Oil & Energy
Fuel Stations Defy Directive On New Price In Bayelsa

Motorists queuing for fuel on Airport Road as scarcity of the commodity persists in Abuja recently.
More than a week after
the Federal Government issued a new directive that NNPC retail outlets should sell fuel for N86 per litre and other oil marketers for N86.50k, independent operators in Bayelsa State have not complied with the official instruction.
The Federal Government had on 30 December 2015 announced the new fuel price regime effective 1 January 2016.
Investigations showed that independent marketers in Yenagoa and its metropolis were still dispensing petrol at N130 and N140 per litre even though their meters reflect the new official pump price.
It was observed that only the NNPC Mega Filing Station on Sani Abacha Expressway has since complied with the new price regime of N86 per litre, resulting in a long queue of vehicles.
Curiously, some of the NNPC retail outlets within the state capital were observed to be dispensing petrol at N130 and N140 per litre like the independent operators.
Some consumers who spoke to our correspondent said they were miffed at the fact that the independent operators had yet to comply with the Federal Government directive.
“Bayelsa is always like this. These independent oil marketers will never comply anytime the Federal Government reduces fuel price per litre.
“We’re still buying petrol at double the new pump price”, a senior civil servant who pleaded anonymity lamented on Thursday.
It was gathered that some of the filling stations operated by the independent marketers along the Mbiama-Yenagoa and Isaac Boro Expressway open for business only at night to sell above pump price.
Efforts to get the comment of the Chairman, Bayelsa State Petroleum Task Force, Benjamin Abrakasa, proved abortive as his mobile phone was switched off.
The Operations Controller of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in the state, Bassey Nkanga, said the agency had punished some operators who flouted the directive and sold above pump price.
“Those that have been caught selling above pump price have been punished”, he said in a response to enquiries by our correspondent via text message.
But Nkanga was evasive when asked to disclose the number and names of the filling stations so far sanctioned by the DPR.
Fyneface Aaron
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Digital Technology Key To Nigeria’s Oil, Gas Future

Experts in the oil and gas industry have said that the adoption of digital technologies would tackle inefficiencies and drive sustainable growth in the energy sector.
With the theme of the symposium as ‘Transforming Energy: The Digital Evolution of Oil and Gas’, he gathering drew top industry players, media leaders, traditional rulers, students, and security officials for a wide-ranging dialogue on the future of Nigeria’s most vital industry.
Chairman of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Wole Ogunsanya, highlighted the role of digital solutions across exploration, drilling, production, and other oil services.
Represented by the Vice Chairman, Obi Uzu, Ogunsanya noted that Nigeria’s oil production had risen to about 1.7 million barrels per day and was expected to reach two million barrels soon.
Ogunsanya emphasised that increased production would strengthen the naira and fund key infrastructure projects, such as railway networks connecting Lagos to northern, eastern, and southern Nigeria, without excessive borrowing.
He stressed the importance of using oil revenue to sustain national development rather than relying heavily on loans, which undermine financial independence.
Comparing Nigeria to Norway, Ogunsanya explained how the Nordic country had prudently saved and invested oil earnings into education, infrastructure, and long-term development, in contrast to the nation’s monthly revenue distribution system.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Executive Secretary of the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN), Clement Using, represented by the Secretary of the Association, Ms Ogechi Nkwoji, highlighted the urgent need for stakeholders and regulators in the sector to embrace digital technologies.
According to him, digital evolution can boost operational efficiency, reduce costs, enhance safety, and align with sustainability goals.
Isong pointed out that the downstream energy sector forms the backbone of Nigeria’s economy saying “When the downstream system functions well, commerce thrives, hospitals operate, and markets stay open. When it fails, chaos and hardship follow immediately,” he said.
He identified challenges such as price volatility, equipment failures, fuel losses, fraud, and environmental risks, linking them to aging infrastructure, poor record-keeping, and skill gaps.
According to Isong, the solution lies in integrated digital tools such as sensors, automation, analytics, and secure transaction systems to monitor refining, storage, distribution, and retail activities.
He highlighted key technologies including IoT forecourt automation for real-time pump activity and sales tracking, remote pricing and reconciliation systems at retail fuel stations, AI-powered pipeline leak detection, terminal automation for depot operations, digital tank gauging, and predictive maintenance.
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