Oil & Energy
PHED Warns Consumers Against Repairing Faulty Equipment

The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Plc, PHED,says the replacement/repair of faulty electrical equipment remains the sole responsibility of the company and not the customers.
The Manager, Corporate Communications, PHED, Mr. John Onyi, made this known in a statement made available to the Press at the weekend, following increasing cases of reported extortion from customers by self-acclaimed chairmen of neighborhood electricity committee and other collaborators yet to be identified.
According to him, “we would advise our esteemed customers in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers states not to contribute money for transformer or any other electrical equipment in whatever guise. Please, note that the distribution network remains the sole responsibility of the distribution company”.
Onyi stressed that, “the company has, from inception in November 2013, as part of its service level agreement, made its policy known to the public on faulty equipment replacement/repair through community engagements, press releases, radio announcements and jingles, advertorials, website, flyers and bulk bill Short Messaging Service, SMS”.
He said that, “for the purpose of emphasis, the policy clearly states that it is the prerogative of the service provider to take full responsibility for repair and replacement of such equipment which is in consonance with the provisions of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC”.
Onyi said that, already, the company has made arrangements with contactors that specialise in transformer repairs and other related electrical repairs in its franchise area being Port Harcourt, Calabar, Uyo and Yenagoa to handle such matters.
Furthermore, he said, more than 355 new hands were recently absorbed into the system where they would be accountable for transformers in clusters, manage customers account as well as timely escalation of repairs/replacement advice.
He, lamented, however, that legitimate payments for energy consumed that would have been made in favour of PHED to accelerate the process of replacement/repair were being diverted by fraudsters to enrich their pockets at the expense of loyal customers, in spite of efforts to curb illegal extortion.
Onyi urged energy consumers to report any suspected fault on their service transformer or network to the nearest PHED office for immediate attention, warning that any individual seeking to extort customers under the guise of contribution for repair/replacement of electrical equipment, would be sanctioned.
Tonye Nria-Dappa
Oil & Energy
FG, MEMAN Chart Ways To Safe Petroleum Products Delivery

The Federal Government and key Petroleum Products marketers have proposed new measures to help curb rising cases of road accidents involving petrol tankers.
This followed recent incidents of road accidents resulting in cremation of hundreds of lives and causing extensive damage to properties.
Speaking at the Discourse organised by Mejor Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) in Lagos, Thursday, with the theme “Improving Safe Transportation of Petroleum Products”, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, noted with dismay the number of casualties the country recorded recently due to tanker accidents.
Lokpobiri stressed the need for an enhanced training for tanker drivers, installation of detection leak devices as well as other safety systems that can assist drivers.
He called on Marketers and Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to strengthen collaboration with stakeholders, especially in the training of tanker drivers.
On his part, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpo Ekpo, reaffirmed government’s commitment to providing enabling environment to ensure safety of petroleum products transportation.
Ekpo, who was represented by Engr. Abel, said consideration should be given to more safety means of transporting products like the pipelines and railway line.
He stressed the need for better training for drivers and implementation of safety regulations within the industry.
Earlier, Chairman, MEMAN, Huub Stokman, said the Association has elaborate training manual for members truck drivers.
Stokman insisted that more training programmes and consistent adherence to safety measures would help to curb road accidents involving tanker drivers.
Also speaking, the National President, Nigerian Association of Raod Transport Owners (NARTO), Yusuf Lawal Othman, called for support.
Oil & Energy
Benue To Pioneer Gas Production From Coal – NGEP

The Chairman, National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP), Prof. Mohammed Ibrahim, has said that the production of coal bed methane, an unconventional form of natural gas extracted from coal, is set to begin in Benue State.
Prof. Ibrahim staed this while addressing newsmen at the end of a joint meeting of the National and State gas expansion committees with Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia.
He said the Federal Government is committed to expanding gas availability in Nigeria for domestic use and mobility.
Ibrahim added that extracting gas from unconventional coal sources rather than traditional hydrocarbon reserves is a way to boost gas availability.
“Essentially there are four areas of implementation that the committee has identified. One is to pioneer the production of gas from what you call coal bed methane, which means that Benue is going to pioneer in the country the production of gas not from conventional hydrocarbon, but from non-conventional coal just so that the nation will have an alternative source to gas availability”, he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Benue State Gas Expansion Programme, Dr. Emmanuel Chenge, said the gas expansion initiative would contribute to the economic transformation of Benue State.
“The good news is that Benue is set to join the league of gas-producing states and if we are conversant with what being a member of the gas-producing state is, it shows that Benue State will start getting derivatives from that sector of the economy”, Dr Chenge stated.
The National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) was established to boost the exploration and utilisation of gas in Nigeria and make Nigeria a gas-based industrial nation by increasing the use of gas for transportation, cooking, and industrialization.
Oil & Energy
NNPC Debunks Explosion Claim In Warri Refinery

The Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has said there was no explosion at the newly refurbished Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC).
NNPCL’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, made this known in a statement issued on Friday night.
Soneye said reports claiming that there was an explosion at the Warri refinery were false and should be ignored and disregarded by the public.
According to him, the refinery was undergoing routine maintenance.
His statement read, “NNPC Ltd. wishes to clarify that there was no explosion at the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC). Any reports suggesting otherwise are completely false.
“On January 25, 2025, operations at WRPC Area 1 were intentionally curtailed to carry out necessary intervention works on select equipment, including field instruments that were impacting sustainable and steady operations.
“These intervention works are essential to ensure the production of on-specification finished and intermediate products, particularly Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and Kerosene (Kero).
“The routine maintenance is progressing as planned, and Area 1 will be back in operation within the next few days.
“Despite ongoing interventions, over the past 11 days, AGO loading has been maintained at an average of eight trucks per day, with a sufficient supply available to sustain ongoing truck load-out operations”.
Soneye added that the NNPCL was committed to ensuring an uninterrupted supply of petroleum products from the refinery.
He said the company “appreciates the patience and cooperation of all stakeholders as it completes these essential maintenance activities”.
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