Rivers State governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has attributed the success story of the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited to the Public Private Partnership (PPP) business model adopted by the Federal Government (FG) and the multinational oil company from its inception.
He stated this when he received the new NLNG Managing Director/CEO, Mr Adeleye Falade and his top officials during a courtesy visit to Government House, Port Harcourt, on Wednesday.
NLNG is jointly owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) 49 per cent; Shell Gas B.V. (25.6 per cent); Total LNG Nigeria Ltd (15); and Eni International (10.4 per cent).
According to the arrangement, the partnership model allowed for shared risks, costs, and expertise in the LNG sector.
Governor Fubara observed that NLNG has not only survived the difficult business environment, but has also made sustained progress in the nearly three decades of its existence.
According to him, the decision of the FG to allow the multinational oil company, who have the needed expertise to run the establishment, while government played a supervisory role over it, has largely been responsible for its success.
“I am very proud to say that, if there is one establishment that has shown resilience, that has survived in the face of all the political issues prevalent in this country, it is the NLNG.
“And what is the reason? The reason is very simple. Government has no business in business. That is the truth. Leave the business for those people who can operate it.
“Let the government play its supervisory role to ensure that there is compliance with the laws; ensure that standards are maintained and also ensure that the right people with the needed expertise are at the helm of affairs. That’s all.
“I think that is the reason why we still record a lot of successes in NLNG,” the governor said.
Fubara therefore pledged the continued support of his administration for NLNG, stressing that the success of the organisation is equally the success of the FG and the Rivers State Government.
He gave an assurance that the state government, under his administration, will continue to contribute its own quota in support of NLNG.
“Our duty is to make sure that we support whoever is operating in our state. We are the ones here. If we don’t support you and you don’t succeed, we also will not succeed and Mr President will also not succeed.
“So the success of your establishment is the success of our state, and overall success of Nigeria. So you can count on our support. Wherever you think we need to come in to support you, please do not hesitate to call upon us.
“You just mentioned here that your predecessor left a handover note showcasing the level of support that he got from the state.
“It is not going to be different in your own case. I can assure you that. I will also ensure that other units of the government will liaise with you when necessary.
“So even if you can’t get to me, you can always get to them and if there is anything we can do to help your establishment succeed, we will do it for you,” he said.
In his opening remark, the new NLNG Chairman/CEO Mr Falade, expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara for the audience granted him and his team and appealed to the Rivers State Government to continue to support the organisation.
“We appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and deepen this important relationship. We deeply value the support the Rivers State Government continues to extend in fostering an enabling operating environment for businesses.
NLNG remains deliberate in its contribution to Nigeria’s development, and Rivers State, our primary host, continues to be central to that commitment,” he said.
The company, Falade said, has continued to work with its host communities to strengthen their capacity to identify, prioritise, and deliver sustainable development initiatives that create lasting impact. According to him, communities including Amadi-ama, Abua, Ekpeye, Okrika, Kalabari, and Emohua have continued to benefit from this model.
He said beyond community infrastructure, NLNG have sustained investments in economic empowerment through initiatives such as Vocational Innovation and Business Empowerment Scheme (VIBES) and Micro Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) schemes. The initiatives, he said, were designed to support small businesses, build capacity, and stimulate local enterprise across the state.
Among NLNG officials who accompanied the Managing Director were the General Manager (External Relations and Sustainable Development), Dr Sophia Horsfall; Manager (Government Relations), Mr Abdul Umar; Manager (Community Relations), Dr Yemi Adeyemi; Head of Government Relations, Mr Mike Igoni; and Head) Community Liaison and Engagement), Chief Ifeanyi Umeh.
Others included Technical Assistant to Executive Leadership, Mr Hassan Saleh; Senior Media and Publicity Advisor, Mr Emma Nwatu; Government Relations Advisor, Miss Homa Nmegbu, Senior Government Relations Advisor, Mrs Kate Allison and Audio-Visual Advisor, Mr Dawood Ahmed.
