The United Kingdom issued some 132,000 visas to Nigerians in the first half of the year, Jonny Baxter, British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He revealed the number in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday.

Baxter, however, could not readily give the total number of applications received from Nigerians during the period.

“In the first half of the year, we granted approximately 132,000 visas, and those are all sorts of visas which include visit, work and study visas.

“In the previous full year before that, we issued about 324,000. The UK, in that year, issued about three million visas, and of those three million visas, 324,000 were issued to Nigerians, which is about 10 percent.

“ If you think about Nigeria’s population, relative to the world, that’s actually a higher proportion of Nigerians taking up those visas and coming to the UK which I view is a good thing.

“The UK has a huge number of Nigerian students in the country, and in terms of foreign students in the UK, Nigeria is second only to India.

“We welcome and value the many Nigerians that we have coming to the UK to study or settle, as long as they are coming through legal routes, and it is important that the country’s rules are followed and respected,” he said.

Baxter reiterated that change in the rules of students bringing dependents was a necessity, based on an international challenge.

“ In 2019, Nigerian students going to the UK brought in 1,500 dependents. By 2022/2023, that number had risen to 52,000 dependents, that’s a massive increase.

“ Nigeria is not unique, as it has happened for many other countries and indeed, this change on the dependents is an international challenge.

“It is not surprising that a country, Britain in this case, that is facing that kind of change to the numbers of people coming in the country, wants to look at the policy and would want to change and amend their policy.

“This is definitely not a case of saying that we don’t want students to come, we definitely want students still to come, and the new policy would come in in January 2024.”

He explained that UK government reviews its visa fees on a regular basis, noting that increments are taken when it becomes a necessity.

“What the British government has decided to do is they review fees all the time, and they’ve decided that because of the cost of processing visas, those costs that people applying for visas need to pay should go up as well.

“The other thing that I think is probably not often recognized is that, for some of those people who are going to the UK and are in some limited circumstances, those people will access services when they are in the UK and those services cost money.

“So, part of the money out of the fees in the visa process will be to pay for those services that in certain circumstances, some people may need to access when they’re there. So for me, that’s an entirely justifiable thing.

“But I completely understand it is important for us to explain it so people understand reasons for increment,” he said.

He advised the public to always apply for visa well ahead of their scheduled travels, noting that there are processes and time frames in granting visas. (NAN)

...as ex-President responds to allegations over P&ID contract

Former President Muhammadu Buhari has praised his administration for, according to him, coming on a rescue mission and effectively saving Nigeria from corrupt undertones that were planted to expose its economy to imminent collapse.

He said that the success of the administration in the fight against corruption was unprecedented.

This is contained in a statement issued on Sunday by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, in response to the allegations raised against him by former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, over Process & Industrial Developments (P&ID), Paris Club, and the Ajaokuta steel company.

The statement noted that the cases cited by Adoke as a reference point for the Buhari administration’s corruption were cases that originated in a government in which he was the man responsible for the administration of justice.

While noting that the contract and incidental judgement in the P&ID were inherited by his administration, Buhari maintained that, to his credit, he succeeded in stopping its execution even when the previous administration that was responsible for the creation of the liability watched helplessly and exposed Nigeria to over $10 billion in liability.

The statement added: The Paris club saga that Adokie cited as an example of corrupt practises of the Buhari administration is not in any way different in origin and circumstances from the case of P&ID. It was rooted in administrations that predated that of President Muhammadu Buhari. Adoke was a product of the administration that planted the evil foundation and the judgements that resulted therefrom.

“The logical conclusion any reasonable person can draw on P&ID, Paris Club, and Ajaokuta is that President Buhari came on a rescue mission and effectively saved Nigeria from corrupt undertones that were planted to expose its economy to imminent collapse. The success of the Buhari administration in the fight against corruption is unprecedented.

“New legislation was introduced, major recoveries were made at home, stolen monies were repatriated from abroad, and they were judiciously deployed in infrastructure development. High-profile convictions were recorded in unprecedented numbers, with enhanced percentages over and above the records in existence.

“It is in international recognition of these efforts that the African Union chose the former President as its African Continental Anti-Corruption Champion. Additional recognitions by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Corruption (UNODC), among others, were also lauded by the former president and his administration.

“Adokie also made some wild allegations in the aviation sector. The efforts of the Buhari administration in aviation are known: They were visible in terms of capital infrastructure development, safety, and policy; they changed the face of the aviation sector into an attractive one for investment, resulting in new airlines coming on board. No major commercial airline incident was recorded throughout this period.”

“All Nigerians, by right, can say whatever they want about the Buhari administration. No one is offended by their actions, right or wrong. But when you come out with innuendos of corruption written all over your face and say that you want to moralise and pontificate, Nigerians in different walks of life will have problems with that,” the statement declared.

Citizens of Gabon, the small Central African country and former bastion of French colonialism in the Congo Basin, broke out in spontaneous celebration at the news of the ouster of President Ali Bongo Ondimba, on 30 August 2023. This is the 22^nd coup attempt in Africa since 2013, and the 11th successful coup across eight countries since Zimbabwe’s soldiers sacked President Robert Mugabe in 2017.

This is also the third coup attempt in Gabon’s history and the first to succeed. The coup began on the fourth day of a nation-wide curfew accompanied by a shutdown of the airspace, borders, and the internet and  shortly after Gabon’s electoral Commission announced under cover of darkness that President Bongo had won another seven year term in elections in which he allowed no observers.

Rather than celebrate Bongo’s supposed election victory or resist his overthrow, the citizens broke out in revelry over his ouster. The only explanation was that Bongo lost the election by a significant margin but, rather than respect the will of the people, he chose to toy with it and manipulate the results. After 56 years of running the country like a private estate, he was not short of willing enablers.

Nearly 59 years before this latest coup, on 17 August 1964, a group of Gabonese and French soldiers led a coup which momentarily toppled Gabon’s founding President, Léon M’ba, replacing him with his former foreign minister and supreme court president, Jean-Hillaire Aubame. The new regime lasted a mere three days before France assisted in restoring President M’ba to office.

Shortly after surviving the coup, it became evident that President M’ba was quite unwell with what was later diagnosed to be terminal cancer. While hospitalized in Paris in November 1966, the president issued a decree designating 30-year old, Albert-Bernard Bongo as his Vice-President, replacing Paul-Marie Yembit in that role. The month after President M’ba died at the end of November 1967, Bongo – who took the name Omar, after his conversion to Islam – was installed as president, ruling until his death in June 2009.

Omar Bongo’s son, Ali Bongo, took over from his father in 2009 for a full term of seven years but Gabon had always struggled to fall in love with him. Claims that he was a displaced child of the Nigerian civil war adopted by Omar Bongo had significant following among many segments of Gabon when people treasured their relationship with metropolitan France. Upon taking power in 2009, his court marginalized his elder sister, Pascaline, who had mastered the networks of power in the country as her father’s long-standing Chief of Staff during a period when Ali was busy enjoying the life of a playboy.

Pascaline was married to Jean Ping, son of Chinese entrepreneur and a Gabonese mother who had wormed his way into Omar Bongo’s court. The day after Gabon’s presidential election of 27 August 2016, Mr. Ping who had become the opposition candidate, claimed victory, calling on his opponent, Ali Bongo, to congratulate him. Bongo’s response was an African proverb: “You must not sell the skin of the bear before you’ve killed him.”

Ping had served Bongo’s father, Omar, in various ministerial capacities before becoming Gabon’s longest-serving foreign minister in 1999. In 2008, Africa’s leaders installed him as the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union in Addis Ababa. In that capacity, Ping had responsibility for implementing the continent’s standards concerning elections and governance. At the end of his tenure in Addis Ababa, Mr. Ping returned home to Gabon, emerging ultimately in 2016 at the head of a united opposition front to wrest power from the Bongos.

On 31 August 2016, Gabon’s electoral Commission awarded the election to Ali Bongo, giving him a margin of 5,594 votes over Jean Ping, who won in six of the country’s nine provinces as well as the overseas votes. Bongo’s winning margin came from his native Haut-Ogooué region which recorded an impossible 99.93% turnout, 95.46% of which was allocated to him. While the European Union questioned the deep flaws in the election, the African Union ignored those, directing its attention instead to the violence that followed the declaration of results in which some persons were killed and Gabon’s national assembly burnt.

Mr. Ping reluctantly heeded the appeal of the African Union to take the matter to the constitutional court, which curiously issued its decision around mid-night on 23 September, 2016, affirming Bongo’s victory. Marie-Madeleine Mborantsuo, who headed the court, owed her appointment to her role as a “long-time mistress of Omar Bongo”, Ali’s late dad and predecessor in the presidency. Everything was in the family. The Bongo system was not a democracy.

Ali Bongo used the crisis of post-election violence in 2016 to consolidate power with generous assistance from Gabon’s neighbours, but while visiting Saudi Arabia in October 2018, he was hospitalized for a prolonged period. It later emerged that he had suffered a stroke, surviving with significantly diminished cognitive and motor capabilities. The Ali Bongo who survived the stroke would have been unfit for work in any other sphere of life. But what politics cannot do does not exist. So, despite much diminished capabilities, Bongo clung on to the presidency.

While he was recuperating in Morocco, soldiers back in Gabon unsuccessfully attempted to unseat him at the beginning of January, 2019. In surviving the 2019 coup attempt, however, the Bongo dynasty also arguably used up its spare political lives.

News of the ouster of the Bongo clan sent Gabon’s citizens into wild celebrations but a disoriented Ali Bongo, supposedly under arrest, managed to cut a video clip, asking his supporters to “make noise.” Brice Oligui Nguema, the recently promoted Brigadier-General, who has been named at the head of Gabon’s military-led transition, is a former aide-de-camp to Omar Bongo, who returned in 2019 as head of the presidential guards. He is also a cousin to Ali Bongo.

The focus on what appears to be a contagion theory of coups in Africa misses the clear dimensions in which Gabon differs from other recent coups on the continent. First, there was no democracy left in Gabon to overthrow. What was overthrown – if any – was the head of a family business. The family’s business model is not endangered. Thus, despite the appearance of a coup in Gabon, political power remains in the Bongo Clan.

Second, General Oligui Nguema is not some anti-colonial or anti-French ideologue. On the contrary, he is a regime insider who has been named in credible investigations of corruption and can be trusted to protect the family.

Third, this coup clearly prevents the opposition from taking political power, which they won in the election. Gabon’s long-term stability may depend on persuading the Bongo clan to retire itself voluntarily.

By the end of the week, an extraordinary summit of heads of state of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) rising from a meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, had dutifully issued a customary condemnation of the Gabon coup accompanied by a call on the transitional rulers to respect the physical safety of Ali Bongo and ensure a rapid return to constitutional order, although it is unclear what that means in Gabon. Shamefully, these same rulers had all been eloquently silent in the worst excesses of over half a century of the Bongo system.

In 2016, Ali Bongo warned that you must not sell the skin of the bear before you have killed it but stopped short of offering any advice as to how to verify that the bear has been truly killed. In Gabon, it may be a few more weeks before we fully find out.

“When the righteous are in power, the people rejoice but when the wicked rule, the people groan” — Proverb 29:2

I watched in horror as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at his inauguration on 29th May 2023, rather flippantly, announced the removal of fuel subsidy without having any plans that would mitigate the resultant pain on citizens. One would have expected that before taking such serious policy decisions, he would study the financial status report of the country, assemble his cabinet and consult widely particularly with his national security team on the policy’s national security implications.

Those that know his antecedents say that this semingy rushed policy announcement was not accidental but a premeditated plan to roll out these bitter pills before assembling his cabinet after which he would direct them to go and convince their people to accept the painful policy that they had no input in enacting.

There is a real concern that President Tinubu’s government will be run by a shadowy few with his cabinet having little or no input in the formulation of important policy matters. This dictatorial style of governance which to me smacks of contempt for the people, is said to be the way he ran Lagos state as its governor.

This singular policy action has exposed either President Tinubu’s inexperience at the national stage or crass arrogance or both. It is obvious that he is advised by some elitist, shadowy, armchair theoretical economists who know absolutely nothing about the sufferings of our people.

These armchair economists were clearly acting out a script handed to them by the World Bank which has been pushing for this type of shock therapy to Nigeria’s economy without regards to the consequences on its citizens. My suspicion was partially confirmed by the presence of the Bank’s representative in Nigeria sitting next to the Chairman of the newly created fiscal and tax policy committee at its maiden press conference given at no less a venue than the Presidential Villa.

The World Bank representative was effusive in praising President Tinubu’s economic policy describing it as being bold and timely. This painful policy is a lethal prescription handed down to Tinubu by the World Bank.

This policy is nothing but a cocktail of impulsiveness, chaos, hubris, and incompetence which has negatively impacted the lives of all Nigerians. The immediate and debilitating rise in the cost of living resulting from the removal of fuel subsidy debunked the official propaganda that only a few Nigerians and citizens of countries neighboring Nigeria benefited from the subsidy.

No one doubts that the current fraudulent “subsidy” regime is unsustainable but, the timing and the rushed and poorly thought through approach is wrong. No country, no matter how strong it’s economy can withstand the shock of a combination of sudden removal of fuel subsidy, currency devaluation, increase in energy prices, excruciating debt burden, astronomical rise in inflation, very high interest rates and increase in the cost of living. Other shocks are, shutting down of businesses and massive layoff of workers, hunger in the land, hopelessness and the real possibility of citizens unrest in a country beset with multiple existential security challenges.

President Tinubu in his desperate bid for legitimacy from his masters in the West, seems uncaring about the immediate and far reaching negative impact this reckless and impulsive policy on fuel subsidy removal and massive devaluation of the Naira is having on the citizens or Nigeria, a country that is heavily import dependent.

In a country with 65% (133m) of its population in multidimensional poverty, he has added millions more in one fell swoop, healthcare is more inaccessible now than ever, millions more children have been added to the 20 million children already out of school. Most importantly, there is real hunger in the land, a bag of Maize, the most common food staple in the north, now sells at N60,000 (at N1,300 per Mudu) which is way out of the reach of the average citizen. In many of our villages, no one can give you a change for N1,000. This is how poor our people are.

I watched a heart-rending viral video that depicts the daily sufferings of our people all across the country. It was taken in Katsina town showing a mother of four children aged between 3 -10 years whose husband had abandoned them and left town because he could not feed his family. This single mother of four young children would go out daily to find food for her children. Unfortunately, she got hit  by a motorcycle that fractured one of her legs.

The family went hungry because she was unable to pay for healthcare or go out to bring food home for days. In the video clip, this mother and her 4 children looked severely malnourished (Marasmic) as one would see in refugee camps in a war zone. She is the lucky one because her story was told to the world. There are millions of Nigerians, mostly women and children, in much worse situations.  

The President’s response to this self-inflicted suffering he brought on the people is like that of a drowning man flailing his arms and gasping for breath. His nonreassuring national broadcast was full of lamentations, complaints and empty promises with numbers that just didn’t add up. A simple example is when he said that he had directed the release of 200,000 Metric Tonnes of grains from strategic reserves to households across the country not knowing that the federal grain silos are literally empty.

The government’s plan on rolling out palliatives is a case study of voodoo economics that will not make any meaningful impact on this self-inflicted pain. Tinubu’s government hasn’t learnt any lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic when state governors were given money and foodstuffs which they hoarded in warehouses and used for their political campaigns. This is exactly what will happen to the N5b and five trucks of rice given to each state especially with the looming possibility of a rerun of the Presidential election.

How more insensitive and disconnected from the sufferings of the people can our politicians be? I wondered aloud. At a time when millions are groaning under excruciating economic hardships, the National Assembly just allocated N40bn for buying 465 exotic and bulletproof cars for their members and principal officials, and N70bn as ‘palliatives’ for new members.

Our leaders should be very very worried by the complete silence in the country in spite of the excruciating difficulties people are going through. Millions of Nigerians cannot feed, commute, pay school fees or afford basic necessities of life. It does not seem like these leaders care about the pains they have inflicted on the citizenry these two months.

A wise man once said that “democracy means nothing to a hungry, angry, insecure, homeless and unemployed citizen”.

I urge all men and women of conscience to raise their voices and call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to as a matter of urgency abandon this disastrous economic policy.

SILENCE IN THE FACE OF EVIL IS ITSELF EVIL.

Usman Yusuf is a Professor of Haematology-Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation.

Former Chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Lauretta Onochie, has denied reports that she was thrown out of an apartment in the United Kingdom.

Reports had emerged on Saturday that Onochie, who also served as a special assistant on new media to former President Muhammadu Buhari, became stranded after she was kicked out by family members.

She, however, dismissed the reports via X social media platform on Sunday, saying it was her cousin whom she sheltered that wanted to force her out.

Onochie said she retrieved her house from the said family member after a long-fought battle that did not allow her have access to her belongings.

She wrote on X, “WHAT A BATTLE, I RECOVERED MY HOME.

“My Cousin, Victor Ashiedu Fejokwu and his wife, Ruth Emereze were stranded, infact homeless at the time. I took pity on them, took them in, to house them in my home.

“A year ago, when I started making plans to return to continue housing them, they blocked my phone number. I had no access to my letters. Consequently, I missed quite a number of appointments.

“Having the key to the property, I turned up at the door, twice. They installed bolts and bolted the door from the inside and refused to let me in.

“They stopped contributing to the rent when they both have jobs, preferring to host lavish parties.

“I tried again for the last time. When I knocked, his wife sneaked from the garden into the house, to bolt the front door against me.

“Miraculously. Miraculously. She forgot to lock the garden door through where she sneaked into the house. I got access to the house through that door.”

Onochie further stated that they became nasty and when she called the police, they were dealt a heavy blow and told to vacate the house.

She added that they moved out two days ago and they will reap what they did to her.

Onochie said, “They became nasty. Of course, I called the police who dealt them a heavy blow, telling them they must vacate for me unless I was willing to continue to house them. The cowardly thug ran away before the arrival of the Police. The other young lady, went to my bed and spread herself out. Of course, I got her out.

“Then they started pleading to stay.

NO WAY! Two days later, they shamefully moved out.

“BUT WILL I BE NICE TO PEOPLE AGAIN?

Absolutely! It’s my nature to help. I will continue to be me. We reap what we sow.

“Ashiedu and his wife, will reap what they did to me. Bountifully.”

The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has predicted the possibility of Naira bouncing back and this time greater than the United States dollar.

Our correspondent reports that based on findings in the black market buying rate of the dollar is about N915, and sells at N918.

Sequel to the upward slide, businesses and the cost of living of Nigerians coupled with the fuel subsidy removal have been badly affected.

Adeboye gave this prediction during the church’s monthly thanksgiving service on Sunday, monitored by our correspondent with the September theme; ‘Uncommon Miracles’.

According to the revered Clergy, there was a period when Naira, competed favourably with United States dollars.

He said, “The days when Naira will be stronger will come back; those glorious days will return when that happens you will know.”

Adeboye noted that miracles connoted something that is unique, stressing that a lot of times they may not be comprehensible by many.

He explained how God granted him usual testimonies, some of which many people couldn’t believe.

“Miracle is totally unusual. God can give you a miracle that will be difficult to share,” Adeboye added.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has emerged victorious in all 18 Local Government Areas in the Edo State local government.

The election was held on Saturday in all of the local government areas in the state.

The results released by the state independent electoral commission showed that PDP swept the votes in all the local government areas in the State, according to Channels Television.

Apart from the PDP, other major political parties that participated in the election for Chairmanship and Councillorship of all the wards include the Labour Party, LP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC.

At the time of filing this report, the APC and the LP are yet to issue an official statement on the outcome of the election.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, says no fewer than 8.3 million Nigerians are in dire need of humanitarian assistance in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

Edu said the figure is part of the total 16 million Nigerians affected by various humanitarian crises, with the three states worse hit.

The minister said this in a statement by her Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Mr Rasheed Zubair, on Sunday in Abuja.

She said aside from the North-East, Benue in the North/Central had been tagged the capital of humanitarian crises in Nigeria by the United Nations.

“We have a huge task on our hands, as we speak now, over 16m Nigerians are affected by humanitarian crises either man-made or natural disaster with over 8.3m of them based in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

”Several states in the North Central; and others spread across the country.

“The UN said Benue had become the humanitarian need capital in Nigeria, and as such, a lot of work needs to be done in the humanitarian angle,” she said.

She added “One of the agendas of Tinubu’s administration is to ensure that poverty is alleviated in Nigeria in line with the SDG goal one.

“The president is coming up with a very robust program to lift Nigerians out of poverty.

“Our work is to see how we can get those in poverty out and those on the verge of getting into poverty increase to social safety to protect them from falling into poverty.

“In a couple of weeks, we will be fully launching into this plans to take over 136 million Nigerians out of poverty as implementation has started to help cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.”

She said the ministry had come up with innovative ways of thorough verification of the social register for accuracy and transparency.

“We are bringing innovations to ensure transparency in Conditional Cash Transfer by carrying out a thorough verification of the social register, validating and then expanding it to accommodate more persons.

“We will be working with the World Bank while seeking approval from the President to begin the Conditional Cash Transfer to Nigerians,” she said.

The minister promised to upgrade, rejig and expand the social safety net programme to accommodate more people through a transparent process.

“We want to increase the Social Safety Net for Nigerians in a transparent manner by counting the numbers together just as we counted COVID-19 cases using a digitalised system.

“We are very conscious of the fact that Mr President’s passion and true intentions are to ensure that we can lift Nigerians out of poverty.

“Party politics is over, now is time for governance, President Tinubu is a president for everyone irrespective of political party,” she said.

She therefore assured Nigerians that the ministry would soon come up with an accurate and acceptable social register to curb the challenge associated with disparity in the register.

”Ministry would soon come up with a more acceptable Social Register, one that will be verified, validated.

” It will also be expanded to include those who should be there while taking off those who no longer belong within that bracket.

”We will also work with all tiers of government as well as various communities to identify persons eligible for the scheme.” she added.

THE Federal Government on April 27, 2023 declared the value of Nigeria’s proven gas reserves estimated at about 206.53 trillion cubic feet, with a valuation of well over US$803.4tn, adding that the

country had the most extensive gas resource in Africa.

In September 2015 at the historic UN Summit; Nigeria along with many other countries adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The European Union in more recent years proposed categorizing natural gas as a green energy source, as this would impact favourably on Nigeria due to the country’s abundant natural gas reserves.

SDG: (7) “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”

Natural Gas Forms

With the context provided above, can we now explore what this means in terms of natural gas forms; then we deep dive into actual value implementation and socioeconomic impact.

1. Piped Natural Gas (PNG): Known as dry natural gas, it consists primarily of methane and is suitable for distribution through pipelines for heating, electricity generation, and industrial use. Examples - The Escravos–Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) built in 1989 to supply gas from Escravos in Niger Delta area to Egbin power station, The West African Portland Cement (WAPCO) Plants and a few others. In more recent times; The Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Natural Gas Pipeline (AKKP) foreseen to transport natural gas from Ajaokuta, in Kogi State to Kano, in Kano State, through several states and urban centers, as part of the Trans Nigeria Gas Pipeline. Good initiative, the Chinese have this contract- we wait and see.

2. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): Natural gas that has been cooled to a very low temperature and converted into liquid form for easier storage and transportation. The Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) is the pioneer player here. It operates six liquefaction units (LNG trains) producing 22 million tonnes per year of LNG, this amounts to roughly 10% of the world's LNG consumption, Solid company! Well run by the best of the best. Let me not digress and get carried away by the huge potential impact of the company --I will get back to this subsequently.

3. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG): Natural gas that is compressed to a high pressure and stored in containers for use as a vehicle fuel or in some industrial applications. Generally wide spread in terms of use, a significant number of companies have adopted CNG as fuel for power generation, comes with an estimated cost savings of 25-30 percent when compared to diesel fired generating sets, off course cleaner energy and lower operations and maintenance. A fairly notable number of companies are operating in this space and are expanding very rapidly. The Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu have expressed interest in developing this space as a cushion to the removal of the subsidy on PMS. We believe this is a noteworthy project; can be delivered in time with the appropriate team in place and more importantly political will and right private sector partnerships.

4. Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs): These include propane, ethane, butane, and pentane, which are separated from the natural gas stream and used for various purposes such as heating, cooking, and petrochemical feedstocks. One simple form for explanation purpose is Liquified Petroleum Gas – LPG (or cooking gas) contains 70% Butane and 30% Propane, with a flash point. Widely used around the country.

5. Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) Products: These are derived from natural gas through chemical processes, producing products like synthetic fuels, waxes, and specialty chemicals. This is where refining capacities come to play with its significant impact. We have been told the Port Harcourt Refinery will be streamed sometime in 2024 and we all wait earnestly for the Dangote Refinery, they can produce these.

6. Dimethyl Ether (DME): A clean-burning alternative fuel produced from natural gas, often used as a substitute for diesel. This is not widely used in Nigeria, but the refining process for DME can be

           produced through another form of liquefaction.

7. Ammonia: Produced from natural gas through the Haber-Bosch process, ammonia is used primarily in the production of fertilizers. Huge potential here, another refinery extract that has tremendous value both locally and abroad.

8. Methanol: Also produced from natural gas, methanol has a wide range of applications, including as a chemical feedstock and fuel.

Getting to Work

President Tinubu as substantive Minister of Petroleum Resources sets up a hands-on committee comprising of expert folks that will drive the process reporting directly to him with very clear mandates;

tasks and deliverables under his Excellency’s capacity. Invites the leadership of the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) and other leading production companies--seek to collaborate to develop LNG/CNG service

stations across different parts of Nigeria.

LNG is the most cost efficient energy source in comparison to AGO, and CNG. See below;

A couple of assumptions here on engine size, forex and CAPEX.

LNG can be deployed around the country in retail outlets, trucks, buses, private vehicles drive in and refuel. It is clean, efficient and provides significant cost savings. It can be done!!

Considerations here;

LNG is typically sold through long-term contracts or spot markets. Long-term contracts involve agreements between suppliers and buyers for a fixed quantity of LNG over a specified period, often

several years. Spot markets, on the other hand, involve the sale of LNG on a short-term basis, usually for immediate or near-future delivery. The pricing of LNG can be linked to various factors such as oil prices or natural gas market indices. The process involves negotiation between sellers and buyers to determine terms, pricing, and delivery schedules. This is where the commercial discussions require concessions and the collaboration of FGN and the LLNG to partner on willing buyer willing seller basis. It can be done!

Others

1. Liquefaction: Natural gas is primarily methane. To convert it into LNG, it needs to be cooled to extremely low temperatures, typically around -162 degrees Celsius. This cooling process causes the gas to change from a gaseous state to a liquid state, which allows for more efficient storage and transportation.

2. Transportation: The LNG is transported in specialized cryogenic tanker trucks or ships designed to keep the LNG at its very low temperature. This minimizes any vaporization or loss during transportation.

3. Storage: Upon arrival at the service station, the LNG is transferred to storage tanks. These tanks are heavily insulated to maintain the low temperature and prevent the LNG from warming up and converting back into a gas.

4. Vaporization: When the vehicle is ready to be fueled with LNG, a process called vaporization takes place. This involves using a vaporizer to heat the LNG and convert it back into its gaseous state, making it suitable for use as a vehicle fuel.

5. Dispensing: The vaporized LNG is then fed through dispensers, similar to the traditional PMS or diesel pumps, into the fuel tank. Vehicles that run on natural gas (CNG or LNG) have specially designed tanks to store the gas safely.

6. Filling Process: Filling an LNG-powered vehicle is similar to filling a PMS or diesel vehicle, but it might take a bit longer due to the lower energy density of natural gas. The fueling process is designed to be safe and efficient.

Important to note that operating an LNG service station requires specialized equipment for the liquefaction, storage, and vaporization of the natural gas. These facilities need to adhere to strict safety

and environmental regulations to ensure the safe handling of LNG.

The process outlined above evidences how LNG is processed and distributed for sale at service stations. I admit it appears complex but it is a well-established process that enables the use of LNG as a cleaner and more cost effective alternative fuel for vehicles. LNG is considered a cleaner alternative to traditional fossil fuels Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) - this is largely in existence and the FGN is already making assertions towards this aspiration. However work needs to be done to achieve the end value. The process for CNG retailing is quite similar to LNG, however the infrastructure, hence CAPEX may vary. The discussions around the securitization of the molecules through concessions has to be agreed upon with the steer of the President and the committee members. I note here for emphasis; nothing can be achieved without a strong sense of patriotism and the will power to get things done. It can be done. Less I forget; what are the socioeconomic benefit of this for our dear country and citizens in the short medium and long terms;1. Reduced cost of energy – with PMS at an average cost of N600 per ltr depending on the location in the country, this initiative will begin with massive transportation of our people, farm produce and other goods using this God given natural resource well harnessed to power vehicles.

2. Job creation – can we begin to imagine the number of jobs this entire value chain will generate both directly and indirectly. Drivers, dealers, attendants, welders, to mention a few

3. Foreign exchange savings and earnings – so we have the natural gas; yes we need to deploy resources in the short term to build the required infrastructure, but ultimately when this is done we benefit from recurrent import of finished products, natural gas is priced in USD, but all the other requirements are done locally and will be evidenced in pump price. The earning from this will support LNG T7

4. Reduction in food inflation—ever since the removal of subsidy we have had galloping inflation numbers, NBS reports 24.08% inflation in July 2023 up from 22.79% in June. Imagine a hub that allows us transport food in large volumes using LNG/CNG powered trucks. I know we still need to work on security matters in the hinterland, but reduced energy will drive down costs.

5. Clean energy – no diesel polluting our air resulting in sickness and deaths
6. Foreign Investment – so we create the framework that allows foreign investors to see the opportunity and potential here. We can partner with them for the acquisition of the busses on a Build Own Operate (BOO) or even BOOT model.

Folks it can be DONE!!

I conclude this with this inventive: “our collective innovations, ideas, interventions and offerings determines the pace and outcome of our growth, we will succeed as long as we engage productivity,

integrity, zeal and most importantly patriotism”

Dapo Adeyoyin is the CEO of Dapik Energy an Energy development, consulting and advisory firm out of Lagos. Nigeria.