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Firm Unveils Techno Gas Cylinders At World Forum

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Nigeria’s oil and gas major, Techno Oil Ltd. has unveiled its TechnoGas LPG cylinders at the 31st World LPG Forum rounding off at Houston, Texas in the U.S.
The unveiling of the cylinders formally makes Nigeria to join the big league of nations manufacturing LPG cylinders for export.
No fewer than 1,500 participants drawn from 72 countries and 89 companies exhibited various products with Techno Oil being the only African company that exhibited its cylinder products.
A dispatch by Techno Oil to The Tide source yesterday, quoted Mr Gbite Adeniji, Senior Special Adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources as expressing his delight that Nigerian companies are steadily making appearances on the world stage.
“I’m pleased to have visited your lovely stand and I’m highly impressed with what I saw of your products,’’ Adeniji said at the Techno Oil exhibition pavilion.
He said: “The cylinders look high quality. I continue to be impressed with your entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to the oil and gas sector.’’
Similarly, the Managing Director of Ultimate Gas Ltd., Alhaji Auwalu Ilu, lauded the management of Techno Oil for flying Nigeria’s flag at the global event.
He said he was impressed with the quality of the cylinders and implored Techno oil to continue to make Nigeria at the world stage.
On his part, the Executive Director Commercial, Nigerian Products Marketing Company, Mr Billy Okoye, expressed his delight with Techno Oil and its remarkable achievement in manufacturing cylinders.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Head, Downstream of the Department of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Ijeoma Onyeri, said she lacked words to describe the strides being made by Techno Oil in manufacturing cylinders locally.
She told the company to sustain the quality of its products and to ensure safety in its manufacturing operations.
In a speech at a ceremony to unveil the cylinders, the Executive Vice-Chair of Techno Oil, Mrs Nkechi Obi, flanked by the Managing Director of the company, Mr Tony Onyeama, and other senior management staff, said she was excited that Nigeria could now export cylinders.
She said that it was a fulfilling moment for her to announce to the world that made in Nigeria LPG cylinders could now be exported, rather than for Nigerians to continue to import cylinders and deplete its foreign reserves.
“We’re using this forum to announce to the world that TechnoGas cylinders have hit the market and we’re ready to meet every demand, local and international.
She told the gathering that Nigeria had expended billions of dollars importing LPG cylinders from various countries, especially China, India and other Asian countries.
Obi, whose company recently completed the building of Nigeria’s largest LPG cylinder manufacturing plant, said that TechnoGas cylinders would help the Federal Government to save resources in importing cylinders and their accessories.
“The era of Nigerians depending on sub-standard cylinders imported from India, China and other countries is over for Nigerian and West African households.
She, however, lamented that the world was leaving Nigeria behind in LPG adoption, in spite of Nigeria’s top position in the league of gas-rich nations.
Obi noted that some industrialists had taken the initiative to promote LPG adoption in Nigeria, in a bid to not only to secure the environment and the future but to save scarce resources expanded by Nigeria annually to import kerosene and other cooking fuels.
She restated her concern on the worsening consequences of using solid gases such as firewood and charcoal in Nigerian homes.
According to the LPG adoption advocate, the World LPG Forum has again raised the stakes for the Nigerian government to realise that there is no better time than now for government to pay serious attention to discouraging Nigerians from using solid gases in cooking.
According to her, while the aim of using firewood, charcoal, animal dung etc. is to get food cooked, the Nigerian woman and her household are unknowingly exposed to inhalation of a myriad of harmful gases on daily basis.
“It doesn’t end there, these gases have far-reaching effects on the environment as they contribute to global warming and climate change.’’
The Techno Oil chief argued that global warming and climate change were directly responsible for increased global temperatures, flooding, food insecurity and desertification.
“A paradigm shift is required and there is no better time than now because up to 70 per cent of Nigerian women spend time cooking, using mostly solid fuels, instead of adopting LPG.
“More worrisome is the fact that Nigeria has one of the highest proven reserves of gas and is also one of the highest exporters of LPG in Africa,’’ the industrialist stated.
Obi said there was need for government to join forces with LPG stakeholders to make Nigerians to embrace LPG in their cooking urgently.
She expressed her optimism that the efforts of some companies and interest groups in LPG adoption had started yielding dividends in Nigeria, citing the building of an LPG cylinder manufacturing plant in Lagos by Techno Oil to boost the LPG value chain.   (NAN)

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Paper Industry’s Economic Contribution Hits N398bn

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The contribution of the paper industry rose to N398.8billion in 2023 from N356billion it recorded in 2022.
Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Dr. Musa Yusuf, disclosed this in a report released to mark the inauguration of World Envelopes Day in Lagos.
Marking the event, which also commemorated the 50th anniversary of envelope manufacturing firm, FAE Limited, Yusuf stated that the paper industry has a profound economic impact across all sectors of the economy.
He, however, noted that the growth in digital technology had greatly disrupted the sector, especially as a mode of communication.
“As of 2023, the value of the Nigerian paper industry was N398.8billion naira, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
“The value was N365bn in 2022; N363 billion in 2021; and N255billion in 2020. This is a significant contribution to our GDP. However, when compared to the size of our economy, which is estimated at N230trillion as of 2023, it is still very small”,  the CPPE boss stated.
Yusuf said the paper industry had been largely in recession because of the digital technology disruptions and other macroeconomic headwinds, especially relating to exchange rate depreciation, forex liquidity crisis and high cost of fund and energy cost escalation.
He emphasised that the paper industry had a profound economic impact across all sectors of the economy, which underscored the need for government intervention in the sector.
In her opening remarks, the Managing Director of FAE Limited, Funlayo Bakare, described World Envelopes Day as the brainchild of the company, which sought to set aside April 16 as a day to celebrate the fundamental role envelopes play in daily communication.
“As we celebrate our golden jubilee, we are delighted to announce the inauguration of World Envelopes Day, to be celebrated annually on the 16th day of April.
“This is a pioneering initiative by FAE Ltd in accordance with our leadership position in the sector.
“The establishment of World Envelopes Day is to raise awareness about the importance of envelopes in various aspects of human endeavour, including personal correspondence, business transactions, and creative expressions”, she said.
The Publisher of The Guardian Newspaper, Maiden Ibru, who chaired the occasion, stressed the need to strike a balance between digitalisation and physical paper production, especially due to the indispensable role paper plays in cultural preservation.
Nigeria once had three paper mills: the Nigeria Paper Mill Limited, located in Jebba, Kwara State; the Nigerian Newsprint Manufacturing Company Limited, Oku-Iboku, Akwa Ibom State; and the Nigerian National Paper Manufacturing Company Limited in Ogun State.
The mills are no longer operational, and the country has had to depend on importation to make up for the shortfall.
The Asset Management Company of Nigeria has taken over the management of NNMC over unpaid debts.

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Aviation Union Threatens Strike Over Revenue Deduction

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The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) has said it would embark on industrial action if the Federal Government refuses to exempt aviation agencies from a directive that seeks to deduct 50 per cent from their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
ATSSSAN disclosed this in a communique issued by its National Executive Council (NEC) after its National Economic Council meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The NEC, which had in attendance all 17 affiliates of ATSSSAN comprising all branch Chairmen, Secretaries, and national officers, reiterated calls for the exemption of the aviation agencies from the deduction of 50 per cent  of their IGR under the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
The association said the agencies were not established for profit, hence stifling them of the required funds would jeopardise the effective performance of their safety and security mandates.
ATSSSAN warned that if the Federal Government insist on the deduction, it would compound the current financial state of the agencies, and “we may be forced to direct all aviation workers to down tools until the government reverses itself”.
Last year, the Federal Government directed the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to immediately commence the presidential directives on a 50 per cent automatic deduction from the IGR of Federal Government-owned enterprises.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, had issued a circular titled, “Re: Implementation of the Presidential Directives on 50 per cent Automatic Deduction from Internally Generated Revenue of Federal Government Owned Enterprises (FGOEs)”.
According to the circular, all partially-funded Federal Government agencies and parastatals (receiving capital or overhead allocation from the Federal Government’s budget) should remit 50 per cent of their gross IGR, while all statutory revenues, like tender fees, contractor’s registration, and sales of government assets, among others, should be remitted 100 per cent to the sub-recurrent account.
ATSSSAN stated its apprehension over what it perceives as deliberate efforts by certain private airlines to stop their employees from forming labour unions.
Citing Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution and international labor norms, the association contends that such actions constitute a violation of workers rights.
The statement, however, did not specify the airline operators suppressing workers from joining unions.
Part of the statement read, “The NEC-in-session calls on all employers in the private sector in the aviation industry to respect collective bargaining agreements in order to avert industrial crises at the workplace.
“NEC-in-session was seriously disturbed by the continuous willful acts by some private airlines towards frustrating the unionization of their employees, contrary to the letters and spirit of Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and relevant international conventions and laws”.
The association, therefore, called upon the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to uphold and enforce employees’ rights to unionise within the aviation industry.
It urged the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to orchestrate a dialogue involving all relevant stakeholders, including the non-compliant airlines and labour unions, under the auspices of the Labor Ministry.
At the meeting, other issues affecting workers, especially members’ welfare and working conditions, and the aviation industry at large were discussed, and positions and resolutions were taken.
The aviation group decried what it perceive as a dearth of avenues for career progression within government-owned aviation entities.

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NCDMB Rakes In $1m Return On NEDOGAS Investment

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Management of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) says it has received a cheque of $1 million from Nedogas Development Company Limited (NDCL).
A statement made available to newsmen by the Directorate of Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination of the Board said the sum received was part of the return on investment (ROI) on one of its strategic investments.
The statement added that: “The cheque was presented by the Chairman of the company, Engr. Emeka Ene, when he visited the Nigerian Content Tower in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where he was received by the NCDMB’s Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, and other members of the Board’s management.
“Nedogas Development Company Limited (NDCL) is a joint venture company between Xenergi Limited and NCDMB Capacity Development Intervention Company.
“As part of the project, Nedogas NDCL constructed and commissioned a 300 MMscfd Capacity Kwale Gas Gathering (KGG) and injection facility located in the Umusam Community, near Kwale in Delta State, Niger Delta, Nigeria.
“The KGG Facility was designed to handle stranded gas resources in Nigeria’s OML56 oil province by providing the opportunity for independent operators in the area to monetize natural gas from their fields through the gas gathering, compression, injection and metering infrastructure of the KGG for quick market access.
“Nedogas is one of the several strategic and successful investments of the NCDMB funded from the Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF), in line with the Board’s mandate to build capacity and catalyze local projects in the Nigerian oil and gas industry as enshrined under the Nigeran Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act”.
In his remarks, according to the statement, the NCDMB Executive Secretary stated that the success story of NEDOGAS at Kwale, Delta State, could be replicated in other oil and gas producing communities to minimise gas flaring, saying that Ogbe also declared the Board’s readiness to continue collaborating with the company.
“Their model should be extended to other parts of the country where gas flaring is continuing.They have shown that with the modular system, we can quickly remove flaring from our operations in Nigeria.
“The NCDMB had continued to receive briefings from its investment partners. We’re still waiting for them to come back with success stories. Some of them are near completion and have not started operations yet”, the NCDMB’s Executive Secretary said.
In his remarks, Chairman of NEDOGAS, Mr. Emeka Ene, conveyed the company’s excitement in returning part of the credit and profit, adding that it was a proof that the NCDMB’s investment was a success and they are getting back that investment, adding that the firm looks forward to further collaboration with the NCDMB to expand its scope.
Responding, the NCDMB boss said the Board was now doing effectively and practically and tangibly what it was set up for, saying its mandate was to impact the economy by direct interventions.
“That’s the way the economy can grow, improve the gas infrastructure in such a way that’s sustainable despite the tight economic conditions”, he said.
He added that, “the  value propositions of the Nedogas project include total eradication of flared gas and conversation of environmental pollutants into products of value and creation of a strategic gas gathering hub and injection node for quick access to market for gas owners to monetize gas”.
Other benefits, according to Ogbe, include the provision of alternative gas supply to western flank of the OB3 line to add to the volumes of economic sustainability and increase in Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“The partnership with NEDOGAS is one of NCDMB’s 15 strategic investments geared towards actualizing the Federal Government’s aspirations in key areas of the oil and gas industry.
“Most of the projects were targeted at actualizing the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas programme.
“Some of NCDMB’s notable third-party investments include Waltermith’s 5000 barrels per day (bpd) modular refinery in Imo State, Azikel Group12,000 bpd hydro-skimming modular refinery in Gbarain, Bayelsa State, and Duport Midstream’s 2,500bpd modular refinery in Edo State.
“Other investments of the Board include Better Gas Energy for LPG terminal and gas distribution, partnership with Rungas Prime Industries Limited to establish a cooking gas cylinders manufacturing plant in Polaku, Bayelsa State, and Alaro City in Lagos and the partnership with Butane Energy to deepen LPG utilization in the North”, he stated.
The Executive Secretary also noted that there was the partnership with BUNORR Integrated Energy Limited in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to produce 48,000 litres of base oil per day and partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited, Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company Limited, and DSV Engineering to establish a 10,000 Ton Methanol Production Plant, Odioama, in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

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