Wabote hails Sylva’s on award of national honours

• Lauds him for transforming the oil and gas industry

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has lauded the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, on his recognition and award of the national honour of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).

The national honour of CON was conferred on Chief Sylva by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, October 11, 2022.

In a statement he personally signed, Engr Wabote noted that Chief Sylva who was appointed Minister of State for Petroleum Resources in 2019 fully deserved of the national honour, having worked tirelessly to change the Nigerian oil and gas landscape and recorded several accomplishments which have improved the economy of the nation.

He listed some of the notable achievements of the Minister to include working with the National Assembly for the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on August 16, 2021, to become the Petroleum Industry Act (2021); the initiation and launching of the Decade of Gas Initiativein 2020 and the National Gas Expansion Program (NGEP), which is aimed at improving domestic LPG consumption and deepening the use of alternative fuels such as CNG for vehicular use.

Engr Wabote added that the NGEP promotes the use of cleaner and cheaper fuels and ensures that the impact of subsidy removal from Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) is minimal.

Other achievements of the minister, Engr Wabote pointed out, include improving the harmonized data reporting to Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and provision of comprehensive technical support for Nigeria’s representation at OPEC, and ensuring that the Federal Government took the Final Investment Decision (FID) that led to the development of the $7.0 bn NLNG Train 7 project.

Engr Wabote also noted that Chief Sylva championed Africa’s position for a multi-dimensional approach to energy transition using gas as a transition fuel.

The Minister also championed the removal of fuel subsidy so that the proceeds could be channeled towards National development, he championed the rehabilitation of the three refineries in Nigeria located at Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna to guarantee in-country refining and petroleum products sufficiency.

Chief Sylva also led the drive for the distribution of Covid-19 palliatives by the oil and gas sector to states and institutions during the Covid lockdown in the country.

Wabote listed other accomplishments of the Minister to include pushing for the resuscitation of the Brass LNG project abandoned over 17 years ago by sourcing for new investors, and launching the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code (NGTNC) program. The code ensures fair and non-discriminatory open access to the gas transmission network systems in order to promote competitiveness and drive economic growth.

He added that the Minister conceived the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialization Program (NGFCP) to support Nigeria’s effort to achieve zero routine flaring by taking gas at flare and auctioning same to third parties for commercialization in order to eliminate environmental pollution.

Engr Wabote also pointed out that Chief Sylva worked for the progressive increase in national gas reserve position to the current 206.53 trillion cubic feet (TCF) to support government’s gas revolution and expansion programs. He noted that the Minister also worked to ensure the completion of the NCDMB 17- storey headquarters building in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Engr Wabote also credited Chief Sylva with actively working with NCDMB to ensure the establishment of modular refineries in the Niger Delta; actively working with NCDMB for the establishment of Oil and Gas Industrial parks in some oil producing states in the country; working with NCDMB to establish LPG distribution centers in 10 northern states of the country as part of the Nigerian Gas Expansion Program; serving as Chairman of the African Petroleum Producers Orgaisation (APPO); and ensuring the revitalization of the organization to better position African oil producing countries.