A destroyed refinery By Favour Ifeoluwa & Akinola Ajibade The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited( NNPCL) says it has destroyed 134 illegal refineries in the last few weeks. Also, the company said 63 illegal pipeline connections were uncovered during the the weeks . The corporation, In a visual report, stated that at about 2 am on Sunday, a joint team of security agents discovered a large wooden boat illicitly loading stolen crude oil from Barge AGS01 within the OML 18 operating area, noted intelligence report a large wooden wooden boat was caught receiving crude oil from the barge. According to the state-owned oil firm, while the barge was towed away with a tugboat in custody, five speedboats used in towing the large wooden boat to the illegal loading site were also detained and the particulars of the tugboats and barge used for the operation were reportedly seized for further investigation. It further said that two large boats, which involve
The Federal Government can leverage on the power sector to improve its contributions to the nation's Gross Domestic Product( GDP), the Chief Executive officer, Centre For The Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) Mr Muda Yusuf has said.
This is coming on the heels of contractions experienced in some critical sectors of the economy in the second quarter of 2022
The Nigerian Bureau of Statistics(NBS) report had it that the highest contraction was in oil refining which was 42%, rail transportation 38%, crude oil and gas 11.8%, metal ores 25.5%, electricity vehicle assemblies 7.8%, electricity and air-conditioning 7%; motion pictures and music 6%, textiles 2.8%.
Yusuf, in a statement signed and made available to News Mirror, urged the government to address the challenges of the massive oil theft which is affecting the oil output,adding that the safety of the oil facilities is also very paramount to reverse the under performance of the oil and gas sector.
He said the implementation of the Petroleum industry Act would boost investment in the sector as well.
The electricity sector reforms need a review to improve efficiency and productivity in the sector,he said
He added:”The challenges in the electricity supply chain needs to be urgently addressed – gas to power, transmission, distribution, energy pricing, metering, and the capacity of the distribution companies. All of these are needed to improve performance and attract more investment into the sector. Need to put fiscal incentives in place to boost investment in renewable energy in line with the energy mix objective of government. Such incentives could be in the areas of tax incentives and the waivers of import duty on renewable energy equipment.There is an urgent need to decentralize the national grid for ease of management and efficiency.
“There should also be a deliberate policy to attract private investment in the electricity grid.The textile sector is a victim of the current harsh business climate, especially for the real sector. The key element is the high energy cost, forex illiquidity, currency depreciation and weak domestic patronage.
“The government should ensure that all uniforms of security agencies and other government institutions are produced from local textile fabrics. Generic issues of high energy cost also need to be addressed.The rail system needs adequate security to rebound. Government needs to accelerate the security cover for the rail lines and the and the railway transportation system across the country.
“There should be an urgent engagement with investors in the auto assembly plants to identify the peculiar challenges facing them. But surely, better patronage of vehicles assembled in Nigeria would have a positive impact on the performance of these firms”
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