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CNG Gets a Boost as FG Partners Portland Gas on $4m Project

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Nigeria’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) push has received a boost as a partnership between a private firm and the Federal Government through the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF), yielded about $4 million investment in the development of CNG infrastructure.

Making the disclosure, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Portland Gas Limited, Folajimi Muhammed, added that the investment was aimed at deepening gas utilisation and improving energy access across Nigeria.

During the commissioning of the company’s Mother Station in Ojota, Lagos, at the weekend, Muhammed said the project is structured as a joint venture in which Portland Gas holds a 60 percent equity stake while the Federal Government, through MDGIF, owns the remaining 40 percent.

He added that the initiative involves the construction of a Mother Station and Daughter Stations in Lagos and Abuja to facilitate the distribution of CNG through a virtual pipeline system.

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He explained that the facility commissioned represents the first phase of the project and would serve as the central hub for supplying gas to downstream stations.

“The project is a collaboration between Portland Gas and the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund. Portland Gas has contributed 60 per cent equity while the Federal Government has come in with 40 per cent. Our mandate is to build a mother station here and daughter stations in Lagos and Abuja. What we are commissioning today is the first part of that project, which is the mother station,” he said.

Muhammed noted that the facility currently has an above-ground storage capacity of 96,000 standard cubic metres per day (SCMD), while the full mother station is designed to handle about five million standard cubic feet of gas per day.

He said the station is presently supplied through a virtual pipeline arrangement whereby gas is sourced from a third-party facility and transported to the site, pending connection to the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline network.

“At the moment, we are sourcing gas from a third party, which is why we call it a virtual pipeline. In the future, we will tap directly into the AKK pipeline and become our own supplier. This will enable us to supply our daughter stations directly and also serve other gas consumers,” he added.

Addressing concerns over persistent queues at CNG stations across the country, Muhammed said increasing the number of refuelling outlets remains the most effective solution.

“The opening of more stations will naturally reduce waiting time and queues. The more stations we build and commission, the more available gas becomes to consumers,” he said.

He revealed that Portland Gas already operates stations in Ajah, Lagos, and Kubwa, Abuja, while additional facilities are planned for Otako and Gwagwalada in the Federal Capital Territory.

On access to funding from the MDGIF, Muhammed described the application process as rigorous but necessary to ensure that only serious investors benefit from the intervention fund.

“It was a very rigorous process. We had to provide extensive documentation and demonstrate that we had already committed substantial resources to the project before accessing the fund. The fund managers needed evidence that we were capable of executing the project,” he explained.

While advocating a more flexible approach for proven investors, he cautioned against lowering standards to the extent that funds are disbursed to entities lacking the capacity to deliver.

“There is a delicate balance. The fund should not be given to people who may not perform simply because they apply. However, companies that have demonstrated commitment and capacity should enjoy a more streamlined process,” he said.

Muhammed also urged greater support for innovative gas distribution models, including mobile refilling units and daughter stations, to accelerate the penetration of CNG across the country.

According to him, such initiatives would complement the Federal Government’s gas expansion agenda and help position natural gas as a viable alternative fuel for transportation and industrial activities.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of MDGIF, Oluwole Adama, said the Fund remains committed to supporting projects that drive energy access, economic growth, and national development.

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‘Celebrate This Poor Man’ – Shettima Defends Tinubu Over Economic Crisis

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Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged Nigerians to celebrate President Bola Tinubu, saying his leadership saved the country from a potential implosion.

Shettima said Nigeria’s economy had been teetering on the edge of collapse before Tinubu’s intervention, adding that the country could have faced a different situation.

“The economy was teetering on the edge of collapse, we were on a cliff edge,” the Vice President said.

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“So he literally saved the nation from an implosion. That could have been the scenario. So, instead of demonizing him, Nigerians ought to celebrate this poor man.”

Shettima also called for a return to the drawing board, expressing confidence in the leadership’s commitment and the prospects for the 2027 elections.

“I believe on the bottom of my heart that with this presentation I have seen, and with the commitment of our leadership, by the grace of God, we are going to win,” he said.

Speaking about the 2027 elections, the Vice President reminded his audience that social media platforms should not be mistaken for actual polling stations.

“There are no polling stations on Facebook or Instagram,” he said.

Shettima also expressed gratitude for the efforts made towards promoting the cause of the 2027 elections.

 

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FG Withdraws Charges Against ‘Fake Agency’ DG, Adeniyi Adeyemi

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Contempt: Four SANs to be Served by Courier

Following observed mis-steps, the Federal Government of Nigeria has withdrawn the eight-count criminal charge brought against the alleged fake Director General (DG) of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi.

Biztellers reports that the matter, in accordance with the counsel of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, (SAN), the matter will be filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), instead of the Federal High Court (FHC).

Consequently, upon an unopposed application for termination by the prosecution counsel and Director of the Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), on Monday, Justice Mohammed Umar of a Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday, struck out the matter.

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In a motion for the termination of the charges, Oyedepo informed the court that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice has carried out a review of the case file of Adeyemi and the charge filed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and found some loopholes.

The DPPF added that the documents allegedly forged by Adeyemi during his operations of the fake agency are those that can be prosecuted by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He also informed the court that a new charge has been filed at the High Court of the FCT and that Adeyemi would be expeditiously arraigned afresh.

He therefore urged the judge to strike out the charge as required by law.

Following no objections from Ibrahim Angulu (SAN), who stood in for Adeyemi, Justice Umar subsequently terminated the charge.

Adeniyi, 38, was being tried alongside two others whose whereabouts are unknown, on charges bordering on conspiracy and forgery.

The two others said to be at large were identified as Femi (surname unknown) and Anu (surname unknown).

The charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2025, was entered against the defendant by the DPPF.

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Shell Identifies Keys to Nigeria’s Energy Future

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To secure a bright energy for her teeming population, Nigeria must sustain the momentum of reform, accelerate investment, and deepen partnerships.

This view was expressed by Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company of Nigeria Limited (SNEPCo) Ronald Adams in Lagos at the weekend.

Delivering a keynote address at the Africa Energy Conference (AEC) of the Lagos Business School (LBS), Adams called for regulatory certainty through efficient execution of reforms, sustained investment appeal to enable projects to move more swiftly from opportunity to production and partnership by operators, regulators, NNPC Limited and communities to unlock the full value of Nigeria’s resources.

Adams cited Nigeria’s huge oil and gas resources as an advantage but pointed out: “Resources alone do not guarantee prosperity. Prosperity comes when resources are matched with investment, technology, sound policy and disciplined execution. Success will be determined not by the size of our resources, but by our ability to convert them into investment and economic growth.”

Adams pledged the support of Shell towards a bright energy future of Nigerians. He said: “For more than six decades, Shell has been part of Nigeria’s energy journey. Together with our partners, we have helped develop major energy infrastructure, supported Nigerian businesses, invested in talent, and contributed to economic development. Bonga remains a powerful example of what technology, partnership and Nigerian capability can achieve in deepwater operations. Today, that story continues through Bonga North.”

READ ALSO: ADF Targets 5 Million Students, 2 Million Vulnerable Women

Issuing a clarion call for action by all stakeholders, he added: “The world is not standing still. Capital is moving, technology is advancing and competition is intensifying. The countries that attract investment tomorrow are those that improve competitiveness today. Nigeria has begun that journey. Our task is to sustain the momentum and translate reform into projects, projects into growth, and growth into shared prosperity.”

The conference, the 4th in the series had at its theme; “Securing Nigeria’s Energy Future: Policy Reform, Capital Mobilisation, and Pathways to a Sustainable Power and Energy Market” and was attended by top government officials, industry captains, energy professionals, and students.

Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat represented Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the guest of honour. SNEPCo was a principal sponsor of the Africa Energy Conference (AEC) and mounted a well-received exhibition on its deepwater operations and social investments across Nigeria.

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