Economy
Fuel Subsidy May Continue Till 2023—NNPC GMD
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has disclosed fuel subsidy will likely not go away this year despite the signing into law the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by President Muhammadu Buhari some days ago.
It was initially thought that the PIA will automatically wipe out fuel subsidy from the petroleum sector but the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the NNPC, Mr Mele Kyari, said it may remain next year and possibly till 2023 when the new law should have been fully implemented.
A few days ago, President Buhari, who is expected to constitutionally vacate office on May 29, 2023, constituted a steering committee for the implementation of the PIA headed by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva. The team was given one year to carry out its assignment.
The Minister had said it would be very difficult to immediately remove petrol subsidy with the new law without putting in place a gradual plan for this, with stakeholders like the labour unions carried along.
Mr Kyari, while speaking on Wednesday at the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) 2022 to 2024 public hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, stated that the country may not exit the fuel subsidy regime in 2022, but stressed that this might be done by 2023 when the Act might have been fully activated.
He also informed the lawmakers at the hearing chaired by Mr James Faleke that his agency was working to track fuel consumption by deploying technology to monitor fuel distribution across Nigeria in a bid to check the activities of smugglers.
He stated that with the electronic monitoring, every truck carrying fuel would be visible as they discharged their load and would see all the fuel stations as they discharged.
Mr Kyari said that the national fuel consumption per day may not be above 60 million litres as being speculated, adding however that anytime NNPC supply less than that, there would be a problem.
He also said that President Buhari had personally directed him to take steps that would curtail cross border smuggling, while also admitting the challenges posed by land borders, aiding activities of smugglers.
The GMD said that those who took crude oil across the border would not sell at the official price.
He said that the corporation was already engaging the Republic of Niger to establish a retail NNPC outlet in the country’s neighbour, a move that would curtail the activities of smugglers.
Speaking on the Dangote refinery, Mr Kyari said that the decision of the NNPC to be on the board of the refinery was a calculated attempt, adding that as of today, Nigeria does not have strategic storage.
“We are taking interest in Dangote Refinery and up till now, he does not want us to take 50 per cent equity and it was structured on the fact that he must buy 300,000 barrels of crude oil from us per day,” he stated.
He said that Dangote Refinery had a choice to buy crude oil from anywhere in the works but was charged to buy from the country, stressing that it was a good deal the NNPC was proud to enter into.
Mr Kyari said that contrary to insinuation, the NNPC has not abandoned the country’s refineries and it was not about taking a $500 million loan to repair them as speculated.
He added that none of the country’s refineries had undergone full-scale rehabilitation since 2000.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The duo of Afriland Properties Plc and Geo-Fluids Plc crashed the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by a marginal 0.06 per cent on Wednesday, December 11 due to profit-taking activities.
The OTC securities exchange experienced a downfall at midweek despite UBN Property Plc posting a price appreciation of 17 Kobo to close at N1.96 per share, in contrast to Tuesday’s closing price of N1.79.
Business Post reports that Afriland Properties Plc slid by N1.14 to finish at N15.80 per unit versus the preceding day’s N16.94 per unit, and Geo-Fluids Plc declined by 1 Kobo to trade at N3.92 per share compared with the N3.93 it ended a day earlier.
At the close of transactions, the market capitalisation of the bourse, which measures the total value of securities on the platform, shrank by N650 million to finish at N1.055 trillion compared with the previous day’s N1.056 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) went down by 1.86 points to wrap the session at 3,012.50 points compared with 3,014.36 points recorded in the previous session.
The alternative stock market was busy yesterday as the volume of securities traded by investors soared by 146.9 per cent to 5.9 million units from 2.4 million units, as the value of shares transacted by the market participants jumped by 360.9 per cent to N22.5 million from N4.9 million, and the number of deals increased by 50 per cent to 21 deals from 14 deals.
When the bourse closed for the day, Geo-Fluids Plc remained the most active stock by volume (year-to-date) with 1.7 billion units valued at N3.9 billion, followed by Okitipupa Plc with 752.2 million units worth N7.8 billion, and Afriland Properties Plc 297.5 million units sold for N5.3 million.
Also, Aradel Holdings Plc, which is now listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited after its exit from NASD, remained the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 108.7 million units sold for N89.2 billion, trailed by Okitipupa Plc with 752.2 million units valued at N7.8 billion, and Afriland Properties Plc with 297.5 million units worth N5.3 billion.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The euphoria around the recent appreciation of the Naira eased on Wednesday, December 11 after its value shrank against the US Dollar at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) by N5.23 or 0.3 per cent to N1,547.50/$1 from the N1,542.27/$1 it was valued on Tuesday.
It was observed that spectators’ activities may have triggered the weakening of the local currency in the official market at midweek as they tried to fight back and ensure the value of funds in foreign currencies strengthened.
The domestic currency was regaining its footing after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) launched an Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS) platform to tackle speculation and improve transparency in Nigeria’s FX market.
At midweek, the Nigerian currency depreciated against the Pound Sterling by N3.56 to close at N1,958.68/£1 compared with the preceding day’s N1,955.12/£1 and against the Euro, it slumped by 34 Kobo to trade at N1,612.66/€1, in contrast to the previous session’s N1,613.00/€1.
As for the black market segment, the Naira lost N45 against the American currency during the session to quote at N1,670/$1 compared with the N1,625/$1 it was traded a day earlier.
A look at the cryptocurrency market showed a recovery following profit-taking as the US Consumer Price Index report matched economist forecasts.
The news was enough to convince traders that the Federal Reserve is certain to trim its benchmark fed funds rate another 25 basis points at its meeting next week.
The move also saw Bitcoin (BTC), the most valued coin, return to the $100,000 mark as it added a 2.9 per cent gain and sold for $100,566.12.
The biggest gainer was Cardano (ADA), which jumped by 15.00 per cent to trade at $1.16, as Litecoin (LTC) appreciated by 10.4 per cent to sell for $121.76, and Ethereum (ETH) surged by 7.0 per cent to $3,929.30, while Dogecoin (DOGE) recorded a 6.7 per cent growth to finish at $0.4181.
Further, Binance Coin (BNB) went up by 5.2 per cent to $716.72, Solana (SOL) expanded by 4.6 per cent to $229.77, and Ripple (XRP) increased by 4.2 per cent to $2.43, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 apiece.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Dangote Refinery located in the Lekki area of Lagos State has made its first export of premium motor spirit (PMS) just three months after it commenced the production of petrol.
In September 2024, the refinery produced its first petrol and began loading to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) on September 15.
However, due to some issues, the facility has not been able to flood the local market with its product, forcing it to look elsewhere.
In a landmark move for regional energy integration, Dangote Refinery has partnered with Neptune Oil to take its petrol to neighbouring Cameroon.
Neptune Oil is a leading energy company in Cameroon which provides reliable and sustainable energy solutions.
Dangote Refinery said this development showcases its ability to meet domestic needs and position itself as a key player in the regional energy market, adding that it represents a significant step forward in accessing high-quality and locally sourced petroleum products for Cameroon.
“This first export of PMS to Cameroon is a tangible demonstration of our vision for a united and energy-independent Africa.
“With this development, we are laying the foundation for a future where African resources are refined and exchanged within the continent for the benefit of our people,” the owner of Dangote Refinery, Mr Aliko Dangote, said.
His counterpart at Neptune Oil, Mr Antoine Ndzengue, said, “This partnership with Dangote Refinery marks a turning point for Cameroon.
“By becoming the first importer of petroleum products from this world-class refinery, we are bolstering our country’s energy security and supporting local economic development.
“This initial supply, executed without international intermediaries, reflects our commitment to serving our markets independently and efficiently.”
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