Economy
NLNG Revenue Declines to $4.7b in 2016
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) has released its unaudited financial statement for the year ended December 31, 2016, declaring a decline in its earnings for the period under review.
In the statements, the firm said its revenue slumped by 30.98 percent from $6.84 billion recorded in 2015 to $4.72 billion in 2016.
The company said despite the sharp drop in its revenue, its capital investment appreciated slightly by 1.98 per cent to $881.84 million from $864.76 million recorded in the previous year.
However, the drop in revenue, negatively affected its dividends payout, as it paid $737.086 million in dividends to its shareholders — the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Shell, Total and Eni 2016.
The amount paid as dividends in 2016 represented a 65.89 percent decline when compared to total dividends of $2.161 billion paid to shareholders in 2015.
In addition, the report pointed out that $717.72 million was expended by the NLNG to purchase gas from the NNPC in 2016, compared to $1.18 billion in the previous year, while $593.16 million worth of gas was purchased by the NLNG from Shell, Total, Agip and Conoco Philip in 2016, compared to $961.97 million in 2015.
The NLNG, according to the report, also paid local contractors $565.64 million for goods and services, dropping by 7.4 percent from $610.82 million paid out to local contractors in 2015.
To this end, the report stated that the NLNG had from 1999 to December 31, 2016, recorded total revenue of $95.09 billion; total capital investment of $16.57 billion; total dividends paid to the NNPC stood at $15.7 billion; while Shell, Total and Eni received $16.45 billion as total dividends in the 18-year period.
Also, NLNG’s total gas purchases from the NNPC from 1999 to 2016 stood at $12.588 billion; gas purchases from Shell, Total, Agip and Conoco Philip stood at $10.29 billion over the same period; while total payments to local contractors for goods and services from 1999 to 2016 stood at $5.66 billion.
The NLNG disclosed that in a proactive bid to discover more Nigerian sources, Nigerian Content surveys and vendor forums were conducted at scheduled intervals to identify indigenous companies capable of providing the goods and services required by NLNG.
It also stated that through its initiative to empower local contractors via the Finnima Legacy Project, five host community-based contractors had made capital investments in their companies thereby expanding their operating capacity, while it had also strategic partnerships between the more established Nigerian vendors and the community vendors.
The NLNG further disclosed that about 54 vendors had been trained at the Bonny Vocational Centre to improve their skills in business development and project management, while its deliberate strategies implemented to increase spend in some communities had led to a significant increase in year-on-year spend with direct spend increasing by over 100 percent between 2011 and 2013 and even further in 2014.
It said, “Doing business with Nigeria LNG has engendered improvement in some of our vendors’ business processes, and led them to upgrade their facilities and capacity to meet very stringent requirements.
“In the past, for instance, NLNG worked with Dorman Long Nigeria Limited and Nigerdock Nigeria PLC to enhance their galvanisation capability, with Nexans Kabelmetal to increase manufacturing capacity and with Nigerian Foundries to improve their processes for the manufacture of trench gratings and manhole covers.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Stanbic IBTC Bank Nigeria Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the Nigerian private sector in July 2026 contracted to 52.5 points from 53.4 points in June 2026, a statement made available to Business Post has shown.
This occurred despite the business environment sustaining its growth last month, with an increase in new orders experienced, as inflationary pressures softened, and output and employment modestly rising.
The Head of Equity Research West Africa at Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr Muyiwa Oni, said the PMI indicated that the private sector recorded its slowest since March 2026, as businesses also increased their input purchasing activity to keep up with current demand requirements and prepare for future workloads.
“Nigerian businesses reported improved customer demand in July while better pricing and new product launches also helped them to capture new orders arising from the increase in demand. These factors helped to keep the private sector activity in an expansionary territory, although this moderated when compared to June,” he was quoted as saying.
It was stated that while input costs increased at their slowest pace in five months, panellists reported higher costs for fuel and raw materials. Selling prices also softened in line with the picture for input costs in July.
Headline inflation eased slightly to 15.91 per cent y/y in June from 15.93 per cent y/y in May, snapping three consecutive months of price increases.
Although July inflation is likely to be higher m/m, it is expected to print lower, likely at 15.72 per cent y/y, primarily driven by favourable base effects from the corresponding period of last year, because there are no expectations of the magnitude of m/m inflation witnessed in July 2025 (1.99 per cent) to materialise this year.
“We retain our 2026 growth forecasts at 4.1 per cent as we see the oil sector growing by 3.45 per cent y/y in 2026, from 8.50 per cent y/y in 2025, while the non-oil sector is likely to grow by 4.11 per cent y/y, from 3.71 per cent y/y in 2025.
“The risks to our outlook include country-wide insecurity which may constrain food production, exchange rate pressures resurfacing, extreme-weather related conditions and higher fertiliser prices impacting crop yield, and a volatile global environment which may affect sentiment and constrain capital flows,” Mr Oni noted.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Sahara Upstream, a Nigeria-focused crude producer, has deployed a new 380,000-barrel tanker to boost exports from the OML 18 block as part of a wider push by domestic operators to invest in infrastructure and lift output and exports for Africa’s biggest oil producer.
The MT D Adesanya, which can hold more than 62,000 cubic metres of crude, will operate alongside the MT D Bayero, receiving crude from shuttle vessels at Bonny Anchorage, one of Nigeria’s main crude export hubs, before transferring it to the FSO Cawthorne storage facility.
Sahara said the tanker would help cut turnaround times, currently about 30 to 48 hours, and support a planned 50 per cent increase in exports from the block’s current level of about 950,000 barrels per month.
The block currently produces about 36,000 barrels per day, according to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), with Sahara targeting output of 60,000 barrels per day.
OML 18 is one of the Niger Delta’s oldest producing assets. It began production in 1970 and contains an estimated 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent in reserves.
Shell, Total and Eni sold their combined interests to Eroton in 2015 as part of a broader shift toward domestic ownership in Nigeria’s upstream sector.
This development comes as Sahara Upstream is deepening its exploration and production footprint through Asharami Energy Limited (AEL), its upstream E&P business, which says it is targeting 350,000 barrels of oil per day by 2030 through its subsidiary, Enageed Resources Limited (ERL).
The growth target comes as AEL also marks a major safety milestone, achieving 6 million Lost Time Injury (LTI)-free man-hours in its OML-148 operations — reinforcing the company’s commitment to operational excellence and safety leadership.
According to Asharami Energy, the milestone reflects its ability to execute complex operations safely, in line with Sahara’s Beyond XXX vision, which builds on the group’s 30-year legacy of responsible enterprise while marking its next chapter of impact, innovation, and sustainable growth.
The developments position Sahara Upstream and its subsidiaries among the domestic operators driving increased investment in Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure, as the group works to scale up production and exports for Africa’s biggest oil producer.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
One of the leading energy firms in Nigeria, Aradel Holdings Plc, has expressed its desire to optimise its enlarged portfolio and improve operational efficiency in the second half of 2026.
The company is planning to build on the success it recorded in the first half of the year, where it grew its revenue by 577 per cent to N2.5 trillion from N368.1 billion in H1 2025.
The significant rise in earnings was driven by higher production volumes together with stronger realised crude oil and gas prices, with the average at $90.4/bbl and $2.08/mmscf, respectively.
In the period under review, the Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) increased by 688 per cent to N1.4 trillion from N176.4 billion in the corresponding period of last year, while the operating profit surged by 789 per cent to N1.1 trillion from N118.6 billion due to higher revenue and crude handling income at N149.8 billion, partly offset by underlift cost and general and administrative costs.
The net cash generated from operations was N975.6 billion between January and June 2026 versus N140.8 billion in the same period of 2025, reflecting the cash generation of the enlarged organisation.
The net debt contracted by 70 per cent on a year-to-date basis to N46.5 billion from N475.1 billion as of December 31, 2025.
Aradel, in the period under consideration, improved its post-tax profit by 30 per cent to N191.0 billion from N146.4 billion, a development that impressed its chief executive, Mr Adegbite Falade, who said, “A firmer price environment supported performance, generating net cash from operating activities of N975.6 billion and a closing cash balance of N1.7 trillion.”
“Our enlarged portfolio provides more opportunities to generate stronger cash flow and returns for shareholders and unlocking that potential is our main focus.
“We reaffirm our full year production guidance of 110 – 140 kboepd and remain committed to operating responsibly in a changing energy landscape and to delivering lasting value for our stakeholders,” he stated.
