General
Shell Deepens Nigerian Investments in Deepwater, Gas, Renewables
By Adedapo Adesanya
As it moves away from its onshore assets, Shell is working to extend the life of the Bonga Floating, Production, Storage, Offloading (FPSO) vessel for another 15 years to handle more production from Nigeria’s first deep-water development.
The deep-water project came on stream in November 2005 and the extension project is coming at a time when the company is exploring opportunities in deep-water, gas, and renewables in Nigeria where it pioneered oil and gas production more than 60 years ago.
Speaking at a panel discussion at the ongoing 8th Sub-Saharan Africa International Petroleum, Exhibition and Conference (SAIPEC) in Lagos organised by the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Mrs Elohor Aiboni, the Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo,), said this is part of its promises to invest in Nigeria.
“Shell is committed to developing its robust portfolio in Nigeria. We are maturing numerous projects planned to come on stream in the short, medium, and long terms with the right fiscal and regulatory framework,” she stated.
Bonga produced the 1 billionth barrel of oil last year and SNEPCo has stepped up efforts for additional volumes from existing assets with more to come on stream in 2024 and beyond.
Other opportunities in deep water include the Bonga North as well as Bonga South-West and Nnwa Doro projects on which SNEPCo is collaborating with the Nigerian government and partners to implement.
Shell is also expanding its gas portfolio with both SNEPCo and The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) maturing several projects to deliver gas from their onshore and deepwater assets.
For its part, Shell Nigeria Gas currently serves more than 130 industrial and commercial customers and now it is looking to expand its gas distribution network to deliver over 1,000MW equivalent of energy to industrial parks and manufacturing companies in Nigeria.
Mrs Aiboni explained on investments in renewables, “Off-grid solutions are the quickest way to improve energy access in remote communities, so our investments in this area will provide millions of Nigerians access to reliable and sustainable electricity.” Shell Nigeria is driving uptake in renewable energy through two companies — All On and Daystar Power Solutions.
“All On has facilitated more than 80,000 off-grid connections in the 36 states in Nigeria including the federal capital territory, with nearly 200 underserved communities and 560 new businesses powered with clean energy.
“Daystar plans to increase its installed solar capacity to 400MW by 2025 to become one of Africa’s leading providers of solar power solutions for commercial and industrial businesses.”
“Over the years, Shell has proved to be a reliable partner in the development of Nigeria through our range of business and mainly the energy we produce. We will continue to look for innovative ways to help reduce costs and drive efficiency in our business.
“We want to remain highly competitive and relevant in the oil and gas business and still stand tall despite all the challenges,” Mrs Aiboni added.
Shell recently agreed to sell its Nigerian onshore oil and gas subsidiary, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), to Renaissance, a group of five companies, for $2.4 billion.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The United States government gave some terrorists in Nigeria a Christmas gift that sent many of them to the great beyond.
On Thursday, December 25, 2025, the United States President, Mr Donald Trump, directed his country’s military to launch air strikes on camps of members of the dreaded Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sokoto State.
According to Mr Trump, the military action, which he threatened to carry out a few weeks ago if the Nigerian government does not stop the killing of Christians in the country, occurred on Thursday night.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.
“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.
“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical islamic terrorism to prosper. May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
In a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Department of War of the United States posted the below video of the air strikes;
https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2004351717131903272
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The presidency has reacted to speculations that Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has been removed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
It was alleged that Mr Gbajabiamila has been replaced with the President’s Principal Private Secretary, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
Mr Muri-Okunola went to Abuja to take up this role after leaving as the Head of Service of the Lagos State Civil Service.
Reacting to the reports on social media on the purported removal of Mr Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presidency said no such change has been made.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, members of the public were advised to disregard the report as “there is absolutely no truth to this story.”
“The Chief of Staff remains in his position. The Principal Private Secretary likewise remains in his role. Hakeem Muri-Okunola has not replaced Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff.
“The viral claim is a fabrication by mischievous purveyors of fake news whose sole aim is to create disharmony within the government.
“We reiterate that news media should always verify their information before publishing or sharing on social media,” the statement said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The new chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has assumed office with a clear message to advance the country’s upstream oil and gas sector in line with the mandate of the commission as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
According to a statement signed by Mr Eniola Akinkuotu, the Head of Media & Strategic Communications at the upstream regulator, the NUPRC boss made this assertation during her first town hall meeting with management and staff on Tuesday December 23, 2025.
She further disclosed plans to make the commission a business enabler and re-ignite investments in the upstream sector.
Recall that President Tinubu nominated Mrs Eyesan to take over the NUPRC after the abrupt resignation of her predecessor, Mr Gbenga Komolafe as well as his counterpart in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed.
In her new capacity, Mrs Eyesan also set a firm production ambition of growing Nigeria’s output and increasing gas production.
“The goal is that we must enable the industry, we are regulators. We must enable the industry from our interactions with the stakeholders, from our interactions with everybody.
“My main objective is to ensure that we make a difference. I believe the NUPRC is at the Center of the industry,” she said.
The commission boss who has served for over three decades in the oil and gas sector, promised to entrench digitisation, transparency and efficiency in operations.
The NUPRC head said with the support of staff and management, the NUPRC will become the gold-standard regulator in Africa. She also promised capacity development, stronger technical depth and sustained engagement with stakeholders, unions and professional teams.
On leadership style, Mrs Eyesan promised an open-door policy and frequent staff engagement, while also soliciting for support and cooperation as the industry embarks on the next phase of transformation.
“If we work together we can unleash opportunities, I don’t see impediments only opportunities,” she added.
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