14.

    He recalled that NLNG exported its first cargo on Oct. 9, 1999, to Montoir LNG Terminal, France.

    The spokesman said the company had since grown to what has been described as Africa’s largest single private sector industrial investment, safely and reliably supplying about seven per cent of total world LNG demand.

    “The Company has plans to expand its production capacity at its six-train plant complex, the fourth largest LNG plant in the world, from 22 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to some 30 mtpa.

    “These plans are expected to stimulate upstream gas development of the country’s vast gas resources.

    “This attracts about 15 billion dollars of foreign direct investments in the upstream alone as well as another 10 billion dollars  in the construction of the trains,” it stated.

    The company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tony Attah said he was excited about the milestone achievement by the company.

    “I am excited about this milestone which would not have been possible without the shared vision within our Company of helping to build a better Nigeria.

    “Our core values of integrity, teamwork, respect, excellence and caring; the commitment of our staff; and the cooperation from government and shareholders as well as other stakeholders including our loyal customers.

    “This milestone is coming at a crucial time. It symbolises many things.

    “It signifies that NLNG remains a successful company.

    “At 4000th cargo, we have shown the world that NLNG is a world-class company, safely and reliably delivering clean energy to its customers.

    “Secondly, and most importantly for Nigeria, it shows that it is time for gas; it is time to encourage this success story.

    “This is the time to unleash the country’s gas potentials through catalysts like Trains 7 and 8 to spur industrial and economic transformation.

    “NLNG is a success that we need to sustain as an inspiration to the country.

    “It has generated 90 billion dollars  in revenues as well as paid 5.5 billion dollars in taxes.

    “The Company has generated 13 billion dollars  for the Federal Government through feedgas purchases and US$15 billion in dividends.

    “While monetising the country’s gas resources, the company has contributed to the reduction in gas flaring from about 65 per cent before it commenced operations to less than 20 per cent today.

    “NLNG has contributed significantly to the domestic LPG industry, supplying some 40 per cent of the cooking gas available to Nigerian homes and businesses.

    This intervention continues as part of strategies and initiatives aimed at deepening the availability and usage of cooking gas in the country,” he said.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the same company in Turkey received the company’s historic 3,000 cargo in 2014.

  • NLNG to resume gas supply after pipeline explosion

    NLNG to resume gas supply after pipeline explosion

    The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Ltd. says it is rectifying the pipelines which exploded on Feb. 22 in Rivers, to ensure resumption of industrial gas supply within the week.

    Mr. Tony Attah, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview on Monday in Lagos, that engineers had been mobilized to restore supply quickly.

    According to Attah, the gas transmission pipelines do not belong to the company but have same right of way with NLNG pipelines.

    “The pipeline that exploded belongs to a third party which houses our own pipeline too.

    “Our engineers are working with the other engineers to see that we restore the pipeline back.

    “The pipelines will be restored this week and gas transmission will commence immediately,” he said.

    He, however, said that the explosion did not affect the domestic supply of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), which is cooking gas, for local consumption.

    According to him, the company is committed to providing up to 250,000 tonnes of LPG, about 40 per cent of local consumption, to the Nigerian market annually.

    NAN recalls that on Feb. 22, the Right of Way housing two gas transmission system pipelines, one of which belongs to NLNG Ltd., exploded in Rivers.

    The General Manager, External Relations Division of NLNG, Kudo Eresia-Eke, said in a statement on Feb. 23 that the explosion occurred in Rumuji area of the state, but no life was lost.

     

  • NLNG awards 10 overseas PG scholarships

    NLNG awards 10 overseas PG scholarships

    Nigeria LNG Limited has awarded 3,053 scholarships to Nigerian students.

    The latest set of 10 beneficiaries – among whom is a visually impaired female Law Graduate from Bonny Island, NLNG’s primary host community, – were awarded the Overseas Post Graduate Scholarships at a ceremony hosted recently in Port Harcourt.

    The event was attended by the beneficiaries, their families and friends, as well as representation from the Rivers State Government and NLNG.

    This batch of the Post Graduate Scholarships beneficiaries brings to 48, the total number of such awards since the commencement of the scheme in 2013.

    The beneficiaries from all over the country, who emerged via a rigorous qualification exercise involving more than 2,000 applicants, shall be pursuing further education in specialty areas in top universities in the United Kingdom.

    Speaking at the occasion, the General Manager, External Relations of Nigeria LNG Limited, Dr Kudo Eresia-Eke said, “The goal of the Nigeria LNG Post Graduate Scholarship Scheme is to provide support for the development of competent professionals who will bridge the specialists’ manpower gap in the country, especially in high profile fields of Engineering, Geosciences, Environmental Studies, Management Sciences, Information Technology, Law and Medicine at Masters Level only.”

    The 2016 award will cost the company over N200 million to cover tuition, living expenses accommodation and travels for the beneficiaries.

    “The overseas scholarship scheme is another effort by Nigeria LNG Limited to consolidate on its human capital development aspirations, in a bid to trigger the necessary indices required for the growth of Nigeria’s economy besides the current state of dependence on oil and gas.” said Kudo Eresia-Eke, General Manager, External Relations.

    “When most companies are winding down their operations and reducing production costs; including laying off workers and abandoning all Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives in order to survive the recession, NLNG is still keeping faith with its programmes, particularly, the aspect that touch on human capital development”, he added.

    Beneficiaries of the 2016 scheme include Miss. Ibiere Helen Jumbo, a Law Graduate who is going to study Energy & Environmental Law with Professional Skills at the University of Aberdeen UK; Miss Zainab Diana Titus, awarded to study Petroleum Engineering also at the University of Aberdeen; Ihuoma Mamma Onwusor proceeds to study Public Health at the University of Bradford in the UK; Miss Ihuoma Gift Amadi will be studying Medical Science with specialisation in Human Nutrition at Glasgow University, and Mr Jonathan Olanrewaju Aina who was awarded to study Digital Communications at the University Of Leeds.

    Other beneficiaries are Miss Tamunoibim Elaine Anidima awarded to study International Health at the University Of Leeds; Miss Mvena Jennifer Chubu is going to study Sustainable Energy Systems at the University Of Leeds; Miss Bisa Tuwonimi Tuonims was awarded to study Human Resource Management at the Glasgow Caledonian University; Miss Hafsat Muhammed Kaugama who was awarded to study Information Systems at Middlesex University; and Miss Loveline Chizobam Owoh who declined the award offer to study Oil and Gas Management at Coventry University for personal reasons.

  • 11 authors shortlisted for NLNG literature prize

    11 authors shortlisted for NLNG literature prize

    The Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, led by Emeritus Professor Ayo Banjo has announced an initial shortlist of eleven books, drawn from 173 books in contention for the 2016 Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNGsponsored Nigeria Prize for Literature).

    The shortlist, according to a statement by Kudo Eresia-Eke General Manager, External Relations of NLNG is made up of entries from Nigerian writers at home and in diaspora, parades well-known writers as well as first time novelists.

    The eleven authors are Chika Unigwe, Ogochukwu Promise, Yejide Kilanko and Ifeoma Okoye.

    Others are Sefi Atta, Abubakar Ibrahim, Ifeoluwa Adeniyi, Elnathan John, Aramide Segun, Maryam Awaisu and Mansim Chumah Okafor.

    Unigwe, winner of The Nigeria Prize for Literature 2012 with her book On Black Sister’s Street and judge for the 2017 Manbooker Prize, is on the list with her entry Night Dancer published in 2014 while Promise, author of over fifteen novels, founder of Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa and two-time contender for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, is in with her book Sorrow’s Joy as is Kilanko, a writer of poetry and fiction with her debut novel Daughters Who Walk This Path.  Okoye, a writer and author of children’s literature got on the list with The Fourth World; Atta, author of the widely popular Everything Good Will Come with her entry A Bit of Difference; Ibrahim, writer and journalist with Season of Crimson Blossoms; and Adeniyi, a radio broadcaster with her debut novel On the Bank of the River.

    John made the list with his novel, Born On A Tuesday; Segun, winner of an Association of Nigerian Authors Prose Prize for her debut book The Third Dimple with her novel Eniitan Daughter of Destiny; Awaisu, radio presenter with her first novel Burning Bright and  Okafor, author of two previous books of fiction with The Parable of the Lost Shepherds.

    The list was presented by the chairman, panel of judges for this year’s prize, Prof. Dan Izevbaye, well-respected literary critic and a professor of English Language at Bowen University, Iwo. Other members of the panel of judges include Professor Asabe Usman Kabir, Professor of Oral and African Literatures at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto and Professor Isidore Diala, a professor of African Literature at Imo State University, Owerri and first winner of The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism.

    The Nigeria Prize for Literature rotates yearly amongst four literary genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature. The 2016 prize is for prose fiction and comes with a cash award of $100, 000. Next year’s genre will be poetry.

    A shortlist of three is expected in September and a winner, if any, will be announced by the Advisory Board in October.

    The Nigeria Prize for Literature has, since 2004, rewarded eminent writers such as Gabriel Okara (co-winner, 2004, poetry), Professor Ezenwa Ohaeto (co-winner, 2004, poetry) for The Dreamer, His Vision; Ahmed Yerima (2005, drama) for his play, Hard Ground;  Mabel Segun (co-winner, 2007, children’s literature) for her collection of short plays Reader’s Theatre; Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo (co-winner, 2007, children’s literature) for her book, My Cousin Sammy; Kaine Agary (2008, prose) for her book Yellow Yellow; Esiaba Irobi (2010, drama) who clinched the prize posthumously with his book Cemetery Road; Adeleke Adeyemi (2011, children’s literature) with his book The Missing Clock; Chika Unigwe (2012, prose), with her novel, On Black Sisters Street; Tade Ipadeola (2013, poetry) with his collection of poems, The Sahara Testaments and Professor Sam Ukala (2014, drama) with his play, Iredi War.

    Eresia-Eke said NLNG remains committed to responsible corporate citizenship and The Nigeria Prize for Literature is one of its numerous contributions towards building a better Nigeria.

     

  •  NLNG gets new CEO as Omotowa bows out

     NLNG gets new CEO as Omotowa bows out

    The Board of Directors of the Nigeria LNG Limited on Thursday approved the appointment of Mr. Tony Attah as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company.

    Mr. Babs Omotowa, who has held the position for nearly five years, will be returning to Shell International in Hague, ‎Netherlands, according to a statement signed by the company’s General Manager, External Relations, Kudo Eresia-Eke.

    The NLNG said Omotowa, who was appointed CEO by the board in December 2011, would be sorely missed for his uncommon vision, professionalism, compassion and commitment.

    It said Attah, a former managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, would be taking over from him after returning from an assignment at Shell’s Group Integrated Gas business as senior projects advisor, working on projects in the Netherlands and Singapore.

    Attah comes to the NLNG with a 28-year experience in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, the statement said.

    At NLNG, he will be responsible for sustaining NLNG’s top quartile performance in supplying liquefied natural gas to the global energy market and advancing the company’s expansion programmes, according to the statement.

    NLNG is owned by four shareholders, namely, the Federal Government, represented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (49 per cent), Shell Gas BV, (25.6 per cent), Total LNG Nigeria Limited (15 per cent), and Eni International (N.A,) N. V. S. a. r. l (10.4 per cent).

  • 173 authors in race for NLNG $100k literary prize

    173 authors in race for NLNG $100k literary prize

    The race is on for this year’s edition of the Nigeria Prize for Literature sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited which focuses on the Prose Fiction genre.

    It has 173 authors gunning for its most coveted 100,000 prize money.
    This year’s entries, which came in response to a call for entry published in February, were Wednesday handed over to the panel of judges the prize’s advisory board chair Emeritus Prof Ayo Banjo at a ceremony in Lagos.
    Although there was no winner for its Children Literature category last year, the prize’s sponsor and the advisory board are optimistic, saying this year’s promises to be interesting, considering the entries we have got which is lower than the number in the last cycle of prose fiction competition.
    They, therefore, enjoined the judges led by the distinguished Professor of English Language of Prof Dan Izevbaye, Bowen University, to continue the tradition of excellence and integrity the prize is known for.

    “Today, we hand over the 173 entries received for this year’s edition of the competition and I have strong confidence that with their (the judges) very rich knowledge, experiences and competence, the process will again throw up a book of high quality,” Prof Banjo said.
    According to NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations, Kudo Eresia-Eke, the submissions would be pruned based on editorial excellence, creativity and story plot, with the aim that a final winner may emerge in October to coincide with the anniversary of the company’s first shipment of LNG cargo.
    The last winner of the literature prize in the Prose Fiction category was Chika Unigwe in 2012 who beat 213 authors to the prize, which was established in 2004, with her book On Black Sisters’ Street.

    This year’s prose fiction award will run concurrently with NLNG’s prize for literary criticism which has two entries. It was introduced in 2013 and carries a monetary value of N1 million.
    Alongside Prof Izevbaye, who was one of the earliest members of the panel judges when the prize started, the award will be adjudged by Prof Asabe Usman Kabir, a professor of Oral and African Literatures at Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto and Prof Isidore Diala, a professor of African Literature at Imo State University, Owerri and first winner of the award for Literary Criticism. Prof Kojo Senanu of the University of Legion is the international consultant.

    Other members of the board are Emeritus Prof Ben Elugbe and Prof Jerry Agada.