Business
NNPC Remits N69bn To Federation Account …Raises Refineries’ Crude Supply To 650,000bpd
L-R: Minister of Power, Works and Housing , Babatunde Fashola; Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, during a courtesy visit by Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria to the Vice President at Presidential Villa in Abuja last week Wednesday.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has paid the sum of N69.544 billion into the Federation Account in March.
This is contained in the corporation’s monthly financial report for March released in Abuja, at the weekend.
It said that amount had brought the total amount paid to the Federation Account for Domestic Crude Oil and Gas and other receipts from April 2015 to March 2016 to N1.118 trillion.
It added that NNPC also recorded N107.826 billion revenue in the month of March against N104.804billion in February.
It said that the revenue rose marginally by 2.88 per cent, adding that the expenses of the corporation dipped by 12.92 per cent to N112.368 billion from N129, 034 billion recorded in previous month.
According to the report, the corporation also made a loss of N18.89 billion in the month under review. It said the loss was an improvement from a deficit of N24.23 billion recorded in February.
A breakdown of the financial performance of its subsidiaries showed that the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL) and National Engineering and Technical Company Limited posted losses of N9.874 billion, N469 million and N69 million, respectively.
It reported that the Nigerian Gas Company recorded a profit of N5.155 billion.
“Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri refining companies recorded losses of N1.824 billion, N1.971 billion and N845 million, respectively, while the PPMC recorded a deficit of N923 million,’’ it added.
The report said that the deficit recorded by NPDC in February and March 2016 were due to production shut–in occasioned by vandalism of Forcados Export Line.
This, it said resulted to the loss of its entire revenue from crude oil sales of about ¦ 20 billion.
The report also put the combined value of output by the three refineries at import parity price in March 2016 at N22.93 billion, while the associated crude plus freight cost was N20.02 billion.
It said that this gave negative margin of N3.95 billion after considering overhead of N6.87 billion.
The report also said that a total of N85.66 billion was collected as sales revenue from white products sold by PPMC in the month of March 2016 compared with N85.23 billion collected in the previous month.
“Total revenues generated from the sales of white products for the period April 2015 to March 2016 stands at N775.90 billion where PMS contributed about 88.85 per cent of the revenues collected with a value of N689.41 billion”.
The NNPC recorded total export proceeds of $170.12million in the month under review with crude oil export accounting for $98.31 million, while gas export accounted for $71.81 million.
On dollar payments to Joint Venture Cash Call, it said total export proceeds of $141.87 million were recorded in March, 2016 consisting of crude oil receipt of $88.36 million.
It added that Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Escravos Gas to Liquid (EGTL) recorded proceed of $1.52 million and Miscellaneous receipts amounting to $51.99 million.
“The drastic slump in total export receipt is largely due to shut in of about 300,000 barrel of oil per day (bopd) at Forcados Terminal following the force majeure declared by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) on 15th February, 2016.
“Hence, all un-lifted February and March cargoes were deferred until the repair is completed,” the report added.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has increased the amount of crude oil being supplied to the nation’s refineries from 445,000 barrels per day to 650,000bpd.
This, however, was despite the fact that the refineries had yet to start operating at their various optimum capacities. The facilities commenced the production of petroleum products recently but not at full capacity.
The refineries are Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, Port Harcourt Refining Company and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company. They are managed and run by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
The NNPC, in its latest financial and operations report for March 2016, stated that the country’s refineries now get additional 205,000bpd of crude.
Before now, the facilities get a combined volume of 445,000bpd of crude. But in the corporation’s latest report, the government gave them 650,000bpd.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.