City Crime

NASS’ Subsidy Debate Delays Fuel Imports

Published

14 years ago

November 9, 2011

Nigeria’s fuel import allo

cations for the fourth quarter are being delayed as National Assembly debates the removal of subsidies and as petrol held in offshore floating storage surges to record levels, trade sources said on Monday.

Nigeria is Africa’s top oil exporter but insufficient refining capacity means it relies on fuel imports, mostly petrol, for up to 85 percent of its oil product needs.

About half of the country’s yearly petrol needs are imported through swap exchanges arranged by a subsidiary of state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), according to traders. The other half is organised independently through deals with Nigeria-based distributors.

The parliamentary debate about subsidies and an excess supply of gasoline stored offshore have put a spanner in the allocation talks for this quarter, traders said, which could drag on into next year.

“These allocations should have been out by October or mid-October but they’re not out still,” one trader said. “There are two key things being looked at – the deregulation talks and the oversupply currently in the market.”

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has backed a plan to remove costly gasoline import subsidies, currently running at about 30 percent. This could prove sensitive in a country where a large section of the population survives on less than $2 (about N320) a day.

Finance Minister and Coordinator of the economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said fuel subsidies will cost Nigeria at least N1.2 trillion ($7.7 billion) this year.

The former World Bank official believes subsidies are a wasteful use of funds, as they are mainly paid to importers of refined products and do not reduce gasoline costs at the pump.

The central bank governor and other key officials have also said a necessary step in reforming the downstream oil sector and expanding sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest economy will involve weaning Nigerians off hefty fuel subsidies, but the negotiations could drag on for months.

The debate is expected to prove controversial as many Nigerians regard cheap fuel as the only benefit they get from living in an oil-rich nation. Proposed fuel price increases in the past led to nationwide strikes.

Nigeria obtains gasoline via two routes. The NNPC has swap agreements with providers to exchange crude oil for refined fuel products, and through the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) it awards allocations to different suppliers.

Nigeria’s gasoline consumption has increased over recent years amid steady economic growth, with gross domestic product expected to rise by about 7 percent this year.

Monthly consumption of the motor fuel is around one million tonnes, a trader said.

NNPC data suggests Nigeria imported in excess of five million tonnes of premium motor spirit or petrol last year, although traders said that does not take into account the PPPRA allocations.

An excess of gasoline in floating storage offshore has tempered demand from the PPPRA this quarter, according to traders.

One trader estimated there is around 1.3 million tonnes of gasoline floating off the coast of Nigeria, or some 45 mid-range cargo ships carrying roughly 30,000 tonnes each. This is well in excess of the almost one million tonnes held at the previous peak in May.

“We are seeing the usual delays in Nigeria – there is enough product offshore to chew through,” said a gasoline broker. The over-supply could provide rich pickings for pirates in the Gulf of Guinea. An oil products tanker was hijacked a week ago in the latest in a string of attacks in the emerging trading hub.

The removal of the subsidy could also mean a consolidation of the government’s several oil agencies into one overseeing organisation, a trader said.

Earlier this year, the country’s PPPRA censured Noble Group for shipping gasoline to tankers near Lagos Bay for floating storage, which was then unloaded away from the country’s official tenders.

City Crime

RSG Ready For 2030 Digital Transformation

Published

2 months ago

October 27, 2025

The Tide

The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Department, Mrs. Elizabeth Akani, has said the State Government was set to meet up the 2030 target of the Federal Government towards the actualization of digital economy.

Akani said this at the Rivers State Sensitization Workshops on The Adoption of Nigeria Start-up Act and National Digital Literacy framework (NDLF), in Port Harcourt, weekend.

She noted that the State was ready for both the adoption and domestication of the Act.

According to her, up to 90-95% preparation have been fully covered by the state in readiness to welcoming the digital economy Act.

“Stakeholders talked about adoption and domestication of the Act, it was fruitful. The draft has been sent to the government”, she said.

She also noted that the move was in line with the digital transformation plan of the state and the country at large.

The Convener, Start South, Mr. Uche Aniche, who made case for full ICT Ministry for the state, said such will command the needed growth in the system.

Aniche stated that until they attained the lofty height, all about Tech-knowledge and growth may not fall in place as expected.

Other tech-operators, such as the Code Garden Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Wilfred Wegwu, who welcomed the idea, said it must be done in the nearest future.

Wegwu noted that technology has taken over the world at present, adding that government at all levels needed to key into the system.

He also stated that the system play major roles in various spheres of life, including relationships and collaboration.

He also revealed that the system now was up to forth Industrial Revolution (4IR), according to global shift ranking.

It will be recalled that the State Government has recently ordered to construct ICT centres across the 23 Local Government Area of the state in order to meet up the yearnings of the technology world.

By: King Onunwor

City Crime

Industry Braces For Glut And Investor Demands

Published

3 months ago

September 29, 2025

The Tide

The oil and gas industry is in for a tough year ahead, as it must balance financial discipline, shareholder returns, and long-term investments in the sustainability of the business—while navigating a hypothetical glut.

The warning comes from Wood Mackenzie, which said in a new report that the industry was faced with conflicting trends over the next year that would make decision-making challenging. Among these is an expectation that the market would tip into an oversupply, pressuring prices, while the demand outlook for oil over the long term brightens up, motivating more investments.

“Oil and gas companies are caught between competing pressures as they plan for 2026. Near-term price downside risks clash with the need to extend hydrocarbon portfolios into the next decade. Meanwhile, shareholder return of capital and balance sheet discipline will constrain reinvestment rates,” Wood Mackenzie’s senior vice president of corporate research, Tom Ellacott, said.

The executive added that investors would also influence decisions, as they continue to prioritize short-term returns over long-term investments. This last part, at least, is not unusual in the current investment environment across industries. It could, however, make life even more difficult for oil and gas companies for a while.

The glut that Wood Mackenzie analysts expect is the same glut that the International Energy Agency has been expecting for a while now. Yet that very same International Energy Agency earlier this month issued a warning on the longer-term security of global oil supply, saying the industry needed to step up investment in new production because natural depletion at mature fields was progressing faster than previously assumed.

Per the report, if the industry has to maintain current levels of oil and gas production, more than 45 million barrels per day of oil and around 2,000 billion cu m of natural gas would be needed in 2050 from new conventional fields. It’s worth noting that this is maintenance of current production levels, assuming demand will not rise, which is a risky assumption.

Even with projects ramping up and new ones approved for development and not yet in production, a large gap still exists “that would need to be filled by new conventional oil and gas projects to maintain production at current levels, although the amounts needed could be reduced if oil and gas demand were to come down,” the IEA said.

However, demand could just as well increase, heightening the degree of uncertainty in the industry and making long-term planning even more challenging—especially for companies with higher debt-to-equity ratios. Wood Mackenzie expects those with gearing of above 35% would prioritise resilience over long-term growth, while those with better debt positions would turn to divestments and asset acquisitions to improve the quality of their portfolio.

Share buybacks will also remain on the oil industry’s table as a favorite tool for making shareholders happy, although, Wood Mac notes, these tend to dry up when oil slips below $50 per barrel. Interestingly, the analytics company does not seem to factor into its analysis a scenario where prices might go up instead of down, especially now that President Trump has signaled he would be willing to step up pressure on Russia to bring a swifter end to the war in Ukraine.

If prices do rise, for whatever reason, including failure of the massive 3-million-bpd glut that the IEA predicted to materialize, then the immediate outlook for the oil and gas industry becomes different—but not too different. Companies have already demonstrated they would not return to their old ways of splurging when times were good and tightening belts when times were bad. They would likely stick to spending caution and shareholder return prioritization, regardless of prices.

By Irina Slav

City Crime

ECN Commences 7MW Solar Power Project In AKTH

Published

3 months ago

September 22, 2025

The Tide

As a landmark intervention designed to guarantee uninterrupted electricity supply, the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), has commenced a 7MW solar power project at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH)

The project is the outcome of ECN’s comprehensive energy audit and strategic planning, which exposed the unsustainable cost of diesel and the risks associated with AKTH’s dependence on the national grid.

Working in close collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology under the coordinating leadership of Chief Uche Nnaji, the ECN planned and executed this critical project to secure the hospital’s energy future.

The Director – General, ECN, Dr. Mustapha Abullahi, said “the timing of this intervention could not be more crucial” recalling that only days ago, AKTH suffered prolonged power outages that tragically claimed lives in its Intensive Care Unit.

“That painful incident has strengthened our resolve. With this solar installation, we are ensuring that such tragedies are prevented in the future and that critical medical services can operate without fear of disruption”.

Abdullahi stated that the project is a clear demonstration of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in action and reflects ECN’s commitment to making Nigeria’s energy transition people-centered, where hospitals, schools, and other essential institutions thrive on reliable, clean, and sustainable power.

The ECN boss further reaffirmed ECN’s commitment to continued deployment of innovative energy solutions across the nation.

“This is not just about powering institutions; it is about saving lives, restoring confidence, and securing a brighter future for Nigerians”, he stated.