…role of the NCC is not only to ensure accessibility but also to enhance service delivery for consumers
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has said that it is working to remove all obstacles hindering the delivery of world-class telecommunication services to Nigerians.
Dr. Aminu Maida, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), stated this at a stakeholders meeting in Abuja.
According to him, the role of the NCC is not only to ensure accessibility but to enhance service delivery for consumers, stating further that Nigeria accounts for 132 million internet connections out of the estimated five billion internet users globally.
“Nigerians spend an average of four hours and 20 minutes on social media daily, far above the global average, underscoring how deeply embedded digital interaction is in our lives.
In 2024, Nigeria’s daily data usage averaged 336 gigabytes per second, marking a 39 percent increase from the previous year, a clear indication of the data-driven lifestyle many Nigerians lead.”
The NCC boss said the telecommunications landscape in Nigeria has transformed from a powerhouse for e-commerce activities through high-speed internet services.
He stated that with the rollout of 3G, 4G, and now 5G, ‘we’ve seen Nigerians adopting social media, e-commerce, online banking, and more.’
The introduction of 3G networks in the mid-2000s, he said, marked the beginning of this shift, enabling basic browsing and email, adding that, the leap to 4G LTE brought faster speeds, enabling video streaming, online gaming, and a myriad of digital activities.
“Now, with 5G promising even faster speeds and lower latency, new frontiers are opening for innovations such as smart cities, autonomous vehicles, and the Internet of Things, driving further demand for data.”
He promised that the commission was prepared to remove all impediments hindering world-class services.
Maida said, “I would like to stress at the heart of the commission’s strategic vision is the commitment to meet the expectations of our stakeholders: the Consumers, the Industry/Licensees, and the Government.
“To achieve this, our focus has evolved from simply demanding quality service to ensuring a holistic Quality of Experience throughout the telecom consumer’s lifecycle, from SIM registration to usage and even service disposal. Our goal is for consumers to be consistently satisfied with telecom services.”
Businessstandardsng.com/ a strategic cross-reporting initiative with enterprisethrob.com
Shell’s Bonga Project : Saipem, AVEON Offshore, and KOA Oil Clinch S1Billion Contract
Offshore contracts worth around $1 billion in respect of the $5 billion Shell’s deepwater oil and gas Bonga project, have been clinched by the consortium of Saipem and two other Nigerian companies, according to Offshore Energy magazine report.
The contract is with Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) which is the operator of the Bonga field offshore Nigeria.
The details of the contracts to be executed by the consortium include delivering of the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation (EPCI) of risers, flowlines, subsea umbilicals, and associated subsea structures for the Bonga North Project, located 130 kilometers offshore Nigeria.
Design and fabrication activities will be carried out locally, also involving Nigerian suppliers and subcontractors, the report added.
The contract was secured in a consortium with KOA Oil & Gas and AVEON Offshore, and has an overall value of about $1 billion, while Saipem’s share amounted to approximately $900 million.
According to the report, TechnipFMC will also supply Subsea 2.0 production systems for the development, including the design and manufacture of subsea tree systems, manifolds, jumpers, controls, and services.
With water depths exceeding 1,000 meters, Bonga North will be tied back to the Shell-operated FPSO Bonga in OML 118, where production began in 2005. The FPSO, which can produce 225,000 barrels of oil per day, reached a production milestone in 2023, thanks to its one-billionth barrel of crude oil.
According to Shell, the project encompasses the drilling, completion, and start-up of 16 wells, of which half are production ones and the remaining half water injection wells, modifications to the existing FPSO Bonga Main, and the installation of new subsea hardware tied back to the unit for which Akselos provided a structural digital twin in 2020.
Defined as substantial, meaning it is worth between $250 million and $500 million, the TechnipFMC contract covers the design and manufacture of subsea tree systems, manifolds, jumpers, controls, and services.
President of Subsea at TechnipFMC, Jonathan Landes, , said, “Shell was the first to adopt our Subsea 2.0 configure-to-order solution, and continues to deploy it across multiple basins, underscoring its commitment to the technology globally. This award further positions us for future deepwater opportunities in the region.”
The award will be included in TechnipFMC’s inbound orders this quarter of 2024.
SNEPCo had made a Final Investment Decision (FID) for a deepwater oil and gas project off the coast of Nigeria, which will be developed as a subsea tie-back to an existing floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit.
Shell’s investment in the Bonga North project is expected to generate an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) over the hurdle rate for the firm’s upstream business, which continues to look for ways to boost performance through near-field opportunities, like Bonga North, leveraging technical expertise, strong partnerships, and a model built on simplification and replication.
Shell believes Bonga North will help ensure its integrated gas and upstream business continues to drive cash generation into the next decade. The operator expects the project to sustain oil and gas production at the Bonga facility because of its estimated recoverable resource volume of over 300 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe).
The Bonga North project’s peak production is forecast to be 110,000 barrels of oil per day, with the first oil anticipated by the decade-end, it said.
SNEPCo (55 per cent) operates the Bonga field in partnership with Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (20 per cent), Nigerian Agip Exploration (12.5 per cent), and TotalEnergies Exploration and Production Nigeria (12.5 per cent), on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).
Shell’s Integrated Gas and Upstream Director, Zoë Yujnovich, had said, “This is another significant investment, which will help us to maintain stable liquids production from our advantaged upstream portfolio.”
This comes after Shell made arrangements in January 2024 to divest its interest in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) joint venture (JV), with a net book value of around $2.8 billion, aiming to turn all its attention to deepwater and integrated gas businesses in the African country.
Businessstandardsng.com/ a strategic cross-reporting initiative with enterprisethrob.com
