…Sensitizes stakeholders on its programs, activities
By Chimezie Godfrey
The NNPC Ltd says it is working towards achieving energy security in Nigeria.
The Executive Vice President, NNPC LTD, Danladi Inuwa disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at a Sensitization and Awareness Workshop tagged, “Understanding Our National Oil Company (NNPC Limited) post Petroleum Industry Act.
Addressing Nigerians, CSOs, and other stakeholders at the opening of the two-day workshop, Inuwa appreciated their decision to move from protest to participation, adding that this would enable them know the New NNPC LTD structure, which include its roles, governance, operations and relationship with the federal government.
He said this would also equip them to be able to educate other Nigerians about the challenges faced by the company, and what they would deliver to the country post the PIB.
Inuwa assured that the NNPC Ltd would deliver on its key mandates as a limited liability company, particularly to ensure energy security for Nigeria.
He said,”I will like to appreciate each and everyone of you for moving from protest to participation. We have a lot of respect for our youths, you are the leaders of tomorrow. And obviously there is no way to have a good leadership without participation. So, we are gathered this morning for sensitization on NNPC LTD, our status as a limited liability company, and what we will deliver to this country post the PIB. As you are aware the NNPC LTD was unveiled by Mr President 19 July, 2022 as a limited liability company. And like any other limited liability company, we are expected to operate commercially, and also deliver to ensure maximum returns for investment.
“And of course we have two other key mandates in addition to being commercial, and second is to ensure energy security for the nation, and in that regard and you are all aware of so many other programs carried out by the NNPC Limited in terns of gas to power, in terms of gas industry and of course the petroleum products supply. These three key areas, we are doing the very best to ensure that we deliver on energy security for this country. And of course we are focusing on monitoring our gas, and you could have seen also that in some of the Key projects that the NNPC LTD has embarked on.
“You are aware of AJK project which is going to transmit gas from Ajaokuta, Kaduna to Kano, with associated power plants, and many other ones across the country. This is all done to ensure energy security in our country. It is also for us to spur economic development in Nigeria. And of course we believe by providing the gas to power, by providing gas industry we will be able to deliver on that key mandate.”
Inuwa revealed that the NNPC LTD was working to revamp the refineries in the country, as he gave the assurance that the Port-Harcourt refinery would be operational by the second quarter of the year.
“We are also working to revamp our refineries, you must have read what we are doing with regards to Port-Harcourt refinery and by Q2, I mean Q2 2023 the area 5 of Port-Harcourt refinery will come alive. And of course Warri refinery and Kaduna refinery, they are also on a quick rehab to be able refine petroleum our products in the country. So these are all the activities that NNPC LTD is engaged on. And of course you are also equally aware of the burden of the subsidy payment the NNPC LTD is bearing on behalf of the government.
“I believe that during the technical session, you will understand that the price of petroleum products is a global phenomenon, is not just only in Nigeria, of course you have relatives that are living outside of this country, where they do have these products and every thing yet the prices are up because there are so many factors that are involved in the value chain of the supply and distribution of the products.
“Yes we have some challenges in the country, you could see that there are some cues in some states of the Federation and those cues of course what was responsible is not the supply of the products. We can assure you, am talking authoritatively to tell you that we have more than 30 days sufficiency in the country,” he said.
Inuwa stressed that what was responsible for the cues in the filing stations was largely as the result of profiteering by the marketers.
He however assured that the marketers were being monitored closely by the NNPC and the regulators to ensure that prices are equal across the country.
“Yes there is regulations, regulators are doing their best to ensure that that did not create further challenges in the country. Marketers are being monitored very closely by the NNPC as well as the regulators to ensure that the prices are equal all across the country. And of course logistics challenges, you are aware of logistics challenges that we have bad roads all over the country which is where we move these products. The only way today that we can move our petroleum products is by truck, why because most of our pipelines have actually been vandalized.
“Therefore I think in this forum you will hear from us, learn our challenges, become the champions that will also help to educate other Nigerians about those challenges that we are all facing, the damage caused by one person will end up affecting the entire country, that is what we want to avoid at all cost,” he said.
Inuwa added that the NNPC have spent almost N2.5trillion naira on construction of roads to enable fast and efficient delivery of petroleum products across the country.
He said,”In terms of the bad roads that is where the NNPC is key into the tax credit scheme, as we speak today we have built many roads across the country. We have so far spent closed to N2.5trillion naira on tax credit scheme for roads that we have constructed.
“We also engaging contractors to fix our pipelines. So, all these are our activities because we know the cheapest means and the safest to transport petroleum products is via the pipeline. So we are now engaging contractors to be able to maintain those pipelines and skimmer them from vandalism, and that is what we are doing to ensure that we can guarantee the security of the nation.”
Chinedu Okoye, Partner, TEDRAN Consulting, and the organiser of the workshop, said the Petroleum Industry Act signed by President Buhari has brought in a lot of changes in the petroleum sector in Nigeria.
Okoye noted that they deemed it necessary to create a forum where the NNPC LTD and the civil society could interact to clear misconceptions about the PIB, and the NNPC as a limited liability company.
“Last two years August 2021, the President signed into law the Petroleum Industry Act which making a lot of changes in the petroleum sector in Nigeria. And one of the mandates of that Act was to convert the NNPC from a public company to a profit oriented and incorporated company. That has been done, today NNPC is an incorporated company called NNPC limited and solely owned by the Nigerian government.
“Due to misconceptions and misinformation that a times when changes like this are coming, people get rumours that may not be the true picture. We sat down with the NNPC and said it is good for us to have a forum where we can interact with the civil society. To be able to bring the civil society to speak to let them understand what are the changes, how these changes are going to affect the oil industry in Nigeria, what are their contributions to see that the whole objective of the PIB is achieved and at the end of the day Nigeria should win,” Okoye said.
The President General of “The Natives” which is the Coalition of CSOs in addressing the oil sector sabotage, Olalekun Smart Edwards said they were concerned with the development of their communities.
Edwards stressed that they intend to change the narrative, from protesting on the streets to participating in their own affairs.
“The Natives is the organisation that pulls together different communities, and their local problems and just want solutions. And they expect the solutions from leaders that will most times address problems as the after effect of either misapplication of funds or misdirection of projects that are not in cohort with communities. So as natives we have decided to rise up to change the narratives.
“If you go to different places you hear indigenes, you hear settlers, you hear non-indigenes, all the whole issues boil down to the development of the communities. So, what we are concerned about is that the people who used to be at the background should now come forward because they are actually the owners of the country, so that is what the “The Natives” represents. So you have all groups, faith-based groups, student bodies, civil societies, states interest indigenous organisations, and all that.
“Our goal is to simply ensure that we don’t get on the streets anymore because we don’t know those who take contracts, we don’t know those who take benefits, we don’t know who makes money, we don’t know those who budget, but what we just know is that “the lack of infrastructure in our place” and once we see it we start protesting. When we protest what do we get, is that they are going to bring solution.
“We don’t know the people who are going to take those opportunities again, and whether they come as an abandoned projects it still falls on the community. The real picture hear is that we want to change the narrative from protest to participation. From protest, on just protesting what we don’t know about to participating in our own affairs,” he said.
Chinedu Okoye, Partner, TEDRAN Consulting, and the organiser of the workshop, said the Petroleum Industry Act signed by President Buhari has brought in a lot of changes in the petroleum sector in Nigeria.
Okoye noted that they deemed it necessary to create a forum where the NNPC LTD and the civil society could interact to clear misconceptions about the PIB, and the NNPC as a limited liability company.
“Last two years August 2021, the President signed into law the Petroleum Industry Act which making a lot of changes in the petroleum sector in Nigeria. And one of the mandates of that Act was to convert the NNPC from a public company to a profit oriented and incorporated company. That has been done, today NNPC is an incorporated company called NNPC limited and solely owned by the Nigerian government.
“Due to misconceptions and misinformation that a times when changes like this are coming, people get rumours that may not be the true picture. We sat down with the NNPC and said it is good for us to have a forum where we can interact with the civil society. To be able to bring the civil society to speak to let them understand what are the changes, how these changes are going to affect the oil industry in Nigeria, what are their contributions to see that the whole objective of the PIB is achieved and at the end of the day Nigeria should win,” Okoye said.
