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Tag: Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation

  • NNPC retail to capture 30% market share

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) Downstream subsidiary, NNPC Retail Limited, has been directed to target 30 per cent market share of petroleum products distribution business in Nigeria’s Downstream Petroleum Sector by 2020.

    NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, handed down the directive yesterday  in Abuja during the unveiling ceremony of brand new logos for four of its downstream subsidiaries: Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC), NNPC Retail Limited and NNPC Shipping.

    Baru explained that the target would enable efficient products distribution and price stability across every nook and cranny of the nation, even as he added that by that time NNPC Retail Ltd would also extend its businesses to other neighbouring states in the west African sub-region.

    The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu made this known in a statement.

    Currently, the Corporation’s downstream company holds about 14 per cent market share of the nation’s products distribution network.

    “In making the choice to rebrand these entities, we are taking a huge step towards enhancing our corporate reputation, improved profitability, sustainable growth and most importantly, capture a larger share of the market across the entire downstream value-chain,” Dr. Baru declared.

    According to him, re-branding the four companies also prepares them for more competitiveness in the downstream sub-sector, in line with the corporation’s 12 Business Focus Areas (BUFAs).

    He informed that the NNPC was committed to ensuring that PPMC as a flagship national products marketing company becomes more profitable and crucial to meeting the nation’s energy demands.

    Baru added that NNPC was working assiduously towards bequeathing an NPSC that would brim with revamped infrastructure for efficient storage and distribution of petroleum products across the nation, thereby ensuring supply reliability and energy security.

    The NNPC helmsman noted that it was the corporation’s key aspiration to strengthen its shipping outfit to support the downstream growth objectives of its subsidiaries, saying the corporation would not relent until NNPC Shipping becomes the partner of choice in the marine transportation and logistics business.

    He said: “The Downstream Sector is one critical aspect of our business upon which we are readily assessed by majority of our stakeholders nationwide and in the international market environment, making it imperative for the corporation’s long-term survival and image.”

    On the significance of the unveiling of logos ceremony, Dr. Baru described a company’s logo as the visual cornerstone of its brand identity, stressing that the logo brings out a company in a crowd.

    “Today, corporations and other multinationals don’t even need their names written on their logos before people understand what they stand for”, Baru stated.

    Read Also: NNPC, Agip to add 500mw to power grid

    He assured that in no time, the logos would spur and facilitate a great deal of improved brand loyalty towards the PPMC, NPSC, NNPC Retail Ltd and NNPC Shipping.

    The GMD stated that he expected the rebranded companies to overcome their current challenges, improve on their performance and become more profitable, all collectively shoring up NNPC’s reputation.

    Echoing the Dr. Baru, the Chief Operating Officer Ventures and Chairman of “We Can Develop Our Logo In-House” project, Dr. Victor Adeniran, stated that the unveiling of the logos seeks to rebrand the corporation’s four downstream companies, adding that ultimately the logos would be part of the underlying factors that would change their respective fortunes for the better.

    “Let me particularly salute the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the participating staff who came up with these fantastic ideas and concepts, some of which we are unveiling today. This goes to show that the NNPC is indeed blessed with extraordinary hands that are ever ready to address its challenges without recourse to external expertise,” Adeniran stated.

    He disclosed that the first tranche of entries covered PPMC and NPSC logos, of which a total of 59 entries scaled the originality test, while the second tranche covering NNPC Retail Ltd and NNPC Shipping also had 41 entries that scaled the originality test.

    “To demonstrate the intensity of the competition, some even sent in multiple entries. Out of these entries, selecting the top three brands for each company was not an easy task”, explained

    Two NNPC staff emerged overall winners, with Ibrahim Ahmed’s submissions being selected for the PPMC, while Fasoro Abimbola’s beat other submissions to emerge the best for NNPC Retail Limited and NNPC Shipping.

  • NNPC, Agip to add 500mw to power grid

    As part of efforts to ramp up power supply in the country, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its Joint Venture Partner, Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC) have pledged their commitment to implement the Okpai Phase 2 Project to shore up the current power generation with 500 megawatts of power.

    Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, made the disclosure when he received the new Vice Chairman and Managing Director of NAOC, Fiorillo Lorenzo, in his office at the NNPC Towers on Tuesday.

    He said that the Okpai Phase 2 Project was being fine-tuned to expeditiously bring it on stream, adding that it would increase power generation by between 10 to 12 per cent.

    Read Also: NNPC seeks dual licensing for petroleum operation

    The corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu made this disclosure in a statement, saying that “That is additional 500mw of power that is coming in, provided the transmission is up and going, then we should be able to boost the current power supply to the country by another 10 to 12 per cent of the current generation.”

    The GMD informed that the project, when completed, would impact significantly on economic activities of the country, stressing that once power was available, there would be a lot of improvement in the standard of living of Nigerians.

    Earlier, Lorenzo, said his company had a long-standing partnership with Nigeria and NNPC.

    “We want to grow and we want to build and develop new opportunities for the country and support the country in its energy journey. We want to try to change and improve the energy mix of the country and the Okpai Project is a testament of this commitment of our company,’ Lorenzo affirmed.

    On his part, the outgoing Vice Chairman of NAOC, Massimo Insulla, said the meeting with the GMD was fruitful with the discussion focusing on the opportunities in the Joint Venture (JV) and the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) and taking advantage of the oil price condition to bring additional value to the investment in the Nigeria.

    “We have been working for 15 years to implement the Okpai Phase 2 Project which is very important to the NNPC/NAOC JV, and we have been able to find a way to achieve our target with this administration,” Insulla stated.

  • NNPC’s Abdulrazaq, others bag ICAN  merit award 

    For his exemplary leadership and promotion of transparency and accountability as the Group Executive Director/ Chief Finance Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other places where he had worked, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (lCAN) has honoured Mr. Isiaka AbdulRazaq, with a merit award, lCAN’s highest honour.

    At the ICAN 2018 annual dinner attended by captains of industry, policymakers and leaders of thought at the Eko Hotels & Suites Lagos,  Abdulrazaq was honoured alongside the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Mr. Babatunde Fowler, Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, and Oba Babatunde Ajayi, the traditional ruler of Sagamu and Akarigbo of  Remoland.

    The ICAN Merit Award is conferred on   members and non-members who have distinguished themselves in their careers cutting across both private and public sectors as well as members who use the profession of Accountancy to promote national development and economic growth.

    “One of such of our members is Mr.Abdulrazaq whose professionalism and commitment to excellence has made NNPC to be more transparent in its books. NNPC accounts and subsidiaries are now regularly published and can be accessed by members of the public”, according to ICAN President, Isma’ila Muhammadu Zakari.

    Abdulrazaq was also recognised for his outstanding contribution to the development of the accounting profession through the establishment of “Youth Professional Development Trust (YPDT)” which has encouraged young Accounting Graduates in educationally less developed states to attain professionalism. As at 2017 a total of 734 students were graduated from the various centers.

  • FG has not compromised us in last two years, says NNPC

    …seeks determination of beneficial ownership

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Wednesday said that it has never in the last two years the Federal Government has not sought to compromise it. This according to its Group General Manager,  Crude Oil Marketing Division (COMD), Mr. Mele Kyari, who extolled the government that has given the corporation a room to operate transparently and also remain accountable, is unprecedented in the history of the corporation.

    He broke the news in his goodwill message at the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) stakeholder’s workshop on validation in Abuja.

    He said that “we have never had it this good in this country like since the last two years. In terms of transparency in our transactions, validation of our activities,  the unfettered and unobstructed participation of the SGF which has never asked us to do anything else different.

    “This is the most transparent government in this country. We have seen a lot of governments, and worked with a number of them, especially in the last two years, we put our cards in the table.”

    In his presentation titled “Deepening EITI implementation in Nigeria: Commodity Trading and Beneficial Ownership,” he pointed out that when asked of beneficial owners, trading companies present list of their shareholders registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

    He insisted that government needs to work with the NEITI to get beneficial a owners, noting that the banks could use the cash to trace the real owners of the companies.

    Continuing, he said that “we know that the names on companies registration in the CAC are just mere names of people who get commissions from real owners.

    “The closest we can get is to insist that companies give names of people who have at least 5 to 10% shares and you can consider beneficial owners.”

    Kyari however pointed out that should NNPC go beyond that, it would be seen to be doing the job of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    According to him, the corporation is only interested in the beneficial owners for them to pay their proper tax and not for their crime.

    He however submitted that “for the first time during our last contract, we insisted that all companies declare beneficial owners and all of them gave a list of shareholders which is useless.

    “We need to have collaboration between the government, companies and banks to come to an agreement on the determination of beneficial owners.”

    Speaking, NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Waziri Adio, noted that the corporation has now changed for good. He said that the NNPC now honors invitation, which shows that nobody benefits from opaqueness while serving the public.

    He said although Nigeria has survived different validation exercises, the question remains whether NEITI’s reports have effected any social change in the country.

  • FG has not compromised us in last two years, says NNPC

    …seeks determination of beneficial ownership

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Wednesday said  that it has never in the last two years the Federal Government has not sought to compromise it. This according to its Group General Manager,  Crude Oil Marketing Division (COMD), Mr. Mele Kyari, who extolled the government that has given the corporation a room to operate transparently and also remain accountable, is unprecedented in the history of the corporation.

    He broke the news in his goodwill message at the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) stakeholders workshop on validation in Abuja.

    He said that “we have never had it this good in this country like since the last two years. In terms of transparency in our transactions, validation of our activities,  the unfettered and unobstructed participation of the SGF which has never asked us to do anything else different.

    “This is the most transparent government in this country. We have seen a lot of governments, and worked with a number of them, especially in the last two years, we put our cards in the table.”

    In his presentation titled “Deepening EITI implementation in Nigeria: Commodity Trading and Beneficial Ownership,” he pointed out that when asked of beneficial owners, trading companies present list of their shareholders registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

    He insisted that government needs to work with the NEITI to get beneficial a owners, noting that the banks could use the cash to trace the real owners of the companies.

    Continuing, he said that “we know that the names on companies registration in the CAC are just mere names of people who get commissions from real owners.

    “The closest we can get is to insist that companies give names of people who have at least 5 to 10% shares and you can consider beneficial owners.”

    Kyari however pointed out that should NNPC go beyond that, it would be seen to be doing the job of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    According to him, the corporation is only interested in the beneficial owners for them to pay their proper tax and not for their crime.

    He however submitted that “for the first time during our last contract, we insisted that all companies declare beneficial owners and all of them gave a list of shareholders which is useless.

    “We need to have collaboration between the government, companies and banks to come to an agreement on the determination of beneficial owners.”

    Speaking, NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Waziri Adio, noted that the corporation has now changed for good. He said that the NNPC now honors invitation, which shows that nobody benefits from opaqueness while serving the public.

    He said although Nigeria has survived different validation exercises, the question remains whether NEITI’s reports have effected any social change in the country.

  • NNPC spends $396.33m on four refineries in 10 years

    …denies paying subsidy

     

    Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has spent $396.33m on turn around maintenance (TAM) of the nation’s four refineries between 1998 and 2008, it emerged yesterday.

    This as the oil company denies being responsible for the payment of fuel subsidy, saying the Federal government was responsible.

    NNPC Documents made available to the Mohammed Datti-led Ad-hoc Committee investigating the status of the nations four refineries, the Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) to date and regular modular licensed refineries yesterday provided details of money spent on each of the nation’s refineries.

    Document presented by the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Refineries, Anibo Kraga indictated that from $182.730m proposed for old and new Port Harcourt refineries, the sum of $157.641m was spent.

    Of $91.5m proposed for Kaduna refinery, $87.517m was spent, while $151.170m proposed for Warri refinery was spent.

    The figures were exclusive of the period of last administration to date.

    Kraga, who represented NNPC disclosed that Federal Government is responsible for subsidy payment  and not the Corporation.

    The committee was not satisfied with the scanty details provided by Kraga and directed NNPC to submit certificate of completion of various contracts awarded, five-year audited account of the four refineries with the view to ascertain compliance with the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

    The Committee wondered where the Corporation sourced the money for payment of subsidy to the tune of trillions of naira, while the natuins refineries could not produce to capacity due to fund paucity.

    As a result, Committee chairman Datti gave the Corporation one week ultimatum to comply and revert back to the Committee.

  • NNPC: Nigeria exits gas flaring in two years

    The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, has announced it would exit gas flaring in two years time.

    Baru made the announcement while delivering the lead paper on a panel session at the ongoing 50th Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), in Houston, United States of America.

    The corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu disclosed this in a statement yesterday.

    Speaking on the theme: “Nigeria’s Gas Flare Commercialisation, Prospects & Opportunities”, Baru explained that in the last decade, gas flaring in Nigeria had reduced significantly from 25% to 10%.

    According to the GMD, the multi-pronged approach taken by the NNPC would ensure a sustainable solution to the historical problem of flaring, thereby turning waste into dollars.

    The three-point strategy championed by NNPC to arrest the growth in gas flares includes ensuring non-submission of Field Development Plans (FDPs) to the Industry Regulator – the Department Petroleum Resources (DPR), without a viable and executable gas utilization plan, a move aimed at ensuring no new gas flare in current and future projects.

    The other two strategies, Baru added, were a steady reduction of existing flares through a combination of targeted policy interventions in the Gas Master-plan as well as the re-invigoration of the flare penalty through the 2016 Nigeria Gas Flare Commercialization Programme (NGFCP) and through legislation, that is, ban on gas flaring via the recent Flare Gas (Prevention of Waste and Pollution) Regulations 2018.

    This development, Baru added, would not only see Nigeria dropping from being the second highest gas flaring nation in the world to seventh, it would also signify a major milestone in its gas commercialization prospects.

    “Total flares have significantly reduced to current levels of about 800mmscfd and in the next 1-2 years we would have completely ensured zero routine flares from all the gas producers,” the GMD stated.

    According to him, NNPC has embarked on the most aggressive expansion of the gas infrastructure network aimed at creating access to the market.

    “Today, we have completed and commissioned almost 600km of new gas pipelines thereby connecting all existing power plants to permanent gas supply pipeline. We are also currently completing the construction of the strategic 127km Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben gas pipeline – “OB 3” connecting the Eastern supply to the Western demand centres,” he added.

    Dr. Baru further noted that aside looping Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS 2) gas pipeline projects to increase gas volume capacity to at least 2Bcf/day, the corporation has recently signed the contracts to kick off the 614Km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline project, which on completion, would deliver gas to the ongoing power plants in the areas and revive the manufacturing industries in the northern part of the country.

    He assured that there was evidence that the interventions undertaken by the corporation were working as gas supply to the domestic market is growing at an encouraging rate, having tripled from 500mmcf/d in 2010 to about 1500mmcf/d currently.

    Baru informed that the aggressive development of gas infrastructure (pipelines and processing plant) between supply sources and the market would also create a sustainable evacuation route for currently flared gas and other gas sources.

    Earlier, speaking at a panel session on New Oil & Gas Horizons and Procurement Procurements in Sub-Saharan Africa, Dr. Baru had maintained that huge opportunities abound in Nigeria’s Gas Sector, with the country expecting over $25 billion investments anticipated over the next 10 years.

    He described the Nigerian Petroleum Industry as the largest and the most vibrant in Sub-Saharan Africa with lots of potentials, especially in the deep water and untapped gas resources.

    Noting that Nigeria offers unique opportunities for investment in exploration, refining, storage, transportation, power, distribution and marketing of petroleum products, Dr. Baru further observed that the nation’s Gas Reform was anchored on a robust strategic framework that is focused on maximum economic impact through gas.

  • NNPC partners Osun on renewable energy development

    The management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says it will partner Osun government on renewable energy development.

    Mrs Clara Eminike, the General Manager, Joint Venture of Renewable Energy Division of NNPC, said this when she led the corporation’s team on a visit to  Gov. Rauf Aregbesola on Thursday in Osogbo

    Eminike said NNPC was ready to collaborate with the state government on the mass production of cassava for industrial purpose of bio-fuel programme of the corporation.

    She said the partnership was also aimed at linking the energy sector with the agriculture sector through the commercial production of bio-fuel from selected energy crops like cassava, sugar cane and oil palm.

    Eminike assured that the collaboration would help to create wealth, diversify energy source and also create jobs for the teeming citizens of the state.

    She said the partnership was necessary to efficiently and productively explore the agricultural potential of the state to drive the corporation’s diversification dream from oil and gas to renewable energy development in Nigeria.

    ” We know that oil and gas is not renewable and internationally, a lot of people are diversifying from oil and gas to other sources of energy.

    “It might interest you that the NNPC is not left out as we have diversified from being an oil and gas company to be an energy company and that is how this comes into play too,” she said.

    Aregbesola commended the management of the corporation for displaying high sense of dexterity toward the diversification of the nation’s economy.

    The governor described the partnership as a necessity to attract investors, create wealth and generate employment opportunities for the citizenry.

    Aregbesola noted that the move would support the farmers, particularly the cassava outgrowers who hitherto faced challenges in marketing their agriculture produce.

    NAN

     

  • NNPC: we made trading profit of N250 billion – Official

    The Group Executive Director, Finance and Account of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC ), Mr Isiaka Abdulrazak said the corporation made a trading profit of N250 billion in 2016.

    Abdulrazak said this in a quarterly publication of the NNPC, a copy of which was obtained by the News men on Tuesday in Abuja.

    According to him, his office inherited 65 unaudited financial statements between 2011 and 2014.

    He said that though, there were challenges that led to the backlog, a Project Steering Committee chaired by him was constituted to meet with auditors and all relevant stakeholders to identify and isolate key challenges and give them priority attention.

    Giving an insight into how he was able to clear the corporation’s unaudited accounts from 2011 to 2016, Abdulrazak said this figure was up from a deficit of N123 billion in 2015.

    “In August 2015, when the present management of the Finance and Accounts Directorate took over the mantle of leadership, we inherited a total of 65 unaudited financial statements for NNPC corporate and its subsidiaries covering 2011 to 2014.

    “The major elements consist of a review of the Group Audited Financial Statements, particularly for 2016 reveals a positive shift to a trading profit of N250 billion from a trading deficit of N123 billion in 2015, indicating a 300 per cent improvement in trading performance.

    “This is despite the decline in the average price of crude oil to as low as 345 dollars per barrel in 2016, compared to 51 dollars in 2015, and 110 dollars in 2014,’’ he said.

    He said it was also critical to point out that the 2016 result was a reflection of management’s philosophy to enhance profitability by forcing down costs and improving revenue generation.

    “For example, we have discontinued sub-commercial business arrangements such as offshore processing arrangements, disadvantaged crude for product exchange swap and poorly-managed strategic alliances.

    “To improve revenues, there have been a number of new initiatives such as the introduction of Direct Sale Direct Purchase, a 20-25 per cent cut on all commercial contracts among others.

    “Also, revenue analysis shows a 10 per cent increase from N2 trillion to N2.3 trillion between 2015 and 2016.

    “Further analysis shows a 75 per cent increase in petroleum product sales from N820 billion to N1.4 trillion, attributable to the partial deregulation of petrol price,’’ he said.

    According to him, the statement of financial position has been riddled with persistent losses over time and this had eroded shareholders’ equity.

    “You will recall that I mentioned that the Group trading performance improved to N250 billion trading surplus in 2016 compared to a trading deficit of N123 billion in 2015.

    “However, the Group ended with a net loss position mainly due to NPDC revenues shut-in as a result of the security situation in the Niger Delta in 2016, and exchange rate losses among others.

    “The Group results would have been positive without these factors,’’ he said.

    He said the directorate under his watch had recorded successes in areas like managing foreign exchange intervention pool for importation of petroleum products and savings on insurance premiums.

    “This has so far led to more than 340 million dollars year-on-year savings in premiums payable over the period of 2015 to 2018 ( about 45 per cent ) effective reduction in year-on-year premiums.

    Read Also: NNPC: our financial statement is up-to-date

    “Other successes include reducing the unwieldy number of accounts managed by the corporation from more than 2,000 to a little fewer than 200. All the old accounts under commercial banks have been fully reconciled and closed.

    “Another is the settlement of the cash call arrears and self-funding mechanism for joint venture operations, successfully negotiating an agreement 6.8 billion dollars to 5.1 billion dollars, a 25 per cent drop and the implementation of the self-funding mechanism for upstream joint venture operations for the federation.

    “This has resulted in higher government take in royalties and taxes, sustained reserves development and production, restoring investors’ confidence, thereby creating windows for financing opportunities.’’

    He said the outlook for the next strategic business period would be to focus on –partnering with the corporate services directorate to optimise the utilisation of enterprise resource planning, infrastructure and architecture to provide an end to integration of NNPC business processes.

    “Secondly, we are also focusing on delivering on the blueprint of making the corporation initial public offer ready.

    “This will involve principally cleansing our legacy financial data and balance sheet restructuring as well as profitability.

    “Thirdly, we shall continue to build on successes achieved with the open publication of monthly operations and financial reporting and rendition of audited financial statements in line with the provision of the NNPC Act and other relevant laws of the land.’’

    He said in recognition of the achievement, the NNPC board had further mandated management to clear the remaining outstanding reports for the period 2013 to 2016.

    NAN

  • Wanted! Safer Niger Delta waterways 

    Boat drivers and allied professionals in the Niger Delta are keen on safer waterways. A major awareness campaign is on to achieve that, writes BISI OLANIYI

    Thousands of boat drivers and allied professionals benefited from the marine safety awareness campaign to reduce boat accidents on Niger Delta’s waterways, which was sponsored by Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria at the multipurpose hall of the secretariat of Port Harcourt City Local Government Council on Moscow Road, with the theme: “Reducing Boat Accidents.”

    Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria is the operator of the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 130 concession, with partners consisting of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC); the South Atlantic Petroleum Company (SAPETRO), a Nigerian oil and gas exploration and production company; PETROBRAS company and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    The awareness campaign was aimed at inculcating in boat operators based in Port Harcourt jetties: Okrika, Bille, Nembe, Bonny, Abonnema Wharf, Rumuorlumeni (Iwofe) and oceanic, safety habits and tools that would assist them in navigating the waterways safely, in order to avoid boat mishaps.

    The facilitator of the awareness campaign, Chief Nimisoere Hutchinson-Bobmanuel, in his welcome address on March 23, noted that the well-attended event was timely and a step in the right direction, while urging passengers of boats to always wear life jackets with whistles and the boats should not be overloaded.

    Hutchinson-Bobmanuel insisted that the boats must have fire extinguishers, lifebuoys and that refueling must not be done on the way, to prevent accident, advising that enough fuel should be taken at the various jetties.

    The National President of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria, Nnamdi Ilodiuba, who is based in Ikotun, Lagos and was one of the resource persons at the awareness campaign, urged the boat operators to be safety conscious.

    A fellow of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria, Timothy Iwuagwu, an engineer, urged drivers of boats to always have clear view while on the waterways, while passengers were also admonished to ensure that they had proper assessment of the drivers of the boats, before embarking on the journeys.

    Iwuagwu declared that reckless and unstable behaviours of drivers of boats should never be condoned by the passengers, while advising against night journeys, considering the risks involved and security challenges in Nigeria, especially on the waterways, and he urged boats’ drivers and passengers to always buy/use genuine or original life jackets that would stand the test of time, not the fake or sub-standard ones.

    An official of Cornerstone Insurance Company, Onajite Prosper Orijedje, stated that comprehensive insurance policies were necessary for the boats, the drivers and passengers, in order to be on the safe side, stressing that as people would be thinking safety, they must also think insurance, considering the fact that the boats, made of fibre, could crack.

    The Southsouth Zonal Director of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr. Olusegun Abiodun, who was represented by NIMASA’s District Surveyor in Port Harcourt, Mr. Layiwola Olanrewaju, lauded the stakeholders for coming together to think safety, but urged them to avoid shortcuts, since only living persons could work.

    The Deputy General Manager, Marine, of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Agbahi Fidelis Ebiala, who came from NIWA’s headquarters in Lokoja, Kogi State, admonished the drivers and passengers of boats to always be safety conscious, especially on the inland waterways.

    The Second-in-Command, Marine Police of the Rivers State Police Command, Gajere Raynan, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), advised against overloading of boats, in order to be able to navigate safely and easily, while urging boat drivers to always obey the laws on marine safety, assuring that safety on the waterways would be ensured.

    An occupational health and safety professional, Pastor Ilodeami Macsoto Mopho, who is also a fellow of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria, reiterated that with the rivers and seas being very wide and deep, the risks would be higher, while urging drivers of boats to always be careful, describing safety as a collective responsibility, thereby making it imperative for passengers and drivers of boats to be safety conscious at all times.

    One of the boat drivers, Dagogo Hart, of Bonny-Port Harcourt route, stated that the awareness campaign helped the privileged participants to know more about safety on the waterways, stressing that it would go a long way to help their passengers to be safe.

    Another boat driver, Abraham Iringeresibo, also plying the route of Bonny Island, the base of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Company, which can only be accessed for now by boat, as the Bodo-Ogoni/Bonny coastal road by the construction giant, Julius Berger, is still under construction, described the awareness campaign as high educative, very timely and a step in the right direction, while requesting for more.

    Deputy General Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Deep Water of Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria, Dr. Nkoyo Attah, stated that the oil giant and its partners were concerned about safety of the passengers and drivers of boats, thereby necessitating the awareness campaign, which she said would be taken round the country.

    The Deputy Managing Director, Deep Water, Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Ahmadu-Kida Musa, in his address, noted that the marine safety awareness campaign not only focused on safety, which he described as a core value at Total, but a demonstration of the oil firm’s commitment to promoting safety best practices, environmental protection, business ethics and corporate social responsibility everywhere Total officials work.

    Musa, who was represented by the General Manager, CSR, Deep Water of Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria, Dr. Charles Ngerebara, stated that Total was proud of its contributions to the socio-economic development of Nigeria.

    The deputy managing director said: “As a group, we (Total) have been present in Africa for more than 80 years and in Nigeria for 60 years. Total’s upstream branch has added over 2.3 billion barrels (of crude oil) to Nigeria’s production in the last five years and has also invested approximately $10 billion in the country. Through decades of executing development projects, Total’s activities have contributed to creating jobs and human capacity development in Nigeria.

    “We are delighted to note that today, reference is being made to us as the industry benchmark for Nigerian content, given our significant investments in local capacity development through our Ofon 2 and Egina projects. Egina has the highest deepwater local content ever in Nigeria.

    “We operate the Akpo field (OML 130) and we are currently developing the Egina field, which will come on stream this year, with a capacity of 200,000 barrels per day. With such offshore and deepwater operations, marine safety is very important to us.

    “Our company, on a yearly basis, offers graduate and post-graduate scholarships and skills’ acquisition, not only to the indigenes of the areas where we produce oil and gas, but to all eligible Nigerians. We have and we will continue to contribute meaningfully to the overall development of Nigeria and its people. At Total, we remain committed to Nigeria and we will always seek ways to make positive impacts in our business environment.”

    Musa also stated that at Total, by making safety its core value, the oil giant was reaffirming, in the clearest of terms, that safety remained the ultimate measure of success in the oil industry.

    The deputy managing director lauded the resource persons and marine operators in attendance at the awareness campaign, who availed themselves the opportunity to acquire new information and gain knowledge that would make the waterways safer for everyone, describing safety as the responsibility of everybody.

    Other oil companies/multinationals should emulate Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria in CSR, thereby making lives of the people of their host communities and others much better, easier and safer, with all the positive impacts to be highly appreciated by the beneficiaries.