Business
PIB: NNPC won’t be scrapped but fully commercialised, says FG
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation will be fully commercialised in the interest of Nigerians when the Petroleum Industry Bill is signed into law.
He said this did not mean that it would be scrapped, as interpreted by media reports.
Speaking after a closed-door meeting with lawmakers on the PIB Sylva said, “I have heard a lot of noise about the NNPC being scrapped but that is not envisaged by the bill at all. We have said that the NNPC will be commercialised in the interest of Nigerians.
“If we are talking about transforming the industry, the only new thing we are introducing is the development of the mainstream, which is the pipeline sector between the upstream and the downstream.”
He added, “This is because the framework was not there, has not really developed very well. We have adequately provided for the growth of the mainstream sector.
“The host community has the best deal but the details of the bill will be unfolded on the floor of the Senate. The Petroleum Equalisation Fund and the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency will not exist in the same form that they exist today.”
The long-awaited oil reform bill will privatise the NNPC, amend changes to deepwater royalties made late last year and scrap key regulatory agencies in favour of new bodies, a copy of the bill seen by Reuters showed.
President Muhammadu Buhari had sent the bill to the Senate, two sources told Reuters. The Senate, along with the House of Representatives, must sign off on the bill before it can become law.
The legislation has been in the works for the past 20 years and looks to revise laws governing Nigeria’s oil and gas exploration not fully updated since the 1960s because of the contentious nature of any change to oil taxes, terms and revenue-sharing.
The bill proposes creating a limited liability corporation into which the ministers of finance and petroleum would transfer NNPC assets.
The government would then pay cash for shares of the company and it would operate as a commercial entity without access to state funds.
The changes would in theory make it easier for the struggling company to raise funds.
The legislation would also amend controversial changes to deep offshore royalties made late last year by cutting the royalty that companies pay the government for offshore fields producing less than 15,000 barrels per day to 7.5 per cent from 10 per cent.
It would change a price-based royalty too, so that it kicked in when oil prices climbed above $50 per barrel, rather than $35.
Business
PH refinery: 200 trucks will load petroleum products daily, says Presidency
PH refinery: 200 trucks will load petroleum products daily, says Presidency
No fewer than 200 trucks are set to load petroleum products at the government-owned Port Harcourt Refinery, the presidency has said.
A presidential spokesperson, Sunday Dare, made this known in a statement through his official X handle on Tuesday.
Newstrends had reported that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company on Tuesday announced that Port Harcourt Refinery has resumed operations and crude oil processing after years of inactivity.
READ ALSO:
- US-based Nigerians get 30-year sentence over $3.5m romance scam
- 4 Nigerians arrested in Libya for alleged drug trafficking, infection charges
- BREAKING: Port Harcourt refinery begins operation
Reacting, Dare said, “200 trucks are expected to load products daily from the refinery, Renewing the Hopes of Nigeria.”
He added that “the Port Harcourt refinery has two wings.
“The Old Refinery comes on stream today with an installed production capacity of 60, 000 barrels per day of crude oil.”
PH refinery: 200 trucks will load petroleum products daily, says Presidency
Business
Breaking: CBN increases interest rate to 27.50%
Breaking: CBN increases interest rate to 27.50%
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has raised the lending interest to 27.50 per cent from 27.25 per cent.
This latest increase in the Monetary Policy Rate came after a meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday and concluded Tuesday.
The Monetary Policy Rate measures the benchmark interest rate.
The CBN Governor, Yemi Cardoso, announced this in Abuja on Tuesday after the MPC meeting, last for the year, held at the apex bank’s headquarters.
He said the MPC voted unanimously to raise the MPR by 25 basis points from 27.25% to 27.50%; and retain the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) at 50% for Deposit Money Banks and 16% for Merchant Banks.
The CBN governor also said the MPC retained the Liquidity Ratio (LR) at 30% and Asymmetric Corridor at +500/-100 basis points around the MPR.
Business
Nigeria’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.3% in Q2 – NBS
Nigeria’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.3% in Q2 – NBS
Nigeria’s unemployment rate stood at 4.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said in its latest report.
The report released on Monday said the unemployment rate decreased compared to the 5.3 per cent recorded in the Q1 of 2024.
The NBS defined the unemployment rate as the share of the labour force (the combination of unemployed and employed people) who are not employed but actively searching and are available for work.
“The unemployment rate for Q2 2024 was 4.3%, showing an increase of 0.1 percentage point compared to the same period last year,” the report stated.
“The unemployment rate among males was 3.4% and 5.1% among females.
“By place of residence, the unemployment rate was 5.2% in urban areas and 2.8% in rural areas. Youth unemployment rate was 6.5% in Q2 2024, showing a decrease from 8.4% in Q1 2024.”
Report also said the unemployment rate among persons with post-secondary education was 4.8 per cent; 8.5 per cent among those with upper secondary education, 5.8 per cent for those with lower secondary education, and 2.8 per cent among those with primary education in Q2 2024.
Employment rate – 76%
The report showed that the employment-to-population ratio, which measures the number of employed workers against the total working-age population, increased to 76.1 per cent in Q2 2024.
“In Q2 2024, 76.1% of Nigeria’s working-age population was employed, up from 73.1% in Q1 2024,” the report stated.
Self-employment – 85.6%
The report further showed that Nigeria’s labour market saw a notable shift as the proportion of self-employed individuals increased in Q2 2024.
It stated, “The proportion of persons in self-employment in Q2 2024 was 85.6%.”
-
metro9 hours agoBREAKING: Port Harcourt refinery begins operation
-
Business2 days agoJust in: Dangote refinery reduces petrol price for marketers
-
metro1 day ago40-foot container falls on car in Lagos
-
Politics2 days ago2027: Lagos Speaker, Obasa joins gov race, may battle Seyi Tinubu, others
-
Politics1 day agoLagos 2027: Seyi Tinubu campaign team releases his life documentary
-
International1 day agoTrump to sack 15,000 transgender officers from U.S. military: Report
-
Entertainment1 day agoPolygamy best form of marriage for Africa – Okey Bakassi
-
metro1 day agoPolicewoman dismissed in Edo threatens to kill children, commit suicide
You must be logged in to post a comment Login