Business
Anti-Corruption: ‘NAPIMS Saves FG $5bn’
The Group General Manager of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Mr Dafe Sejebor, has said that his organisation had saved the country beween $3 billion and $5 billion.
Sejebor said this at a news briefing immediately after inaugurating a seven-member anti-corruption committee at the NAPIMS headquarters in Lagos, Wednesday.
He said that NAPIMS had recorded a number of achievements since he assumed duty in the organisation two years ago.
“Our achievements are simple. It’s a huge estimate. We were able to bring down the cost of production from $78 per barrel to $23 per barrel and we are charged to further drop it to 17 dollars per barrel for 2018.
“We’ve to been able save about $3billion to $5 billion U.S. dollars since we came in,” he said.
Sejebor said another achievement was that international partners, who were reluctant to invest in the upstream oil and gas, had agreed to a payoff deal that would not tamper with the nation’s income.
“The implication of them not investing is that production continues to drop and facilities decay. That was scary because if you allow that to continue, operations could die in five years.
“We sat down with them and they said we owed in cash call arrears and then we negotiated a way to pay back without tampering with the cash flow coming into the federation account to forestall drop in revenue.
“Also, we turned around our contracting circle from between two and three years to six months,’’ the Group General Manager said.
Commenting on how he had curtailed corruption, Sejebor said the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had policy guidelines, procedures and processes on how to discipline erring staff.
“Such erring staff will be referred to a disciplinary committee. If found wanting, we have our various penalties.
“If it is a financial crime it goes to EFCC, but if it’s a corruption against NNPC itself, it goes to ICPC.”
He said that as at 2015, there were five years accounts that were not prepared and normal governance meetings did not hold.
“But we have been able to clear the backlog. 2016 accounts would be ready by December.
“NAPIMS was able to achieve all these in a short period because all we did was to change our attitude towards work and in the way we carry out operations.
“We worked tirelessly round the clock to clear all backlog of legacy contracts in order to close our books and balance our accounts to show that NNPC has nothing to hide”.
Sejebor urged the media to always double-check negative reports before going to press.
“While trying to drive this change and run an upright establishment, we are bound to make mistakes, please cross-check with us before publishing.
“When a change is being made, you will meet with resistance who will fight you every step of the way.
“When you are dealing with contractors that are not used to losing they will go all out to smear your name, please when the media encounters this please cross-check with us.”
He urged media practitioners to educate themselves on the petroleum policy, which he said, was “straight forward, written in simple, easy to understand language,” to deter unwarranted allegations.
Earlier, while inaugurating the anti-corruption committee, Sejebor said: “it’s a milestone to bring corruption to zero level in NAPIMS because we have a zero-tolerance for corruption.
“We came in August 2015 at a time when oil prices crashed and investments came to zero, but today we’ve been able to sit down with our partners, operators to arrest the situation, re-negotiate interest, exit cash-call and the strategy worked.
“Production also dropped to less than a million barrels a day as at that time due to militancy and other issues but as we speak today we’ve been able to resolve issues and as we speak now production is at 2.3 million barrels a day.
“Accountability, transparency should be our watchword. We don’t want to end up like the old NEPA or the old Nitel, we must fight corruption so we don’t eat away our future.
“No matter how many years you have left, one day we will all exit NNPC so my appeal is that we emulate the GMD and support his drive by having zero-tolerance for corruption
“Let us all therefore work together to creatively drive positive initiatives that would help in improving our efficiency as we grapple with turning around our industry while also ensuring that our business remains profitable.”
The Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru, had directed all NNPC affiliates and strategic business units to inaugurate anti corruption committees.
NAPIMS is the investment management arm of the NNPC that manages upstream operations and is charged with operations of International and indigenous companies among various other responsibilities.
The committee members are the Chairman, Baffaji Tahir, who is also NAPIMS Manager Tax Administration Finance and Accounts.
Other members of the committee, who are also management staff of NAPIMS are, Mrs Evelyn Agwuncha, Mrs Oyebanji Olaniyan, Yusuf Mamman, Mrs Ayodele-Oni Ronke, Aghelegin Joseph, and Udoh Effiong.
In his response, the committee chairman, Baffaji, said the “success of the committee is basically observing laid-down rules and regulations of the Agency.
“A lot is given to NAPIMS and a lot is expected from NAPIMS. NAPIMS management has done tremendously well too, but with the cooperation of staff and management, the work can be done.
“We are ready to liaise with NAPIMS corporate management and other staff”.
The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) says it has registered 160 Port stakeholders into its Regulated Port Service Provider and Users platform since the initiative began in 2023.
Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr Pius Akutah, made the disclosure on the sideline of a sensitisation programme by the commission for port operators in Lagos, with the theme, “Regulated Port Service Provider and Users”.
Represented by the Director, Consumer Affairs, Chief Cajetan Agu, Akutah emphasised the significance of the programme for stakeholders.
He said the sensitisation programme was the second edition after its commencement during the last quarter of 2023.
The Secretary said the 160 registered port operators consist of agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, individual port users as well as service providers.
“We invited the ports stakeholders for enlightening them on the processes for online registration of Regulated Port Service Provider and Users.
“We have demonstrated to them how to register and how to make payment and we were able to present before them the various categories of the registration.
“The rate of payment is also in the registration. The payment of each group depends on the operation. A shipper pays N30,000, terminal operators and shipping companies pay N300,000, truckers also pay N30,000, while some pay N50,000 and N100,000.
“The Council was able to intimate them on the benefits, because port users benefit more as we help to interface on reducing port charges from time to time”, Akutah said.
He said that there was a need to continue to work with port operators to stop delays and eliminate high costs to make the port efficient.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Stakeholders, Service, NSC, Mr Celestine Akujobi, said “the sensitisation exercise was important for the council to enable us bring all the port stakeholders together”.
According to him, this is to avoid challenges during the implementation of the council’s responsibilities.
“By the time we introduce sanctions on defaulters, no operators will complain that he or she is not aware of the registration.
“I’m happy with the turnout of this sensitisation. This shows that the operators are well informed of the statutory friction of the council as the port regulator.
“The final implementation will commence as soon as we discover that all the operators have keyed into the portal.
“We are engaging other ports across the country and we’re hopeful that before the last quater of 2024, the council will implement sanctions on defaulting operators”, Akujobi said.
Earlier, Vice Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwards (NAGAFF), Dr Ifeanyi Emoh, said port challenges were enormous, adding that they originated from some of the government agencies.
Emoh urged the council to look into regulating other government agencies, so that there could be a window through which they can collect port charges collectively instead of indiscriminately.
By: Chinedu Wosu
Chivita| Hollandia (CHI Limited) leading fruit juice and value-added dairy manufacturer in Nigeria has rewarded its long standing distributors at the recently held 2024 Distributor Conference. The event with the theme, “Break Boundaries Exceed Expectations” served as a platform to recognise and reward the exceptional contribution of the distributors and wholesalers who play a critical role in Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) success and business goals for the year.
The Distributor Conference was held in two sessions. While the morning session featured keynote addresses, industry insights and brand immersion experience, the evening session was a cultural display of elegance and funfair that culminated in the award presentation and recognition of the contribution the trade partners made to the company in the 2023 year under review.
A key highlight of the event was the award ceremony which acknowledged outstanding trade partners in various regions across the country. The awards recognized commitment, dedication, and outstanding performance in areas of sales growth, brand promotion, and market expansion.
Eelco Weber, Managing Director, Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited), stated that the company’s success story is incomplete without the strong partnerships it has built with trade partners. “Today, we celebrate not only the achievements, but the collaborative spirit that has made our growth possible” he said.
Bola Arotiowa, Chief Commercial Officer, Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited), in his statement revealed that, the event which was first of its kind will continue to be an annual meeting to enable the company work more closely with its distributors, share insights and action points, help the trade partners familiarize themselves with the company’s goals and objectives for each year, and serve as a driver for mutual success.
“Our distributors are the backbone of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited). Their relentless efforts in distributing our products, promoting our brands, and expanding our reach across the nation is truly commendable. As the bridge between us and our valued consumers, it is very important to reward their hard work and dedication for being an essential part of the Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) family. Together, we will continue to deliver great products to our conusmers which in turn will deliver value to them”, Mr. Arotiowa added.
Speaking at the conference, HajiyaBilikisuSaida, Chief Executive Officer of Smabirm Nigeria Limited, who won the Outstanding Distributor of the Year in North 1 region, and got a reward of two million Naira worth of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) products expressed delight at the company’s recognition, and stated that the awards served as a way to inspire distributors to do more and put in more effort, which in turn would help both the distributors and the company to grow.
Other outstanding performance distributors of the year rewarded with a two million Naira worth of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) stock include, Sunny Chuks Limited for East 1 region, MRS FA & Sons Limited for East 2 region, Hussakas Ventures for North 2 region, Rookee 1388 Ventures for Lagos 1 region, Pik N Pil Ventures for Lagos 2 region, FaithJoe Event Management Limited for West 1 region, and Progress Family Nigeria Enterprise for West 2 region.
The annual Distributors Conference aims to strengthen the bond between Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) and its trade partners. This collaborative approach fosters mutual growth and ensures the continued success of the brands in the Nigerian market.
A global leader in insurance and asset management, AXA Mansard, has supported three female-owned MSMEs with business grants totaling 1.4 million to boost their operations.
This, the company said, is part of its commitment to women and the Medium, Small, and Medium-scale Enterprise (MSME) sector in the country.
The three businesses were successful at the International Women’s Day Pitch Competition, organised in partnership with SME 100 Africa in Lagos.
According to the Head of Marketing, AXA Mansard, Olusesan Ogunyooye, the competition, which is aimed at supporting female entrepreneurs in Nigeria, “is another way AXA is demonstrating its commitment to the causes of women and stimulating the MSME sector in Nigeria”.
The business pitch competition received numerous entries from women across different sectors, but after a rigorous selection process, shortlisted participants were selected to participate in the competition.
Ogunyooye said “the programme provided a unique opportunity for women from various works and socio-economic classes to showcase their innovative ideas and solutions in sectors such as food, tech, fashion, and fragrance, creating an atmosphere filled with excitement, enthusiasm, and a strong sense of community”.
He stressed the importance of investing in women, saying it is not just the right thing to do, but also aligns with AXA’s purpose of acting for human progress.
He explained that AXA believes the future of women should not be at risk, hence investing in their economic empowerment is a crucial part
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