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NCDMB, NNPC, Brass Fertilizer sign Shareholders Agreements on Methanol Project
Precious ADELOLA
ABUJA-THE Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company Limited and DSV Engineering on Tuesday signed two key agreements for the construction of 10,000 tonnes per day methanol plant and the 500 million standard cubic feet per day gas processing plant in Odeama, Brass, Bayelsa State.
The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote signed for the Board, while the Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power, NNPC, Mr. Usman Yusuf and the Managing Director of BFPCL, Chief Ben Okoye signed for their companies respectively at the ceremony held at the Board’s liaison office in Abuja on Tuesday.
The first agreement was the Accession Agreement between BFPCL, DSV Engineering, NNPC and the NCDMB Capacity Development Intervention Company Limited by Guarantee. It confirms that NCDMB has subscribed to the terms and conditions contained in the company’s Share Subscription Agreement.
The second agreement was the Share Subscription Agreement between BFPCL, DSV Engineering and the NCDMB Capacity Development Intervention Company Limited by Guarantee. This agreement confirmed the allotment of 18 percent of the authorised share capital of the Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company Limited to NCDMB.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB highlighted the need for indigenous institutions and companies to initiate projects that would create in-country value and employment opportunities for young Nigerians. He insisted that the Nigerian oil and gas industry cannot continue to wait for only international operating oil and gas companies to introduce projects.
He maintained that creating job opportunities for young Nigerians was the best strategy to curtail restiveness and insecurity in the polity.
He hinted that the methanol project provides opportunities to add value in-country and further diversify the utilization of the nation’s gas resources.
He said the 10,000tonnes/day methanol plant will upon completion bring Nigeria onto the world map as one of the top-10 producers of methanol.
“The opportunities provided by this project in jobs creation, gas utilization, and local availability of methanol for primary and secondary users, are massive and we are excited to serve as a catalyst for the realization of the project,” he added.
Wabote also said that the project would create 15,000 jobs during the construction stage and additional 5000 jobs during the operations phase.
He indicated that Methanol can be used for different purpose and can also serve as a key chemical agent in pharmaceutical and agro-chemical industries.
The Executive Secretary commended the NNPC for its role in getting the project to the current stage, expressing hope that the partnership would help to drive the methanol plant to completion.
The Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power, NNPC, Mr. Usman Yusuf expressed delight that the project was in sync with the President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent declaration of a Decade of Gas and would help to correct the current anomaly whereby 100 percent of the nation’s methanol needs are currently imported. He maintained that that gas was becoming increasingly important to Nigeria’s sustainability and would also play a key role in energy transition. He added that gas is key to food processing and can lead the nation to food sufficiency, industrialization, increase in Gross Domestic Product and power sufficiency.
He added that the two Methanol projects would help Nigeria save foreign exchange and significantly enhancing local production.
The NNPC chieftain congratulated the NCDMB for supporting the methanol projects, which would create a gas hub, petrochemical industry fertilizer plants and condensate refinery.
He also expressed delight that the funding for the critical project was being sourced in-country.
The Managing Director of BFPCL, Chief Ben Okoye stated that methanol can be used to produce 67 items that are used in households everyday. He stated that the company had acquired 600 hectares of land and aspires to attract other entities to the Brass Free Zone. He said the project would become the biggest methanol plant in sub-Saharan Africa.
The NCDMB, NNPC and DSV Engineering on Friday had in January 2021 signed the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the construction of 10,000 tonnes/day methanol production plant by the Brass Fertiliser and Petrochemical Company Ltd (BFPCL), committing equity investment of US$670m.
. . . Tinubu Lauds NNPC Ltd, Partners Over Three Commissioned Gas Projects
In line with its renewed hope agenda, the Federal Government has reiterated determination to utilize Nigeria’s abundant gas resources towards revamping her industrial growth and kick-starting economic prosperity.
Biztellers reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made the assertion while commissioning three critical gas infrastructure projects executed by the NNPC Limited and its partners in Ohaji-Egbema, in Imo State and Kwale, in Delta States, on Wednesday.
The three projects commissioned include the expansion of the AHL Gas Processing Plant, the ANOH Gas Processing Plant and the 23.3km ANOH to Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) Custody Transfer Metering Station Gas Pipeline Projects.
He said, “It is pleasing that approximately, 500MMscf of gas in aggregate would be supplied to the domestic market from these two Gas Processing Plants, which represents over 25% incremental growth in gas supply.
“In practical terms, this translates into more gas to the Power Sector, Gas-Based Industries, and other critical segments of the economy.”
The President pointed out that from the onset, his administration was clear of its intention to leverage on the virtually unlimited capacity of gas to deepen domestic gas utilization, increase national power generation capacity, revitalize industries, and create multiple job opportunities for economic growth.
He said aside the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative which is aimed at moving Nigerians away from petrol and diesel as vehicular combustion fuel, significant progress has also been recorded in incentivizing gas development through Presidential Executive Orders.
While congratulating the projects partners (NNPC Limited, Sterling Oil Exploration & Energy Production Company Limited (SEEPCO) and Seplat Energy for the successful implementation of the three projects, Tinubu particularly charged the NNPC Limited to, as the national energy company of choice, sustain its relentless efforts and record more successes in the energy sector for the benefit of all Nigerians.
President Tinubu described the commissioning as a highly significant milestone for Nigeria as it demonstrates his administration’s efforts to accelerate the development of critical gas infrastructure geared at enhancing the supply of energy to boost industrial growth and create employment opportunities.
He said the projects were fully in line with the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas initiative, and his administration’s quest to grow value from the Nation’s abundant gas assets while concurrently eliminating gas flaring and accelerating industrialization.
“I wish to assure the citizenry that these are just the beginning, as the federal government is stepping up its coordination of other landmark projects and initiatives that will ensure the earliest realization of gas fueled prosperity in our country.
“Consequently, I wish to assure investors in the energy space that this is an investment enabling government and we will not relent in facilitating the ease of doing business,” the President noted.
Earlier in his address, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo highlighted the efforts of his ministry to continue to champion the utilisation of gas as a transition fuel as Nigeria moves towards achieving clean energy efficiency and security by 2060.
Ekpo commended the President for his leadership and support towards the success of the three projects.
In his remarks, the GCEO NNPC, Mele Kyari described the commissioning as a demonstration of Mr. President’s commitment and support to grow the domestic utilization of natural gas for power generation, as feedstock for gas-based industries and overall rapid industrialization of Nigeria on the back of the enormous gas resources in the country.
Kyari assured that as part of its mandate, NNPC Ltd remains committed to maintaining energy security by executing more strategic gas projects for the benefit of Nigeria.
The Nigerian Government has listed her April 2024 Savings Bonds worth N4.214 billion on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) platform.
This was disclosed in the market bulletin signed by the Head, Issuers Regulation Department of NGX, Godstime Iwenekhai.
According to the bulletin, “Trading License Holders are hereby notified that the April 2024 Issue of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) Savings Bonds was listed on Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) on May 13, 2024.”
Details of the Bonds include FGS April 2026, 1.228 million units valued at N1.228 billion at a coupon rate of 17.046%, while FGS April 2027, 2.986 million units amounted to N2.986 billion at a coupon rate of 18.046%.
The bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the FGN and charged upon the general assets of Nigeria, according to the debt office.
FGN Savings Bond is issued monthly in tenors of two and three years with quarterly payment of coupons (interest) at a rate predetermined and published by the DMO every month.
The retail savings bond product was introduced by the DMO on behalf of the FGN in 2017 to democratise its activities in the bond market by making it easily accessible to Nigerians to ensure continuous development of the domestic market and bridge infrastructure deficit which has been a constraint to economic growth.
Nigeria’s inflation rate surged to 33.69% in April 2024, up from 33.20% in March, according to the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, released Wednesday, shows a 0.49 percentage point rise within a month.
Year-on-year, the inflation rate has surged by 11.47 percentage points, compared to 22.22% in April 2023, highlighting the ongoing economic challenges and rising costs for consumers.
The report reads “In April 2024, the headline inflation rate increased to 33.69% relative to the March 2024 head line inflation rate which was 33.20%.
“On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 11.47% points higher compared to the rate recorded in April 2023, which was 22.22%.
This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in the month of April 2024 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e., April 2023).
“Furthermore, on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in April 2024 was 2.29%, which was 0.73% lower than the rate recorded in March 2024 (3.02%).
“This means that in the month of April 2024, the rate of increase in the average price level is less than the rate of in crease in the average price level in March 2024.”
Prices of food and basic commodities have surged dramatically in recent weeks, as Nigerians grapple with a soaring cost of living and one of the nation’s most severe economic crises.
The crisis has been intensified by the government’s removal of petrol subsidies and the unification of forex windows.
The naira, which had appreciated against the dollar in April, has since plummeted from about N1,100/$1 to roughly N1,500/$1.
Following the latest inflation report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is anticipated to review the country’s interest rate, currently set at 24.75%.
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