_: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said the Federal Government will support Nigerian firm, UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, and its foreign partners for the timely actualisation of their $5 billion gas project.
Speaking on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja, during an audience with the management of the company and its foreign partners, President Tinubu pledged to remove all impediments to the timely completion of the facility.
President Tinubu commended UTM FLNG Limited as well as its technical partners, Technip Energies of France, and its Japanese counterpart, JGC, for the initiative and partnership.
“Yes, we have abundance of gas on the ground. However, the extractive industry needs the injection of your kind of partnership to be able to promote growth.
“It is a must for any government to support. Let me know if there are any bottlenecks, we will break them”, he said.
The president applauded the conglomerate for the massive investment which, he said, would promote growth and protection of the environment.
Briefing the president earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of UTM Offshore Limited, Mr. Julius Rone, said the project aligns with President Tinubu’s promise to develop Nigerian gas resources as a source of sustainable energy and economic development for the country.
He said when the facility gets upstream by the fourth quarter of 2026, it would process 1.5 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas for foreign market, and produce 300,000 metric tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for domestic use. Mr. Rone said the company would cater for 25 percent of domestic demand for LPG.
He, therefore, solicited for President Tinubu’s support to eliminate any encumbrances that may endanger the delivery of the project by the targeted date.
In her remarks, the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann, described the project as a milestone, cementing the French presence in Nigeria’s economic space.
The facility, she said, would advance the economic diversification agenda of the Federal Government by tapping into the country’s abundant gas deposit.
When delivered, she said, the gas from Nigeria would be viable as an alternative source of gas for Europe.
Also in the delegation were the Japanese Deputy Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms. Hiromi Otuski; Managing Director of JGC, Mr. Naoki Noguchi, and Project Advisor, Mr. Sadeeq Mai Bornu.
Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting with the president, leader of the delegation and Group Managing Director (GMD) of UTM FLNG, Julius Rone, revealed that the multi-floating LNGs are being implemented with a $5 billion loan from AFRIEXIM Bank.
This is coming, amid high cost of fuel in the country, which the UTM FLNG, a Nigerian gas company, has concluded plans to crash, by setting up the first Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) facility in Nigeria and the very first being developed by an indigenous private African company.
The company said the FLNG will among other things, boost production and crash the cost of gas for domestic, auto and industrial use in the country.
The facility which will be the first of its kind in Nigeria also targets to leapfrog the national economy by producing an annual 1.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for export as well as 300,000 LPG metric tons for domestic market aimed at lowering and stabilising prices of gas, while creating thousands of jobs and investment opportunities in Nigeria.
He said Tinubu has assured that his administration would provide full support for the project because it fits into his programme to revive the economy and provide more jobs.
Rone revealed that the project has the capacity to produce 300,000 tons of LPG per year and would provide 7,000 direct jobs for Nigerians.
He said it was the first time in Nigeria that an indigenous company would be involved in such project that would contribute to decarbonization.
According to him, it would be the first floating LNG project in Nigeria and expected to come on stream in the first quarter of 2026.
Rone, who said that he was at the Presidential Villa to brief the president on the import of the facility, noted that the project will serve as a legacy project under the Tinubu administration in the quest to revitalise the nation’s economy, rejuvenate the productive sector, create jobs and investment opportunities while saving millions of Nigerians from the hazards of environmental pollution.
The UTM boss, who said he had a very fruitful discussion with President Tinubu, applauded the president for his strategic policies, commitment and efforts towards stimulating the economy, a disposition he said further motivated the company in its drive to establish the facility in the country.
He explained that the FLNG facility will be anchored offshore in Akwa Ibom State in about 60m water depth.
The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, has ordered the deployment of 35 commissioners of police to various state commands and formations across the country.
Egbetokun also charged them to prioritise the safety and well-being of the citizens they serve, ensuring adherence to the principles of fairness, professionalism, and respect for human rights.
A statement by CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer, on Wednesday said the deployment is following the approval of the IGP’s recommendation by the Police Service Commission (PSC).
It noted that the IGP said that the postings are in line with the commitment of the police leadership to ensure effective policing, security, and the maintenance of law and order in Nigeria.
Among the newly posted commissioners of police are CP Adelesi E. Oluwarotimi to Kwara State Command; CP Adebola Ayinde Hamzat to Oyo State Command; CP Augustina N. Ogbodo to Ebonyi State Command; CP Samuel Titus Musa to Kebbi State Command; CP Aderemi Olufemi Adeoye to Anambra State Command; CP Auwal Musa to Bauchi State Command, and CP Alamatu Abiodun Mustapha to Ogun State Command.
Others include CP Margaret Ochalla to Police Special Fraud Unit Annex Lagos; CP Banji Ogunrinde to head the Explosive Ordnance Unit; CP Rhoda A. Olofu to Ports Authority Police Western, Lagos; CP Kareem Musa to Interpol Annex Lagos; CP Audu Dabigi to Border Patrol Force; CP Abibo D. Reuben to Police Mobile Force; CP Adekunle Ismaila Olusokan to Welfare FHQ Abuja; CP Omolara Ibidun Oloruntola to Special Fraud Unit FCID Abuja, and CP Abaniwonda S. Olufemi to Deputy Force Secretary, among others.
“Furthermore, the IGP charges the appointed commissioners of police to key into his policies, vision, and mission for the Nigeria Police Force while mandating them to prioritise the safety and well-being of the citizens they serve, ensuring adherence to the principles of fairness, professionalism, and respect for human rights”, Adejobi said.
While urging them to serve as exemplary leaders, fostering harmonious relationships with other security agencies, community leaders, and relevant stakeholders, the Inspector-General of Police tasked them to promote intelligence-led policing, proactive crime prevention strategies, and community engagement initiatives that will enhance public trust and confidence in the Nigeria Police Force. class=WordSection3>
DANIEL ABIA
P/HARCOURT
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers State chapter, has debunked the insinuation in some quarters that it had ceded the ministerial slot meant for the state to former Governor Nyesom Wike.
APC said it was shocked to see in some national dailies that the party had ceded its ministerial slot to a non-member of the APC in Rivers State.
It noted that the state chapter of the party has never interacted with Amalgamated Bola Tinubu Campaign Council as it has more than a hundred NGOs and support groups who worked for the APC in Rivers State.
“No NGO or individual outside the officially recognised party structure has the authority of the state chapter of the party to award any entitlements to the former governor who is obviously a card carrying member of the PDP”, the party said.
Addressing a press conference in Port Harcourt, on Wednesday, the state Publicity Secretary of APC, Darlington Nwauju, said, “We wonder where the group or individual derived its powers to speak for APC from. However, for the umpteenth time, we want to say that Mr. Tony Okocha is not a member of our great party and we have not received any communication from the national secretariat of our party that he has been granted waivers to join our party.
“We want to officially dispel that sponsored rumour targeted to package the political ambition of former Governor Wike. We, therefore, reject this obvious public ridicule and assault on our sensibilities as a political party”.
Nwauju explained that “assuming without conceding that Mr. Wike passed through some back channels to fund the presidential campaigns in Rivers which the state chapter cannot even account for, does his Greek gift now qualifies him to be rewarded with a ministerial slot for (a) sponsoring 12 different court actions to stop Rivers APC from fielding candidates for the 2023 elections; (b) sealing party offices of his opponents, encouraging his loyalists to invade campaign venues and leaving humongous destruction in the trail, denying parties access to state owned facilities for campaigns, introducing anti-democratic rules beyond the ones set by the INEC?”
The APC spokesman noted that if every member of the party had died and the party non-existent in the state, which APC would former Governor Wike have dreamt of benefitting from?
“We cannot reduce our progressive party platform to an arena where merchantiling on betrayals, lies and black mail become the only currency for political survival. We have no record of any group as Amalgamated Bola Tinubu Campaign Council in our party in Rivers State, we have a total of 76 registered NGOs and support groups that supported APC in Rivers State”.
According to him, the burden is on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to uphold the principle of party loyalty and supremacy for the fact that there is an official party structure in Rivers State.
“We believe the project is coming at the right time in line with your Renewed Hope agenda of leapfrogging Nigeria’s socio-economic development by sustainably developing our enormous gas resources.
“When completed in Q4 2026, the facility will produce on annual basis, 1.5 million tons of LNG for export, 300,000 metric tons of LPG for domestic market (DLPG) and some quantities of condensate.
“300,000 metric tons of LPG production which will be dedicated to domestic market (DLPG) represents 25 percent of national demand and will go a long way at stabilising the price of cooking gas in addition to its possible use for auto gas and other industrial purposes, among others. Moreover, about 3000 direct jobs and 4000 indirect jobs will be generated in addition to value creation along the LPG supply chain.
“Also, LPG addresses deforestation, helps reduce mortality rate of our women folk as a result of smoke inhalation from the use of firewood. By eliminating flaring of associated gas, Nigeria can meet its climate change goals and this project is one such enabler”, he told the president.