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Crude Oil Production Begins At Bonga, EA …As NOSDRA Denies Spill’s Flow To A’Ibom

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14 years ago

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Full scale production of crude oil, has now resumed at both Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company’s (SNEPCo) Bonga and EA offshore oil fields following the successful completion of clean up of the 20 December, 2011 leak on Bonga and repair works on EA facilities.

A statement by Shell’s Corporate Media Relations Manager, Tony Okonedo, yesterday said “production resumed at Bonga on January 1, 2012, following reinforcement of asset integrity and safety programmes.”

SNEPCo had shut down production from the field after leak occurred on one of the three export loading lines as oil was being transferred from the Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel to a loading tanker.

Okonedo quoted Shell Nigeria Country Chair, Mutiu Sunmonu, as saying that, “while investigation into the cause of the leak continues, we have isolated the faulty line, which was only one of its type in the Bonga field, and reinforced our asset integrity and safety programme.”

According to him, “this, together with additional inspection testing and monitoring, is what gives us the confidence that it is safe to restart.

Sunmonu said that, “oil from the Bonga leak had largely dispersed by Sunday, December 25, 2011 due to the integrated efforts of SNEPCo, the Nigerian government and our industry partners in the application of dispersants, and natural processes of dispersal and evaporation,” adding that, “we are taking samples of the third party spill as part of the joint investigation in order to establish beyond doubt that this is not Bonga oil of the beach. It will be good if all parties would wait for the outcome of the investigation.

In a related development, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) resumed production at its shallow offshore EA Field on 27th December, last year, on completion of the scheduled statutory inspection, engineering and maintenance works on the FPSO vessel, Sea Eagle.

The Sea Eagle was shut in on November 9, 2011 for the exercise, which included repairs to the Soft Yoke Mooring Platform and Relief Valve Recertification.

Meanwhile, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), says the Bonga oil spill is not moving towards Akwa Ibom.

The Director-General of the agency, Mr Peter Idabor, made the clarification in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.

Idabor said that the Bonga oil spill did not move backward towards Akwa Ibom but upwards towards vocados.

“I want to correct an impression here, the Akwa Ibom people are saying that the oil moved backwards to their coast line.

He said that he had accompanied the Minister of Environment to the oil spill site for an on-the-spot assessment but noted that the spill was moving towards the vocados.

He said that the agency used satellite imagery to monitor the movement of the spill from Bonga, adding that records were available for anyone who was interested to see it.

Idabor said that the agency activated the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) after Shell announced that the volume of the crude spill was over 30,000 barrels.

He said that the activation of the plan involved drawing the attention of the stakeholders on the need to treat the spill as an emergency.

According to him, the stakeholders include customs, immigration, Navy, Army, among others.

Idabor commended Shell for preventing the spill from spreading to the shore line through the deployment of a spill control aircraft from the United Kingdom.

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PENGASSAN Tasks Multinationals On Workers’ Salary Increase 

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3 days ago

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December 8, 2025

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The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has asked companies in the oil and gas sector to undertake urgent review of salaries of their workers in view of the prevailing harsh economic conditions in the country.
Also, the pensioners of Chevron Nigeria, under the aegis PenCoN, have lauded the President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Festus Osifo and his executive on their unrelenting efforts toward addressing pension abnormalities faced by retired workers in the oil and gas industry.
The association also appealed to the federal government to take necessary measures to check banditry and terrorist activities in parts of the country.
PENGASSAN President, Osifo who addressed journalists shortly after the National Executive Council meeting of the association in Abuja, at the weekend, said that though a lot of success has been recorded in negotiating salary reviews for its members, there are still organisations that have failed to lift their workers from the present harsh economic situation.
He said within this period, PENGASSAN has signed numerous Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) which has brought smiles to the faces of its teeming members.
“This is because we recognise that our job, literally, is how to protect the job of our members, and how to enhance their pay,” he said.
Osifo said that operators in the oil and gas sectors always go for the best qualified professionals to carry out their operations.
“So, the same way they recruit the best, we also challenge them to provide the best condition of service and provide the best remuneration.
“Yes, today, a lot of companies will have achieved successes, but there are still few that we are still discussing at their CBAs, that we are not yet there.
“We still use this opportunity to call on these companies that are still foot dragging, that are still holding back, even with the massive devaluation that has occurred in our country, that still don’t want to fix the remuneration of our members.
“We are calling on them to do the needful, because for us in PENGASSAN we will push without holding back. We will push, using everything in our arsenal, to ensure that the needful is done,” he said.
Osifo spoke of the dispute with the Dangote Refinery group, saying there are still pending issues to be resolved.
“Gentlemen of the press, during the networking session, we also looked at the issues that are plaguing some of our branches, and you know that recently, we had some challenges in Dangote Refinery and PetroChemicals Ltd.
“And within this period, since our last National Industrial Action, we have been engaging them in a lot of conversations, but the issues are not fully resolved. There are still a lot of pending issues.
“Yes, the NEC decided that, yes, let us still consummate that process by pushing those issues, by engaging in dialogue to resolve the issues, and by also engaging all our social partners and stakeholders to get the issues resolved,” he said.
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SEC Unveils Digital Regulatory Hub To Boost Oversight Across Financial Markets

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3 days ago

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December 8, 2025

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched the Regulatory Hub, a new centralized digital platform designed to streamline collaboration, strengthen oversight, and improve transparency across Nigeria’s financial and capital market ecosystem.
The Commission disclosed this in a statement posted on its website.
According to the commission, the platform connects key regulatory and security institutions including the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), enabling them to exchange information securely and in real time.
The launch of this regulatory hub comes ahead of the implementation of new tax laws in January 2026, with agencies such as the FIRS spreading its tentacles across sector to monitor compliance.
According to the SEC Director-General, Emomotimi Agama, the launch marks a significant step toward modernizing Nigeria’s regulatory framework through technology.
“The Regulatory Hub is a major step in our commitment to leverage technology for stronger regulatory synergy. By connecting regulators on one platform, we are building resilience, enhancing market integrity, and promoting investor confidence,” he said.
The SEC said the platform would help reduce bottlenecks in regulatory processes and facilitate faster, more informed decision-making across agencies.
Reinforcing the DG’s comments, the Executive Commissioner, Operations, Bola Ajomale, highlighted the operational benefits of the new system.
“The platform will significantly improve the timeliness and quality of regulatory decision-making. It provides a single window for regulators to share data, respond to requests, and collaborate seamlessly in safeguarding our financial and capital markets,” he said.
The commission believes the Regulatory Hub would support its broader mandate to strengthen investor protection, enhance market stability, and harmonize regulatory activities across the financial sector.
It urged stakeholders to initiate interest by emailing the Commission, adding that once registered, participants would be able to access the Hub and take advantage of its features.
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NAFDAC Decries Circulation Of Prohibited Food Items In markets …….Orders Vendors’ Immediate Cessation Of Dealings With Products 

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3 days ago

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December 8, 2025

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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing circulation of banned food products across markets in the country.
The agency, in a Press Release dated 6 December 2025, warned that these items including pasta, noodles, sugar and tomato paste are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are illegal to import.
NAFDAC stated that the sale and distribution of such prohibited items violate national trade laws, compromise the integrity of Nigeria’s food control system, and pose significant public health risks, as they have not undergone the agency’s mandatory safety and quality evaluations.

Importers, market traders, and supermarket operators have therefore, been directed to immediately cease all dealings in these items and to notify their supply chain partners to halt transactions involving prohibited products.

The agency emphasized that failure to comply will attract strict enforcement measures, including seizure and destruction of goods, suspension or revocation of operational licences, and prosecution under relevant laws.

The statement said “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing incidence of smuggling, sale, and distribution of regulated food products such as pasta, noodles, sugar, and tomato paste currently found in markets across the country.

“These products are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are not permitted for importation”.

NAFDAC also called on other government bodies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS) Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), to collaborate in enforcing the ban on these unsafe products.

By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu
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