For the Nigerian Petroleum Industry to move forward in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kyari, Tuesday, urged the Industry stakeholders to evolve innovative ways to reposition the Sector for sustainability.

 

The NNPC GMD, speaking at the opening ceremony of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Energy Industry Transformation Summit (NEITS) 2020, said Industry players needed to train their eyes on a strategy that focuses on people, partnerships, profit and posterity, a release by the NNPC’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kennie Obateru, has stated.

 

Mallam Kyari explained that the new normal era brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic has, more than ever, reinforced the need to upskill the human capacity within the Industry for the next phase, and develop the capacity to attract, train and retain people in the Sector.

 

He spoke on the theme: “Changing Global Energy Landscape: Repositioning for Industry Sustainability” at the occasion.

 

“There must be collaboration across different dimensions; government, industry, academia and, particularly, with the communities where we carry out our operations. The social license to operate is critical to the Industry’s long term survival. Also, partnership among Industry peers to chart new ways of resolving Industry challenges and preparing for tomorrow cannot be overemphasized. I am delighted the SPE provides such veritable platform,” the GMD submitted.

 

He disclosed that for sustainability, Industry players must learn to manage cost, improve efficiency and deliver required cashflow (margins) for reinvestment and expansion, stressing that without creating profit today, “we wouldn’t be in a position to take advantage of the opportunities that keep us viable and ready for tomorrow”.

 

Another key to reposition the Industry for sustainability, according to the GMD, is for Industry players to always act and take decisions with posterity in mind.

 

“We must bequeath to the next generation a world worthy to live in. Our operations must, therefore, be carried out in a safe manner without adversely impacting the environment. As you know, most discussions around energy substitution or green economy stem from looking at the Industry as ‘dirty’ and ‘unconscionable’. It must be reiterated that our Industry remains the bedrock of modern human existence. We must, therefore, work to create a positive view if we are to remain relevant in the long run,” he declared.

 

In his remarks, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, said the proposed Petroleum Industry Bill would ensure that the abundant natural gas resources is used to promote national development.

He added that in collaboration with stakeholders, the Ministry, under his watch, would promote domestic utilization of gas resources so as to create job opportunities for Nigerians.

 

Delivering the keynote address, the President, SPE International, Shauna Noonan, clarified that the concept of energy transition was not to wipe out fossil fuel but rather an aspiration for cleaner energy.

 

She said the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Nigeria Council, has a great role to play in reducing energy poverty, noting that energy transition was important for greater value in the global oil and gas industry.

 

Earlier in his welcome remark, the Chairman, SPE Nigeria Council, Mr Joseph Nwakwue, said the society was ready to offer professional services and work with all stakeholders to move the industry forward.

 

He informed that part of the society was focused on capacity building to develop the required skill set for the oil and industry operations, stressing that it was what informed the choice of the theme of the conference.

 

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), said on Tuesday that she inherited a debt of N3.2 billion when she assumed office in November 2017.

Adeyeye speaking at an online news conference to highlight the activities of the agency, said that, however, the debt had been settled.

“I am happy to inform you that we have been able to pay our debts and we are also training our 2,200 members of staff to enhance competence, capability as well as productivity.”

According to her, the sum of N7 billion was generated in 2017; while N2.5 billion and N3.1 billion were generated from the agency’s IGR windows in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

She also said that the agency was in dire need of an overhaul to achieve its mandate.

“About 80 per cent of the equipment in the agency‘s laboratories are not functioning, directors have no laptops to work with, incessant industrial actions and lack of utility vehicles are the many problems facing the agency.

“When I resumed office, it was like being thrown into an ocean of problems, so, I started digging into why the agency got into such debt and how to get out of it.

“For 30 years as a professor, my life has been in the laboratory.

“I was shocked when I saw that 80 per cent of the equipment in the NAFDAC laboratories were not functioning. And everything the agency does requires laboratory tests – from water to drugs, food products, chemicals and others.

“We decided to review and overhaul our operations by adopting quality management system which enables us to upgrade the ICT system to ensure online documentation, computerised transactions, e-registration and e-certification of food and drug products,’’ she said.

“I also met about 6,000 backlogs of applications for approval of different products. We also adopted ‘Customer First’ strategy and gave a mandate for the applications to be cleared within two months and it was done.

“Time of approval used to take months but when I came in, the duration for the approval was reduced to 90 days for food products and 120 days for drugs.

“It is very expensive to equip a laboratory as it costs between N270 million and N350 million for one piece of equipment in the laboratory. So, we started to save for the purchase of equipment while we pay off our debt gradually.

“We have seven laboratories across the country and we have bought eight basic equipment, it is not enough because the goal is to have 20 of such equipment, “she said.

Adeyeye said that the quality management system and customer-first strategy adopted had helped to sanitise the agency’s budget and increased its internally generated revenue.

The NAFDAC’s D-G also said that the agency decentralised its operations across the country by establishing 23 directorates for faster and effective service delivery.

According to her, the agency resumed its operations at the nation’s ports and borders in May 2018 to prevent and reduce the influx of substandard and counterfeit products entering the country.

Adeyeye said that the agency was working hard to attain the level-3 of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Benchmark System that would enable vaccines to be produced in the country.