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Tag: total

  • Total faults Akwa Ibom on N25b tax debt

    Management of Total Exploration and Production Limited (TEPNG) has faulted the government of Akwa Ibom State over the alleged unremitted tax amounting to N25 billion spanning 2011 to 2016.

    In a statement by the French oil giant in Nigeria, its External Relations Manager, Charles Ebereonwu, said: “The attention of Total E & P Nigeria Limited (TEPNG) has been drawn to stories in the media alleging that the company is indebted to the Akwa Ibom State Government to the tune of N25, 000,000,000:00 in unremitted Personal Income Tax for the period covering 2011 to 2016.

    “TEPNG hereby objects to the alleged tax liability on the following grounds: The Company does not have the record of employees being resident in Akwa Ibom State nor does it maintain any office or operational base in the State.

  • Total empowers students with skills

    Total Nigeria Plc has  held its Total Job Shadow 2017. The programme was aimed at exposing senior secondary school students from government schools across the country to the work environment and providing them the opportunity to learn about various career options.

    According to its Corporate Affairs Manager, Mr. Albert Mabuyaku, the initiative also hoped to prepare students to become future leaders, have tall dreams and become positive change agents wherever they find themselves.

    Mabuyak represented the company’s Managing Director, Mr. Jean-Phillipe Torres, at the forum held at the Total Lubricant Blending Plant, Koko, Delta State.

    He said 50 Senior Secondary School students were selected from Iwere College, Beach Secondary School and Omateye Secondary School, Ajagbodudu,  all within the Koko community of Delta State to participate in the event.

    He saud the job shadow was preceded by stakeholder engagements with the pre-selected schools, the state Ministry of Education, as well as volunteer Total Nigeria employees who acted as mentors.

    During the event, students got the pre-requisite safety brief, which, according to Mabuyak, was a crucial part of Total’s core values. He also said the students were kitted with the appropriate personal protective equipments.

  • TOTAL RECALL MEDIA BRANCHES OUT

    AFTER seven years of operating in the Nigerian entertainment space, Total Recall Media Limited, a member of T.Recall Group (Nigeria, South Africa and United States), has announced the official commissioning of a state of the art event centre called Spectralinks.

    Situated in the heart of Imodi-Imosan, besides Pebbles Suites, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Group Managing Director, Mr. Oluseyi A. Adebanjo, aka Seyi Moscow, described the venture as part of Total Recall’s expansion.

    “Event all over the world is a big business and with peculiarity to our clime where weddings, birthday parties, concerts, shows, religious activities and others are close to our people’s hearts, we can only say that we are still at the surface level. There is still a lot of opportunity to be maximized within that Industry. What Spectralinks represent is a 360 event activation platform which includes a 1,500 seater ultra modern event hall, mobile event activation all over the country, media production coverage, a premium lounge for special occasion, rentage of marquee, pole tent and others,” he averred.

    The official commissioning of the event centre, he revealed, is scheduled for noon, today.

    The event, he further added, is proudly supported by Media Guide, Eagles House Global Resources, Eight22 Limited, Pebblesgold Entertainment, T.Recall Group, Event Pataki, Skillful Xpression, Insta Booth, Mouthfull Catering, as well as Ogeyemi Music Band.

    Total Recall Media has produced exciting and innovative content across a variety of platforms for a broad range of end users in the media entertainment and brand industry.

    Among some of its award-winning contents are the sitcom, Two Sides of a Coin, Reel E, Buzz Live With Owen Gee, Lincoln’s Clan, E-Access and a host of others.

  • NCDMB benchmarks deepwater projects on Total, LADOL record

    NCDMB benchmarks deepwater projects on Total, LADOL record

    The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, (NCDMB), has directed international oil companies (IOCs) and promoters of new deepwater projects in Nigeria to exceed the benchmark attained by Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited.

    Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL), is fabricating and integrating part of Total Egina field’s floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO)  vessel at its yard in Lagos.

    The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, who spoke in Lagos after inspecting facilities of Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), the main contractor for the Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) of the FPSO scope on the Egina project at LADOL base, said IOCs and promoters of new deepwater projects in Nigeria should deliver Nigerian Content milestones that would exceed in-country integration of FPSO platforms. This is because Total Nigeria’s Egina deepwater project, which will be integrated at the LADOL Free Trade Zone, has become the benchmark for Nigerian Content on deepwater projects, hence forthcoming projects have to break new records, he added.

    He said in-country integration of the FPSO and fabrication of six modules of the vessel created, 5000 direct jobs and 5000 indirect jobs. Increased domiciliation of future FPSO projects through the fabrication of more modules would create additional jobs, estimated to reach 30,000, he added.

    According to Wabote, the Board would not rest on its oars with regard to the implementation of the Nigerian Content Act, adding that “new projects must look at doing FPSO integration and more; we must add something to our achievements.”

    Six modules of the Egina FPSO were fabricated in-country across some yards, whereas 12 modules were welded at Samsung’s base, Geoje, South Korea. He stated that “for next FPSO, more modules must be fabricated locally.”

    Wabote expressed satisfaction with level of investment and the utilisation of local workforce at the LADOL base, describing the project as an example of possibilities, and assured that the Board will continue to work with industry stakeholders to develop new projects and domicile more work in-country.

    The Chief Operating Officer, SHI Nigeria, Mr. Frank Ejizu, explained that the Quay side was ready to receive the FPSO, noting that the tracks have been certified. On the workforce, Ejizu stated that 364 Nigerian welders have been qualified and awarded international certifications with which they can work anywhere in the world.

    The NCDMB chief also visited the facilities of Dover Engineering, JC International and Thompson and Grace Limited, all located at Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He explained that his visits to oil and gas facilities across the country were aimed at assessing capacities and confirming that Nigerian companies have firm footing in their  areas of operation.

    According to Wabote, information and observations gathered from the visits will be used during tenders and in planning for capacity development. He also promised to enlighten IOCs and project promoters on existing in-country capacities and ensure their utilisation during projects.

    At Dover Engineering, Wabote noted that experts in offshore designs, FSPO designs and detailed engineering were in high demand and engineering companies must develop strategies to retain them so their competences will not be lost. He praised the company for forming a consortium with other engineering firms to deliver major projects, charging other service companies to emulate the model.

  • Abia, Total meet over unremitted revenue, oil community dispute

    Abia, Total meet over unremitted revenue, oil community dispute

    Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu yesterday met with the management of Total E &P Nigeria Ltd over the controversy surrounding the non-remittances of revenue to the state by the multinational oil firm, and the total neglect of the oil-bearing communities in Ukwa West Local Government.

    The meeting followed complaints by the state and the oil rich communities of Owaza and Asa in Ukwa West LGA of the state which prompted a recent tour of oil facilities in the area by Governor Ikpeazu, with a promise to resolve the lingering issues with Total E&P Nigeria Ltd.

    At the meeting between the government and management of the oil firm yesterday, the Total delegation led by the Deputy Managing Director, Total E&P, Nig Ltd, Mr. Francois Le-Cocq commended the Governor for initiating the meeting, stressing need for dialogue between the company, the government and the oil-bearing communities.

    “We commend the Governor for visiting our stations in Owaza, and also for calling us to this meeting for Community engagement. I appeal to the community not to prevent or stop us from working in the community,” Le-Cocq said.

    Stressing the need for peaceful coexistence of the state, community and the oil company, Ikpeazu thanked the traditional rulers and people of Ukwa West council, especially the youths for the mature way they have conducted themselves in a peaceful dialogue instead of engaging in destruction of oil facilities in their communities despite the obvious neglect by the oil firms.

    He said: “I must commend the oil communities in Abia for choosing the path of peace and dialogue instead of engaging in militancy and destruction of oil installations in the area to show their displeasure over the neglect and destruction of their communities and environment by the oil companies operating in their communities.

    “The misunderstanding between Total and Oil bearing communities was due to lack of clear cut communication between the oil company and the communities that have been shortchanged by the oil companies since there is nothing to show in terms of human capital development, infrastructure and job opportunities.

    “The Oil-bearing communities are worried that they do not know what their rights are as they are not aware of what the environmental impact assessment specifies, even as they are not carried along in the company’s policies.

    “As a state, we are not happy that you’re operating in our state and yet you don’t pay tax to us. You don’t employ our people. It’s now time for Total and other companies operating in the state to establish a community Relations officer in communities and state to make for greater symbiosis between the company, the locals and the state,” the Governor said.

    Speaking on behalf of the Oil-bearing communities former Abia Commissioner in the board of NDDC and ASOPADEC chairman, Chief  Sam Nwogu, thanked the Governor for his initiative and expressed the readiness of the Oil community to provide Total with the enabling environment to continue to carry out its operations.

  • NCDMB, Total, others praise EWT for completion of Egina OLT piles

    Energy Works Technology (EWT), a subsidiary of Obijackson Group, has been praised for the completion of the fabrication of nine Oil Loading Terminal (OLT) buoy anchor mooring piles, for the Egina F1ield development.

    Speaking during the load-out of the piles at Nestoil Industrial Area, Abuloma in Port Harcourt, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, hailed the performance of Nigerian service firms on the scope of the Egina deepwater project, noting that they demonstrated their engineering prowess and compliance with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act.

    He said Egina was the first major project executed under the Nigerian Content Act and the Board’s strategy ensured the utilisation of the in-country capacity, upgrade of facilities to meet the targets specified in the Nigerian Content Act and Capacity Development Initiatives (CDIs) where local capacities did not exist.

    Wabote assured that the CDIs would bring down the cost of  projects, stressing that the Nigerian Agip Oil Company’s “Zabazaba and Etan Deepwater Project must not only utilise capacities and facilities developed on past projects but also exceed the Nigerian Content performance achieved on Egina.”

    He praised Total Upstream and Saipem Contracting for their Nigerian Content credentials on the Egina Project and for supporting EWT to deliver on the OLT project, advising other international operating companies and Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) contractors to emulate the feat.

    Wabote praised the Obijackson Group, recalling that the company started to build capacity over 20 years ago. “They took serious investment risks and we now have a manifestation of that focus, tenacity and belief in the development of the Niger Delta.They believed that this is where the activities are and put this massive structure here, employing about 2,500 persons, even more than most multinationals you know about in Nigeria,” he said.

    Obijackson Group Managing Director, Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi said the Local Content Act was a success because Nigerian companies, technicians and engineers have acquired expertise and built capacity that have increased indigenous participation in the sector.

    He said: “With the Local Content Act, we have made significant progress as a nation and assumed a position of dignity amongst International Oil Companies (IOCs) and other players in the sector who are the beneficiaries of our first-rate services. EWT took advantage of the opportunity created by the Local Content Act to nurture our skills to the point we are.”

    EWT Group Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Gabriel Oramasionwu also said the company spent 400,000 man-hours on the project with zero loss time injury. “This is actually local content in action because every single thing that was done here was done in Nigeria by Nigerian experts with diverse experience. More than 98 per cent of the resources used here are all local content,” he said.

    He said the project required investments and infrastructural enhancements at the company’s facilities like the dredging of the Abrutu River channel to the Bonny River, producing a uniform draft of 5 meters to enable a smooth sail-away of the fabricated structures as well as the strengthening the jetty to bear 3000 Tons of load.

    The General Manager, Egina Project Control, Partners and Authorities, Mr. Felix Akan, said the Egina field, when completed, would add 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day to the national production by 2018.

    He said the project had the highest level of Nigerian Content compared to other oil and gas projects. He noted that the project’s management team and  the main contractors’offices are in the country.

    “About 94 per cent of the project’s Basic Engineering was performed in Nigeria by Nigerian companies. Detailed engineering represented about 85 percent of engineering man-hours spent in Nigeria. The project’s in-country fabrication activities represent about 60,000 tons of equipment,” he added.

    Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) Chairman Mr. Bank-Anthony Okoroafor described the feat by EWT as a confirmation that indigenous companies could handle complex projects.

  • Fed Govt amends ‘illegal’ oil export case against Total, Chevron

    Fed Govt amends ‘illegal’ oil export case against Total, Chevron

    The Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday granted an application by the Federal Government to amend its suit against Total E&P Nig. Plc and Cheveron Nigeria Limited over alleged under-declaration of crude oil exports.
    The Federal Government sued the multinational oil companies alleging that they lied about the volume of crude oil they shipped out of the country between January 2011 and December 2014.
    The plaintiff accused them of deliberately short-changing the country, which it believes amounts to theft of its resources.
    The Federal Government said Total under-declared exports to the tune of $245,258,640 (about N77.8billion) by allegedly shipping several barrels of crude oil out of the country without making due remittance to the government.
    Yesterday, plaintiff’s counsel Mr Charles Nwabulu Nwabulu said told Justice Mojisola Olatoregun-Ishola that he filed a motion to amend the plaintiff’s claims.
    Total’s counsel, Mr H. Abudulkareem, did not oppose the application, but asked for punitive cost of N200,000.
    “This is effectively the third time that we’ll be filing a statement of defence. We had filed two statements of defence in this matter,” he said.
    He noted that the amendments of the plaintiff’s suit meant the defence had to make consequential amendments to its statement of defence.
    A similar suit between the Federal government and Chevron, represented by Mrs Miannaya Essien (SAN), also came up before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun-Ishola.
    Nwabulu had also made similar application for amendment of plaintiff’s processes before the court.
    The judge chided the plaintiff’s counsel for showing “unseriousness” in the suit, adding that the matter had been on for a long time, with no remarkable progress.
    The Federal Government filed the suit following a forensic analysis linking alarming decline in oil revenue to the alleged fraudulent non-declaration or under-declaration of volume of crude oil shipped out of the country by the Total and other oil companies.
    The plaintiff is seeking an order compelling Total E&P Nigeria to pay it $245,258,640, which it said is “the total value of the missing revenues from the shortfall /under-declared/undeclared crude oil shipments of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
    The Federal Government wants 21 per cent interest per annum on the sum until liquidation.
    It is also praying for general damages of $245,258,640 from Total E&P Nigeria.
    Total E&P Nigeria had filed a preliminary objection, urging the court to strike out the suit.
    It was on the grounds that the suit failed to disclose a reasonable cause of action against his client.
    Justice Olatoregun-Ishola adjourned until March 23.

  • NUPENG shuts down Total over sacked workers

    NUPENG shuts down Total over sacked workers

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) yesterday ordered stoppage of loading activities at all Total Nig. Ltd depots nationwide over termination of workers’ appointments.

    A statement signed by Tokunbo Korodo, Southwest chairman of the union, explained that the management of Total had been resisting the unionisation of workers under its contract programme in Lagos, Kaduna and Koko in Delta blending plants.

    He said the management of the oil major had moved further to terminate the appointment of workers who had joined the union in spite of its efforts to resolve the issue amicably.

    “In view of this, the union has directed all workers in Total downstream to stop work until the management allows workers to unionise and slave labour introduced are cancelled. This action should commence immediately,” he said.

    Zonal Vice-Chairman, Southwest chapter of NUPENG, Rotimi Benjamin, said the management of Total had summoned the union to a meeting to resolve the issue.

    Benjamin, however, said the union would not go back on its action until all the issues were resolved.

    A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who visited Total Blending Plant at Kirikiri, Apapa, observed that workers blocked the entrance of the gate with two trailers.

    The workers were seen with various placards bearing inscriptions such as: “Nigerians enslaving Nigerians in Nigeria”, “Total and Jomog want to sack us because we joined NUPENG”.

  • Total ends gas flaring from OMLs 102, 58

    Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (TEPNL)  has completed gas flare down projects in two of its fields, its Managing Director, Nicholas Terraz, has said.

    At the Nigerian Gas Association’s Conference in Abuja, he said the flare out feats were achieved in Total’s offshore field in oil mining lease (OML) 102 and onshore acreage in OML 58.

    He said: “At Total, we are committed to better energy and have had a flare-out policy for producing fields and a no-flaring policy on all new developments since year 2000. The Amenam-Kpono and Akpo developments are examples of this in new projects whilst brown fields flare down projects have been completed in our OML 102 offshore and OML 58, onshore Nigeria.

    “In  a presentation entitled ‘’Harnessing natural gas: New opportunities for Nigeria’s energy agenda,’’ Terraz stated that with about 180 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of proved gas reserves and a potential for 600 TCF of which only 47 TCF is currently developed, natural gas is obviously a key resource for Nigeria, which apart from generating much needed export revenue, will also be a catalyst for rapid economic development especially in the areas of power generation and gas based industry growth.

    Total has been an active partner of the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the development of Nigerian gas sector. “We are a shareholder in Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and have been supplying gas to NLNG plant in Bonny since production started in 1999 contributing to significant reduction of gas flaring in Nigeria,’’he said.

    Total, with its Joint Venture partner NNPC, has built the Northern Option Pipeline (NOPL), a strategic 50 km gas pipeline with a capacity of 300 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCF/D) designed to supply gas to the Alaoji power plant and other gas based industries in the Eastern domestic market. This is a major contribution to the efforts of the Nigerian government to develop the domestic gas market.  Gas supply to Alaoji plant through NOPL started on October 18, he added.

    He noted some achievements accomplished by the Nigerian Gas Master Plan such as growing domestic gas supply to about 1.3 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) from less than 1bcf/d, and export gas to over 3bcf/d.  Gas flaring has reduced from a high of 2.5bcf/d 10 years ago to about 0.8bcf/d today. Some major pipeline projects are either ongoing or have been completed. Escravos Lagos Pipeline 2 (ELPS 2) which will double the ELPS capacity and the Obiafu, Obrikom, Oben gas pipeline (OB3) East-West Interconnector are under construction while the NOPL from Rumuji to Imo River has been completed, he added.

    Terraz also noted some significant challenges in the gas subsector such as inadequate infrastructure along the value chain, insufficient pipeline work and increasing vandalism of existing ones, constrained power generation capacity due to inability to dispatch power to the grid even where sometimes gas is available, and upstream joint venture funding shortfalls, which delay projects including gas development and production projects, but this is being addressed in a creative manner by NNPC and JV partners.

    He also said lack of bankable commercial, fiscal and strong regulatory frameworks that stimulate new developments, including absence of PSC gas terms, were major challenge.

    Terraz said that Nigeria was important for Total. We have made major investments in the oil and gas industry over the past decades and this would continue. It is one of the countries we foresee long-term growth.

     

  • Total appoints new board member

    Total appoints new board member

    TOTAL Group  has announced the appointment of Mr. Abiodun Afolabi to the Board of Directors of Total E&P Nigeria Limited (TEPNG) and Total Upstream Nigeria Limited (TUPNI), with effect from Wednesday, 21 September, 2016.

    Afolabi’s appointment according to a statement by the company is in pursuant to Resolutions of the Board of Directors of each of the Companies, dated 8 July, 2016.

    He has also been appointed as TEPNG’s Executive Director, Human Resources & Corporate Affairs, with effect from the same date. He succeeds Mrs. Edith OFILI-OKONKWO, who is now retired.

    Afolabi is an experienced administrator and was, until this new appointment, the Vice President, General Affairs, in Total E&P, Africa Division, a position he held for three years.

    He holds a Bachelors’ Degree in Geology from Tulane University, New Orleans and a dual Master’s Degree in Energy Management from the University of Pennsylvania, USA and the French Petroleum Institute (IFP), France. Prior to joining the TOTAL Group, he had worked as a Technical Analyst with The Environmental Consultant, New Orleans, Louisiana and as an Offshore Well Site Engineer at Continental Laboratories, Houston, Texas.

    The new director  began his career in TOTAL, Nigeria in 1992 as an Economist. Since then, he has held several key technical and managerial positions  within the TOTAL Group ; some of which include auditor, Elf Petroland (now Total E&P Netherland), The Hague; Financial Adviser, Total E&P France, and Project Director, New Ventures & Assets Management Division, Total Head Office, Paris. From Sept 2008 to July 2013 he held the post of General Manager, Business Development in Total E&P Nigeria.

    As Executive Director, Human Resources & Corporate Affairs, Mr. Afolabi will oversee several entities, including Human Resources, Corporate Social Responsibility; Medical; Information Systems & Telecoms and Government Relations & Communication.