Business
Gulf Of Mexico Disaster, Lesson For Nigeria – NNPC
The Group General Manager of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Engr. Austen Oniwon, has stated the preparedness of the corporation, along with its partners, to deal with oil spillage emergencies and reduce their impacts towards ensuring a balanced ecological condition in its areas of operation.
Oniwon made the remark on Friday at the World Environment Day celebration event organised by the Environment and Safety Department in the Engineering and Technology Division of the NNPC, which took place in Abuja.
He also said the current BP oil spillage brouhaha in the Gulf of Mexico putting a lot of pressure on off-shore oil exploration, adding that it was also an opportunity for the industry to learn to forestall such incidents in the future.
He stated that, “The incident that is happening in the Gulf of Mexico is a disaster, and it can happen anywhere in the world, including Nigeria. However, it is putting a lot of pressure on off-shore oil drilling.
“It is also a challenge mankind to find a solution to such failures in future; this is the first time a failure is occurring between the downward emission and the atmosphere. It also presents an opportunity for mankind to learn and improve in its handling of such matters.
“I am sure that lessons that will be learned from the mishap will go a long way to ensure that oil exploration is made much safer and ecologically friendly in the future. Every disaster gives another opportunity for humanity to learn and I can assure you that Nigeria, and more specifically the NNPC, would be learning a lot from this case in order to ensure that
Speaking further on the theme of the event, Biodiversity – Ecosystems Management and the Green Economy, Oniwon noted that the Corporation’s Ethanol development project, which would ensure cleaner energy options for consumers in the country, was still on course.
According to him, “NNPC is taking full advantages of all the opportunities to entrench green fuel and green energy delivery in the country. Primarily, we are a hydro-carbon company, but we believe that if coal can be made clean, then oil can even be made cleaner.
“This is because coal is the worst producer of carbon-dioxide that is ever seen, while hydrocarbon contains both hydrogen and carbon and the amount of carbon-dioxide that can be seen in hydrocarbon is not as harmful as in coal technology.”
The NNPC GMD further stressed that the corporation “is doing everything to ensure that the blending comes up in such a way to ensure that the ethanol mix to oil hydrocarbon becomes a better mix for us to have cleaner oil.
“Our ethanol development project is ongoing because our people in Exploration and Technology division are working extremely hard to make sure that we achieve our objective for cleaner energy in the nearest future.
He explained that the Ethanol initiative would involve further reduction of the amount of carbon-dioxide in the hydrocarbon oil by blending it with ethanol.
The GMD noted, however, that the initiative is not undertaken 100 percent by the Corporation but with the support and partnership of some private companies.
“The reason is because we do not believe in being the sole participants, and we think private companies should be a part of this project. Also, there are a lot of logistic issues that have to be resolved. For instance, ethanol that you mix with hydrocarbon is very hydroscopic; it absorbs a lot of water from the air, so we have to be put in place infrastructure that will convince most private companies to come in invest in the project; most of the blending outfits in the country do not have the infrastructure at all.
“When this is completed, we are going to bring in ethanol and make sure that we are able to use it in such a manner that will maximize the benefit for Nigerians. We are doing a lot in that aspect.”
Also speaking at the event, the General Executive Director, Engineering and Technology of the NNPC, Mr. Billy Agha reaffirmed the commitment of corporation to responsible environmental practices.
“As a recognized leader in the oil and gas industry, we also want to set the pace in promoting environmental awareness and protection. Over the years, we have demonstrated this commitment through our corporate social responsibility practices and day to day business operations.
“The NNPC as a national oil and gas company has embarked on global warming control measures such as striving with its joint venture (JV) partners to achieve gas flare-down in all the operations,” he added.
Agha noted that the corporation is targeting the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects by establishing CDM Working Groups that will project the NNPC into international Carbon Trading to reduce carbon emission.
“NNPC has also eliminated the application of Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) based materials in its operations in compliance with the requirements of the Montreal Protocol. Furthermore, many gas utilization projects are under construction or planned to recover and utilize associated gas from oil wells that was otherwise flared or vented,” he added.
The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, John Enoh said this at the 8th annual induction and conference of the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN).
He explained that abandoned projects continue to lock up public funds that could have been used for infrastructure development, industrial growth, job creation and essential social services.
Represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Chris Osa Isokpunwu, he said the impact goes beyond financial losses, as incomplete projects affect communities and limit access to important public services
He cited examples of that remain unopened, schools that cannot accommodate students, roads that fail to connect communities and electricity projects that have not delivered their intended benefits.
The Registrar-General and Chief Executive Officer of CIPMN, Henry Ifeanyi Mbadiwe, also identified poor project management as a major challenge affecting development in Nigeria.
He revealed that the institute had developed a project management curriculum for Nigerian universities, which has received approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC). The programme is expected to enable universities to offer project management as a bachelor’s degree.
Mbadiwe further referenced findings by the Presidential Projects Assessment Committee, which identified 11,886 ongoing federal capital projects in 2011, with an estimated financial commitment of ?7.78 trillion.
He noted that inadequate planning, supervision, accountability and implementation were among the factors contributing to the abandonment of projects across the country.
The minister called for stronger project management structures across ministries, departments and agencies to improve planning, monitoring and evaluation.
He added that the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment had introduced a 90-day implementation reporting cycle to strengthen transparency and monitor the progress of government programmes.
Ikenga said the company remained committed to Nigeria’s power sector and would continue investing in its operations despite the challenging business environment.
He spoke in Lagos at the third edition of the Shell Power Conference, themed “Powering Nigeria’s Progress: Turning Ambition and Action into Sustainable Impact”.
The Transcorp Power chief said the company would sustain electricity generation, invest in its facilities and deliver value to shareholders.
“Transcorp Power is a long-term player, not a short-term player. This year has been challenging, but what is important is getting power to schools, hospitals and businesses to power progress,” he said.
Ikenga said the company’s focus on operational efficiency and investment had strengthened its contribution to Nigeria’s electricity supply.
He disclosed that since acquiring the Ughelli Power Plant in Delta State in 2013, Transcorp Power had quadrupled its available generation capacity.
He also said the company became the first privatised power generation firm to receive a post-privatisation discharge certificate after fulfilling all its privatisation obligations.
The company’s unaudited results for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, showed a profit before tax of N83.1 billion, while its profit-before-tax margin rose to 31.2 per cent from 29.6 per cent recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
Its total assets rose to 11.7 per cent amounting to N629.5 billion, while shareholders’ funds grew 8.9 per cent to N199.8 billion. Cash and cash equivalents also rose to N10.3 billion, supported by improved collections.
On the company’s contribution to grid stability, Ikenga said Transcorp Power’s black-start capability enabled it to restart operations without relying on electricity from the national grid.
He explained that the capability allowed the company to support power restoration following grid disturbances, helping to restore electricity supply to homes, businesses and industries.
Ikenga noted that Nigeria had an installed electricity generation capacity of about 13,000 megawatts, with an estimated potential of 50 gigawatts, adding that realising the potential would require effective coordination across the entire value chain.
“Everything in the value chain has to work,” he said.
He called for stronger collaboration among federal and state governments, regulators and private-sector operators, alongside increased private investment, to build a sustainable electricity market.
This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Communications and Press Secretary, Maryann Duke.
The statement said Oyedele pointed to “improved digital systems, including electronic invoicing, as a key driver behind a record of N33tn in government revenue collected between January and October 2026.”
The minister said the performance demonstrated the potential of technology to improve revenue administration, strengthen compliance and increase efficiency across government institutions.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Digital Sovereignty and Ethics: Guarding the Economy for the Next Generation,’ Oyedele warned that Nigeria risked losing substantial economic opportunities if it continued to depend heavily on foreign digital infrastructure.
Citing Nigerian Communications Commission figures, he disclosed that the country recorded more than 157 million active internet subscriptions as of May 2026.
He explained that these connections generated significant volumes of information through financial transactions, healthcare, education and taxation.
However, citing estimates from the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, Oyedele said as much as 90 per cent of the country’s data was hosted abroad.
According to him, the situation has implications for foreign exchange expenditure, employment opportunities, technological skills and Nigeria’s control over information generated by its citizens.
He compared the country’s reliance on foreign digital infrastructure with its historical dependence on imported refined petroleum products, warning against a situation where Nigerian data would be processed abroad and the resulting services sold back to domestic users.
The minister consequently advocated greater investment in local data infrastructure, technical expertise, cybersecurity and predictable regulations to enable Nigerian businesses to capture more value from the digital economy.
He clarified that digital sovereignty should not translate into technological isolation but should strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to participate competitively in international markets.
Addressing graduating students, Oyedele urged young Nigerians to become developers of technological solutions rather than remain primarily consumers of products created elsewhere.
He identified artificial intelligence as both a disruptive force and an opportunity for innovation, advising graduates to acquire relevant digital skills alongside critical thinking, creativity, sound judgement and integrity.
The minister also cautioned against irresponsible online behaviour, explaining that digital footprints increasingly influence employment prospects, commercial relationships and professional credibility.
Oyedele outlined five priorities for graduates, including continuous learning, value creation, integrity, responsible digital citizenship and active participation in national development.
“Your degree is evidence of what you have learned. Your competence will demonstrate what you can do. Your character will reveal who you truly are,” he told the graduating students.
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