17/10/2019
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The Nation Newspaper
Bright future for Train 7 as NLNG is 30
October 17, 2019
Fed Govt eyes 140,000 jobs from NLNG Train 7
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By Chief BISI OLANIYI
The 20/30 celebrations of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG),Bonny Island, Rivers State, to mark its 30th anniversary and 20 years of safe, stable, uninterrupted and reliable LNG production and delivery of LNG from the six-train plant, with Train 7 to soon come on stream. Southsouth Bureau Chief BISI OLANIYI witnessed last Saturday’s event.
Coastal Bonny, Bonny Local Government Area headquarters of Rivers State of the Niger Delta region, for now, can only be accessed by boats or through the use of expensive helicopters/aircraft with about 60 seats, which the functional airstrip can accommodate. This is because the Bodo-Ogoni/Bonny Road, a partnership between the Federal Government and Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), is still under construction.
But the coastal island was to host a retinue of guests and dignitaries despite being difficult to access. With the celebration of the firm’s 30th anniversary and 20 years of safe, stable, uninterrupted and reliable LNG production from the six-train plant with Train7, everyone in the industry knew it was going to be a great event.
Some journalists were invited by NLNG to Bonny for the October 12 celebrations dubbed 20/30, but the media professionals were asked to gather at the NLNG’s jetty in Amadi-Ama, Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital at 9 a.m. on October 11, for the 10 a.m. ride with the company’s executive and secure boat with air conditioners. With journalists and other passengers checking in, the NLNG’s boat took off at the appointed time for the one hour and forty five minute-journey.
Bonny Island by the Atlantic Ocean, hosts the NLNG, the crude oil export terminal of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited’s (MPN’s) export terminal for crude oil, condensate and Natural Gas Liquid (NGL), while the strategic road to Bonny, with many bridges, is being handled by the construction giant, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited.
Bonny route is one of the most dangerous waterways in the Niger Delta, with frequent attacks by daring and armed pirates, who rob passengers of their cash, phones and other valuables and most times, remove expensive engines from their speed boats. The drivers have no choice, but to paddle the boats to the shores, while beautiful ladies/women are regularly r***d in the boats on the high sea by these criminals, despite gunboats patrols by security operatives.
In view of the criminal activities on its waterway, most people prefer travelling with NLNG’s two luxury boats, which are usually booked in advance, leading to a busy jetty, located behind its newly-built corporate headquarters, following the 2011 relocation of its head office from Lagos.
To respect the culture, tradition and customs of Bonny people, as well as avoid any embarrassment, NLNG’s invitation e-mail to the newsmen had this information: “For women, it is a tradition that you are dressed in wrappers, with the heads covered, to be permitted into the Amanyanabo’s (monarch’s) palace or in close proximity to the king.”
The 20/30 celebrations started on October 12 with community carnival round Bonny Kingdom, terminating at the site of groundbreaking of Bonny Consular Building, an NLNG’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project. It was followed by the symbolic tree planting at the nearby Finima Nature Park, conserved by the gas company on Bonny Island. There was also a Gala Night, which had in attendance the evergreen Onyeka Onwenu, popular Innocent Idibia (Tuface) and other top entertainers, who performed till the early hours of October 13.
The event marked 30 years of incorporating the world-class company and 20 years of safe, stable, uninterrupted and reliable LNG production and delivery of LNG from the six-train plant, while Train 7 would soon come on stream and with the capacity to engage 10,000 persons, with 96 per cent of Nigerians, at site (at peak) on Bonny Island.
Thirty years ago, after years of planning and resilience by the esteemed shareholders, the NLNG took off. In its 20 years of production, the firm has grown into one of the world’s largest suppliers of LNG and one of the most successful companies in sub-Saharan Africa, bringing value to its shareholders. The NLNG has also brought honour to Nigeria, as a world-class company, delivering immense value to customers across the globe.
It was incorporated as a limited liability company on May 17, 1989, to produce LNG and natural gas for export. It is jointly owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) with 49 per cent, Shell Gas B.V. having 25.6 per cent, Total LNG Nigeria Limited with 15 per cent and Eni International having 10.4 per cent. The first LNG cargo export was on October 9, 1999, from its then two-train LNG facility, with the historic cargo delivered to Montoir Terminal in France.
The NLNG, with the core values of Integrity, Teamwork, Respect, Excellence and Caring (ITREC), has since delivered over 4,500 cargoes to various destinations around the world, with over 300 cargoes being shipped yearly across global LNG markets from the two export jetties. The company has also revived the once comatose Nigerian shipping industry by operating a fleet of 23 ships, conveying gas produced in Nigeria to many countries around the globe, especially in Europe, South America, Middle East and Far East.
Its Managing Director, Tony Attah, assured that the future was bright for the gas company and Bonny Island, while declaring that the company’s Train 7 project is alive and would also contribute to boosting Nigeria’s economy.
Attah spoke at the palace of the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, Perekule XI, during the anniversary, which had in attendance Chairman, NLNG Board of Directors, Chief Osobonye LongJohn, and other eminent personalities.
The NLNG boss, who was accompanied by his deputy, Sadeeq Mai-Bornu, said at the groundbreaking event that: “This community (Bonny) is home to notable oil and gas giants in Nigeria, whose combined scale of investment in the kingdom is more than $30 billion in assets. It is therefore, only expected that Bonny should command significant recognition as a preferred investors and tourists’ destination.
“Bonny is one of the most developed communities in the Niger Delta, with a modern road network, potable water and perhaps the only community in Nigeria with 99 per cent electric power availability.
“All of these have been enabled by the cordial relationship that has existed between the peaceful community (Bonny) and Nigeria LNG in the last 20 years, upon which we synergised with our joint industry peers on the Island to provide basic social amenities to facilitate the development of a modern Bonny society.
“Driving the aspiration further, Nigeria LNG is pursuant of a Bonny community that will be likened to Dubai, in terms of tourism and economic activities. This is our true dream for the community and we are resolute on achieving it, riding on the Bonny Kingdom masterplan.
“The ongoing Bonny–Bodo/Ogoni Road construction is being co-sponsored by NLNG and the Federal Government, and it is expected to be completed within the next 48 months. We are confident that the road will trigger the development of more commercial ventures and attract other positive interests such as tourism.”
The agreement to co-fund and construct the N120 billion, 34-kilometre Bonny–Bodo/Ogoni Road was signed in 2017, with the project dubbed Nigeria’s/Africa’s biggest private sector CSR initiative.
Attah also stated that the functional airstrip in Bonny, with a capacity to land aircraft of about 60 seats, was currently being deployed by private users, stressing that the outlook for Bonny community was one that promised to be the envy of most other coastal communities in the Niger Delta.
He said: “This groundbreaking for the reconstruction of the Bonny Consulate Building is an assurance of how much the NLNG wants to realise the advancement of this community (Bonny) that has been home to us.
“I believe you can appreciate that our interest in this community is much more than our economic gain. It is also about working with you to recreate the heroic picture of the ancient Bonny Kingdom, to situate the community in its place of pride as a key business hub and especially to make sure that we make Bonny better than we met it 20 years ago. We have given ourselves that task, but we can only achieve so much with your reliable support.
“The Bonny Consulate Building, when completed, will provide a space for Bonny FM radio station, offices for the King of Bonny and the Chairman, Bonny Chiefs’ Council, a library, a museum, a café, a movie hall, a seminar/exhibition hall, a souvenir shop and offices for the persons who will manage various aspects of the facility.”
Attah also described the gas firm as the fastest growing LNG company in the world.
He revealed that NLNG’s management and staff, inspired by the company’s vision of being a global LNG company, maintained international best practices in operations, safely and reliably delivered LNG cargoes around the world, without harm to humans or the environment, to earn a prominent place in the global market.
Attah said: “We are here to celebrate the successes of this unique Nigerian brand, which has recorded notable global recognitions, especially as the fastest growing LNG company in the world. Only last year, we were ranked first worldwide in plant reliability and we currently hold the fifth place in global market share, a position that we risk losing soon, if we do not expand our capacity with the addition of more volumes.
“We are Africa’s leading supplier of LNG and the single largest industrial complex in the continent, as well as the third largest in the world, doing global business with a workforce that is more than 95 per cent indigenous and a wholly Nigerian senior management team.
“We must plug into the opportunities for more economic growth and for a more central role in global LNG supply, as we look to increase our capacity with Train 7 on board. This will further reduce gas flaring in the country and assure our continued supply of LPG to the local market.”
He disclosed that the NLNG had launched the Bonny Community Health Insurance programme, in conjunction with Rivers State government, which was described as an initiative designed to provide affordable health for the people of Bonny and its environs, in addition to the company’s malaria eradication programme, aimed at creating an environment of healthy people.
