Business

FG Attracts New Fertilizer, Petrochemical Plant To Brass

Published

7 years ago

June 12, 2017

The Federal Government has attracted a multi-billion dollar, private sector-driven fertilizer and petrochemical plant to Brass, Bayelsa State.
The Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, said this when he led the Amanyanabo of Twon Brass, Commodore Alfred Diete-Spiff (rtd), and a team of private investors on a thank you visit to acting President Yemi Osinbajo, recently.
Dickson told State House Correspondents after the visit that the project would create enormous jobs and transform the economy of the state and country and assured the investor of adequate security of the investment.
“We came to discuss issues on the Brass Fertilizer Project billed to take off in Bayelsa. That is a big ticket investment running into billions of dollars.
“The government team is here, the traditional ruler is here because the project is taking place in his domain.
“We are here to assure the Federal Government that Bayelsa is safe.
“We are here to assure all the investors that Bayelsa as they all know is one of the safest states in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We have worked hard in the last five years I have been governor to bring that about.
“And we have assured them that the state is safe enough for investors to come in to execute this very important project for our country.’’
According to Dickson, the investment runs into billions of dollars from the investors while the state will take 10 per cent equity to boost confidence to the transaction.
The governor also thanked the federal government for its new approach to pursuing integrated development in the country based on partnership and collaboration evidenced by the fertilizer plant.
Dickson acknowledged the acting President’s dialogue, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, with the Niger Delta stakeholders, saying that a new understanding was emerging for stability, security and development in the area.
“It is when we bring big ticket investments, create jobs and we affect the economy and create other legitimate options through which young people can survive that some of the crises that we see here will be addressed.
“And this is a good way to begin to address that and that is why I am here to assure the federal government and the investors and also thank the federal government for the steps that it has taken,’’ he stated.
Dickson mentioned two policies which the federal government had announced which had excited Bayelsa.
He said that Oil producing companies that did not have offices in Bayelsa were asked to locate offices in the state.
He recalled that the story of Nigeria and oil production started in Bayelsa but that it was shocking that no oil company had an office in the state.
According to him by that act the state and people were denied the economic benefits of oil production.
“There are no jobs, no employment, they don’t even pay as much tax, a number of them don’t even pay tax at all.
“The federal government has said that they should go back.
“So we expect to work with the federal government and engage with all the oil producing companies to see how they can begin to have respectable presence.
“This is to address the perception of neglect of the people, which is legitimate,’’ the governor stated.
Dickson also thanked the federal government for the policy of promoting modular refineries in the Niger Delta region.
He added that the state was talking with both the federal government and investors to ensure that all those avenues were used to create jobs.
The governor likened the fertilizer plant to other private sector-driven investments such as the NLNG investment in Bonny.
He said the NLNG was yielding a lot of revenue for the country as one of the most profitable partnerships the federal government had gone into.
“You have other big ones like the Gbarain/Obie gas plant project in Bayelsa owned by Shell; there are other ones.
“But this one is a fertilizer petrochemical company.
“And they will do a lot of skills development and skills transfer, a lot of jobs created and there will be a boon in the local economy, state economy and ultimately affect the national economy positively,’’ he added.
Dickson said the Bayelsa government would engage the oil companies to ensure that they did their businesses without inhibitions.
“The federal government has already come up with the policy and Bayelsa is very safe.
“Don’t listen to anybody who tells you that any state is unsafe.
“If there is one state that is safe, if there is one state that is politically stable, one state that all the security agencies will tell you the government and community leaders, everybody is working to ensure stability and security, it is Bayelsa.
“And we have built offices, we have been working hard quietly for the past five years.
“You may not know what is going on; there is a silent revolution going on in Bayelsa.
“You have the best public schools in Bayelsa now.’’
According to the governor the public schools in Bayelsa run free education and free feeding adding that the state has wonderful health facilities.

Business

Fuel Scarcity: IPMAN threatens shutdown over bridging claims

Published

3 days ago

May 3, 2024

The Tide

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Depot Chairmen Forum, has exonerated its members from the current fuel scarcity in the country.

According to IPMAN, this is caused by its inability to source petroleum products.

The IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum also threatened to withdraw its services over non-payment of N200 billion bridging claims by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to its members, since 2022.

Alhaji Yahaya Alhassan, the Chairman, of the Forum said this while briefing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday.

Alhassan said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) was the sole importer of the product, but the marketers could not source products from NNPC Ltd. deport, rather from the private depots at high rate.

“We cannot buy fuel from the private depots at N950 and transport the product from Lagos to the North and other parts of the country with N2 million and still sell it at N900 or N1, 000.

“It is expedient for us to state that we are more pained by the non-availability of petroleum products in the country, which has given rise to another round of untold hardship for Nigerians.

“Contrary to claims that IPMAN members are hoarding Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as fuel, we would like to categorically state that PMS scarcity is wholly triggered by inability to get fuel from NNPC and not IPMAN,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the NNPC Ltd. Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye said the disruption was due to logistical issues which had since been resolved.

“We currently have an availability of products exceeding 1.5 billion litres, which can last for at least 30 days. Unfortunately, we experienced a three-day disruption in distribution due to logistical issues, which has since been resolved.

“However, as you know, overcoming such disruptions typically requires double the amount of time to return to normal operations.

“Some folks are taking advantage of this situation to maximise profits. Thankfully, product scarcity has been minimal lately, but these folks might be exploiting the situation for unwarranted gain,’’ Soneye said.

He however, said the lines would clear out soon.

On the non-payment of bridging claims, the IPMAN forum said it was distressed and depressed by the laidback attitude of the NMDPRA towards the survival its member’s businesses, arising from its refusal in paying the claims.

“It is with deep frustration that we have assembled here today as the IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum. It is also disheartening to note that some of our members have completely shut down businesses and retrenched employees.

“As businessmen and women, our members acquired bank loans to keep their fuel retail outlets running on a daily basis across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria in order to serve the teeming population of Nigerians,’’ Alhassan said.

He recalled that Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), at a stakeholders meeting in February mandated the NMDPRA management to clear the entire debt in 40 days.

“However, today, we have crossed the 40 days’ time lapse given to the NMDPRA to clear the debt, and it is shameful to state that only the paltry sum of N13 billion has been paid, ignoring minister’s directive.

“We are not happy with the indiscriminate increment in the issuance and renewal of Sales and Storage Licence, by the NMDPRA, and the subsequent delays in acquiring the licence, which our members are recently subjected to.

“We are also calling on President Bola Tinubu to look into this unwholesome figure which is highly detrimental to our business and reverse it forthwith, as it is bound to impact negatively on the masses.

“We are poised to take far reaching decisions that may cripple the supply and sales of petroleum products across Nigeria if our demands are not met within the shortest period of time.

“We are collectively prepared to withdraw our services, shut down every single outlet, and suspend lifting of products forthwith till our demands are fully met, and the consequences will be terrible.

“We call on our members to however remain resolute and law abiding, even as we draw close to the immediate ultimatum for our demands to be met by the NMDPRA,’’ the chairman said.

Reacting to the IPMAN’s claims, the Acting Head, Corporate Communications, NMDPRA, Seiyefa Osanebi said the bridging claims payment was ongoing.

“The bridging claims payment is always an ongoing process,” she said.

Maritime

Shippers’ Council Registers 160 Port Operators

Published

7 days ago

April 29, 2024

The Tide

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) says it has registered 160 Port stakeholders into its Regulated Port Service Provider and Users platform since the initiative began in 2023.
Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr Pius Akutah, made the disclosure on the sideline of a sensitisation programme by the commission for port operators in Lagos, with the theme, “Regulated Port Service Provider and Users”.
Represented by the Director, Consumer Affairs, Chief Cajetan Agu, Akutah emphasised the significance of the programme for stakeholders.
He said the sensitisation programme was the second edition after its commencement during the last quarter of 2023.
The Secretary said the 160 registered port operators consist of agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, individual port users as well as service providers.
“We invited the ports stakeholders for enlightening them on the processes for online registration of Regulated Port Service Provider and Users.
“We have demonstrated to them how to register and how to make payment and we were able to present before them the various categories of the registration.
“The rate of payment is also in the registration. The payment of each group depends on the operation. A shipper pays N30,000, terminal operators and shipping companies pay N300,000, truckers also pay N30,000, while some pay N50,000 and N100,000.
“The Council was able to intimate them on the benefits, because port users benefit more as we help to interface on reducing port charges from time to time”, Akutah said.
He said that there was a need to continue to work with port operators to stop delays and eliminate high costs to make the port efficient.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Stakeholders, Service, NSC, Mr Celestine Akujobi, said “the sensitisation exercise was important for the council to enable us bring all the port stakeholders together”.
According to him, this is to avoid challenges during the implementation of the council’s responsibilities.
“By the time we introduce sanctions on defaulters, no operators will complain that he or she is not aware of the registration.
“I’m happy with the turnout of this sensitisation. This shows that the operators are well informed of the statutory friction of the council as the port regulator.
“The final implementation will commence as soon as we discover that all the operators have keyed into the portal.
“We are engaging other ports across the country and we’re hopeful that before the last quater of 2024, the council will implement sanctions on defaulting operators”, Akujobi said.
Earlier, Vice Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwards (NAGAFF), Dr Ifeanyi Emoh, said port challenges were enormous, adding that they originated from some of the government agencies.

Emoh urged the council to look into regulating other government agencies, so that there could be a window through which they can collect port charges collectively instead of indiscriminately.

By: Chinedu Wosu