Energy
Re-‘Abduction’ Of 14 Journalists in Oporoza – TOMPOLO
BY HIGH CHIEF GOVERNMENT EKPEMUPOLO
However, it has become necessary to make clarifications in the face of the deliberate distortion of facts by some mischief-makers intent on denigrating my person and questioning my integrity before the larger society. More so, I am persuaded by the fact of my experience as a crusader for equity, fairness and justice the world over including the oppressed people of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South-West Local Government Area, who have always found brotherliness and companionship in members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm.
In the case of the development of the Ijaws of the Niger-Delta which I have championed over the years, journalists have been worthy partners even as their contributions have served as veritable means to ventilate our views, opinions and positions as a people who have had cause to draw global attention to our plight.
However, in the matter of the hyped ‘abduction’ of journalists in Oporoza last week, it is perhaps pertinent to state that they were victims of an orchestrated and well-rehearsed saga by their Itsekiri clients who lured them into a trap. Suffice it to say that unknown to the journalists (some of whom are my friends) and before their arrival in Warri, their Itsekiri hosts had concluded plans to video-capture some Ijaw settlements, especially Ikpokpo community, to show to the world as Itsekiri lands in their desperate attempts to distort historical facts, especially as the hosting/citing of the EPZ project poses some challenges. It should be noted that the Gbaramatu people have been agitating for inclusion in the EPZ project since 2012, as of right that part of the land earmarked for the project starting from Ikpokpo community belongs to them.
It was on the strength of the above that in November 2013, the Gbaramatu people were invited alongside other stakeholders, to the unveiling meeting of the project at Government House Annex Warri by NNPC and the State Government. At the said meeting, the Gbaramatu people, out of curiosity, inquired why they have not been recognized as stakeholders by way of acquisition of land from them. But to their surprise, the Governor shut them out of the project and merely identified them as ‘impacted community’.
From that point on, it was obvious the siting of the EPZ project was beyond the ordinary. We needed no soothsayer to tell us that the Governor was hiding something from the Gbaramatu people. Even though the governor later set up a committee to resolve the issues raised by the Gbaramatu people, our anxiety and suspicion further heightened when the November 14 date for the ground-breaking ceremony was announced even though the committee was yet to come up with acceptable terms for the siting of the EPZ project.
By way of protest, the Gbaramatu people addressed a world press conference at Oporoza on Wednesday, November 12, 2014 to press home, among other things, the need to properly identify host communities for the EPZ project before its commencement. It should at juncture, be noted that as said earlier, journalists are friends and partners in progress. It was this thinking that informed our decision to host them to the world press conference held at Oporoza without molestation of any form. Similarly, the Gbaramatu Ijaws neither attempted to video-capture Itsekiri communities as they (Itsekiri) did in their own case.
It is no longer news that the Federal Government did call off the ground-breaking ceremony pending the resolution of the issues, basically on the strength of our position and submissions canvassed at that world press conference which journalists also effectively relayed to the public. It is therefore out of place for the Itsekiri people to manipulate innocent journalists in this regard to the extent of going through the unfortunate ordeal in which I also sympathize with them.
I must emphasize at this point that the claim by the Itsekiri people that the journalists were on their way to cover the ground-breaking event can only be misleading. This is because the event had been called off four days before the presence of the journalists in Ikpokpo, precisely on Sunday 16th November 2014
Of course the media has been awash with personal insults on the President just as the Ugborodo (Itsekiri) people at this point also threatened to deal with the Gbaramatu people. True to the threats, they (Itsekiri) came to Ikpokpo community in two speed boats on a Sunday morning ostensibly to attack the community. While one of the boats escaped, the community intercepted the other and discovered that journalists were among other occupants. In addition, and to the amazement of the villagers, two guns and the sum of Two Million Naira cash were found in the intercepted boat.
At this point, the community had no option than to report the matter to the security agencies. It should however be noted that upon identification, no journalist was molested as widely claimed by mischief makers. The truth is that the people of Ikpokpo community immediately insisted on taking the intruders using journalists as shield to Oporoza, the traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom. This was a sensible move as the continued stay on the river with the intruders could not have been in the interest of either party. To say the least therefore, it can only be out sheer mischief that people with dubious intents could describe such move as an ‘abduction’.
High Chief Ekpemupolo
Data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) shows that Nigeria’s gas production rose by about 3 percent in the first quarter of 2026, while gas flaring declined by over 8 percent year-on-year.
An analysis of the commission’s gas production status reports for the first three months of 2025 and 2026 revealed that total gas output increased from 667.27 Billion Standard Cubic Feet (BSCF) in Q1 2025 to 687.09 billion scf in Q1 2026.
The increase of approximately 19.81 billion standard cubic feet represented a year-on-year growth of about 2.97 percent, highlighting continued slow but steady expansion in Nigeria’s gas sector amid the federal government’s push to deepen gas utilisation and monetisation.
In addition, the NUPRC figures had it that January 2026 gas production stood at 233.96 billion scf, compared to 236.32 billion scf in January 2025.
However, production rebounded strongly in the subsequent months, with February 2026 output rising to 212.62 billion scf from 199.68 billion scf in February 2025.
In the same vein, March 2026 production climbed to 240.51 billion scf, compared to 231.28 billion scf recorded in March 2025, making it the highest monthly production level in the period under review.
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At the same time, the data showed marked improvement in gas flare management. Total gas flared in Q1 2025 stood at 50.95 billion scf, compared to 46.83 billion scf in Q1 2026. The reduction of about 4.12 billion scf translated to a decline of roughly 8.1 percent year-on-year.
Similarly, average flare intensity improved significantly during the period. The average gas flare rate dropped from about 7.65 percent in Q1 2025 to approximately 6.81 percent in Q1 2026, indicating that a larger proportion of produced gas was captured for productive use rather than burnt off.
In the same vein, monthly flare rates for Q1 2025 were 7.92 percent in January, 7.94 per cent in February and 7.08 percent in March. For Q1 2026, the flare rates declined to 7.34 percent in January, 6.62 percent in February and 6.48 percent in March.
The data also revealed a significant shift in the structure of Nigeria’s gas production. Associated gas production, which is gas produced alongside crude oil, declined during the review period.
Total associated gas output fell from 370.28 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2025 to 332.82 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2026. In contrast, non-associated gas production recorded substantial growth.
Non-associated gas output increased from 296.99 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2025 to 354.17 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2026, suggesting increased contribution from standalone gas projects and dedicated gas developments, rather than reliance on oil-linked gas production.
Also, export gas sales recorded one of the strongest improvements during the quarter. The NUPRC data showed that export gas sales rose from 223.99 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2025 to 292.87 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2026.
This represented an increase of about 68.89 billion standard cubic feet or approximately 30.75 percent year-on-year. Findings show that the increase was likely driven by stronger Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export performance and improved international demand for Nigerian gas supplies.
However, domestic gas sales weakened slightly during the same period. Domestic sales declined from 186.98 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2025 to 171.15 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2026, representing a drop of roughly 8.5 percent.
This raised concerns regarding the adequacy of gas supply to Nigeria’s domestic market, especially for power generation and industrial use. Despite the decline in domestic sales, gas utilisation efficiency improved marginally due to lower flare volumes.
The improved flare metrics suggested that operators were more efficient in capturing and commercialising produced gas. According to the data, total utilised gas stood at 639.91 billion scf in Q1 2025 and 639.68 billion scf in Q1 2026, indicating relatively stable utilisation volumes despite higher production.
With proven gas reserves estimated at about 215.19 trillion cubic feet (TCF), Nigeria has in recent years increasingly prioritised natural gas as a transition fuel capable of supporting domestic energy needs, industrial growth, petrochemical expansion and export earnings.
The federal government has also intensified efforts to reduce routine gas flaring through stricter regulatory enforcement and commercialisation initiatives targeted at flare gas recovery, especially through the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP).
After the United States carried out what it described as defensive strikes in southern Iran, which put fresh question marks over the fragile ceasefire and ongoing peace talks between Washington and Tehran, oil prices spiralled on Tuesday.
The world is taken aback because the strikes came in the midst of hopes that both countries were nearing an agreement to end the three-month war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz for the free movement of oil shipments.
Consequently, from about $97 per barrel on Monday, global benchmark Brent crude futures rose by roughly 3.5 percent on Tuesday to around $100 per barrel.
According to reports, US forces struck missile-launch sites and other targets in southern Iran on Monday, even as the Donald Trump administration signalled that a peace agreement between the two sides could be close.
In a statement, the US Central Command said the attacks were defensive in nature. “US forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces. Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines,” CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said.
Reacting, Iran accused the United States of violating the ceasefire with the strikes. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the attacks in the southern Hormozgan province, where Iranian media reported explosions early on Tuesday, amounted to a “gross violation” of the fragile ceasefire that has been in place for nearly seven weeks, according to Reuters.
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Both sides had earlier indicated progress on a memorandum of understanding that could halt the war and restore shipping activities through the Strait of Hormuz, while giving negotiators 60 days to address more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme.
Reports also indicated that Iranian negotiators had pushed for the proposed agreement to include the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets during talks held in Qatar.
The war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has triggered a major oil supply shock, increasing the costs of fuel, fertiliser, and food globally. Iran had responded to the attacks by launching drones and missiles at Gulf states hosting US military bases.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade, has remained significantly below normal levels since the conflict began.
Although diplomatic efforts are continuing, there are growing fears that the latest US strikes could further escalate tensions in the Middle East and disrupt global energy supplies.
The seventh gas liquefaction train of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited is on the verge of completion, having reached 92 percent of project stages.
The plant which aligns with existing trains at the company’s gas processing complex in Bonny Island, Rivers State, will propel Nigeria’s LNG production capacity with additional 8.0 million tons per annum (mtpa) from current 22 mtpa to 30 mpta upon completion.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, NLNG, Adeleye Falade, made the revelation at a forum hosted by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Lagos.
According to him, the $7.0 billion project driven by Saipem, Chiyoda, Daewoo continues to enjoy broad support from the presidency and industry regulators.
In a presentation delivered on his behalf at the event, Falade stated that the project has so far consumed a significant 120 million man hours out of the target 200 million man hours of mostly indigenous labour.
He also declared that the company has enhanced all safety measures on the construction site after recording two lost time on injury (LTI) incidents. He assured that the project contractors are prioritizing workplace safety as the project drives to pre-commissioning stages.
Mr Falade, whose presentation was delivered by Train 7 Project Manager, Ali Uwais, also noted that the Train 7 project has helped galvanize local investment in steel fabrication and galvanizing capabilities, pointing at the 4000 tons of steel already deployed in the project.
He also pointed to the spur effect in the domestic cable manufacturing industry, stating that all cables used in the project are manufactured in Nigeria. He, however, added that additional interventions are required to close quality gaps in the local manufacturing industry.
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In noting the urgent need for in-country standard accountabilities, Mr Falade challenged agencies and regulators in the manufacturing industry to rise to the plate of ensuring international competitiveness on product quality.’
In counting some of the interventions driven by the company to close capacity and capability gaps in the domestic industry, he noted that the NLNG is relentless in establishing centers of excellence in tertiary institutions in the country with the purpose of addressing human capacity deficits.
The Train 7 project alone, he pointed out, has facilitated the training of 13,000 Nigerians, bolstered community focused participation initiatives, and facilitated rapid infrastructure development in the host Bonny Island.
Mr Falade told the industry audience at the event that the real value of the Train 7 project must transcend site activities to capture capacity, facilities and infrastructure developed for the project.
He called on other players in the industry to contribute to building capacity, standards and quality that compete globally, adding that Train 7 proves that Nigeria can grow and develop to global standards.
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