Business

Salt Refinery: Namibia Issues License, Land To Nigerian Investors

Published

10 years ago

October 29, 2014

The Namibian government has issued a mining license and allocated a piece of land that will enable Nigerian investors to establish a salt refinery in that country.
Its High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Peingeondjabi Shipoh, told newsmen in Abuja on Monday that the Namibian government allocated the piece of land to the Nigerian investors in August.
The high commissioner, who said the land was located in the country’s Erongo region, near the Henties Bay, added that the Namibian government’s approval was a testimony to its readiness to address all challenges before the investors.
“The government of Namibia has granted license because it is mining and it is manufacturing.
“The land has to be in the proximity of the ocean and it looks like that land that has been offered, you have to cross someone else’s land before you get to it.
“And therefore there should be some negotiations in order to lay pipes to take water into the plant.
“The people involved would like to visit Namibia to go iron out these things.
“I was informed about the problem before I came here (to Nigeria) and I tried my best to resolve it and we are about to resolve that problem of land access so that the plant can go up.
“Investment resource is not an issue; that has been secured; license from the government has been issued.
“So, it’s to find a date to start but the mission has got no control over those issues, it’s to only facilitate if we are told where the issues are.“
The envoy also said that plans for the setting up of a Nigeria-Namibia oil refinery in that country were on.
Shipoh, who said that the project would be private-sector driven, called on investors in the country to take advantage of the opportunities made available by the governments of both countries.
The high commissioner said that “friendly investment opportunities“ existed in the mining, agriculture, energy, fishery, and tourism sectors.
He said that the signing of 11 agreements by presidents of both countries in March had created opportunities for investors in both countries to take advantage of.
He, however, said that the interest shown by investors since the signing of the agreements had been low pointing out that the value of trade between the two countries was not up to one million dollars.
The envoy said, “these agreements are there and we need to make sure that the players are correctly advised so that all stumbling blocks on both sides, if any, are removed.
“Certain factors could constitute problems which we would like to know.
“If maybe the problem is not in Nigeria but in Namibia or maybe the import barrier is on the Nigerian side, which we need to be informed about, we can talk to our counterparts here to resolve such problems.
“If maybe there are export barriers in Namibia, which we need to look at and advise our people at home, we have a Nigeria-Namibia Chamber of Commerce, which has got an office in the Sheraton Hotel.
“It’s another avenue for business people, who might be subscribing to that chamber of commerce to visit that office and get the information they would need.
“We have made a lot of information available to that office, but we have got people coming to Nigeria and when that happens, we will inform businesspeople, who are interested.
“We would like to see more; we have made inroads, but we would like to see the trade volumes increase.“
Speaking on the outbreak of the Ebola Virus, the envoy urged African countries to work more closely in the area of research.
“Let’s now work together and research so we can develop our own cure. If you look at ZMapp, it is from tobacco; let’s see what we can do to support countries that have tobacco.
“If there are researches that are being started, other African countries should contribute to such so we can finalise the work that has been started by others and expand the virology laboratories where they exist.“
On his country’s forthcoming elections on Nov. 28, the envoy said efforts had been made to ensure that Namibians living in or passing through Nigeria voted.
“Namibians in the Diaspora will be given the opportunity to cast their votes on Nov. 14; so they are invited to come to the mission and vote. The voting will be a one-day affair.
“Although it will not be easy for our citizens both outside Nigeria and even in states within Nigeria to come over and vote due to the cost implication, we would still like to encourage them to come and cast their votes.
He said that the high commission had a record of eight Namibians living in Nigeria and that all of them had so far been registered to vote.
He added that 3,441 Namibians living in the Diaspora had been registered to vote.

Business

Fuel Scarcity: IPMAN threatens shutdown over bridging claims

Published

5 days ago

May 3, 2024

The Tide

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Depot Chairmen Forum, has exonerated its members from the current fuel scarcity in the country.

According to IPMAN, this is caused by its inability to source petroleum products.

The IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum also threatened to withdraw its services over non-payment of N200 billion bridging claims by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to its members, since 2022.

Alhaji Yahaya Alhassan, the Chairman, of the Forum said this while briefing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday.

Alhassan said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) was the sole importer of the product, but the marketers could not source products from NNPC Ltd. deport, rather from the private depots at high rate.

“We cannot buy fuel from the private depots at N950 and transport the product from Lagos to the North and other parts of the country with N2 million and still sell it at N900 or N1, 000.

“It is expedient for us to state that we are more pained by the non-availability of petroleum products in the country, which has given rise to another round of untold hardship for Nigerians.

“Contrary to claims that IPMAN members are hoarding Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as fuel, we would like to categorically state that PMS scarcity is wholly triggered by inability to get fuel from NNPC and not IPMAN,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the NNPC Ltd. Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye said the disruption was due to logistical issues which had since been resolved.

“We currently have an availability of products exceeding 1.5 billion litres, which can last for at least 30 days. Unfortunately, we experienced a three-day disruption in distribution due to logistical issues, which has since been resolved.

“However, as you know, overcoming such disruptions typically requires double the amount of time to return to normal operations.

“Some folks are taking advantage of this situation to maximise profits. Thankfully, product scarcity has been minimal lately, but these folks might be exploiting the situation for unwarranted gain,’’ Soneye said.

He however, said the lines would clear out soon.

On the non-payment of bridging claims, the IPMAN forum said it was distressed and depressed by the laidback attitude of the NMDPRA towards the survival its member’s businesses, arising from its refusal in paying the claims.

“It is with deep frustration that we have assembled here today as the IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum. It is also disheartening to note that some of our members have completely shut down businesses and retrenched employees.

“As businessmen and women, our members acquired bank loans to keep their fuel retail outlets running on a daily basis across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria in order to serve the teeming population of Nigerians,’’ Alhassan said.

He recalled that Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), at a stakeholders meeting in February mandated the NMDPRA management to clear the entire debt in 40 days.

“However, today, we have crossed the 40 days’ time lapse given to the NMDPRA to clear the debt, and it is shameful to state that only the paltry sum of N13 billion has been paid, ignoring minister’s directive.

“We are not happy with the indiscriminate increment in the issuance and renewal of Sales and Storage Licence, by the NMDPRA, and the subsequent delays in acquiring the licence, which our members are recently subjected to.

“We are also calling on President Bola Tinubu to look into this unwholesome figure which is highly detrimental to our business and reverse it forthwith, as it is bound to impact negatively on the masses.

“We are poised to take far reaching decisions that may cripple the supply and sales of petroleum products across Nigeria if our demands are not met within the shortest period of time.

“We are collectively prepared to withdraw our services, shut down every single outlet, and suspend lifting of products forthwith till our demands are fully met, and the consequences will be terrible.

“We call on our members to however remain resolute and law abiding, even as we draw close to the immediate ultimatum for our demands to be met by the NMDPRA,’’ the chairman said.

Reacting to the IPMAN’s claims, the Acting Head, Corporate Communications, NMDPRA, Seiyefa Osanebi said the bridging claims payment was ongoing.

“The bridging claims payment is always an ongoing process,” she said.

Maritime

Shippers’ Council Registers 160 Port Operators

Published

1 week ago

April 29, 2024

The Tide

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