DPR Visits NDEP Refinery, Urges Nigerians To Invest In Oil And Gas Production

Mr Auwal Sarki, the Director, Department of Petroleum Resource (DPR), on Friday paid a working visit to the Niger Delta Exploration and Production (NDEP) Plc facility in Ogbele where he called for more investment in the downstream oil and gas sector to boost crude oil production capacity in Nigeria.

Sarki, who also interacted with key management staff at ND Petroleum Resources, a private sector investor in oil and gas production in Ogbele community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers, said that DPR was on an Executive Management facility visit to the privately-owned Nigerian company to ascertain its production, refining and distribution capacity.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the visit, Sarki said Nigeria could attain self-sufficiency in gas processing and refining, create wealth and value and strengthen production security.

Sarki, who said that that DPR would offer required licence to investors in the oil sector, said that DPR’s interest `is to see money from royalty not from penalty to guarantee business and open opportunity’.

“The private sector should invest in this initiative because our observation today, confirmed that this refinery is a masterpiece that has increased production of crude and other essentials.

“Starting with initial production of 1,000 barrels per day; today, they clocked 11,000 barrels per day. I urge investors to start small and grow gradually just like what we have seen today in ND Petroleum Resources with practically less than one per cent foreign input. Indeed enormous employment and capacity has been harnessed locally.

“DPR is a business enabler and opportunity  provider in the oil and gas sector and we also ensure that the business is sustained that’s why we’re  calling on Nigerians to come and invest  in the oil and gas sector rather than indulge in illegal refineries.

“Invest with support of the DPR and you will have no reason to be afraid of business failure,’’ he said.

According to him, Nigeria currently has about seven private refineries and 20 processed investors’ licences.

“If a local production company like ND Resources has the capacity of producing, refining  and marketing 11,000 barrels per day of petroleum products, then other willing  investors can,’’ Sarki noted.

Also, Dr Layi Fatona, outgoing Managing Director (MD) of ND Petroleum Resources, expressed satisfaction in the enormous human resource in the oil and gas sector.

The Niger Delta Exploration and Production (NDEP) Plc, a foremost Independent, Integrated Energy Company in Nigeria, announced the appointment of Mr. Adegbite Falade, as its new MD and Chief Executive Officer.

The company, through its wholly-owned operating companies, Niger Delta Petroleum Resources Ltd (NDPR), ND Gas Ltd and ND Refineries Ltd, owns a range of assets including its flagship asset, the Ogbele Oil and Gas Field with a fully self- managed Flow Station.

It also owns, the soon-to-be commissioned Refinery with 11,000bbl/d processing capacity, a 100MM Scf/d gas processing plant, and an Operations and management (O&M) venture in South Sudan.

Falade, who joined NDEP with 25 years of impactful and extensive experience across multiple sectors and continents in the energy sector, succeeds the pioneer Managing Director, Dr. Layi Fatona.

Fatona, who in an interim position, had supported the running of the affairs of the company since October 2019.

Fatona, who received the DPR team at the facility said that the company, established in a short period of time has grown its productive capacity from 1,000 barrels to 6,000 and currently 11,000 barrels of crude per day (bpd).

He said that the firm had successfully adopted standard operational principle guiding the downstream sector and successfully adopted global best practices in addition to ensuring zero gas flaring in its operation.

The new NDEP PLc’s MD/CEO, a First Class (B.S.c) graduate (1995) of Electrical & Electronics

Engineering from the University of Ibadan, also holds an MBA from Warwick Business School, Coventry, in the United Kingdom.

“Gbite” has in the past 14 years served in various Senior Executive positions in the Oil & Gas, Power and Services sectors, with responsibilities for Engineering, Operations, Project Execution,Commercial, Client & Stakeholder Management, Strategy and Enterprise Development.

He was previously the Managing Director and Group Chief Operating Officer at Oilserv Group of Companies based in Port Harcourt.

Prior to that, he had served variously as General Manager, Portfolio Development and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Oando Energy Resources as well as Executive Director, Oando Gas & Power.

He was also the Petroleum Economics Discipline & Portfolio Lead for Shell EP, Africa.

According to the Chairman of NDEP, Mr. Ladi Jadesimi, “With a nimble and proven Technical Management, a young but competent operating workforce and a mature Board of Directors, “Gbite” will be charged with leading the company in a well-charted and structured manner, to deliver the continuation and, indeed, enhancement of our historical steady growth.”

He also expressed confidence that NDEP’s position as Nigeria’s No.1 fully integrated Energy Company will be sustained under Mr. Falade’s leadership.