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Tag: Ndu Ughamadu

  • NNPC challenges host communities on pipeline fires

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC ) has urged host communities to create avenues to avoid continuous destruction of oil pipelines by bad elements in their midst.

    The Group Managing Director, Dr Maikanti Baru made the call following an oil pipeline fire outbreak along the Osisioma axis near Aba Depot in its System 2E pipeline network on Friday.

    A statement by the NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, confirmed fatalities and loss of properties in the inferno.

    He said Baru expressed shock at the wanton destruction of lives and properties occasioned by the incident.

    “The GMD prayed that God reposes the souls of the innocent ones that perished in the incident,” he quoted Baru to have said

    He warned members of the public against tampering with oil and gas facilities many of which were flammable.

    Commenting on the cause of the incident, Ughamadu said the incident might have been caused by suspected oil thieves who had hacked into the line to intercept flow of petrol from Port Harcourt to Aba.

    He said the corporation’s safety experts, along with men of the Abia State Fire Service, had swung into action to contain the situation.

    He assured that updates on the situation would be provided as events unfold.

    Read Also: Pipeline explosion kills nursing mother, soldiers in Abia

    Meanwhile, the Abia command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has confirmed the death of 19 persons, following the explosion in two villages in Osisioma Local Government Area of the state.

    The state Commander of the organisation, Mr Benito Eze, told newsmen on Friday in Umuahia that 16 persons, including one woman, died in the explosion that occurred around 2.47 a.m at Umuaduru Village in Umueze Autonomous Community.

    He also said that three others died in the fire that occurred at about 3 a.m in a private residence at Umuimo Village in the area.

  • Strike: NNPC begs oil workers to exercise restrain

    The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, has urged oil workers under the auspices of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), to halt their planned industrial action over a labour dispute involving the Management of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), a Multi-national Oil Company operating in Nigeria, and its staff.

    NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, in a release on Sunday in Abuja, said the corporation’s GMD had directed its Management to work with other stakeholders to resolve the issue raised by the leadership of the Oil Industry unions.  

    The unions had recently called on the National Assembly, the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the NNPC, the Department of State Services (DSS), to intercede in a brewing impasse between CNL and its staff in Nigeria over the company’s disclosure that the contracts with all its manpower services providers would expire by the end of October 2018.

    The Industry unions last Wednesday put its members on red alert fearing the new manpower services contracts may not serve the interests its members.

    Read Also: NNPC records N17.16b trading surplus

    While thanking the oil workers for their exemplary conduct and show of support through the years, the GMD appealed to the Unions not to do anything that would disrupt the industrial harmony that has pervaded the sector, saying the gains of recent past, if care is not taken, can be frittered away inadvertently.

    Baru expressed optimism that the current dispute would soon be amicably settled.  

    Meanwhile, the NNPC has allayed the concerns of motorists and other consumers of petroleum products over possible hiccups in supply in parts of the country due to the oil workers’ ultimatum, assuring that NNPC holds adequate storage of petroleum products across the country to take care of the national demand.

     

  • NNPC records N17.16b trading surplus

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has consolidated on its operational performance with a trading surplus of ₦17.16bn in the month of April, 2018.

    NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, who disclosed this in a statement, said this was part of the highlight of the corporation’s Monthly Financial and Operations Report for April, 2018.

    The report, the 33rd edition since NNPC commenced the publication of its financial and operations report on a monthly basis as part of efforts to instill a culture of transparency and keep stakeholders and the general public informed of its activities, indicated a ₦5.43bn improvement representing 46.29 per cent on the trading surplus recorded in the previous month of March, 2018.

    According to the report released today, in Abuja, the trading surplus was achieved through a combined higher performance by the upstream, midstream (refineries) and downstream sectors as well as a reduction in Corporate Headquarters’ operational expenditure.

    “This enhanced performance is attributable to robust revenues from sales of crude oil and petroleum products by NPDC and PPMC as well as the upsurge in refineries’ performance, particularly in the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC)”, the report stated.

    Read Also: NNPC allays fear over fuel scarcity

    On the gas production and supply front, the report indicated that the average daily production for April, 2018, stood at 8,054.46 billion cubic feet (bcf), out of which an average of 835.27 million metric standard cubic feet (mmscf), equivalent of 3,283 megawatts of electricity, was supplied to the power sector daily during the period under review.

    “The result when compared with that of April, 2017, implies an increase of 496mw of power generated relative to same period last year”, the report stated.

    It further showed that in the period under review, a total of 1.61 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) was supplied by NNPC in furtherance of the zero fuel queue policy of the Federal Government.

    The NNPC said it recorded a 48.21 per cent reduction in the rate of pipeline vandalism which fell to 166 from 224 vandalized points in the previous month.

    According to the report, the Aba-Enugu pipeline segment accounted for 78 vandalized points, representing 84.78 per cent of total vandalized points on the nation’s network of products pipelines.

  • NNPC signs MoUs on biofuels production with Chinese consortia

    …targets over 10 biofuel complexes in Nigeria

     

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Tuesday announced its target of over 10 biofuels refineries in the country as it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in China with Nigerian-Chinese consortia towards developing sustainable biofuels in the country.

    In a ceremony held at the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing on the sidelines of the ongoing Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit Tuesday, two separate MoUs on the biofuels project development were signed between: NNPC and the OBAX-COMPLANT Consortium on one hand and NNPC and the CAPEGATE-NANNING Consortium on the other hand.

    Speaking shortly after signing the dotted lines on behalf of the corporation, NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, said the MoUs signing was aimed at implementing the Federal Government’s mandate on clean, alternative and renewable energy programmes, particularly automotive biofuels production nationwide.

    A statement that the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division , Mr. Ndu Ughamadu issued made this disclosure.

    The statement quoted Baru as saying that “The aspiration for the exploitation of renewable fuel resources in Nigeria is to implement our nationally determined contributions to the Paris Agreement; part of which requires the blending of 10% by volume of fuel-ethanol in gasoline and 20% by volume of biodiesel in automotive gas oil (diesel) for use in the transportation sector.”

    He added that for a country like Nigeria with a daily consumption of over 65million litres of automotive fuels, it was easy to see that enormous volumes of fuel-ethanol and biodiesel would be needed to meet this obligation.

    According to the GMD, meeting and sustaining the target requires strategic investment in more than ten (10) large biofuels complexes across the country.

    Baru, who noted that the execution of the two MoUs would help develop the first biofuel production complex in Nigeria, revealed that before the end of the year, the development of not less than three other complexes would commence in the country.

    He said NNPC was poised to domesticating the alternative fuels production towards a thriving commercial Biofuels Industry which would not only create jobs and rural wealth for the populace but would also complement international efforts towards curbing global warming.

    Read Also: NNPC reporting template ready next month

    He described the renewable energy project as dear to the Muhammadu Buhari administration, saying that was why, shortly after assuming office as GMD, he made it one of the cardinal programmes of his corporate vision of 12 Business Focus Areas (BUFA).

    Dr. Baru said as part of NNPC’s expanded programme on providing renewable energy solutions, the corporation also plans to power all its retail outlets by means of Solar PV facilities, as well as develop grid and off-grid solar power as a business and contribution to the clean fuels initiative of the Federal Government.

    While assuring the two consortia that Nigeria’s investment climate under President Buhari was transparent and conducive to willing Investors, Dr. Baru charged them to commence the implementation of the biofuels projects without any further delay as preliminary studies on the programme show clear financial indices that are very encouraging for business growth.

    The NNPC biofuels programme centres around sugarcane-fuel ethanol production; cassava-fuel ethanol production as well as oil palm-based biodiesel production.

    While OBAX and CAPEGATE are two Nigerian companies, COMPLANT and NANNING are two reputable companies incorporated in China.

    Speaking on behalf of the OBAX-COMPLANT Consortium, President of COMPLANT, Mr. Gu Haitao, expressed delight over the MoU signing, saying he hope it “would culminate into helping NNPC achieve Nigeria’s renewable energy aspirations.”

    Also responding on behalf of the CAPEGATE-NANNING Consortium, Chairman of the NANNING Board, Mr. Qin Chun Lin, said they looked forward to a great partnership with the NNPC on biofuels production.

    Earlier in his remarks, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Nigerian Embassy in China who supervised the MoUs signing, Ambassador Aliyu Bakori, said with over 185 million people, Nigeria remains a huge market for potential investors.

    On her part, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Mrs. Yewande Sadiku, said the Commission’s doors would always be open to investors in need of relevant information towards investment in the country.

     

     

  • Baru not funding alleged impeachment plot against Saraki – NNPC 

    The Management of  Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), on Sunday said its Group Managing Director, Dr Maikanti Baru, was not funding any plot to impeach the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki.

    Mr Ndu Ughamadu, NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, said in a statement in Abuja that the Corporation was not party to the ongoing political struggle in the National Assembly.

    Ughamadu said the trending reports in some section of the media insinuating that Baru had doled out funds to effect the impeachment of Saraki were false.

    He described the report as ”the handiwork of mischief makers seeking to drag NNPC and Baru into a purely political affair totally different from its mandate as the national oil company with fiduciary responsibilities to the government and people’’ of Nigeria.

    ”The report is not only false but also an affront on the verifiable reforms in the operations of the corporation under the remit of Dr Baru.’’

    He said the reforms had “witnessed irreversible strides in the area of transparency leading to the sustained publication of NNPC monthly operations and financial records.

    ”The allegations are mere fiction and outright tales by moonlight for anybody to insinuate that Dr Baru or anybody else could just take a dip into the Corporation’s till and dole out the volume of funds being portrayed in that phantom report for political purpose.’’

    Ughamadu  called on all well-meaning members of the public and oil and gas industry stakeholders to discountenance the story.

    He said that the Management of NNPC remained  committed to its statutory role and responsibility to the entire federation.

    Saraki, on July 31 decamped from the ruling All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party and the Senate promptly adjourned plenary until Sept. 25.

    Allegations that Baru was involved and funding an alleged impeachment plot against Saraki have been rife.

  • NNPC targets 20% in Fertilizer Company

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is billed to take 20% equity in the project Nagarjuna Fertilizer Project to provide the gas feedstock.

    The corporation’s Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, however on Monday charged members of the Joint Management Committee (JMC) of the project to work hard to achieve early Final Investment Decision (FID) for eventual take-off of the project.

    NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, disclosed this in a statement.

    According to the statement, the “Nagarjuna Fertilizer Project in Nigeria is designed to produce 2.8 metric tonne per annum (MTPA) of Urea and 0.22MTPA of Ammonia and NNPC is billed to take 20% equity in the project and provide the gas feedstock.”

    Speaking recently while inaugurating the JMC made up of members drawn from Nagarjuna Fertilizer and Chemicals Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of the India-based Nagarjuna Group, and NNPC, Dr Baru noted that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was keenly interested in diversifying the economy by growing the agricultural sector and that the early take-off of the Nagarjuna Fertilizer Project would be a boost to that aspiration.

    Read Also: $1bn Pipeline Contract Probe: NNPC, Total absence stalls session

    “It is my expectation that the negotiations with the Financiers and other prospective investors will be concluded in order to meet the FID target of March 2019. With the composition of the Joint Management Committee, I believe the target FID date will be achieved. The key message to the Joint Management Committee therefore is to ensure that we conclude the pre-FID activities in good time to achieve the FID target”, the GMD stated.

    He said the project was in tandem with the objectives of the Federal Government’s 7-Big Wins and the corporation’s 12-Business Focus Areas to aggressively commercialise the nation’s enormous gas resources through gas-based industrialization and congratulated the Management of Nagarjuna for its tenacity and acquisition of a new project site in the Ikot Abasi Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone.

    Members of the JMC are: Mr. Kovvuri H. Dharudu, Chairman; Ms. Blessing Arinze (Nagarjuna); Mr. Moses Oladejo (Nagarjuna); NNPC Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Isiaka Abdulrazaq; NNPC Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power, Engr. Saidu Mohammed; Managing Director, Gas & Power Investment Company (GPIC), Mr. Husaini El-Yakub; and Group General Manager, Corporate Planning & Strategy, Mr. Bala Wunti.

  • Student disagrees with WAEC answer in NNPC quiz

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) was put to test Monday in Ilorin when a participating student at the on-going Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) National Science Quiz Competition for states in the North Central Zone and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja disputed a mathematical answer the examining body proffered for one of the questions.

    Providing an option D answer (5/36) for the Mathematics Round One, Question 7 of the exercise, Ibrahim Wisdom of St. Kizito Seminary, Idah, Kogi State, stood his ground, which made the Quiz Master, Mr. Oyawale Olusegun, to halt the contest and summoned six subject experts among the teachers to intervene.

    As the tense atmosphere at the event slowly ticked away, Mr. Abdulahmeed Baba Ahmed, a Mathematics teacher from Demonstration Secondary School, Akwanga, Nasarawa State, who was among the subject experts that rose to the occasion, provided solution to the logjam.

    To the relief of participants, officials and the audience at the context, WAEC was right, as Ahmed’s solution tallied with the examining body’s option C answer to the question.

    The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, who made this known in a statement yesterday, said the student was commended for being courageous to challenge WAEC.

    “The question”, said Ahmed with an air of authority, “was not direct; it was technical”, stressing however that Wisdom’s courage to challenge WAEC option should be welcome.

    Olusegun, the Quiz Master, who is a subject expert in Physics and is also a Deputy Director, Department of Science and Technology of the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, said that rarely, youthful participants had disputed answer options provided by an examining body, adding that the intervention of subject experts who accompanied the students were always sought to resolved matters.

    The disputed question at the contest which held at Queen Elizabeth School in Ilorin was: A box contains 5 white, 4 green and 3 identical balls. If two balls are picked one after the other from the box without replacement, what is the probability that one is white and the other is green. WAEC provided the following answer options for pick: A 5/33; B 5/18, C 10/33 and D 5/36.

    Option C was adjudged the correct answer.

    Thirteen-year-old Wisdom who had earlier queried the WAEC’s answer concurred eventually with the examination body’s option, saying the question was rather technical, which was why he missed it.

    Its now two years running with WAEC as consultant to the contest, with the main responsibility of preparing standardized test items for the nationwide competition.

    At the preliminary stages up to the Zonal level, the NNPC quiz competition tests participants in five subject areas of Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. At the Grand Finale level, test of fundamentals on NNPC and the Oil and Gas Industry, is included.

    Also, on the sidelines of the contest, Favour Moshood Okikiola, who was a Zonal winner of the contest and who made it to the Grand Finale of the competition in Abuja in 2017, revealed his exploits in the just released West African Examinations Council Ordinary Level results.

    Okikiola, who had attended Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Model School in Ilorin, made eight A1s in the examinations with only a B in English Language.

    The calm 16-year old, who also recorded an impressive score of 344 out of 400 questions in the last Joint Admission and Matriculation Board universities admission examinations, has already trained his sights on studying Medicine and Surgery at the premier University of Ibadan.

    “The NNPC National Science Quiz context was a morale booster to me”, Okikiola stated, saying that through the competition he was able to know his weak areas, which in turn enabled him to balance up.

    He admonished the winners and losers at the Ilorin Zonal contest to think positively as they all have a bright future ahead of them.

    Udeogu Chukwuemeka, Okikiola’s teacher, who was also at the North Central Zonal contest, said he made the school proud as he was the first student from their school who made it to NNPC National Science Quiz Competition Grand Finale.

    Chukwuemeka stated that Okikiola’s participation in NNPC quiz competition was a morale booster as he received a hero’s welcome to the school on return from the contest in Abuja last year, stressing that the confidence the quiz contest imbued in him must have partly informed his recent superlative successes in WAEC and JAMB examinations.

    NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, who was represented at the occasion said the quiz competition was a flagship of NNPC Corporate Social Responsibility projects.

    He said he was proud of the successes of the initiative which has turned out scores of individuals that are making meaningful contribution to the society.

    He assured that NNPC would continue to affect the lives of Nigerians in all walks of life positively in line with the corporation’s pay-off line.

    Kwara State Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Halima Garba, who was represented at the event by Alhaji Hammed Yinusa, Director, Information and Communication Technology Department of the Ministry, thanked NNPC for its support for science education across the country, adding that the corporation’s efforts had enabled many Nigerians to actualize their dreams.

    Hajia Garba wished the winners who would represent the North Central in the Grand Finale contest in Abuja success in their endeavours.

    Queen Elizabeth School Principal, Alhaja Ramata Abdulrahman, expressed appreciation to NNPC for the significant impact it was making to support the education of young Nigerians.

    She said she looked forward to seeing other corporate bodies emulate NNPC in the laudable initiative.

    At the end of the one-day competition which commenced as early as 9am, two states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Plateau State, represented by Okeke Favour and Ezemba Confidence respectively, tallied in their scores of 65 marks out of 75 points to emerge First and were trailed by Benue State who was represented by Agada Vincent, who made 3rd position. The three are to represent the Zone in the Grand Finale in Abuja later in the year.

    Kwara and Kogi states, represented by Femi Olufisayo and Ibrahim Wisdom respectively, equally tallied to take 4th position with 50 points each, with Niger and Nasarawa states, represented by Olamilekan Oladapo and Ajogwu Benjamin, making the distant sixth and 7th positions with 35 and 20 points respectively.

    The NNPC Quiz Competition was inaugurated in 2000 and was limited to participants from the Niger Delta but went national in 2001. This year’s event would mark the 16th edition of the competition.

    Designed mainly for students in the nation’s secondary schools, the competition has impacted positively on the intellectual attainment of young Nigerians. It has provided financial succour to successful contestants who have been placed on scholarship throughout their university education. Many of the awardees had moved on to achieve academic laurels in tertiary institutions, locally and internationally.

    Fulfilling aspects of its slant, records show many of the past awardees ended up studying Science and Technology related courses in the universities. In 2010, a past winner of the competition, emerged 2nd in a contest involving others from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Member Countries, and Austria to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of OPEC.

    Several years after its inauguration, the horizon of the competition soars.

    Among the main objectives of the competition are:

    · To implement a core element of NNPC Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) package

    · To promote Science education in the country

    · To encourage students in the study of Science and Technology related subjects

    · To prepare students for promotional and qualifying examinations

    · To build friendship amongst the participating students

    · To develop students’ competitive spirit

    · To break down long-held stereotypes and engendering a better sense of national being in participating students, through the cross-cultural interactions that the contest offers

    · To provide a platform for enlightening the students and the public on the activities of NNPC.

  • NNPC eyes gas for 15,000mw by 2020

    …says Minna depot Fire brought under control

     

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that it has deigned the seven Critical Gas Development Projects (7CGDP) to leverage the full potential of gas to meet the target of generating at least 15 gigawatts (GW) of electricity by 2020.

    A statement of the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu in a state that made available to journalists in Abuja, said that a major stride in the attainment of national energy sufficiency was achieved in Lagos with the commencement of technical framing workshop and subsequent project signing ceremony of the (7CGDP) to deliver about 3.4 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day (bscfd) to bridge the foreseen medium term supply gap by 2020 on an accelerated basis.

    In a presentation at the event, Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru, enthused that the projects would not only bridge the projected shortfall in supply upon completion, but would also signal the beginning of the process of closing demand-supply gap in the domestic gas market.

    He said NNPC had engaged two World Class Project Management Consultants namely DeltaAfrik/Worley Parson & Crestech/Penspen who will work with NPDC and NNPC JV Partners and other stakeholders to achieve set project deliverables.

    Read Also: NNPC subsidiary generates N72.7b from gas

    He listed some of the responsibilities of the project consultants to include: working with NNPC and partners to revalidate and carry out relevant technical studies to proposed development plans, provide financial advisory services for project funding/financing strategy and appraise the fiscal requirements for viability and advice on interventions that may be required.

    The PMT are also expected to study and recommend fast-track tendering process for field development and project implementation, establish realistic cost benchmark(s) for identified projects and develop project schedules and cost estimates for the respective projects among others

    Baru explained that in addition to the above, the NNPC Project Management groups would strengthen oversight function on the seven (7) critical gas development projects by ensuring prompt decision making and timely approvals in line with international best practices.

    The NNPC GMD said the Corporation was working closely with other agencies like the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Nigerian Content Monitoring and Development Board (NCMDB), among others, to ensure timely approvals for the project and also ensure that lease renewals requests related to these projects were supported for renewals by relevant agency.

    Mr. Osagie Okunbor, Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) which is handling three out of the seven projects, pledged the commitment of the company to the successful execution of the 7CGDP, noting that Shell was fully aligned with Nigeria’s gas strategy and aspirations.

    Highpoint of the event was the formal execution of agreement for the development of the 6.4 trillion cubic feet unitized gas fields (Samabri-Bisseni, Akri-Oguta, Ubie-Oshi fields by NNPC/Shell and NAOC JV.

    The 7CGDP include: development of the 4.3 trillion cubic feet (TCF) Assa North/Ohaji South field; development of the 6.4 TCF Unitized Gas fields (Samabri-Biseni, Akri-Oguta, Ubie-Oshi and Afuo-Ogbainbri); and the development of 7TCF NPDC’s OML 26, 30 &42.

    Others include: development of 2.2 TCF Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) JV Gas Supply to Brass Fertilizer Company; cluster development of 5 TCF OML 13 to support the expansion of Seven Energy Uquo Gas Plant; and the cluster development of 10 TCF Okpokunou/Tuomo West (OML 35& 62).

    Meanwhile the NNPC on Monday provided insight into the fire incident which ravaged parts of the PPMC Depot in Minna, Niger State.

    Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the 7CGDP launch in Lagos, the GMD said the fire incident which started late Saturday night after the collapse of the floating roof of one of the Petrol storage tanks had since been brought under control.

    He thanked members of the neighbouring communities, the security agencies and emergency services for their support and prompt response.

  • NNPC will remain globally competitive – Baru

    The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Maikanti Baru, says the corporation will remain globally competitive.

    Baru said this in a statement by the NNPC Spokesman, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, on Thursday in Abuja.

    According to the statement, Baru was addressing the corporation’s staff via a mail broadcast to commemorate his two-year anniversary at the helm of affairs of the NNPC.

    Baru, who described his two years in the saddle as “exciting”, said since he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari, he had enjoyed a great level of support from all staff in moving the corporation forward.

    ”Going forward, our priority will be to remain globally competitive.

    ”In pursuing this, we will ensure the gradual transition of NNPC from an integrated oil and gas company to an energy company.

    “‘We will also review our business models to reflect current operations reality with improved profitability, transparency and accountability as the cornerstone,” he said.

    Baru said his administration would ensure improved collaboration with local communities, states, local governments and relevant agencies, improved security and safety of personnel and infrastructure.

    Listing his achievements, Baru said the corporation had sustained production level from the nation’s assets to above average of two million barrels per day in 2018.

    He said aside securing approval and signing off the novel financing structure with Schlumberger for the NNPC/First Exploration and Production Joint Venture, the corporation maintained commitment to repayment of cash calls arrears where about $1 billion of $5 billion indebtedness were settled.

    In the midstream sub-sector, Baru observed that NNPC had remained a critical gas supplier to the domestic market with a dominant market share and supporting government’s gas-to-power initiative.

    It is currently supplying an average of 720MMscf/day, representing about 47 per cent of total gas supply to the domestic gas market.

    He said under his watch, the nation celebrated a record highest peak power generation of 5,222mw on Dec. 18 2017 with 76 per cent of the generated power from thermal power plants.

    ”Gas supply to industries has also increased with an average daily supply of about 450 mmscfd.

    ”In addition, we kicked off the 614 km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline project, after obtaining FEC approval for the EPC of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline on 13th December 2017.

    ”The pipeline on completion is expected to deliver gas to the ongoing Abuja, Kaduna and Kano Power Plants with the potential to generate additional 3,600MW to the national grid.”

    In the downstream, Baru said milestone had also been achieved in rehabilitating and putting back on stream key downstream infrastructure critical to sustaining smooth and cost effective distribution of petroleum products across the country.

    ”Products supply availability was sustained across the country through a combination of Direct Supply Direct Purchase initiative and Forex provision to pre-qualified third-party importers,” he said.

    On the refineries, Dr. Baru said in spite of the numerous challenges, the refineries remained operational and strategic in their contribution to petroleum products availability to support domestic supply across the nation.

    He stated that other key achievements of his leadership included institutionalising increased transparency in the bidding process for crude oil term contracts, marine contracts and attracting investors into critical areas of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry.

    Baru charged the staff of the corporation not to rest on their oars, saying they should work towards making NNPC a great organisation that would be the pride of its founding fathers.

    Baru was appointed the 17th Group head of NNPC by President Buhari on July 4, 2016.

  • NNPC repays $1b of $5b cash call

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Thursday said it has maintained commitment to repayment of cash calls arrears where about $1bn dollars of $5bn indebtedness has been settled.

    Its Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, disclosed this in Abuja while addressing the corporation’s staff via a mail broadcast to commemorate his two-year anniversary at the helm of affairs of the NNPC.

    Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu revealed this in a statement on Thursrday.

    The statement added that in the upstream sub-sector, Baru said the corporation had worked hard to sustain production level from the nation’s assets to above average of 2million barrels per day in 2018.

    He said aside securing approval and signing off the novel financing structure with Schlumberger for the NNPC/First E&P JV which is expected to deliver a peak production of 50kbopd and 120MMscfd by 2019.

    He vowed that the corporation remains globally competitive to ensure value addition to the nation’s hydrocarbon resources for the benefit of Nigerians and other stakeholders.

    Baru, who described his two years in the saddle as “exciting”, said ever since he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari, he had enjoyed a great level of support from all staff in moving the corporation forward.

    “Going forward, our priority will be to remain globally competitive.  In pursuing this, we will ensure the gradual transition of NNPC from an integrated oil and gas company to an energy company. We will also review our business models to reflect current operations reality with improved profitability, transparency and accountability as the cornerstone,” Dr. Baru told staff in the nine-page address.

    Read Also: NNPC to raise fund from capital market for projects

    Dr. Baru said his administration would ensure improved collaboration with local communities, states, local governments and relevant agencies, improved security and safety of personnel and infrastructure, improved human capital development as well as optimized NNPC’s non-core oil businesses.

    The GMD said the 12 Business Focus Areas (12 BUFAs) was designed to succeed, having emplaced aggressive business improvement policies to ensure NNPC’s performance threshold across the oil and gas value chain.

    He said NNPC under his watch had initiated and successfully completed milestone deliverables in the Upstream, Midstream, including the refineries and in the Downstream, leading to improved performance and business stability across the corporation’s major operations and entire value chain activities.

    In the midstream sub-sector, Dr. Baru observed that NNPC had remained a critical gas supplier to the domestic market with a dominant market share and supporting Government’s gas-to-power initiative, currently supplying an average of 720MMscf/day which represents about 47% of total gas supply to the domestic gas market.

    He said under his watch, the nation celebrated a record highest peak power generation of 5222MW on 18th December 2017 with 76 per cent of the generated power from thermal power plants. Gas supply to industries has also increased with an average daily supply of about 450mmscfd, Dr Baru noted.

    “In addition, we kicked off the 614km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline project, after obtaining FEC approval for the EPC of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline on 13th December 2017. The pipeline on completion is expected to deliver gas to the ongoing Abuja, Kaduna and Kano Power Plants with the potential to generate additional 3600MW to the national grid.

    Dr. Baru said NNPC and ONHYM jointly engaged two consultants, Penspen and ILF, to carry out the Feasibility Studies and Project Management Consultancy services respectively, revealing that the Feasibility Studies have been concluded as planned, while plans are afoot to jointly commence FEED before the end of the year.

    In the downstream, Baru said milestone had also been achieved in rehabilitating and putting back on stream key downstream infrastructure that are critical to sustaining smooth and cost effective distribution of petroleum products across the country.

    Despite challenges of vandalism, sabotage and aging infrastructure, Dr. Baru noted, NNPC had achieved milestones in revamping the corporation’s critical oil & gas infrastructure.

    “Products supply availability was sustained across the country through a combination of Direct Supply Direct Purchase (DSDP) initiative and Forex (FX) provision to pre-qualified third-party importers,” he stressed.

    On the refineries, Dr. Baru said despite the numerous challenges, the refineries have remained operational and strategic in their contribution to petroleum products availability to support domestic supply across the nation.

    The GMD stated that other key achievements of his leadership so far were  institutionalizing increased transparency in the bidding process for crude oil term contracts as well as marine contracts and attracting investors into critical areas of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry, including the rebranding of about 10 subsidiaries of the corporation towards more profitability.

    Dr. Baru charged the staff of the corporation not to rest on their oars, saying they should work towards making NNPC a great organization that will be the pride of its founding fathers.

    It would be recalled that Baru was appointed the 17th GMD of NNPC by President Muhammadu on the 4th July.