Oil & Energy

WAPCo Commences Four-Week Pipeline Maintenance

Published

1 year ago

February 10, 2025

The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited. (WAPCo), operator of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP), has begun a four-week cleaning and maintenance operation on the vital pipeline stretching across Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, and Togo.
The General Manager, Corporate Affairs, WAPCo, Isaac Doku, made the disclosure during a News Conference and inspection in Lagos, at the Weekend.
Doku said the maintenance activities involve pigging and in-line inspection of the 569 km offshore pipeline, designed to ensure the continued safe and efficient transportation of natural gas.
He explained that the maintenance would take place on the offshore section of the pipeline, which runs from Badagry, Nigeria to Aboadze in Ghana adding that the work would include the replacement of critical subsea valves at Tema, Ghana, and Cotonou, Benin.
“This cleaning and inspection process began on February 5th and is expected to be completed by March 2, 2025.
“The goal is to maintain the integrity of the pipeline, in line with the West African Gas Pipeline Authority’s regulations, which require this work every five years.
“The last inspection was conducted five years ago”, he said.
Doku noted that the purpose of the media engagement was to promote public understanding, ensure transparency, and address any concerns regarding the potential impact of the maintenance on gas transportation services and underscored the opportunity for the media to observe the launch of the first Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG) for this operation.
“Throughout the maintenance period, some gas transportation services will be temporarily suspended.
“They include reverse flow transportation from Ghana’s Western Region to Tema, as well as gas transport services from Nigeria to Cotonou (Benin), Lomé (Togo), and Tema (Ghana)”, Doku explained.
He stated however that some transportation from Nigeria to Takoradi in Ghana would continue to support the successful execution of the cleaning and inspection tasks.
“WAPCo will utilise an average of about 85,000 MMSCF/d of gas to push the PIG from Nigeria to Takoradi, ensuring minimal disruption to operations”, he added.
According to him, the safety of workers is a top priority and WAPCo has extensively engaged with relevant stakeholders to ensure smooth operations.
Doku noted that the company had implemented a world-class effluent management system in Takoradi, addressing any environmental concerns that might arise during the pipeline cleaning process.
“Most of the maintenance activities will be offshore, limiting any potential disruption to host communities in Badagry, Nigeria and Aboadze, Ghana.
“We remain committed to completing the project as efficiently and safely as possible”, Doku said.
He also expressed gratitude to the governments of Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo for their ongoing support, along with the maritime and regulatory authorities, its customers, shippers, gas off-takers, host communities and other stakeholders for their continued collaboration.

Oil & Energy

NERC, OYSERC Partner To Strengthen Regulation

Published

5 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

THE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has stressed the need for strict adherence to due process in operationalizing state electricity regulatory bodies.

It, however, pledged institutional and technical support to the Oyo State Electricity Regulatory Commission (OYSERC).

The Chairman, NERC, Dr Musiliu Oseni, who made the position known while receiving the OYSERC delegation, emphasised that the establishment and take-off of state commissions must align fully with the law setting them up.

Oseni said that the NERC remains committed to partnering with State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERC) to guarantee their institutional stability, operational effectiveness and long-term success.

He insisted that regulatory coordination between federal and state institutions is critical in the evolving electricity market framework, noting that collaboration would help to build strong institutions capable of delivering sustainable outcomes for the sector.

Also speaking, the Acting Chairman, OYSERC and leader of the delegation, Prof. Dahud Kehinde Shangodoyin, said that the visit was aimed at formally introducing the commission’s acting leadership to the NERC and laying the groundwork for a productive working relationship.

Shangodoyin said , the acting members were appointed to provide direction and lay a solid foundation for the commission during its transitional period, pending the appointment of substantive members.

“We are here to formally introduce the acting leadership of OYSERC and to establish a working relationship with NERC as we commence our regulatory responsibilities,” he said.

He acknowledged NERC’s readiness to provide technical and regulatory support, particularly in the area of capacity development, describing the backing as essential for strengthening the commission’s operations at this formative stage.

“We appreciate NERC’s willingness to support us technically and regulatorily, especially in building our capacity during this transition,” he added.

Oil & Energy

NLC Faults FG’s 3trn Dept Payment To GenCos

Published

5 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Association of Power Generation Companies have engaged in a showdown over federal government legacy debt.

NLC president Joe Ajaero has faulted the federal government’s move to give GenCos N3 trillion from the Federation account as repayment for a power sector legacy debt, which amounts to N6.5 trillion.

In a statement on Thursday, Ajaero said the Federal Government proposed the N3 trillion payment and the N6 trillion debt as a heist and grand deception to shortchange the Nigerian people.

“Nigerians cannot and should not continue to pay for darkness,” Ajaero stated.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Power Generation Companies, APGC, Dr. Joy Ogaji, said Ajaero may be ignorant of the true state of things, insisting that the federal government is indebted to GenCos to the tune of N6.5 trillion.

She feared the longstanding conflict could result in the eventual collapse of the country’s power.

According to her, the federal government’s N501 billion issuance of power sector bonds is inadequate to address its accumulated debt.

Oil & Energy

PENGASSAN Rejects Presidential EO On Oil, Gas Revenue Remittance ……… Seeks PIA Review

Published

5 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria(PENGASSAN) Festus Osifo, has faulted the public explanation surrounding the Federal Government’s recent oil revenue Executive Order(EO).

President of the association, Festus Osifo, argued that claims about a 30 per cent deduction from petroleum sharing contract revenue are misleading.

Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, last Wednesday, February 18, signed the executive order directing that royalty oil, tax oil, profit oil, profit gas, and other revenues due to the Federation under production sharing, profit sharing, and risk service contracts be paid directly into the Federation Account.

The order also scrapped the 30 per cent Frontier Exploration Fund under the PIA and stopped the 30 per cent management fee on profit oil and profit gas retained by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

In his reaction, Osifo, while addressing journalists, in Lagos, Thursday, said the figure being referenced does not represent gross revenue accruing to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

He explained that revenues from production sharing contracts are subject to several deductions before arriving at what is classified as profit oil or profit gas.

Osifo also urged President Bola Tinubu to withdraw his recently signed Presidential Executive Order to Safeguard Federation Oil and Gas Revenues and Provide Regulatory Clarity, 2026.

He warned that the directive undermines the Petroleum Industry Act and could create uncertainty in the oil and gas industry, insisting that any amendment to the existing legal framework must pass through the National Assembly.

Osifo argued that an executive order cannot override a law enacted by the National Assembly, describing the move as setting a troubling precedent.

“Yes, that is what should be done from the beginning. You can review the laws of a land. There is no law that is perfect,” he said.

He added that the President should constitute a team to review the PIA, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and forward proposed amendments to lawmakers.

“When you get revenue from PSC, you have to make some deductibles. You deduct royalties. You deduct tax. You also deduct the cost of cost recovery. Once you have done that, you will now have what we call profit oil or profit gas. Then that is where you now deduct the 30 per cent,” he stated..

According to him, when the deductions are properly accounted for, the 30 per cent being referenced translates to about two per cent of total revenue from the production sharing contracts.

“In effect, that deduction is about two per cent of the revenue of the PLCs,” he added, maintaining that the explanation presented in the public domain did not accurately reflect the structure of the deductions.

Osifo warned that removing the affected portion of the revenue could have operational implications for NNPC Ltd, noting that the funds are used to meet salary obligations and other internal expenses.

“That two per cent is what NNPC uses to pay salaries and meet some of its obligations.The one you are also removing from the midstream and downstream, it is part of what they use in meeting their internal obligations. So as you are removing this, how are they going to pay salaries?” he queried.

Beyond the immediate impact on the company’s workforce, he cautioned that regulatory uncertainty could affect investor confidence in the sector.

“If the international community and investors lose confidence in Nigeria, it has a way of affecting investment. That should be the direction. You don’t put a cow before the horse,” he added.

According to him, stakeholders, including labour unions and industry operators, should be given the opportunity to make inputs at the National Assembly as part of the amendment process saying “That is how laws are refined,”