By  Dennis Agbo ABAKALIKI—FIFTEEN persons, who previous suffered Visco Virginal Fistula, VVF, have been cured and discharged from the South East Fistula Centre, built by wife of Ebonyi State Governor, Mrs. Josephine Elechi at the state University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki. The discharged patients, which is the 7th batch of treated VVF patients since the inauguration […]

As the year drew to a close, crude oil reached for the $80 mark, but fell short as the market closed its doors. Putting together a nice rebound from the 2008 price collapse that carried into 1Q2009, 2009 will be hailed as one of the strongest years for crude oil since 1973 on a percentage gain basis.

Tower Resources announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Neptune Petroleum (Uganda) Limited (“Neptune”), has signed a contract with Oil & Gas Exploration Company Cracow Limited (OGEC) for a land rig to drill the Avivi-1 exploration well in Exploration Area 5 (“EA5”), Uganda.

Chevron’s Angola output is expected to reach 580,000 barrels a day in 2010, an 8.4% increase from recent levels, a company manager said, in a development that could help boost the company’s output after it dropped its long-term production target.

For both the crude and natural gas markets, the dollar has played a significant role in trading activity in 2009. Supply and demand took a back seat as oil traders were forced to focus on the intricacies of currency exchange rates and global macroeconomics and the relationships therein, observed Phil Flynn, vice president at futures trading firm PFG Best.

Songa Offshore announced that a one (1) well firm, plus one (1) optional well extension agreement to the existing one-well contract have been reached with CNOOC Africa Limited EG Branch for continued use of the drillship Songa Saturn for work in Equatorial Guinea.

Country Chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria, Basil Omiyi retired last month after 39 years of meritorious service. He will be succeeded by Mutiu Sunmonu, who combines the portfolio with his current role as Managing Director of The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Vice President, Production, Sub-Saharan Africa.

By Tordue Salem ABUJA—Rep. Gbenga Makanjuola, a member of the House of Representatives from Kwara State, has lamented the deplorable state of the country’s agriculture sector. The lawmaker who is the Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture said: “There is little or nothing to show for more than N100 billion invested in the sector […]

Chevron Corporation Cabinda joint venture is spending $2.3 billion over five years to reduce flaring–the burning of natural gas from oil fields–and instead utilize the gas, a top company official said this month.

Royal Dutch Shell is seeking buyers for 10 of its Nigerian onshore oil-production assets following years of militant attacks on its facilities, people familiar with the matter said Sunday.