ABUJA — In what might appear as a final declaration of its intent to deregulate the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry, the Federal Government announced on Thursday that it has put in place measures in the 2009 supplementary budget and the 2010 budget to cushion the effects of the policy.

The Federal government has announced that 40 development wells were drilled during the first quarter 2010 as against 27 which was drilled during the same period of 2009.

In what might appear like a pledge of absolute loyalty to the administration of Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has promised maximum industrial peace in the oil and gas sector under the new regime.

SYSTEM Application Product, (SAP),a leading provider of business solutions to enterprise companies last week disclosed that they have provided software to enable the oil and gas business organisations preserve data’s for business development as well as support government policy.

AMNI International Petroleum Development Company (AMNI) and Afren Nigeria has formally revealed the beneficiaries of scholarship grants for tertiary, post graduate and specialised studies courses for students from Eastern Obolo Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom state.

ABUJA — The President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Olumuyiwa Alade Ajibola, has stressed that only the use of technocrats in technical positions would ensure that the country coes out of the woods with regards to its infrastructural challenges.

The United States Commercial Service has awarded an international partner award to Mrs. Uju Ifejika, Chairman/CEO, Brittania_U Nigeria Limited, operator of the Ajapa marginal oil field on Oil Mining lease (OML)90.

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has called for the usage of compressed natural gas (CNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), auto gas, as alternatives to petrol.

ABUJA –– The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Minerals and Steel Development, Engr. Shiek Musa Goni announced yesterday that Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) of the Ministry has processed and unprecedented 9,300 applications for various kinds of mineral titles from October last year to February this year.

ABUJA — The chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), Senator Lee Maeba has lauded the signing into law of the Nigeria Content Bill by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan saying that it is a giant step towards ending the dominance of expatriates in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.