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Kyari, breaking the jinx, creating prosperity for Nigerians at new NNPCL*
Kyari, breaking the jinx, creating prosperity for Nigerians at new NNPCL*
By Femi Aderotimi
The historic payment of interim dividend by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited into the Federation Account less than three months into the stoppage of payment for fuel subsidy by the Federal Government has proven that Mallam Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPCL is indeed working for the good of Nigerians and the sustainability of the Nigerian oil and gas sector.
On July 7, 2019 when Kyari assumed the position of Group Managing Director of the now-defunct Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the corporation was in a near comatose state. It was laced with many challenges ranging from grievous oil pipeline vandalism, corruption, incessant oil thefts, low production levels and lack of transparency.
For instance, a 2010 joint report by Transparency International and Revenue Watch Institute found that NNPC had the poorest transparency record out of 44 national and international energy companies examined.
These scenarios fundamentally put Kyari on the spot.
Kyari’s appointment which, however, came as a game-changer was with a clear mission – to revitalize the struggling corporation and send an unequivocal message that the corporation’s lukewarm governance narratives of the past are gone for good.
There was a lot of mess to clear, but Kyari was ready and he came in with his sleeves rolled up and expectedly, he didn’t disappoint.
With a vision boldly anchored on the principle of Transparency, Accountability, Performance and Excellence (TAPE), Kyari, under the defunct NNPC, demonstrated a fundamental grasp of what fossil energy means and the imperative of effective governance of the giant national oil company.
In June 2020, for the first time in 43 years, the Kyari-led NNPC released the 2018 Audited Financial Statements, and subsequently 2019, to the public for scrutiny, earning plaudits for the corporation from members of the public.
Significantly, in August 2021, the NNPC declared a N287 billion Profit After Tax (PAT) for 2020, for the first time in 44 years. Kyari’s magic wand played out as the corporation reduced its losses from N803 billion in 2018 to N1.7 billion in 2019, and the eventual declaration of a net profit in 2020. By fiscal 2021, the corporation’s profit grew to a profit level of N674 billion. Until this period, NNPC has been a loss-making entity, renowned for anomalies, undue political interference, and shades of burden.
Despite the numerous challenges, Kyari grew its production to an enviable level. As at February 2023, the NNPC crossed 1.6 million barrels per day of crude oil and condensate combined.
The achievements of Kyari under the now rested NNPC were numerous.
Amongst his other major landmark achievements was that he successfully flagged-off construction of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project. The project, which is near completion and described as a game-changer, is an integral part of the Trans-Nigeria Gas Pipeline (TNGP) with a capacity to transport about 2.2 billion cubic feet of gas per day. Mallam Kyari also led the NNPCL to achieve a $300 million reduction in the cost of the AKK Gas Pipeline contract via contract renegotiation from the initial $2.8 billion.
Another of the most impressive accomplishments of Kyari’s stewardship at NNPC was the flag-off of the Kolmani Integrated Development Project in Bauchi State in November 2022, marking the commencement of effort to commercially exploit oil in the Northern part of Nigeria. It was deemed as one of the most massive projects. The Kolmani Oil Field, estimated to have a reserve of about one billion barrels of crude oil, OPL 809 and 810, lies in the Gongola Basin of the Upper Benue Trough, straddling Bauchi and Gombe States. The project will have the capacity to transport two billion standard cubic feet of natural gas daily to power plants in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, and various gas-based industries, boosting the nation’s socioeconomic growth.
Mallam Kyari also touched the downstream operation of the NNPC with the introduction of Operation White, which has helped in streamlining petroleum products importation, supply, and distribution across the country.
As the then sole importer of petroleum products in the country, NNPC succeeded in keeping the nation well supplied.
*The New NNPCL*
Arguably, the signing of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in August 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari was however a major breakthrough for Kyari as it opened the door for more significant changes in the national oil giant.
It is noteworthy that Kyari worked tirelessly to ensure the passage of the PIA, an initiative which is aimed at overhauling the country’s energy laws and creating a deregulated environment, freeing the oil sector from government control and unbundling the oil company.
The passage of the PIA gave birth to the new, refreshed, and rejuvenated Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The birth of the NNPCL in 2021 wound up the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, after 46 years of operation.
The PIA empowered NNPCL to operate like every private company in Nigeria with exemption from the Fiscal Responsibility Act, Public Procurement Act and TSA in order to ensure there are no excuses for failure.
Following this milestone, Kyari, who is now the GCEO of NNPCL, initiated new investment benchmarks to further rejuvenate the once ineffective company.
At the launch of the new NNPCL, Mallam Kyari explained the ABC of the new oil company stressing that every Nigerian is a shareholder of the company.
According to him, “I’m happy to say this moment that this country is changing. And by the way, I can tell you we are the competition. We are NNPCL. We don’t create rules anymore. We are the competition.
“We will pay taxes; we will pay royalties like anyone; we will also pay dividends to our shareholders which many of you are. So, we are in business and business means competition. We are a private sector – forget about the fact that we are owned by the government 100 per cent.
“By the way, you are also aware, we are going Initial Public Offer (IPO) very soon, we’ll sell a part of our equity. It’s in the law, and once that happens, we will not be any different for any of you and it will be a very different business environment.”
In June this year, NNPCL, in a major landmark, signed four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with five African countries as part of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline (NMGP) project.
The deal was sealed with Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Benin, and Guinea. The NMGP is a 5,600km gas pipeline project, traversing 13 African countries. The project would create an opportunity to monetize Nigeria’s abundant hydrocarbon resources by expanding access to energy to support economic growth, industrialization, and job creation across the country and beyond. The project will contribute to accelerating access to energy for all, improving the living conditions of the Nigeria populace, integrating the economies of the sub-region, and mitigating desertification.
In a major step towards bolstering Nigeria’s energy security and promoting the utilization of its abundant gas resources, the NNPCL and UTM Offshore Limited recently signed a Heads of Terms (HoT) agreement for the construction of the nation’s first indigenous Floating LNG project.
The oil company had explained that apart from significantly cutting down on gas flaring and supporting the country’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions, the project would also create over 7,000 job opportunities, contributing to the nation’s economic growth and development.
In his resolve to put an end to the business of oil thieves, Kyari introduced the “Crude Theft Monitoring Application” (CTMA) to check the theft of Nigeria’s oil. The CTMA, which has been helpful in preventing oil theft, has application options for reporting incidents, with prompt follow-up and responses. Additionally, the portal included a feature for validating crude sales documents.
Most recently, Kyari has continued to unclog the pores of the company by combating illegal refineries. His efforts at combating crude oil theft and illegal refineries were positive, leading to a significant spike in daily oil production, reaching 1.6 million barrels per day.
In the last weeks, in addition to several other breakthroughs, the NNPCL announced it busted 240 illegal refineries and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region. A few weeks ago, a private security contractor engaged by the national oil company also intercepted a vessel conveying 800,000 litres of stolen crude oil at an offshore location. The vessel was heading to Cameroon. It was later destroyed.
This is, however, a testament to Kyari’s resolution to completely eradicate the business of oil thieves in the country.
All of these recent achievements and breakthroughs have stemmed from the leadership of the resilient man who is leaving no stone unturned in transforming Nigeria’s oil and gas sector via transparency, accountability driven policies.
Overall, the implementation of the PIA and NNPCL’s consolidation deals have set Nigeria’s oil and gas industry on a transformative path, unlocking opportunities for growth and prosperity in the sector.
*• Aderotimi, a public affairs commentator, wrote from FCT, Abuja.*
celebrity radar - gossips
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celebrity radar - gossips
Oba Ayangburen and the Bee Introduces Advocates of Education Awards to Honour Educational Excellence in Lagos
Oba Ayangburen and the Bee Introduces Advocates of Education Awards to Honour Educational Excellence in Lagos
In its third edition, Oba Ayangburen and the Bee continues to push the envelope with the launch of the Oba Ayangburen and the Bee Advocates of Education Awards. This new initiative seeks to honour individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions to advancing education in Lagos State.
“As part of our commitment to elevating the project, we are introducing this award to recognise those driving educational development in the state”, said Project Coordinator, Miss Taiwo Otesanya. The awards will feature 10 recipients, with two selected from each of Lagos’ five geopolitical zones under the IBILE Forum.
The spelling competition, which has become a staple in Lagos’ educational calendar since 2022, continues to offer primary school pupils a platform to sharpen their spelling and language skills in a fun, competitive environment. This year’s contest features over 2,000 participants from private and public schools, sponsored by various local leaders, organisations, and brands.
Scheduled for its grand finale on November 27, 2024, the event will take place at Ikorodu Town Ultramodern Hall and will feature 30 finalists competing for exciting prizes, including cash, scholarships, and corporate endorsements.
Corporate partners like BIC, Colgate, Kingsfield Schools, and Beloxxi Biscuits are among those confirmed for this year’s edition, with talks underway for further support from Justrite Supermarkets and Lagos State House of Assembly.
For sponsorship, support, or partnership enquiries, please contact: 07030333363, 09098898079, 07032312815.
The Consequences Of Disregarding The Prophecies Of Primate Elijah Ayodele
Primate Elijah Ayodele of INRI Evangelical Spiritual church is a prophet on his own different league; no competition, no rivals and even though we have several prophets operating in the same ministry, Primate Ayodele has maintained his uniqueness beyond reasonable doubts, hereby standing him out among others.
It’s not for pride or class but there is absolutely no one that has the unction, prowess, clarity, and words that Primate Ayodele possesses. His ministry is beyond the everyday prophecy, made huge, unattainable records and still smashed them with more manifestations of his unique prophetic ministry.
For any nation, having a proven man of God like Primate Ayodele is a huge blessing because if the people and government honour, listen and follow prophets like him, no country in the world should be able to compete with them and the reason is this prophet warns nations of danger ahead of time, proffer solutions to problems, tell them what to do to become prosperous and several other mysterious things. It would indeed be a huge blessing for any nation to have Primate Ayodele in their midst.
However, Primate Ayodele is a typical reflection of Jesus’s statement about a prophet not getting honoured in his home town. As blessed as Nigeria is to have Primate Ayodele, He is more respected in foreign countries than Nigeria.
While other countries yearn to listen to his prophecies and follow his divine instructions, Nigerians are always looking out for when his prophecies would fail or when he would talk against their interest so they can proudly criticize him and call him names.
Despite the fact that they don’t even see his prophecies fail, they go to the extent of twisting Primate Ayodele’s prophecies just to push an agenda, they cook up stories against him to set him up for drags but instead of the ministry of this unique prophet to go down, it keeps growing from glory to glory.
Meanwhile, just two days ago, Primate Ayodele was hosted on Liberia’s biggest radio station, King’s FM, where he was interviewed about the nation of Liberia, what they would face in the near future and the solutions to their problems. It was an intense interview that lasted close to 3 hours with more than 3,000 Liberians staying glued till the very end and when the call lines were opened, the citizens kept on calling till the host stopped the calls from coming in – it just shows how much they honour the gift of Primate Elijah Ayodele.
On the other hand, Nigerians, including the government, instead of honouring Primate Ayodele by listening and following his divine instructions are after criticizing him in the most disrespectful manner. It is for this reason that unfortunate incidents happen in the country; the government prefers to call God’s prophet names even when they are being warned against impending dangers, they miss the message and focus on tackling the messenger and this is why they fail.
As we speak, Nigerians especially Abuja residents are currently in fear of an earthquake due to incessant movements on underneath the earth that has been happening for some days now.
These tremors, which began last weekend and continued intermittently through the night, have caused unease among locals.
Earth tremors are minor shifts in the Earth’s surface, caused by the same geological forces that lead to earthquakes. While they are generally less severe than full-fledged earthquakes, their persistence can be unsettling, especially when they occur in densely populated areas.
Of course, Primate Ayodele had specifically warned the Nigerian government against climatic conditions that would result in a kind of earth shaking. This statement was released by the man of God in April 2024.
These were his words
‘’There is an impending danger that will come through climatic conditions in some Nigerian states. I see some states experiencing earth shake as a result of climatic conditions.’’
“Nigeria has been experiencing flooding but another nationwide flooding looms and it will be very serious in states including Lagos, Abuja, Anambra, Abia, Enugu, Kogi, Edo, Adamawa, and Niger.’’
I foresee ‘earth-shaking’, climatic problems in Lagos, Abuja, Oyo, others – Primate Ayodele warns
The earth tremor that has consistently happened in Abuja for days is a fulfillment of the warnings of Primate Ayodele but it could have been worked on if the government paid attention to the words of the prophet rather than the prophet himself. The government has a responsibility to protect its citizens, Primate Ayodele has assisted them by revealing what is to happen but they prefer to do everything asides following divine instructions.
It is the same way Primate Ayodele warned Borno state government of an impending flood that would make thousands of people homeless in 2023. Unfortunately, instead of taking necessary precautions to prevent such, the government ignored and today, Borno has become a major attraction because of the deadly flood that swept through every part of the state.
At this point, Primate Ayodele doesn’t have anything to prove regarding his call as a prophet anymore, he has been tested and trusted, He is credible enough and doesn’t need anyone’s validation. He will continue to release his prophecies as God directs him but when people ignore these warnings, they would definitely experience the consequences.
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