Energy
NCDMB Probes John Crane Over Alleged Contract Breach Against Cona Engineering
Following an appeal for intervention from an indigenous company, Cona Engineering and Technical Services, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) would be investigating a United Arab Emirates (UAE) company, John Crane Middle East FZE.
It was gathered that the investigation is to ascertain claims of Nigeria’s Cona Engineering that John Crane had serially breached its contractual obligations in clear affront against the local content law of Nigeria.
According to media reports, documents sighted include a complaint letter from Cona Engineering to NCDMB dated 24 June 2024 in which it alleged that the UAE firm was in breach of Nigeria local content law when it unilaterally terminated extant contract between it and Cona, a contract that represents the local content component of John Crane’s business transactions in Nigeria.
In its response to the complaint, the NCDMB through an acknowledgement letter dated 17th October 2024 and signed by its Executive Secretary, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, said the “Board has commenced investigations into the issues raised in your complaint. You will be duly informed of the outcome as soon as the investigations are completed.”
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When contacted, the Founder of Cona Engineering, Cyril Amako, said the initial agreement between his company and John Crane was executed in 1996, adding: “I never suspected that John Crane would breach the contract, primarily because John Crane is a multinational company with their head office in the United States. Moreover, John Crane is a member of the Smiths Group which is a highly reputable establishment. However, we became uncomfortable and suspicious when they coerced us to start dealing with their office in Dubai instead of South Africa which we had related with for several years.”
He added, “In the agreement, the Smiths Group emphasized on their respect for the laws of any country where they operate which includes the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Violation of our contractual agreement started as far back as year 2010 when they started boycotting us and supplied directly to NLNG, NAFCON (now Notore), Eleme Petrochemical company (now Indorama) etc. We reminded them several times in writing about the local content laws of Nigeria but they ignored us.
“In one of the meetings we had with them and with NLNG in attendance, NLNG emphasized to them that they will not accept any direct dealings with John Crane because of the local content laws of Nigeria.”
According to him, he expects the Nigerian government to protect Cona Engineering as a fully indigenous company which ought to be protected by the laws of the country, adding that the matter was officially reported to the NCDMB since year 2024 and that they are still awaiting their response.
He explained that before they resorted to seeking legal redress, they wrote John Crane for account reconciliation but they declined.
“We also engaged the services of a multinational auditing firm, KPMG to reconcile the account between Cona and John Crane. Consequently, KPMG wrote John Crane formally informing them of our retaining them for account reconciliation. Again, John Crane declined and never responded. At this point, Cona had no other option than to approach the court for remedies.
“KPMG contacted them and solicited their cooperation but John Crane declined. The $10million we demanded for in our suit against them is captured from our records of transactions with them for almost three decades including money Cona lost due to their direct supplies to our Nigerian clients,” he highlighted.
He continued: “We feel exploited and used by John Crane to firmly establish, entrench, consolidate, and propagate their long-term business interest in Nigeria. Curiously, the company they chose to replace us with as their Nigerian agent is registered as a local Nigerian company that has majority shareholding by Nigerian-Lebanese nationals.
“It is equally important to note that the Managing Director of John Crane Dubai as at the date of our agreement termination is a Lebanese national as well,” he said.
Energy
NMDPRA Shares July Domestic Cooking Gas Supply Details
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has credited the NLNG/SEPNU with leading the rise in Nigeria’s domestic cooking gas supply, which peaked at 5,332 tonnes per day in July 2026.
The NMDPRA’s July 2026 midstream and downstream statistics showed that total liquefied petroleum gas supply increased from 5,100 tonnes per day in June to 5,332 tonnes per day in July.
The NLNG/SEPNU supplied 2,031 tonnes per day through vessels, representing about 38 per cent of the total supply during the month.
Other processing plants supplied 1,513 tonnes per day through trucks, while the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals (DPRP) supplied 829 tonnes per day.
Imports accounted for 959 tonnes per day.
The figures showed that domestic sources supplied 4,373 tonnes per day, representing about 82 percent of the total LPG supply in July, while imports accounted for the remaining 18 percent.
The July supply level was the highest recorded in the 13-month period covered by the NMDPRA data.
LPG supply stood at 4,500 tonnes per day in July 2025 before rising to 5,000 tonnes in August and declining to 3,900 tonnes in September last year.
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It subsequently increased to 4,500 tonnes in October, 5,000 tonnes in November and 5,200 tonnes in December.
In January 2026, supply stood at 5,100 tonnes per day before falling to 4,700 tonnes in February and March, 4,500 tonnes in April and 4,100 tonnes in May.
The supply level then rose to 5,100 tonnes per day in June before reaching 5,332 tonnes in July.
The latest figures indicate a continued strengthening of domestic LPG supply, with local sources now accounting for the bulk of the cooking gas available in the country.
However, our correspondent reports that LPG prices have yet to fall below the N1,000 per kilogramme level after the sudden surge in May.
Though prices have plunged from a high of N2,400/kg to between N1,300 and N1,600, depending on location.
The NLNG recently accused some marketers of contributing to the sharp rise in the price of cooking gas by buying liquefied petroleum gas from the company at prices between N800 and N900 per kilogramme and selling it for as much as N2,400/kg in the retail market.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Adeleye Falade, disclosed this during a recent media briefing in Lagos, where he attributed the price spike to supply shortages, artificial scarcity and distortions in the distribution chain rather than the company’s pricing.
According to him, when the retail price of LPG climbed to N2,400/kg, the NLNG was selling the product to buyers at between N800 and N900/kg. He said the price was supposed to be in the range of N1,000 to N1,200, going by the recommendation of the NMDPRA.
“When the product was being sold at N2,400 in the market, guess how much they (marketers) were lifting it from us? It was between N800 and N900 per kg. And NMDPRA recommended that by the time you put in transportation costs and all other things, it shouldn’t be selling more than N1,000, N1,100 or N1,200. So, there’s also some distortion that happened on the sales side, which I know the regulators are working on right now to get control of it,” he stated.
Energy
US-Iran Conflict Sees Oil Exceed $94
On Tuesday, renewed escalation of the conflict between the United States and Iran pressured oil prices to over $94/barrel.
Current hostilities which witnessed American air strikes on Iranian targets and triggered global concerns of disruption to crude supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
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Brent crude rose $4.06, or 4.49 percent, to $94.55 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate gained $4.44, or 5.18 percent, to $90.20 a barrel. Murban crude also surged by $7.19, or 7.30 percent, to $105.60 a barrel, according to Oilprice.com.
The rally followed the United States’ fresh strikes on Iran, with Washington saying its forces had targeted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps IRGC).
“Today (Tuesday) at 12 p.m. ET (1600 GMT), US forces began striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets in Iran.
“The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region,” the US Central Command said.
The latest attacks have raised fresh concerns about the security around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil supplies. Oil prices had already risen following the exchange of attacks between the two countries over the weekend, while reports of attacks on tankers further fuelled supply concerns.
Reuters reported that two supertankers carrying Saudi oil were struck by unknown projectiles within minutes of each other while travelling outbound through the Strait of Hormuz late on Monday, according to shipping intelligence and tracking firms.
Following the reports, Brent crude futures, which were already up about two percent, jumped by almost another two percent.
Iran has also threatened to prevent oil exports from the Gulf if the US continues its attacks. “If the enemy wants us not to export oil from the Persian Gulf, no one will be able to export oil,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was quoted as saying by Iranian media.
The renewed confrontation has heightened fears that the six-month-old conflict could escalate into a wider war and threaten crude supplies from the oil-rich Gulf region.
The conflict had previously shifted towards sanctions, blockades and economic pressure, but the latest exchange of attacks has raised concerns about a return to sustained military confrontation.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran that it would face a stronger response if it retaliated against the latest American strikes.The US strikes came after Iranian missiles were fired at two US air bases in Jordan in response to an earlier American attack on Iran’s Larak Island.
The latest escalation also coincided with plans by Washington to impose additional economic sanctions on Tehran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said bank sanctions against Iran were likely to be announced this week and next, while warning that Washington would also target other entities doing business with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Energy
172 HCDTs Incorporated — NUPRC
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has said that 172 Host Communities Development Trusts (HCDTs) have so far been incorporated by oil and gas companies operating across the country.
The chief executive, NUPRC, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this while addressing the leadership of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in Abuja.
Under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), oil and gas companies, referred to as settlors, are required to contribute three percent of their Operating Expenditure from the preceding financial year into a Host Communities Trust Fund for the benefit of communities where they operate.
Eyesan said the NUPRC had been enforcing the provisions of the Act, particularly those relating to host communities and the obligations of operating companies, and had put in place regulations and procedures to streamline the process.
“We have laid out procedures for doing things and we have put regulations in place to streamline the process. So far, we have registered 172 HCDTs and we have been able to manage contributions by settlors,” she said.
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She said the trusts had funded the construction of schools, hospitals and other infrastructure, and had contributed significantly to peace and stability in previously volatile communities, which in turn had led to an increase in oil production.
Eyesan, however, admitted that some of the HCDTs had become subjects of litigation over disagreements on the constitution of their Boards of Trustees. She said the Commission had been working to ensure the trusts run smoothly, and that its Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre had played a key role in addressing some of the grievances.
She said that while the RMAFC’s interest in host communities was appreciated, oversight of how the funds are managed remained the exclusive preserve of the NUPRC.
The NUPRC boss also promised to investigate the lingering disagreement between Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company (SEEPCO) and its host community in Anambra State.
Responding, the chairman of the RMAFC, Dr Mohammed Bello Shehu, commended the NUPRC for overseeing reforms in the oil and gas sector that had contributed to growth in production.
Shehu said the RMAFC regards the upstream oil and gas sector as important, given that it accounts for a large share of revenue accruing to the Federation Account.
He thanked the NUPRC leadership for honouring the RMAFC’s invitation and called for stronger collaboration between the two institutions in the interest of the country.





