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NNPC destroys 134 Illegal Refineries Recently

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

Why Nigerian Upstream Sub-Sector Faces Challenges, NURPC


Pix: Ogbe and  Komolafe during a visit in  Abuja 


By Favour Ifeoluwa & Akinola Ajibade 


The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum the Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engr. Gbenga Komolafe,has said that the Nigerian upstream sector is facing severe pressures because of the low crude oil production and lack of investment in recent years, the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission ( NUPRC), Engr Gbenga Komolafe has said. 

He said this when the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe visited him recently, 

According to him, the energy map of the world had changed considerably with the emergence of several new oil-producing countries.

He said that the development has induced a high level of competitiveness for investment capital, stressing that strategic actions must be taken to make the Nigerian environment investor-friendly.

He said: "We must vacate entry barriers for investment. This is common logic when there is high competition. We need to work together to lower barriers and do everything possible to motivate investment.”

He assured that the NUPRC would partner closely with the NCDMB to achieve some of the programmes it had planned for 2024.

He congratulated the Executive Secretary on his appointment, noting that the industry was pleased to have a person of his pedigree as the new helmsman of the NCDMB.

He highlighted the important role of the NCDMB in the operations of the upstream sector of the petroleum industry and commended the new Executive Secretary for seeking closer cooperation among the agencies.

He described the move as expedient, especially at a time when every hand is on the deck towards increasing Nigeria’s crude oil production, earning higher revenue for the nation, and reviving the economy.

He reiterated the need for teamwork and partnership amongst various agencies under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, to sustain the growth of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

He hinted that collaboration would create an enabling environment that would attract investments and new projects into the sector, helping to create employment opportunities for youths and address insecurity in the polity.

While noting that Local Content development would be stunted if projects and investments in the oil and gas sector do not flourish, the Executive Secretary suggested that NCDMB and NUPRC should organize workshops to examine and resolve concerns identified by investors as obstacles to investments and new projects.

He hinted that investment decisions by international oil and gas companies are often affected by their assessment of their Return on Investments (ROI).

The Executive Secretary,who also visited the Commissioner for Insurance of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM),Mr. Sunday Olorundare Thomas,conveyed the willingness of the NCDMB to deepen its partnership with key agencies of the Federal Government to achieve the economic aspirations of President Bola Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, adding that cooperation and teamwork were key to accomplishing any noble objective.

He promised that NCDMB would work closely with NAICOM to review and operationalize the insurance services regulations jointly issued by both agencies in June 2022, to get Nigerian oil and gas companies to patronize local insurance firms and retain spend in the economy.

The Commissioner for Insurance of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), congratulated the Executive Secretary on his appointment, noting that he would be building on the solid foundation laid by his predecessors.

He described NCDMB as a formidable institution and commended the founding fathers of the Board for their foresight in creating such an important agency.

He also lauded the former Executive Secretaries of the NCDMB for their innovative projects and achievements while in office that added value to the economy.

He expressed concern that the insurance services regulations that were signed by the commission and NCDMB were yet to be implemented.

He requested the Executive Secretary to address the challenges, hinting that implementing the regulations would bring the needed changes in the insurance subsector of the oil and gas industry before being extended to other key sectors of the economy.


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