The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, for many years, had its corporate headquarters in Lagos, before it relocated to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, when Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi was governor of the Niger Delta state.
NLNG’s befitting corporate headquarters building in the Garden City is nearing completion on Peter Odili Road, while the company’s operational base/liquefied natural gas plant is on Bonny Island, the headquarters of Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers state.
Accessing Bonny, for now, is either by air, using helicopter or by water, through the use of NLNG’s executive boats with heavy security to prevent attacks from sea pirates, illegal bunkerers/refiners, militants and cultists, but many people who are usually unable to join NLNG’s timed boats, which are safer and usually booked in advance, have no choice, but to opt for the regular speed boats.
Travelling to Bonny from Port Harcourt with speed boat is regularly associated with tales of woes from attacks by fully-armed sea pirates, who will dispossess innocent passengers of their valuables, especially cash, phones, laptops and rape ladies right inside the boat, while engine of the boat, which costs about N500,000, can also be taken away, leaving the boat’s driver with just paddle to get to the shore, before help will come.
To put an end to the risk of travelling to Bonny by water, the abandoned Bodo-Ogoni to Bonny Road was recently re-awarded by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, a partnership between NLNG Limited and the Federal Government of Nigeria, but the construction is yet to commence, owing to minor disagreements involving benefiting communities and Rivers state government.
NLNG Limited was incorporated as a limited liability company on May 17, 1989 to harness Nigeria’s vast natural gas resources and produce Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) for export, while the establishment of NLNG is backed by the NLNG Act.
The company is owned by four shareholders: the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (49 per cent), Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (25.6 per cent), Total Gaz Electricite Holdings France (15 per cent ) and Eni (10.4 per cent).
NLNG has wholly-owned subsidiaries, namely: Bonny Gas Transport (BGT) Limited and NLNG Ship Management Limited (NSML).
With six trains currently operational and train seven already approved for construction, the NLNG’s plant is capable of producing 22 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) of LNG, and 5 MTPA of NGLs from 3.5 Billion (standard) cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas intake.
NLNG’s expansion with train seven’s construction is to complement the existing six-train structure, which when in operation will up the company’s total production capacity to 30 million tonnes per annum of LNG.
As the arrowhead of Nigeria’s efforts to eliminate gas flaring, NLNG’s operations have helped to reduce Nigeria’s flaring profile from 65 per cent to below 25 per cent, while the company also supplies about 40 per cent of the annual domestic cooking gas consumption, while the company’s driving force remains its vision to help in building a better Nigeria.
In NLNG Limited’s determination to discourage Nigerian youths, particularly the young men and women from the crude oil and gas-rich Niger Delta region, from getting involved in restiveness and militancy, it put in place the Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES).
The 2018 YES graduation ceremony for 84 beneficiaries took place on August 3 at the Banquet Hall of Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, with many of the youths, mostly with First and Master’s degrees, showcasing their skills and talents.
Eminent personalities at the graduation were so impressed with the eloquence, intellect, boldness and brilliance of one of the beneficiaries, Miss Candace John-Jumbo, an indigene of Bonny Island, when asked to respond on behalf of others, by declaring that: “We will surprise NLNG Limited and we will continue to meaningfully contribute our quota to Nigeria’s development.”
John-Jumbo also lauded the liquefied natural gas company for the opportunities given to the youths to acquire various skills, the starter packs and take-off grant, while asking other companies to emulate NLNG.
The paramount ruler of Ubeta Kingdom in Ahoada West LGA of Rivers state, King Chimezie Nathaniel, while also speaking on the occasion, stated that it would not be possible for everybody to go to school, particularly to acquire tertiary education, thereby making the youth empowerment scheme imperative and timely, in order to build capacity.
The monarch, who was glad that NLNG organised the programme, reiterated that any youth who refused to go to school or learn a trade would be a problem/burden to the society.
The Deputy Managing Director of NLNG, Sadeeq Mai-Bornu, in his opening remarks, revealed that the 84 beneficiaries graduated after intensive training in their chosen vocations, while most of them knew nothing about their current vocations nine months ago, but eventually became full-time practitioners with not just national certifications, but also life skills.
Mai-Bornu, who was represented by NLNG’s General Counsel/Company Secretary, Mr. Akachukwu Nwokedi, disclosed that in 2004, when the company launched the youth empowerment scheme, NLNG clearly demonstrated a commitment to sustainable human capital development and alleviation of high rate of poverty in its host communities and other parts of Nigeria.
He noted that since 2004, NLNG had trained over 900 youths, of 18 to 35 years, across its 110 host and pipeline communities in Rivers state in hairdressing and cosmetology, catering and events management, fashion designing, photography and video production, welding and fabrication, woodwork and furniture making.
The deputy managing director stated that in 2014, the youth empowerment scheme was refocused towards equipping the youths with skills in relevant industries that would enable them to compete favourably for jobs anywhere in the world, revealing that for the 2017 scheme, NLNG signed a contract with five training centres to offer training opportunities to 267 youths in its host and pipeline communities, over a period of three years.
He noted that refocusing the scheme made the company to be training the youths in automotive (mechanical and electrical), advanced welding, catering, video production/photography and farm management, with the beneficiaries now graduating with national certifications (NABTEB and Trade Test 11).
He revealed that NLNG departed from the usual procurement and handover of starter packs to ensuring that the youths became self-reliant and employers of labour on graduation, with the training centres not only required to set the beneficiaries up, but would monitor and mentor them for three months post set-up, to ensure focused attention on the business, for success.
The deputy managing director said: “They (84 youths) are now poised to forge ahead, to conquer poverty and wants, and build a new world of self-sustenance and self-sufficiency, to contribute to development of their communities, states and the nation.
“We are glad that some of you (beneficiaries) have already taken up the gauntlet. Worthy of mention is Daniel Ebere, one of the graduates in Photography and Video Production, who has shown significant mastery of the field he formerly knew nothing about. He currently trains twelve students in Video Production and Photography at the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt. This is worthy of emulation and shows that we all can succeed in whatever vocation we choose.
“Today, NLNG Limited is co-funding the world’s biggest Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project, the Bonny-Bodo Road, with a contribution of N60 billion. We have invested massively in the provision and upgrade of infrastructure in most of our host and pipeline communities. We are the highest tax-paying company in Nigeria, yet we invest heavily in our CSR programmes, because of our passion to make a difference and to touch lives.”
The Permanent Secretary in Rivers Ministry of Employment Generation and Empowerment, Mr. Lawson Ikuru, in his remarks, stated that NLNG’s youth empowerment scheme was designed to rekindle the entrepreneurial spirit of the teeming youths and reduce poverty.
Rivers State Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Mr. Damiete Herbert Miller, thanked NLNG for the initiative.
