The Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria, NOGASA,has emphasized the need for the federal government to shift subsidies from petrol to diesel to reduce the operational cost of distributing petrol in the country.

Mr. Benneth Korie, NOGASA National President,lamented that the high cost of diesel remains a major challenge in the distribution of petrol across the country.

Korie,who spoke at a press conference in Abuja on Monday,disclosed that independent marketers have also had to rely on loading from private depots owned by major marketers in order to get the product to sell at their filling stations.

According to him,the remaining competitive against stations owned by the major marketers was a huge challenge for independents as government owned depots were empty.

He added it cost about N70 per litre to move petrol from the depots to filling stations in the northern parts of the country.

“The major cost in the supply of petrol is diesel. The high cost of diesel is the reason for petrol scarcity and high price of PMS. AGO is used to transport petrol. The vessels or ships that bring in PMS are powered by diesel. The depots and petrol stations are powered by diesel. So diesel is at the heart of petrol distribution.

“I have said this before, if you fix the high cost of diesel by lowering the price, it will significantly reduce the pump price of petrol. Subsidy should be on AGO not PMS”, he stated.

He also commended the intervention of the Department of Security Services, DSS, in resolving the petrol supply challenge, saying it helped in easing the difficulties faced by independent marketers.

“The DSS coming in made things easier a bit. They were able to do something that made the process easier”, he added.

He advocated the need to fix roads across the country and also getting the refineries working again, stressing that cost of operations would be significantly lower if these issues are addressed.

The NOGASA boss said the marketers have been assured by the government that the Port Harcourt Refinery would become operational in the coming year

The Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG),says Nigeria will see numerous changes across the entire oil and gas value chain in year 2023

The chairman of the IPPG, Mr. Abdulrazaq Isa, disclosed this during the Group’s 2022 Annual Dinner held recently at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos

He said that the tangible effects of the PIA implementation, conclusion of this IOC divestment phase and the emerging dominance of the indigenous players across onshore and shallow water space; implementation of the decade of gas policy; and the expected deregulation of the downstream sector, will all jointly set the tone and direction for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry in the years to come.

The group restated that it has an important role to play going forward and are best placed to ensure the optimal development of Nigeria’s hydrocarbon resources as its members have demonstrated financial and technical capability to develop the country’s hydrocarbon resources, with proven appetite for supporting the Government’s energy security vision through building a broader value-adding midstream and downstream businesses.

“It is therefore imperative that our advocacy effort in 2023 should be focused on creating collective support and deliberate collaboration with the Government, Industry Regulators and Nigerian Financial institutions, working in concert, to optimise the numerous growth opportunities available across the industry”,Isa said.

He reiterated that the group’s priority as an industry, in the short to medium term, “must be to rapidly exploit our hydrocarbon assets for the socio-economic transformation of our country.

He said,IPPG will continue to work closely with the government to achieve all its aspirations for the industry which is primarily centred on energy availability, affordability and security for all Nigerians now and in the coming years”.

He assured that the group will continue to partner with relevant industry stakeholders towards the growth and development of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

“The Nigerian oil and gas industry has evolved over the last two years with the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act, large IOC divestment announcements, and Nigeria’s commitment to 2060 net-zero aspirations. This means that a holistic re-positioning of our industry has become necessary”, Isa said.

He commended the two industry regulators, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), for their diligent implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and their adopted approach of engaging all stakeholders in this regards.

The guest speaker at the dinner, Mr. Segun Agbaje, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company PLC, in his presentation; “The Outlook for Financing the Energy Sector in Nigeria in the Light of the Energy Transition” spoke on the funding challenges confronting the industry, outlook for the industry in terms of financing.

He also offered insights on how to ensure sustainable financing solutions for the development of the nation’s hydrocarbon resources are defined.

Since the establishment of IPPG in 2015, the Group has achieved remarkable growth and remained focused on working with stakeholders for the development of the oil and gas industry for the benefit of the country.

IPPG is a twenty-seven-member association of Nigerian indigenous upstream Exploration and Production companies that constructively engages government and other industry stakeholders on issues affecting the industry with a view to realising a sustainable petroleum industry and maximize its contribution to the socio-economic development of Nigeria.