News
Transparency Issues Persist As Nigerian Oil Company NNPCL Fails To Release 2023 Financial Statements 7 Months Into 2024
The NNPCL only released its 2022 financial statements in January 2024 after facing significant pressure. The Petroleum Industry Act mandates that the NNPCL, as a limited company, must undergo financial audits annually, in line with the Companies and Allied Matters Act.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has not published its financial records for 2023, as the year 2024 draws to a close.
This lack of transparency has sparked concerns about the company’s operations, especially since it became a limited company.
The NNPCL only released its 2022 financial statements in January 2024 after facing significant pressure. The Petroleum Industry Act mandates that the NNPCL, as a limited company, must undergo financial audits annually, in line with the Companies and Allied Matters Act.
Oil revenue is a significant contributor to the Nigerian government’s fiscal intake, serving as a crucial indicator of revenue generation.
The company is an Incorporated Joint Venture owned in the following proportions: Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) (49%), Shell Gas B.V. (25.6%), TotalEnegies Gaz & Electricité Holdings (15%), and Eni International N.A. N.V. S.àr.l (10.4%).
However, the financial performance of the NNPCL remains opaque, with Nigerians unable to access its financial statements and gauge its fiscal health.
Previous financial statements of the NNPC have raised concerns regarding the organisation’s financial management and the stewardship of the country’s oil revenue.
A review of the 2021 financial statement highlighted several issues, including high indebtedness. Notably, the NNPC wrote off debts amounting to N140 billion over a three-year period between 2019 and 2021, raising questions about its financial prudence and revenue management practices.
One of the NNPC subsidiaries gave out loans worth N2 billion to employees despite recording zero profit in 2021.
Previous financial statements reveal that the NNPC has been funding loss-making subsidiaries, raising concerns about its operational efficiency. Additionally, the NNPCL has secured various crude-backed loans, including a $3 billion loan in 2023, the impact of which on the company’s revenue and operations remains unclear.
Furthermore, the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has alleged that the NNPCL failed to remit N2.8 trillion in taxes to the government in 2022, highlighting potential revenue management issues.
While the NNPCL continues to state that it is committed to accountability, experts note that publishing financial statements was a key pointer to such commitment.
News
NECO accredits more foreign schools for SSCE, BECE
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has given accreditation to more foreign schools to write the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The Acting Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani, disclosed this in a statement.
The newly accredited schools are in Niger Republic and Equatorial Guinea.
“NECO Accreditation Team visited the Schools to assess their readiness to write the SSCE and BECE.
“The Accreditation Team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls and sport facilities to determine their adequacy and suitability for NECO Examinations.
“After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and full BECE accreditation status,” the statement said.
The statement added that the accreditation of additional foreign schools is a testament to NECO’s commitment to providing quality education and assessment beyond the shores of Nigeria.
“With its expanding global presence, NECO is poised to become a leading examination body in Africa, offering opportunities for students worldwide to benefits from its expertise, thus contributing to the advancement of education in Africa and beyond.”
In another development, the statement disclosed that candidates are participating in the on-going NECO SSCE External in Diffa, Niger Republic.
“The UNHCR School, Diffa, Niger Republic is the first NECO SSCE External Centre outside Nigeria.”
NECO examinations are now written by candidates in Benin Republic, Togo, Cote’ d’Ivoire, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabia.
News
Guardiola suffers worst defeat of career as Tottenham hammer Man City 4-0
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, suffered the worst defeat of his managerial career as they lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night.
The Premier League champions were already on a run of four consecutive defeats ahead of the visit of the North London side.
James Maddison scored twice in the first half to set Spurs on their way to a sensational win.
Pedro Porro drilled in a third, before Brennan Johnson got on the scoresheet late in the game.
The result leaves City in second place with 23 points. They could go eight points behind Liverpool by the end of this Game Week.
Guardiola takes his men to Anfield next weekend.
News
FUOYE Re-Marks Exam Papers of Student Failed By Lecturer Over Sex-for-Grade Scandal, Secures Justice
The Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, has cleared a female student, Ramota Olahanloye, to graduate following the re-marking of her final-year examination scripts.
Olahanloye had alleged that a lecturer, Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia, demanded sexual favours from her, and when she declined, he deliberately failed her in two final-year courses.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Wole Balogun, the university confirmed that Olahanloye’s allegations were investigated, and her scripts were re-marked.
“The young lady’s scripts were re-marked, and she performed fairly better than the scores initially awarded by Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia,” the statement read.
According to Balogun, the university management approved Olahanloye’s revised results, which qualified her for graduation.
“The university management has given executive approval for her results to be processed. She has since commenced her final clearance from relevant units of the university,” the statement added.
Balogun also disclosed that Agbegbedia had been sanctioned by the institution for his misconduct.
Olahanloye expressed her joy over the resolution of the case, saying, “I am happy that I have gotten justice, and I really appreciate the university Vice-Chancellor for setting up the committee that investigated the matter.
“I was shown my entire results, including the graduation list with my name on it. I have started my clearance as a graduating student of the university, and I am truly happy.”
Her father, Rasaki Olahanloye, also lauded the university for its commitment to justice.
“I can confirm to the world that FUOYE has served justice to my daughter. I was shown her upgraded results after her scripts were re-marked, and it is clear that she passed.
“The university fulfilled its promise to ensure fairness, and I appreciate the VC, Prof. Sunday Fasina, and the committee members for ensuring my daughter gets justice,” he said.
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