West African insurance companies have positioned themselves to keenly participate in oil and gas business especially those emanating from within the continent. Validating the preparedness of the West African insurance industry, Mr Ken Aghoghovbia, Regional Director (West African Office), African Reinsurance Corporation, said the Anglophone West African insurance sector has organized itself in a way […]

Angola expects its oil production to rise to 2.2 million barrels a day by next year, is investing $50.6 billion in upstream and downstream projects between now and 2013. Just over two thirds of the money will come from foreign investors. Anibal da Silva, deputy oil minister, told a conference in Cape Town on Thursday […]

ORGANISED Labour in the nation’s electricity sector, under the umbrella of Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSEAC, has given a ten-point agenda on how to revamp the electricity sector in the country and provide stable power supply to Nigerians. President of SSEAC, Comrade Bede Opara, said among others, there should be a […]

THERE are moves by United Nations to bring about a unified maritime law that will definitely change the face of the international shipping community. In this interview with Godwin Oritse of Sweetcrude, the Director Legal services of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council Mr. Hassan Bello said that the unified law will put the cargo owner at […]

The past governments of Nigeria have been accused of colluding with oil majors and their home countries to ensure that crude export is not hindered and as such in-country investments not mandated. The short-term objective with long-term repercussions of restiveness of youths, militancy and environmental degradation has turned full circle to haunt major stakeholders in […]

by Patience SAGHANA Against all odds being faced by local insurance industry in oil and gas insurance business compounded by subscription market which often rob the local market of 90 percent placement, Nigerian insurance industry is still able to stamp its feet in US86billion oil and gas insurance business Subscription market often strip the local […]

CONTRARY to the norm where new appointees discard initiatives they met on ground, the new Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mallam Shehu Ladan, has pledged to continue with the ongoing transformation programme of the Corporation which is in line with the aspirations of the Acting President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, […]

by Oscarline ONWUEMENYI Perhaps in a bid to avoid the mistakes of the past, the Minister of state for power, Arc. Nuhu Somo Wya has stated that the present administration of Acting President Goodluck Jonathan would not declare an emergency for the power sector, even though it was committed to a complete rehabilitation of the […]

Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell has been granted a long-awaited federal air-quality permit the company needs to conduct exploratory drilling this year in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea, government officials said. As earlier reported by Upstream, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the permit to Shell to cover air pollutants emitted from the drill ship and fleet of […]

Oscarline ONWUEMENYI He noted that the on-going NNPC Transformation includes the consolidation of the Corporation’s trading outfits and capacity building for direct marketing by NNPC of the Federation’s cargoes. Barkindo explained that the Federal Government created NPDC in 1988 and awarded it premium oil blocks with the intention making the parent company-NNPC a major oil […]

National Engineering and Technical Company (NETCo) is Nigeria’s first national engineering company and is wholly owned by the state-run NNPC, with the sole aim of developing in-country oil and gas engineering capability. Yemie Adeoye of Sweetcrude cornered Mr. Kenneth Ejuoneatse, the Managing Director of the company on the sidelines of the Offshore West Africa conference […]

Hector IGBIKIOWUBO In perhaps what may pass as a revolution of sorts the conventional bid tendering processes for jobs within the Nigerian oil and gas industry has formally gone online, leaving behind an analogue era noted for poor transparency, accountability and a lengthy contracting cycle. The Nigerian Senate has also committed to timely passage of […]

In the pit of Nigerian politics lies the soul of philistines. A nation cursed with a political leadership without the subtle refinements of culture is doomed to crassness. We see this truth as a matter of fact, reflected in the utter disregard to which the political establishment places culture and matters of cultural policy.

Even as I write, there is an attempt to accommodate those who have criminal records to access office as long as they are declared winners of elections that may not have been held. So who is afraid of generals or men in uniform? Having discovered that going to the farm is less paying than accessing power through the vote, our men in uniform opted for the latter.

Ms Zemaye Grace Egbagbe in April emerged as Allure Style Icon 2009. From the onset it was clear that she would win. As soon as we opened the lines, our lines were kept busy with nominations. Three names were a constant.