Economy
CBN Blames Ageing Pipelines for Oil Revenue Crash
Abuja – The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has attributed a significant decline in oil revenue for the third quarter of 2024 to ageing pipeline infrastructure and operational inefficiencies.
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SUNU Assurances targets N9.34bn via rights issue
SUNU Assurances Nigeria Plc has commenced a rights issue to raise N9.34bn from existing shareholders as part of efforts to strengthen its capital base and expand operations in Nigeria’s insurance sector. The company is offering 2,075,285,715 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N4.50 per share. According to the Company Secretary, Taiwo Kuku, the offer…
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Allgreen to invest $10bn in 80m clean cookstove rollout
Allgreen Energy NV has announced plans to invest $10bn in the rollout of 80 million clean cookstoves across Nigeria under a large-scale energy transition programme. The investment was unveiled in Lagos during a media briefing organised by GreenPlinth Africa, where stakeholders also signed a manufacturing agreement for the first batch of 24 million cookstoves. The…
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OPay expands access to N1.2bn scholarship scheme
OPay has expanded its scholarship programme with the signing of Memoranda of Understanding with four tertiary institutions across Nigeria. The new partner institutions are Benue State Polytechnic, Kogi State Polytechnic, Montgomery Polytechnic, and Alex Ekwueme Federal University. With the addition, the total number of participating institutions in the programme has increased to 24 nationwide. The initiative is a N1.2bn, 10-year…
The apex bank’s latest economic report revealed a 24.72% drop in oil revenue to N1.30 trillion compared to the second quarter. This shortfall was primarily due to lower receipts from petroleum profit tax and royalties. Furthermore, the revenue significantly missed the quarterly target by 75.39%, largely attributed to frequent shutdowns caused by deteriorating pipelines and installations.
Despite a modest increase in crude oil production, challenges like theft, vandalism, and infrastructure deficits severely impacted Nigeria’s oil revenue performance. The report highlighted that the ageing infrastructure not only reduced efficiency but also hindered the country’s ability to meet its OPEC production quota.
Global factors also contributed to the decline, with the average spot price of Nigeria’s Bonny Light crude falling by 5.45% to $82.23 per barrel during the quarter.
While the oil sector struggled, the Nigerian economy recorded a 3.46% growth in Q3 2024, driven by the non-oil sector. However, the oil sector’s growth slowed to 5.17% year-on-year due to operational inefficiencies and declining crude oil prices.
The fiscal implications were substantial, with federally collected revenue falling short of the budget benchmark. The fiscal deficit, though narrowing compared to the previous quarter, widened significantly relative to the quarterly target, reflecting ongoing fiscal pressures.
The report concluded that Nigeria’s goal of achieving an oil production target of 2 million barrels per day by the end of 2024 remains under threat due to these persistent challenges.
