Business

Firm Unveils Techno Gas Cylinders At World Forum

Published

7 years ago

October 8, 2018

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)

Business

FIRS Clarifies New Tax Laws, Debunks Levy Misconceptions

Published

20 hours ago

December 5, 2025

The Tide

The Federal Inland Revenue Service has said that Nigeria’s newly enacted tax laws are designed to strengthen economic competitiveness, attract investments, and improve long-term fiscal stability.

The agency also clarified that the much-debated four per cent development levy on imported goods is not a new or additional tax burden, but a streamlined consolidation of several existing levies.

According a statement released Wednesday, one of the most misunderstood elements of the new tax framework is the four per cent development levy with the agency explaining that the levy replaces a range of fragmented charges — such as the Tertiary Education Tax, NITDA Levy, NASENI Levy and Police Trust Fund Levy — that businesses previously paid separately.

This consolidation, it said, reduces compliance costs, eliminates unpredictability and ends the era of multiple agency-driven levies. The law also exempts small businesses and non-resident companies, offering protection to firms most vulnerable to economic shocks.

Another major clarification relates to Free Trade Zones. Earlier commentary had suggested that the government was rolling back the incentives that have attracted export-oriented investors for decades. However, the reforms maintain the tax-exempt status of FTZ enterprises and introduce clearer guidelines to preserve the purpose of the zones.

“Under the new rules, FTZ companies can sell up to 25 per cent of their output into the domestic market without losing tax exemptions. A three-year transition period has also been provided to allow firms to adjust smoothly.

“Government officials say the reforms aim to curb abuses where companies used FTZ licences to evade domestic taxes while competing within the Nigerian market”, it said.

With the new measures, Nigeria aligns with global FTZ models in places like the UAE and Malaysia, where the zones function primarily as export hubs for logistics, manufacturing and technology.

The introduction of a 15 per cent minimum Effective Tax Rate for large multinational and domestic companies has also been met with public concern. But the FIRS notes that this policy aligns with a global tax agreement endorsed by over 140 countries under the OECD/G20 framework.

Without this adoption, Nigeria risked losing revenue to other countries through the “Top-Up Tax” mechanism, where the home country of a multinational collects the difference when a host country charges below 15 per cent. By localising the rule, Nigeria ensures that tax revenue from multinational operations remains within its borders.

Business

CBN Revises Cash Withdrawal Rules January 2026, Ends Special Authorisation

Published

21 hours ago

December 5, 2025

The Tide

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revised its cash withdrawal rules, discontinuing the special authorisation previously permitting individuals to withdraw N5 million and corporates N10 million once monthly, with effect from January 2026.

In a circular released Tuesday, December 2, 2025, and signed by the Director, Financial Policy & Regulation Department, FIRS, Dr. Rita I. Sike, the apex bank explained that previous cash policies had been introduced over the years in response to evolving circumstances.

However, with time, the need has arisen to streamline these provisions to reflect present-day realities.

The statement said the new set of cash-related policies is designed to reduce the cost of cash management, strengthen security, and curb money laundering risks associated with the economy’s heavy reliance on physical currency.

“These policies, issued over the years in response to evolving circumstances in cash management, sought to reduce cash usage and encourage accelerated adoption of other payment options, particularly electronic payment channels.

“With the effluxion of time, the need has arisen to streamline the provisions of these policies to reflect present-day realities,”

“Effective January 1, 2026, individuals will be allowed to withdraw up to N500,000 weekly across all channels, while corporate entities will be limited to N5 million”, it said.

According to the statement, withdrawals above these thresholds would attract excess withdrawal fees of three percent for individuals and five percent for corporates, with the charges shared between the CBN and the financial institutions.

Daily withdrawals from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) would be capped at N100,000 per customer, subject to a maximum of N500,000 weekly stating that these transactions would count toward the cumulative weekly withdrawal limit.

The special authorisation previously permitting individuals to withdraw N5 million and corporates N10 million once monthly has been discontinued.

The CBN also confirmed that all currency denominations may now be loaded in ATMs, while the over-the-counter encashment limit for third-party cheques remains at N100,000. Such withdrawals will also form part of the weekly withdrawal limit.

Deposit Money Banks are required to submit monthly reports on cash withdrawals above the specified limits, as well as on cash deposits, to the relevant supervisory departments.

They must also create separate accounts to warehouse processing charges collected on excess withdrawals.

Exemptions and superseding provisions
Revenue-generating accounts of federal, state, and local governments, along with accounts of microfinance banks and primary mortgage banks with commercial and non-interest banks, are exempted from the new withdrawal limits and excess withdrawal fees.

However, exemptions previously granted to embassies, diplomatic missions, and aid-donor agencies have been withdrawn.

The CBN clarified that the circular is without prejudice to the provisions of certain earlier directives but supersedes others, as detailed in its appendices.

Business

Shippers Council Vows Commitment To Security At Nigerian Ports

Published

23 hours ago

December 5, 2025

The Tide

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC)has restated its commitment towards ensuring security at Nigerian seaports.

Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Dr Pius Akuta, said this in Port Harcourt, while declaring open a one day workshop organized by the Nigerian Shippers Council in collaboration with the Nigerian police( Marin Division).

Theme for the workshop was ‘Facilitating Port Efficiency; The strategic Role of Maritime police “

Akuta who was represented by the Director, Regulatory Services, Nigerian Shippers Council, Mrs Margeret Ogbonnah, said the workshop was to seek areas of collaboration with security agencies at the Ports with a view to facilitating trade

Akuta said the theme of the workshop reflects the desire of the council and the Nigerian police to build capacity of police officers for better understanding and administration of their statutory roles in the Maritime environment.

He said Nigerian seaports has constantly been reputed as one of the Port with the longest cargo dwell in the world, adding,”This is so, because while it takes only six hours to clear a containerized cargo in Singapore Port, seven days in Lome Port, it takes an average of 21 days or more in Nigerian Ports” stressing that this situation which has affected the global perception index on Ease of Doing Business in Nigerian seaports must be addressed.

Akuta said NSC which is the economic regulator of the Ports has the responsibility of ensuring that efficiency is established in the Ports inorder to attract patronages.

“Pursuant to its regulatory mandate, the NSC has been collaborating with several agencies to ensure the facilitation of trade and ease of movement of cargo outside the Ports to avoid congestion”he said.

Also speaking the commissioner of police, Eastern Port Command, Port Harcourt, CP Tijani Fakai, said Maritime police has played some roles in facilitating Ports efficiency.

He listed some of the roles to include ensuring security and crime prevention at the Ports, checking of illegal fishing activities at the Ports, checking of human trafficking and drug smuggling and prevention of fire incident at the Ports.

Represented by ACP, Rufina Ukadike, the CP said police at the Ports have also helped in the decongestion and prevention of unauthorized Anchorage.

He commended the Nigerian Shippers Council for the workshop and assured of continuous collaboration.

Speaking on the dynamics of cargo handling, Deputy Controller of customs, Muhydeen Ayinla Ayoola, said the launching of electronic tracking system and dissolution of controller General Taskforce has helped to ensure efficiency at the Ports.

Ayoola who represented the custom Area Controller Port Harcourt 1 Area command, however raised concerned over rising national security threat , which according to him has affected efficiency at the Ports.

John Bibor