Troops will remain in the Niger Delta to safeguard oil installations, the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) has declared - eight days after the end of amnesty.
And Petroleum Minister, Rilwanu Lukman, disclosed at the weekend that Nigeria now produces between 1.6 million and 1.7 million barrels per day (bpd) and is sticking to its quota allocated by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
That translates into earning N18 billion a day.
Lukman said oil output reached 1.7 million barrels when the amnesty lasted from August 5 to October 4.
A decision by OPEC on production quotas on December 22 will depend on market conditions, such as demand, he stressed.
"OPEC will only increase output if the market requires it," Lukman explained in an interview in Abuja.
A spokesman from Chevron confirmed that the company's Agbami platform offshore produced 250,000 bpd in August, four months ahead of schedule.
The Agbami oil and gas field, which began production in July last year, is a $7 billion project containing an estimated 900 million barrels of oil equivalent of recoverable hydrocarbons, the largest deepwater discovery to date in Nigeria.
Agbami stretches across 45,000 acres and is located some 70 miles (113 kilometres) offshore the Niger Delta.
Situated on Nigerian blocks OML 127 and 128, its water depth is 4,500 feet (1,372 metres).
The crude oil found in Agbami is light and sweet, with a 45-degree API gravity and no contaminants.
Through its major capital projects worldwide, Chevron, the second-largest American oil company, is poised to ramp up production faster than its rivals, according to Dow Jones.
Moreover, it has 40 projects for which it is investing $1 billion each, 15 of them located in Africa and Latin America.
Other operators in Agbami are Petrobras, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Famfa Oil, and StatoilHydro ASA.
Lukman's estimate of current production is 100,000 bpd higher than a range provided by Petroleum Minister of State, Odein Ajumogobia.
Lukman, the more senior oil official, said output flows fluctuate from day to day.
The figures he and Ajumogobia released both exclude condensate production, the addition of which brings Nigeria's output to more than two million bpd, they said.
Under the amnesty programme, thousands of militants and their commanders renounced violence and surrendered weapons. With relative peace in the Deep South, oil production is likely to increase in the coming months, Ajumogobia enthused.
However, Abuja officials have given differing production figures in recent months.
Lukman had said on August 26 that output had risen to 1.7 million bpd from 1.2 million, following an improvement in security.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Lamido Sanusi, who said on August 4 that output had declined to one million bpd, told reporters in Istanbul last week that it has risen back to about two million bpd.
What is known for a fact is that oil production, which averaged 2.5 million bpd in 2005, according to the Petroleum Ministry, has suffered in the last three years from armed attacks on oil workers and installations by militants in the Niger Delta, the country's oil basin.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the main armed group in the region, has threatened to resume attacks on the oil industry when its current ceasefire ends on October 15, as its Spokesman Jomo Gbomo, reiterated in a statement at the weekend.
The group has rejected the amnesty, saying it fails to address its demands for redistribution of oil wealth to Niger Deltans who are among the poorest in the country.
JTF Commander, Brigadier General Sarkin Bello, noted at the weekend that soldiers have been stationed in the Niger Delta since 2003, but they need to stay longer to protect vulnerable points and oil facilities.
"We take directives from Defence Headquarters and so far we have not received any (counter directive) since the amnesty ended," he said.
"We are also aware a big achievement has been recorded by the government regarding the restoration of law and order in the Niger Delta. I am sure government, in its wisdom, will direct the JTF on the next line of action."

http://www.independentngonline.com/news/tfpg/article01

Less talk, more blowing up.

WHAT! what the heck are they doing with this money? i think i'm gonna collapse,

[size=16pt]Unbelievable[/size]

no wonder the government hates it when NLC calls for strike.

timpaker:

WHAT! what the heck are they doing with this money? i think i'm gonna collapse,

A-loota-continua

oh my goodness

18 billion a day is humugous. But what do they have to show for it? See how it pays to be a militant. It is the only crimne you get settled for.
I used to think these people were fighting for the impoverished masses, but na lie,

That sum is just from oil that's why all our politicians are scavenging for it. Nigeria has failed to diversify and earn more. What a shame.

Only oil and nothing else. This oil is a complete curse to this nation.

Mune:

Only oil and nothing else. This oil is a complete curse to this nation.

I really hate that statement! It is the people that is the curse to the "nation".

so, it's all about the money, afterall. hey?

. . . now is the time for the Government to concentrate on developing infastructure in the Niger Delta,

This means increase in allocations for Kano and Bauchi governments.

All is well.

It is saddening to see such breath-taking figure and yet nothing is being done to inprove the lives of the common people especially those in the Niger-delta area (not the militants in or out of the creek). It is only in 9ja that you commit a big crime such as felony and get away with it and your name will be a sing-song amongst men. may God help us,

can some one get me a contact for that Agbami fiel of Chevron?

That means those thieves are earning $46,928,571,428.,that is approximately Forty six Trillion dollars in a year.

mantiete:

that Nigeria now produces between 1.6 million and 1.7 million barrels per day (bpd) and is sticking to its quota allocated by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
That translates into earning N18 billion a day.

your responses are laughable. they betray your individual and collective ignorace. that's how writers (rabble-rousers, insinuators, provocators, inciters, speculators etc. ) program you to think, feel, talk, behave and probably act; like robots.

now 1.7million barrels per day translate to N18Billion a day. do you know how much it costs to  produce one (1) barrel of oil ? do you know what constitutes the cost of production? do you know what percentage of the cost is paid by government? do you know what percentge of the profit goes to the government? do you know what percentage of the cost is paid by the producing companies? do you know what percentge of the profit goes to the producing companies? do you know the incubation period for oil and gas field development? these are just few tips to let you know that oil and gas business is far more than just number of barrels times number of nairas (dollars).

18 billion a day with nothing to show for it. Please let forget about money thing. Even if Nigeria earn 100 billion, nothing will change so forget about amouch Nigeria make a day.

sayso:

That means those thieves are earning $46,928,571,428.,that is approximately Forty six Trillion dollars in a year.

No. That means you've got a poor grasp of Mathematics

Lets hope the terrorists (sorry, militants) are well rehabilitated.

Selfish govt. They called for amnesty to increase their revenue.Now they will start to loot d money.

and how will this excess money translate to national development, ?

jaybee:

your responses are laughable. they betray your individual and collective ignorace. that's how writers (rabble-rousers, insinuators, provocators, inciters, speculators etc. ) program you to think, feel, talk, behave and probably act; like robots.

now 1.7million barrels per day translate to N18Billion a day. do you know how much it costs to produce one (1) barrel of oil ? do you know what constitutes the cost of production? do you know what percentage of the cost is paid by government? do you know what percentge of the profit goes to the government? do you know what percentage of the cost is paid by the producing companies? do you know what percentge of the profit goes to the producing companies? do you know the incubation period for oil and gas field development? these are just few tips to let you know that oil and gas business is far more than just number of barrels times number of nairas (dollars).

no matter how you juggle it, 18billion naira is still an awful lot of money.

diehard1:


A-loota-continua

I love this!

U can say that again

we make 18 billion naira a day? and some nigerians still feed below $1 a day? (though i don't believe an adult can feed with $1 in nigeria)

believe it or not, that is the truth, bros.

George_D:

believe it or not, that is the truth, bros.

i should believe that an adult eat with 150 naira in a day in Nigeria? and 70% of Nigerians for that matter?

lets start with you, how much do you feed with per day?

jaybee:

your responses are laughable. they betray your individual and collective ignorace. that's how writers (rabble-rousers, insinuators, provocators, inciters, speculators etc. ) program you to think, feel, talk, behave and probably act; like robots.

now 1.7million barrels per day translate to N18Billion a day. do you know how much it costs to  produce one (1) barrel of oil ? do you know what constitutes the cost of production? do you know what percentage of the cost is paid by government? do you know what percentge of the profit goes to the government? do you know what percentage of the cost is paid by the producing companies? do you know what percentge of the profit goes to the producing companies? do you know the incubation period for oil and gas field development? these are just few tips to let you know that oil and gas business is far more than just number of barrels times number of nairas (dollars).

I think mate you are the one who need to get enlighteed on this. The article didnt talk abt  sales per day. It talked abt earnings. That translates into earning N18 billion a day. and when you say earning you are talking abt income. As business man you determine your earnings or income after you deduct all those expenditure you mentioned above which give you the Net profit. That stands are your income or earning for the year,month or day depending on your accounting procedure.

Am just suprised that many Nigerians are shouting at this as if we just knew Nigerian income per day. Even when crude oil price rose at its peak( above 100usd per barrel) far beyond the budget for that year and Nigeria was in full position to meet up with the OPEC quota then {2million barrels per day}. We had nothing to show for it, absolutely nothing to show for the excess and unexpected income, how much more now that we cant even meet up with initial quota which was 2milliom barrel per day and the price of crude has falling to about US$73/barrel. Infact you guys should go to sleep and dont expect much coz this is jst normal to our govt.

but man, 18b is not small sha, what can we ordinary Nigerians do to tap into this 18billion per day?

theyturnNaijatoacursednation What a Pity

I guess with this report, MEND would ve to start there sabotage to make the earning drop down . U say make dem release the report sef? I rest my case.