Until the Federal Government creates incentives and progressive regulations with less tax burdens, ensuring clarity in its roadmap for the petroleum industry, and resolving crisis of militancy, the quest to escape current downturn crippling the economy as well as the industry may be farther than envisaged.

Nigeria’s electricity sector is still under the pressures of weak gas supply which has also affected other sectors of the economy, especially some large scale industrial sectors such as cement manufacturing.

Arising from the unprecedented vandalisation of oil pipelines and other critical infrastructure in the nation’s oil industry, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has resorted to community helps for solutions.

In an effort to strengthen the country’s gas reserves as well as utilizing them in such time as this, Seven Energy, has called on the Nigeria Gas Association, NGA, to place more emphasis on development of new gas basins, adding that basins such as the Anambra should be harnessed.

Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF, has announced its plans to build two units of analytical laboratories to enhance oil and gas research in the country.

In an effort to give back to its host community, Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG) the downstream subsidiary of Shell in Nigeria has commissioned new school facilities for the people of Ewupe, Isorosi and Ijaliye communities in Ota, Ogun state.

After a review of the post-independence power sector in Nigeria, operators of the sector are optimistic of growth in the sector given some developments in the last one year.

The oil industry appears to be ready to open its wallet after two years of slashing investments, BMI Research, a Fitch rating company said.

Before now, a 20 metric tonne of tank was N3.5 million, but now, it is about N11 million. A compressor, which used to sell at N4 million, is about N8.5 million. Everything is like triple the amount it used to be.

Motorists have urged the federal government to facilitate the use of compressed natural gas, CNG, in the country so as to curtail pollution, as well as reduce the dependence on petrol.

The oil market gave the clearest sign yet that Nigeria’s Forcados crude is about to flow again for the first time in eight months, after Royal Dutch Shell Plc was among companies said to have purchased the grade halted by militant attacks in February.

Six months after the federal government resolved the rift between Interstate Electric, owners of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC and Geometric Power Limited over the ownership of Aba Power Project, in favour of the latter, fluctuating foreign exchange may have stalled the expected take off of the project.

Baru stated that the issues surrounding the scarcity of kerosene had been addressed, while he disclosed that presently, all NNPC retail and mega stations had been supplied with kerosene and are selling at N150 per litre.

Nigeria’s oil and gas industry has passed through some tough operating environment so far this year but the downstream sector appeared to have better chance of reporting good results at year end.

asil Ogbuanu is the President of Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers, NALPGM, and also the Managing Director of Second Coming Gas Limited, a liquedfied petroleum gas LPG, company with offices in Lagos and diffrent part of Nigeria. In this interview with Sebastine Obasi he talks about the challenges in the gas subsecor and the need d=for governmnet not to sell its shares in the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas NNLG.