Nigeria’s pipeline breaks drop to 221 points in August

The Federal Government’s efforts in tackling the issue of pipelines vandalism have shown remarkable progress, as disruption of oil flow dropped to 221 in August, down from 311 points in July, according to the latest data from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
It disclosed that in August 2016, there was 28.94 per cent drop in the number of pipeline vandalised points relative to July, 2016.
The Corporation stated in its August Monthly Financial Report (MFR), released, that the spate of pipeline vandalism in the country has shown remarkable improvement, following Federal Government and NNPC’s sustained engagements with the Niger Delta militants.
In spite of this progress, the NNPC report also indicated a significant reduction in its trade deficit to ₦11.22 billion against the ₦24.18 billion reported July, 2016.
Although, the Group classified it as a remarkable improvement, explaining that the success was largely due to increase in Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC’s) coastal sales, and

Dollar tumbles against yen, euro on strong Trump showing

The dollar tumbled against the yen and euro while the Mexican peso fell off a cliff as polling results in the knife-edge US presidential race pointed to a strong showing by property mogul Donald Trump.
The greenback plunged 3.8 percent to 101.50 yen while it lost almost two percent against the euro, which bought $1.1224 in Tokyo trading.
The peso, which has become a proxy for the property mogul’s chances of becoming US president, slumped to below 20 against the dollar, an historic low.
Financial markets have favoured Democrat Clinton over Republican Trump, whose wild policy pronouncements have sown uncertainty.
“Of course, I can’t say anything definite at the moment, but the market atmosphere reminds me of that five months ago,” Daisuke Karakama, market economist at Mizuho Bank said, referring to the Brexit shock.
“Mr Trump has made it clear that he hates a strong dollar, which is a threat” to the floating-rate system, he added.

NAICOM sacks ‘fake directors’ from insurance firms

The regulatory order placed on Goldlink Insurance Plc and International Energy Insurance (IEI) and others by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) is yielding results.
The commission has booted out some directors from the companies.
Similarly, the Commission claimed that a particular chairman returned N66 million cash looted from a risk bearing firm.
Commissioner for Insurance, Mohammed Kari, who spoke with reporters in Gombe, Gombe State, said parties that engaged in corrupt practices would be reported to anti-graft agencies for prosecution.
He said shareholders who looted shares without paying for them had been dragged to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He alleged that at Goldlink Insurance, some shareholders acquired claims without paying, adding that genuine shareholders of the companies have been identified.
He said: “There are two types of interventions. These are direct intervention and regulatory

Oil industry must invest to ensure supplies – OPEC

The OPEC cartel warned Tuesday that the oil industry needs to step up investments to guarantee sufficient supply as low prices stimulate demand.
“Given the demand and supply outlook, there is a need for significant investments across the entire industry,” the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said in its annual report on the sector.
The 14-nation group, which supplies around a third of global crude, said it sees a need for around $10 trillion of oil-related investments between now and 2040.
“While the recent oil market environment has been one of oversupply, it is vital that the industry ensures that a lack of investments today does not lead to a shortage of supply in the future,” the report warned.
Oil companies have slashed investment, cancelling or postponing projects, as they react to the price of crude falling from over $100 barrel in mid-2014 to under $30 at the beginning of this year.
Prices have since recovered to around $45 per barrel, but the market still remains saturated with supplies, and the cartel now expects prices to increase only slowly and thus contribute to an