Pirates attack Agip workers, kill three in Bayelsa

Tragedy has befallen the Nigerian Agip Oil Company as pirates attacked and killed three of its workers around the Clough Creek waterways, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

Our correspondent gathered that one of the deceased, Mr. Hector Abbey, drowned after jumping into the water in a bid to escape from the bandits.

The boat of the workers, identified as MV Terra, was said to have been ambushed by the gunmen when it was heading for the firm’s Clough Creek flow station.

It was gathered that the boat was not being escorted by security operatives when it was attacked.

The remains of Abbey have been deposited at a private mortuary in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while the driver of the boat was said to be receiving medical treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

The assailants were said to have attacked their victims at about 6 pm on Thursday.

They were said to have double-crossed the workers, who were travelling in a speedboat and opened fire on the driver.

Abey, 42, out of panic, was said to have jumped into the water, but was unable to swim safely to the shores.

While his remains were later recovered later by local divers, two other persons have been declared missing.

The Joint Task Force codenamed, Operation Pulo Shield, confirmed the incident to our correspondent.

JTF’s Media Coordinator, Lt.-Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the workers were travelling without an escort when the incident happened.

He, however, said only one person drowned while trying to escape from the bandits.

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Oil marketers continue strike despite FG’s promises

Oil marketers in the country are still on strike despite the promises by the Federal Government on Thursday that verified subsidy arrears would soon be paid to them.

The marketers, who spoke to our correspondent on Friday, confirmed that the government had yet to contact them for deliberations.

The FG on Thursday, through the Ministry of Finance, directed the Debt Management Office to pay marketers all subsidy claims that had been verified.

The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had said the claims would be paid as soon as the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency provided the supporting Sovereign Debt Notes. But she did not disclose the total amount to be paid to the marketers.

The minister, in a statement by her Senior Special Assistant on Communication, Mr. Paul Nwabuiku, had said there was no need for the marketers to go on strike since the government was already addressing the subsidy payment issue.

Confirming the position of the marketers on Friday, the President, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association, Chief Dapo Abiodun, said, “Of course we are still on strike. We have not heard from the government yet. There has been no meeting between us and government.”

He said officially, neither the association nor its members had been communicated to in that regard.

He said, “What we hear are just rumours that we’ll be paid.”

Our correspondent learnt from some members of the Jetty and Petroleum Tank Farm Owners of Nigeria that the government had yet to reach them on the development.

Marketers had said on Wednesday that they were awaiting proof from the government that it would actually pay the claims.

When asked if the current strike would be called off following the promise by the government to pay, they had said, “We will wait until we have a proof of that. Nobody has told us that.”

　

DAPPMA had said it would wait until the government’s intention to pay the verified subsidy arrears was formally communicated to it.

Abiodun, who spoke on behalf of the association, also said if the development was confirmed, the association might do some reconsiderations as regards the current strike embarked upon by its members.

The Chairman, Jetty and Petroleum Tank Farm Owners of Nigeria, Mr. Ifeanyi Uba, had said before the association would call off its strike, the government must meet its conditions.

He said, “We must have a Memorandum of Understanding with the government on how this business will be run. The government should settle the subsidy claims and design the future of this industry.”

In the same vein, the Executive Secretary, Major Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Obafemi Olawore, had told our correspondent that, “Let the government pay; we are waiting.

“We don’t expect them to pay unverified claims; but they should be fast in verifying all the claims.”

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FG orders payment of subsidy arrears to marketers

The Federal Government on Thursday moved to avert a nationwide fuel scarcity as it directed the Debt Management Office to pay marketers all subsidy claims that had been verified.

The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said the claims would be paid as soon as the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency provided the supporting Sovereign Debt Notes.

She, however, did not disclose the total amount to be paid to the marketers.

The oil marketers, operating under the aegis of Depot and Petroleum Product Marketers Association, had threatened to go on strike if their claims were not paid by Thursday.

Specifically, they vowed to suspend fuel loading at the depots in Lagos and other parts of the country.

But the minister, in a statement by her Senior Special Assistant on Communication, Mr. Paul Nwabuiku, on Thursday, said there was no need for the marketers to go on strike since the government was already addressing the subsidy payment issue.

The statement reads, “The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has directed the Debt Management Office to pay marketers with verified claims as soon as supporting Sovereign Debt Notes are provided by the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency.

“The directive is to reinforce the Federal Government’s determination to ensure that there is no disruption in fuel supplies across the country.”

The statement recalled that payments based on verified claims resumed after a meeting of the Federation Accounts Allocations Committee in June this year, and payments totalling N17bn were made.

It also said, “To prevent overpayments, verification of claims is a cornerstone of the procedures adopted by the Federal Ministry of Finance for managing fuel subsidy payments.

“The minister clarified that following the report of the Presidential Committee headed by Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, it is clear that some marketers also owe government significant sums of money and that government expects that these will be paid.”

The minister also said that the review had produced a lot of useful details on what went wrong with the system and what needed to be done to ensure improvement.

The review process started in February when the Ministry of Finance and other relevant government agencies held a meeting with bankers and marketers at the instance of President Goodluck Jonathan.

This was followed by a session with the accounting and auditing firms to re-evaluate their work.

It said, based on the review, the services of the two audit and accounting firms responsible for certifying the documents and claims of the marketers before payment were terminated.

Subsequently, a committee was set up to verify oil subsidy claims, it added.

The Presidential Committee on Verification and Reconciliation of Fuel Subsidy Payment, in its report, which was submitted on Monday, revealed that 21 companies that participated in subsidy payments were found culpable of fraudulent claims.

The report said that N21bn was cleared leaving N382bn as the sum in contention, the basis for which the committee recommended the process of recovery.

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President Goodluck Jonathan Sacks NNPC Management and Board

The president’s new appointment is expected to overhaul the oil and gas sector

President Goodluck Jonathan has fired the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Austen Oniwon, and other top officials of the corporations.

Andrew Yakubu, an engineer has been appointed Mr. Oniwon’s replacement.

See full press release from the presidency on the new appointments below.

PRESIDENT JONATHAN APPROVES RE-COMPOSITION OF NNPC MANAGEMENT TEAM

To further strengthen the ongoing reforms and transformation of Nigeria’s Petroleum sector, and in furtherance of efforts to achieve greater transparency and accountability in government, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the re-composition of the executive management team of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as follows: 1. Engr. Andrew Yakubu – Group Managing Director
2. Mr. Bernard O.N. Otti – Group Executive Director (Finance and Accounts)
3. Engr. Abiye Membere – Group Executive Director (Exploration and Production)
4. Dr. Peter S. Nmadu – Group Executive Director (Corporate Services)
5. Engr. Anthony Ogbuigwe – Group Executive Director (Refineries & Petrochemicals)
6. Dr. Attahir B. Yusuf – Group Executive Director (Commercial & Investments)
7. Dr. David Ige – Group Executive Director (Gas & Power)
The incoming Group Managing Director, Engr. Andrew Yakubu graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1979 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He joined the NNPC in 1980. Positions he has held in the corporation include Managing Director of the Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company and Group Executive Director (Exploration and Production). Engr. Yakubu is an indigene of Kaduna State and a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.
President Jonathan has also approved the appointment of Engr. Victor Briggs as the new Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).
The incumbent Group Managing Director, Engr. Austen Oniwon, and Mr. Michael Arokodare (outgoing Group Executive Director (Finance and Accounts), Mr. Philip Chukwu, outgoing Group Executive Director (Refineries & Petrochemicals), and Engr. Billy Agha, outgoing Group Executive Director (Engineering & Technology) are to proceed on retirement.
President Jonathan commends the outgoing directors for their service to the nation and urges the new management team to be fully committed to rapidly implementing the critical interventions needed to positively transform Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
Reuben Abati
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
June 26, 2012

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