Business
PH Residents Happy As NDA Accepts Dialogue
Some residents of Port
Harcourt city, the Rivers State capital have expressed joy at the decision of the Niger Delta Avengers to embrace dialogue with the Federal Government.
They believe, the decision will be a sure step that can guarantee peace and end to attacks on the oil installations.
Speaking to our correspondent in Port Harcourt, Mr Godfrey Amanna, who runs a welding shop said, “I can see peace coming after the battle. It is good and I will advise both those representing the Niger Delta Avengers and the government side to make best use of this opportunity to bring enduring peace in the region”.
Amanna said the attack had set the nation back considering the huge loss recorded as a result of the attacks on the oil installations.
Princewill Emmanuel who also commended the Niger Delta Avengers for accepting to dialogue said, “this is the beginning of peace in the region and an end to massive destructions of the oil pipelines which have direct effect on the nation’s economy.
“Let the Federal Government use this opportunity to correct past mistakes especially where it concerns fairness and justice to those from whose land comes the oil that holds the forte of the national economy”.
According to Emmanuel, past experience has clearly shown that the people can no longer allow some obvious things.
“If the people demand ownership and control of oil blocks, why not after all it is deposited in their immediate environment. A situation where only those from other sections of the country have about 90 per cent of the oil blocks as said is totally unacceptable and must therefore be reviewed”, he said.
Justina Okorofor, a school teacher also commended the Federal Government and the Avengers for embracing dialogue saying it is an expression of patriotism and maturity.
“Before the Federal Government’s reaction was that of force aimed at crushing the militants, and the militants themselves, even when government later opted for dialogue, insisted on their attack, but today, the situation has changed with both parties accepting to sort out the difference through peaceful negotiation”.
However, for us to avoid a reoccurrence of the ugly trend, Okorafor said: “those few elements who have been benefiting from the lopsided policies in the oil sector must be stopped”.
“Niger Delta people should have equitable percentage of the oil blocks, the host communities must have the 10 per cent of the oil proceeds, cleaning up of oil spills on the environment must be reviewed because the natives are farmers. The idea of treating people from a side of the nation as conquered species should be over”, she said.
Chris Oluoh
Some Commercial drivers in Port Harcourt have said that the Federal Government’s N1,350 fuel discount is yet to reduce their daily operating cost.
A cross session of commercial drivers who spoke to The Tide correspondents in Port Harcourt said they are yet to feel the impact of the government discount, adding that most filling stations in the city are even selling above the pump price
A driver Jude Ogbo who operates the mile 1 Rumuokoro axis of Port Harcourt said plies the discount has not reflected in his daily fuel expenses.
“Since the discount was announced, many filling stations still sell at the old price. When you go there, you discover they sell you two litres at the price of one. For now, we have not seen any reduction,”_ he said.
Another commercial driver, Comrade Ishmael Uzeho who operates within the Port Harcourt metropolis, said the discount is not being implemented across the country.
“How has the discount affected us? I will say it has not. Many stations are not working. Only NNPC is working and that is just one person in the whole country. If government really wants to help, let the fuel price go down properly,”_ he said.
Uzeho added that if the price of fuel goes down, transport fares will also go down. He noted that his route fare has remained at N500.
On his part, Mr. Moses Dapa, Supervisor at Sam Jaja Foundation Transport Company, said the company has not increased its fares despite the high cost of fuel.
“We are still running normal price. We charge N2,000 and N5,000 depending on the destination. We will not increase our price. I don’t know about other parks, but for Sam Jaja, we are maintaining normal price,”_ Dapa said.
He appealed to passengers to understand that drivers are not using high fuel price as an excuse to charge excessive fares.
Other drivers who spoke said the federal government should monitor the NNPCL retail stations to ensure that the directive is implemented.
Recalled that The Federal Government in abid to reduce transportation cost in the country had announced a 30-day margin discount at NNPC Retail stations across the country from October 1 to 31,
However investigation revealed that the policy is yet to affect transportation cost in the country.
By; Stephens Sopakriba and Saint Davies
In a press statement released to The Tide’s source on Friday in Abuja, the group said Nigeria had a significant resource advantage due to its vast natural gas reserves.
“At a time when global energy markets face unprecedented volatility and rising operational costs, Nigeria stands on a massive resource advantage with its vast natural gas reserves,” the group said.
Highlighting this potential, Alfa Designs urged the nation to move past complaints over energy costs and aggressively embrace Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a sustainable engine for economic growth.
While federal policy adjustments have sought to cushion the impact of global energy shocks, industry experts emphasised that long-term relief hinges on a rapid, nationwide transition to gas.
“Transitioning away from expensive traditional petroleum products promises to ease the financial burden on ordinary citizens.
“It will also reposition Nigeria as an attractive industrial hub capable of drawing foreign direct investment and driving job creation,” it said.
To demonstrate the practical feasibility of this transition, the group said it recently partnered with a global Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to lower the entry barriers for commercial drivers.
“By negotiating directly with the manufacturer, we reduced the total cost of acquiring and installing a CNG conversion kit for commercial tricycles (commonly known as Keke NAPEP) from up to N700,000 down to under N450,000.”
The group said this shift offers dramatic immediate financial benefits for local operators, with petrol currently selling at roughly N1,390 per liter.
It said that, in comparison, at a CNG equivalent price of about N98 per liter, a daily commercial driver using 10 liters of fuel reduces its daily energy expenditure from N13,900 to N3,980.
“This represents a daily net savings of N9,920, or more than 71 per cent.
“Over a standard 26-day working month, drivers save over N257,000, allowing them to fully recover the cost of the CNG conversion in less than 46 operational days.”
The company further stated that when scaled nationally, the economic implications are monumental.
“Nigeria consumes approximately 50 million liters of gasoline daily, costing roughly N69.5 billion per day.
“A nationwide 71 per cent reduction in fuel expenditure would generate daily national energy savings of N49.6 billion.
“On an annualised basis, this shift equates to approximately N18.1 trillion, or $13.5 billion, kept within the domestic economy.”
The group added that those recurring national savings would offer a vital mechanism to help address Nigeria’s estimated $2.3 trillion infrastructure deficit.
It said reinvesting those funds into the economy helps eliminate the 30 to 40 per cent operational overhead currently consumed by imported fossil fuels.
“The resulting boost to corporate margins expands the national tax base, generates reliable user-fee revenues to make major transit projects bankable, and creates a self-sustaining financial cycle,” it said.
