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NIMASA: Our Focus is Marine Pollution Prevention- Jamoh

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NIMASA boss lauds staff, stakeholders

L-R: Assistant Director Marine Pollution Control, Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT), Mrs. Olawumi Stella C.; Deputy Director, FMOT, Mrs. Julie Abbah; Director, Maritime Safety & Security, FMOT Mr. Babatunde Bambata; Secretary, National Standing Committee for the Implementation of the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC), Mrs. Aisha A Jidda; Deputy Director, Civil Liabilities & Compensation, (IOPC) Mrs. Chinyere Azike and Deputy Director, Ministry of Finance, Budget & National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Pisagih, during the opening session of the 7th Meeting of the Sub-Committees of the National Standing Committee (NSC) on the Implementation of the IOPC Funds in Nigeria in Lagos.

… Says IOPC Fund Implementation still on track***

Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr Bashir Jamoh has restated the Agency’s commitment to effective pollution prevention and control in the Nigerian Maritime domain, in a bid to entrench desired enabling environment.

Dr Jamoh made this Statement while speaking at the 7th meeting of the National Standing Committee on International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund implementation in Nigeria, emphasizing the Agency’s commitment to the effective implementation of the IOPC Fund regime by ensuring optimal utilization of the instrument in the country.

Also read: NIMASA: Jamoh wins Maritime Public Sector Icon 2021

The DG who was represented by the Agency’s Director Marine Environment Management Department, Mrs. Aishatu A. Jidda urged all stakeholders to abide by the provisions of all enabling international instruments as provided for by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adding that the Convention for Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage 1992 and the International Convention on Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Damage 1992 which Nigeria is a signatory to remains relevant to the growth and development of the Nigerian maritime sector.

“Nigeria has domesticated these Conventions and we are qualified to reap the benefits therein. We at NIMASA have a register for contributing oil receivers in Nigeria.

We urge all stakeholders to play their part to ensure reports emanating from Nigeria are in line with acceptable standards”.

“It is good we have a record as a contributing oil receiver and because it is our obligation to ensure we give the IOPC Fund, the names of all contributing oil receivers in Nigeria.

NIMASA is committed to ensuring Nigerians enjoy all the benefits from being a signatory to these International Conventions.” The DG said.

Dr Jamoh reaffirmed the importance of the conventions to Nigeria’s Marine Environment Management.

He said the facilitation of domestication by NIMASA led to the constitution of the National Standing Committee (NSC) on IOPC Fund in September 2004 and five other Sub-Committees in October 2016, with a mandate to ensure seamless implementation of both conventions.

The five subcommittees include the Sub-Committee on Fish Stock/Fisheries; Sub-Committee on Identification of Receivers of Contributing Oil; Sub-Committee on Compilation of Oil Report; Sub-Committee on Claims Handling and Sub-Committee on Pricing Index.

The objective of the meeting was to deliberate on the resolutions reached at the 6th meeting including; the development of a roadmap for the establishment of a Local Oil Pollution Compensation Fund by local insurance companies; drawing up national guidelines on fish stock/fisheries, as well as the collation of recent data on Contributing Oil Receivers and Contributing Oil Products imported.

Other resolutions include drawing up National Guidelines on fish stock/fisheries; collation of recent data on contributing oil receivers, contributing oil products imported, and quantity of product and details of coastal movement of Low Pour Fuel Oils (LPFO) and High Pour Fuel Oils (HPFO) from the refineries and condensates as well as distribution of COR-1 Forms and carrying out sensitization programmes.

 

 

Economy

Import Licence: NNPCL Asks Court To Strike Out Dangote Refinery’s Suit 

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Import Licence: NNPCL Asks Court To Strike Out Dangote Refinery’s Suit

The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to strike out a suit filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE, describing it as “incompetent.”

The NNPCL, in a notice of preliminary objection filed by its team of lawyers led by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, before Justice Inyang Ekwo, argued that the suit was premature.

The application, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024 dated and filed on Nov. 15, was sighted on Wednesday.

NNPCL seeks two orders, which include an order of the honourable court striking out the suit for lack of jurisdiction and alternatively, an order striking out the name of the 2nd defendant (NNPCL) from the suit.

Giving a six-ground argument, the corporation argued that Dangote Refinery lacked locus standi to institute the suit.

“The plaintiff’s suit is premature. The plaintiff’s suit discloses no cause of action. The 2nd defendant is not a competent party. The plaintiff’s suit is incompetent. This honourable court lacks the jurisdiction to hear this suit,” the NNPCL said.

In the affidavit in support of the application deposed to by Isiaka Popoola, a clerk in the law firm of Afe Babalola & Co, counsel to the NNPCL, he said one of their lawyers, Esther Longe who perused Dangote’s originating summons, affidavit and written address told him that an examination of the processes showed that NNPC sued by the refinery was a non-existent entity.

Popoola averred that the court lacked jurisdiction over the 2nd defendant sued as NNPC.

“This 2nd defendant in this suit as consistently seen on the face of the plaintiff’s originating summons, the affidavit in support and the written address as “Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC)”

“A simple search on the CAC website shows that there is no entity called “Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC).”

 “The printout of the said search is hereby attached and marked as Exhibit A,” he said.

According to Popoola, the 2nd defendant/objector is not the same as the 2nd defendant sued by the plaintiff.

“The registered name of the 2nd defendant/objector is Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and this is the only name it can be sued by,” he added.

He said the NNPCL as sued by the refinery in the instant suit, is not a competent party or a juristic person.

Popoola, who averred that the suit was incompetent and ought to be struck out, prayed the court to grant their application in the interest of justice.

It had been earlier reported that three oil marketers had also prayed the court to dismiss the suit.

The oil marketers, in a joint counter affidavit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024 filed on Nov. 5 in response to Dangote Refinery’s originating summons, told Justice Ekwo that granting that application would spell doom for the country’s oil sector.

According to them, the plan to monopolise the oil sector is a recipe for disaster in the country.

The three marketers; AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, in their response, said the plaintiff did not produce adequate petroleum products for the daily consumption of Nigerians.

Besides, they argued that there was nothing placed before the court to prove the contrary.

Dangote Refinery had sued Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) as 1st and 2nd defendants.

Also listed as 3rd to 7th defendants respectively in the originating summons dated Sept. 6 are AYM Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited.

It prayed the court to nullify import licences issued by NMDPRA to the NNPCL and five other companies to import refined petroleum products.

The company also prayed the court to declare that NMDPRA violated Sections 317(8) and (9) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by issuing licenses for the importation of petroleum products.

It stated that such licenses should only be issued in circumstances where there is a petroleum product shortfall.

It also urged the court to declare that NMDPRA violates its statutory responsibilities under the PIA for not encouraging local refineries such as the company.

The company equally sought N100 billion in damages against NMDPRA for allegedly continuing to issue import licences to NNPCL and the five companies for importing petroleum products.

These it said are Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and Jet Fuel (aviation turbine fuel) in Nigeria, “despite the production of AGO and Jet-A1 that exceeds the current daily consumption of petroleum products in Nigeria by the Dangote Refinery.”

Justice Ekwo had fixed Jan. 20, 2025, for the report of settlement or service.

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PETROL: ‘Be Wary Of Substandard Product Dumping’, Dangote Refinery Tells Nigerians

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PETROL: 'Be Wary Of Substandard Product Dumping', Dangote Refinery Tells Nigerians

…Says citizens’ health and vehicle longevity are seriously at risk!

The Dangote Refinery on Sunday warned that Nigerians may soon begin to buy substandard petrol, without much concern for either the citizen’s health or the longevity of their vehicles, except care is taken to prevent low products dumping by those open to connive with certain international traders.

The Group’s image maker and spokesman, Anthony Chiejina gave the warning, saying the group was constrained to raise the alarm, despite its desire to refrain from engaging in any media fights.

“We have lately refrained from engaging in media fights but we are constrained to respond to the recent misinformation being circulated by IPMAN, PETROAN, and other associations. 

“Both organisations claim that they can import PMS at lower prices than what is being sold by the Dangote Refinery. We benchmark our prices against international prices and we believe our prices are competitive relative to the price of imports”, Chiejina stated, stressing that the issue on ground was not about being able to land relatively cheaper petrol on ground, but the quality of such products.

“If anyone claims they can land PMS at a price cheaper than what we are selling, then they are importing substandard products and conniving with international traders to dump low-quality products into the country, without concern for the health of Nigerians or the longevity of their vehicles. Unfortunately, the regulator (NMDPRA) does not even have laboratory facilities which can be used to detect substandard products when imported into the country.

“Post deregulation, NNPC set the pace by selling PNS to domestic marketers at N971 per litre for sale into ships and at N990 for sale into trucks. This set the benchmark for our pricing and we have even gone lower to sell at N960 per litre for sale into ships while maintaining N990 per litre for sale into trucks.

“In good faith, and the interest of the country, we commenced sales at these prices without clarity on the exchange rate that we will use to pay for the crude purchased.

“At the same time, an international trading company has recently hired a depot facility next to the Dangote Refinery, intending to use it to blend substandard products that will be dumped into the market to compete with Dangote Refinery’s higher quality production.

“This is detrimental to the growth of domestic refining in Nigeria. We should point out that it is not unusual for countries to protect their domestic industries to provide jobs and grow the economy. For example, the US and Europe have had to impose high tariffs on EVs and microchips to protect their domestic industries.

“While we continue with our determination to provide affordable, good quality, domestically refined petroleum products in Nigeria, we call on the public to disregard the deliberate disinformation being circulated by agents of people who prefer for us to continue to export jobs and import poverty”, the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer further said.

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YULETIDE Decorations: LASG To Divert Traffic At Ajose Adeogun

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YULETIDE Decorations,: LASG To Divert Traffic At Ajose Adeogun

The Lagos State Government will divert Traffic, away from a section of Ajose Adeogun Street in Victoria Island, for the mounting of end-of-the-year decoration, for a duration of three weekends starting from Saturday 19th October 2024.

The aforementioned exercise, according to Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi,  will be carried out in three phases with each phase focusing on different sections of the street. 

To this end, the following alternative routes have been mapped out for motorists during the cause of the mounting; 

 During the First Phase which will cover Jubril Martins to Chicken Republic – (Saturday, 19th and Sunday, 20th October 2024)

Traffic inward Eko-Hotel Roundabout will be diverted to the other half (existing section) of Ajose Adeogun Street by VCP Hotel to form contra-flow traffic and exit at Eko-Hotel Roundabout to continue journeys.

Alternatively, Traffic inward to Eko-Hotel Roundabout from VCP Hotel will be diverted through Jubril Martins into Muri Okunola to link Patience Coker and access Ajose Adeogun Street to connect destinations.

During the Second Phase which will cover Molade Okoya Thomas to Mounis Bashorun section – (Saturday, 26th and Sunday, 27th October 2024). 

Traffic inward Ajose Adeogun Street from Eko-Hotel Roundabout will be diverted to a right turn into Molade Okoya Thomas to link Younis Bashorun to access Ajose Adeogun Street to continue journeys. 

During the Third phase of the project spanning 10 meters inward Ajose Adeogun (Saturday, 2nd November, 2024).

Motorists from Adetokunbo Ademola Street will maintain a lane movement for about 10 metres into Ajose Adeogun Street to connect their destinations, while Motorists inward Eko-Hotel Roundabout on Ajose Adeogun Street will maintain a lane movement for about 10 metres into Eko-Hotel Roundabout.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi while imploring Motorists to note the ease of movement plan assured that the State’s Traffic Management Authority will be on ground to manage vehicular activities along the corridor to minimise inconveniences.

The Commissioner therefore advised Motorists to be patient, as the Partial closure is part of the traffic management plans for the commencement of End of Year Decoration of Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, by Zenith Bank PLC.

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