Economy
Oando Sustains Positive Moment with N4b Profit in Q1 2018
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The positive momentum recorded by Oando Plc in its 2017 financial year was maintained in the Q1 2018 earnings, Business Post has observed in the financial statements of the energy firm for the period ended March 31, 2018.
In the period under review, the company declared a profit after tax of N4.1 billion with turnover increasing by 9 percent to N150.5 billion from N138.4 billion in the corresponding period of last year.
Also, the gross profit appreciated by 108 percent to N27.9 billion from N13.4 billion achieved in Q1 2017.
According to the group CEO of Oando Plc, this positive performance was influenced by a stable operating environment and continued incline in crude oil price.
“I am pleased to announce that the Company has maintained the momentum of 2017 by posting a profit of N4.1 billion in our first quarter ended March 31, 2018 unaudited financials.
“Our Q1 performance was characterised by a stable operating environment, continued incline in crude oil prices, and the highest level of compliance by member countries’ of the OPEC Accord.
“Considering the background of current industry trends, the Company is committed to maximizing throughput rates to ensure a positive financial performance in the ensuing quarters of 2018,” Mr Tinubu stated.
A look at Oando’s upstream operations showed that Oando Energy Resources (OER) recorded a 4 percent increase in total production to 3.6MMboe (average 39,556 boe/day) from 3.4MMboe (average 38,125 boe/day) in comparative period of Q1 2017.
Also, OER realised a net profit of N8.6 billion ($23.8 million) compared with N5.8 billion ($16.2 million) profit in the comparative period of Q1 2017, while it recorded an average production of 39,556 boe/day in the 3 months ended March 31, 2018 compared with 38,125 boe/day in the comparative period of 2017.
It was observed that the improved production was primarily due to increased production at Ebendo as a result of the Trans Forcados pipeline, which was down in the same period in 2017 as well as increased production at OMLs 60 to 63 as a result of reduced sabotage and crude theft activities, which necessitated a shut-in on production lines in the comparative period of 2017.
At the end, OER recorded a net profit of N8.6 billion ($23.8 million) compared with N5.8 billion ($16.2 million) in the comparative period of Q1 2017. The increase in net income between the quarters was primarily due to higher revenues as a result of a general increase in the price of oil and gas commodities (Q1 2018: Oil -$65.49/bbl, Gas – $1.54/mcf, NGL – $13.59/boe, compared to Q1 2017: Oil – $51.74/bbl, Gas – $1.39/mcf, NGL-$9.62/boe).
Its midstream subsidiary, Axxela, achieved drawdown on a N1.5 billion facility to refinance the Central Horizon Expansion Pipeline’s term loan.
For the downstream operations handled by OTD, the firm recorded average trading volumes of 32,000 bpd in the three months ended March 31, 2018 compared to 70,000 bpd in the comparative period of 2017
A total of 2.9m barrels of Crude Oil and 163,000 MT of petroleum products were traded in the first quarter of the year just as trading revenues remained relatively stable slightly over N108.1 billion ($300 million), driven by a strong performance in West African flows.
The first quarter of 2018 saw global crude prices average $66 per barrel, $3 more than the projected average of $63 for 2018 and 2019. The extension of the OPEC oil production cut agreement through 2018 further buoyed crude oil prices and are reflective in the balance sheet of various economies.
In Nigeria, macroeconomic indicators recorded progress in the first quarter of the year, as oil production increased, inflation rate moderated, the exchange rate and operating environment remained stable.
The outlook for 2018 remains promising as Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is set to grow by 2%, propelled by increased oil production, improved government spending and investments set to benefit from an increasingly attractive investment climate.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira further appreciated against the US Dollar on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, by 0.48 per cent or N7.69 at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) retained the benchmark interest rate at 27.50 per cent.
During the trading session, the exchange rate closed at N1,591.25/$1, in contrast to the preceding day’s value of N1,598.94/$1.
In the same vein, the local currency gained N10.79 against the Pound Sterling yesterday in the official market to sell for N2,126.60/£1 versus Monday’s price of N2,137.29/£1 and chalked up N7.51 on the Euro to finish at N1,791.49/€1 compared with the previous day’s N1,799.00/€1.
In the black market, the Nigerian currency maintained stability against the Dollar during the session to quote at N1,625/$1.
At the end of the 300th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting on Tuesday, the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) was left at 27.50 per cent, the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) remained at 50 per cent, and the Liquidity Ratio (LR) was kept at 30 per cent.
In addition, the Governor of the CBN, Mr Yemi Cardoso, said the Naira is stable and more competitive in the FX market, indicating stability for the Nigerian economy.
In the cryptocurrency market, Cardano (ADA) jumped by 2.5 per cent to trade at $0.7549, Dogecoin (DOGE) appreciated by 1.6 per cent to sell at $0.2278, Bitcoin (BTC) increased its value by 1.4 per cent to end at $107,038.79, Binance Coin (BNB) rose by 1.2 per cent to finish at $655.82, Ethereum (ETH) increased by 0.7 per cent to $2,557.02, and Solana (SOL) went up by 0.6 per cent to close at $169.02.
On the flip side, Litecoin (LTC) recorded a 0.8 per cent depreciation to settle at $95.07, and Ripple (XRP) slumped by 0.2 per cent to $2.35, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchange at $1.00 apiece.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The crude oil market was down on Tuesday due to uncertainty in US-Iran negotiations and Russia-Ukraine peace talks, with Brent futures losing 16 cents or 0.2 per cent to settle at $65.38 per barrel and the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures sliding by 13 cents or 0.2 per cent to $62.56 per barrel.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mr Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said US demands that it stop enriching uranium are “excessive and outrageous,” leading to doubts whether talks on a new nuclear deal will succeed.
Iran is the third-largest producer among the members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) behind Saudi Arabi and Iraq.
A deal between Iran and the US would allow Iran to raise oil exports by 300,000 to 400,000 barrels per day if sanctions were eased.
The European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom announced new sanctions against Russia without waiting for the US to join them.
This development came a day after US President Donald Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin without winning a promise for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Ukraine wants the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies to reduce their price cap on Russian seaborne oil to $30 per barrel. The current G7 cap, imposed over Russia’s war in Ukraine, is $60.
Market analysts believe that the war wouldn’t end soon, but believe that more negotiations will take place.
If a deal is reached, it could allow Russia, a member of OPEC and its allies known as OPEC+, to export more oil to the world.
Meanwhile new government data delivered a cautious outlook for top crude-importer China’s economy.
Data showed decelerating industrial output growth and retail sales in China piled more pressure on oil prices.
US crude oil stocks rose last week while gasoline (petrol) and distillate inventories fell, according to the American Petroleum Institute (API) figures on Tuesday.
Crude stocks in the US, the world’s biggest oil consumer, rose by 2.5 million barrels in the week ended May 16, the sources said on condition of anonymity.
Investors are also looking ahead to government US oil stock data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) later on Wednesday.
Also, Kazakhstan’s oil production rose by 2 per cent in May, an increase that defies pressure from OPEC+ on the country to reduce its output.
By Dipo Olowookere
The stock market marginally increased by 0.03 per cent on Tuesday after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) decided to retain the benchmark interest rate at 27.50 per cent to monitor the effect of the recent drop in inflation.
The rebound at Customs Street yesterday occurred amid a pocket of profit-taking in key sectors of the market, especially in the banking space.
Data showed that the industrial goods sector shed 1.25 per cent, the consumer goods industry fell by 0.87 per cent, the commodity counter depreciated by 0.22 per cent, and the banking index went down by 0.14 per cent.
However, the gains recorded by the insurance and energy sectors lifted the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited as they respectively closed higher by 1.41 per cent and 0.25 per cent.
Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) improved by 32.64 points to 109,730.47 points from 109,697.83 points, and the market capitalisation jumped by N21 billion to N68.966 trillion from N68.945 trillion.
During the session, the market participants bought and sold 487.1 million stocks worth N13.0 billion in 18,587 deals compared with the 486.1 million stocks valued at N11.4 billion traded in 24,883 deals a day earlier, indicating a shortfall in the number of deals by 25.30 per cent, and a leap in the trading volume and value by 0.21 per cent and 14.04 per cent, respectively.
Fidelity Bank witnessed increased activity yesterday, ostensibly because of the recent news report about a judgement debt from the Supreme Court.
Despite the clarification made by the lender concerning the issue, it came under selling pressure on Tuesday, with 60.2 million units sold for N1.1 billion to lead the activity chart.
UBA transacted 36.4 million units worth N1.3 billion, Custodian Investment traded 35.6 million units valued at N698.8 million, Tantalizers exchanged 27.6 million units for N76.4 million, and United Capital traded 26.7 million units worth N496.4 million.
Business Post reports that investor sentiment was weak during the trading day, with a negative market breadth after the bourse ended with 31 price gainers and 32 price losers.
The trio of Regency Alliance, Tripple G, and Nestle Nigeria gained 10.00 per cent each to sell for 66 Kobo, N2.20, and N1464.10 apiece, as Tantalizers appreciated by 9.88 per cent to N2.78 and Multiverse improved by 9.60 per cent to N9.70.
On the flip side, Berger Paints depreciated by 9.98 per cent to N21.20, Mutual Benefits shed 9.80 per cent to settle at 92 Kobo, ABC Transport tumbled by 9.77 per cent to N2.40, Aradel Holdings crashed by 8.55 per cent to N460.00, and Caverton lost 7.09 per cent to trade at N3.80.
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