Business
Chinese Firm to Sell Seized Nigerian Properties on eBay Over $70 Million Debt
A Chinese investment group is moving forward with plans to sell two residential properties seized from Nigeria to recover up to $70 million in arbitration awards. The properties are set to be listed for sale on the global online marketplace eBay, according to sources familiar with the situation, as reported by Peoples Gazette.
Zhongshang Fucheng Industrial Investment Ltd. took control of the two buildings, located at 15 Aigburth Hall Road and Beech Lodge, 49 Calderstones Road, in Liverpool, United Kingdom, in June 2024.
This action came after Nigeria failed to comply with a 2021 arbitration ruling. A British court order from December 2021 granted Zhongshang the authority to seize Nigerian assets in the UK to recover the unpaid $70 million, which continues to accrue two per cent monthly interest.
The arbitration award, handed down on March 26, 2021, granted Zhongshang $55.7 million in damages, an additional $9.4 million in interest, and £2.86 million in legal costs.
The case arose from a dispute with Ogun State, which Zhongshang claimed violated a 2001 trade agreement between Nigeria and China when it rescinded the company’s rights to a free trade zone in 2016.
Zhongshang initiated arbitration proceedings against Nigeria in 2018, alleging that the Nigerian government used its federal agencies, such as the police and immigration, to assist Ogun State in the matter without proper legal procedures.
Court documents further reveal that two Zhongshang executives were expelled from Nigeria in 2016, with one reportedly detained and tortured by police.
This case has once again put Nigeria under the spotlight, coming on the heels of a near-disastrous $11 billion arbitration ruling in the P&ID case, which was overturned after evidence of corruption was discovered.
However, the Zhongshang case has proceeded differently, with enforcement orders already granted by European courts in the UK, Belgium, France, and other countries.
Nigerian-owned assets, including jets, are now being tracked for potential seizure. Recently, a U.S. appellate court denied Nigeria’s request for sovereign immunity in the case.
A consultant working with Zhongshang disclosed that plans are underway to list the two Liverpool properties for sale, with an estimated value of around $2.2 million for both.
“They’re considering platforms like eBay to attract buyers more quickly,” the consultant shared, speaking anonymously.
Although these properties belong to Nigeria, they were seized because they weren’t classified as diplomatic or consular assets.
Court documents indicate that they were being leased to tenants unaffiliated with Nigeria’s diplomatic mission. A senior judge confirmed that Nigerian officials had been renting out the properties to private tenants.
In her June 14, 2024 ruling, Master Lisa Sullivan of the UK High Court’s King’s Bench Division stated, “The properties are currently used for leases to residential tenants unconnected with Nigeria and its mission.
Those are commercial purposes for s13(4) of the SIA and therefore the enforcement against the properties is not barred by state immunity.”
Zhongshang has promised transparency in the sale of the properties, citing the public’s interest in how recovered assets are being handled until the full debt is repaid.
Business
Dangote Refinery Resumes Import Of Oil from the US to Increase Production Capacity
Dangote Refinery has resumed its acquisition of crude oil from the United States, marking a significant shift in its strategy to boost refining capacity and overall production.
In a report by Bloomberg on Wednesday, it was revealed that a cargo of two million barrels of WTI Midland crude, sourced from Chevron Corp., is expected to be delivered to Dangote Refinery next month.
This marks the first purchase of US oil since the refinery paused foreign crude imports.
The move indicates a shift in the refinery’s supply strategy, which had previously been focused on Nigerian crude, particularly as it seeks to ramp up operations.
This new purchase raises questions about the status of the Nigerian government’s Naira-for-crude deal, which was hinted at in early October 2024.
The agreement, aimed at trading crude oil in exchange for the Nigerian naira, has faced uncertainty.
Some experts suggest that the deal might be stalling, or that the refinery might not be receiving the expected crude oil supply from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).
Dangote Refinery’s recent decision to purchase crude from Chevron, a major US oil company, comes at a time when the refinery is actively scaling up production capabilities.
The refinery had been under intense scrutiny as it works toward becoming a key player in Nigeria’s oil industry.
While it had been procuring Nigerian oil, this new shipment of WTI Midland crude from the US underscores its reliance on diverse global suppliers to meet its production goals.
In fact, Chevron has reportedly booked the supertanker Azure Nova to transport the crude from the US Gulf, with the shipment scheduled to arrive at Dangote Refinery around December 5.
While the Nigerian government’s Naira-for-crude initiative remains in question, economist Kelvin Emmanuel recently stated that Dangote Refinery still purchases crude from the Nigerian government in dollars, suggesting that the refinery’s operations may not yet fully align with the federal government’s policy on local crude sales.
Business
NNPCL Launches Utapate Crude to Increase Nigeria’s Oil Exports
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has officially launched a new crude oil grade, the Utapate crude oil blend, to enhance the country’s foreign currency earnings and increase its presence in the global energy market.
NNPCL spokesperson Olufemi Soneye made the announcement in a statement on Wednesday.
This significant development was unveiled at the Argus European Crude Conference, held in London, where the Managing Director of NNPC E & P Limited (NEPL), Nicholas Foucart, emphasized that the introduction of Utapate marks a milestone for Nigeria’s crude oil exports.
Foucart shared that production of the Utapate Field began in May 2024, and since then, the output has grown rapidly to 40,000 barrels per day (bpd) with minimal downtime.
He highlighted that five cargoes of the new blend have already been exported, mainly to Spain and the East Coast of the United States.
Additionally, two more cargoes are scheduled for shipment in November and December 2024, further boosting Nigeria’s crude oil exports.
One of the key reasons for Utapate’s success in the international market is its highly attractive qualities, according to Foucart.
The Utapate crude is sourced from Oil Mining Lease (OML) 13, which is fully operated by NEPL and its partner Natural Oilfield Services Ltd (NOSL), a subsidiary of SEEPCO Ltd. OML 13 holds significant reserves, including 330 million barrels of crude oil, 45 million barrels of condensate, and an impressive 3.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas.
This rich reserve underpins the potential for future growth in Nigeria’s crude oil production.
Looking ahead, Foucart outlined plans to ramp up production from the current 40,000 barrels per day to 50,000 bpd by January 2025.
By June 2025, production is expected to reach between 60,000 and 65,000 bpd, with a longer-term target of 80,000 bpd by the end of 2025.
Lawal Sade, Managing Director of NNPC Trading Limited, explained that the pricing structure of the Utapate blend is similar to that of the Amenam crude.
This is because both are light sweet crudes, highly valued by refiners worldwide for their low sulphur content and efficient yield of high-quality refined products.
The API gravity and other properties of Utapate make it an attractive option for global refineries.
Business
Dangote Petroleum Refinery Begins Exportation Of Products To Neighbouring West African Countries
Dangote Petroleum Refinery begins exportation of products to neighbouring West African countries. A report was made that the Dangote refinery just shipped gasoline to the coast of Togo, West Africa. Although the shipment of the gasoline is going to the coast of Togo it can also be taken somewhere else in West Africa.
Chairman of NPA, Ghana speaks at the OTL Africa Downstream Oil Conference in Lagos states that importing from Nigeria reduces prices and freight costs for them rather than importing from Europe.
“If the refinery reaches 650,000bpd a day capacity, all that volume cannot be consumed by Nigeria alone, so instead of us importing as we do right now from Rotterdam, it will be much easier for us to import from Nigeria and I believe that will bring down our prices,”
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