| The Sun reports that 31st virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the National Quality Policy to stop the rejection of Nigerian exports.
Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, who briefed State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting, said the essence of the policy is to ensure exported local goods are accepted in their countries of destination.
According to him, “For a long time, Nigerian exporters have been suffering because of lack of quality of their goods. We felt that it was high time we actually had a policy which would create a situation whereby standard of the Nigerian goods that are exported would be raised, such that that rejection would stop.
“This policy will create a situation whereby the government and the private sector will be able to collaborate to set up quality testing centers, testing labs which we hope will have accreditation with international centers, such that any good that has been approved to have met the standard, would be of international standard”.
Adebayo said the council also approved the Nigerian/Hungarian Trade Agreement. He said the agreement between the two countries have now been ratified.
The Punch says that the Nigeria Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association has said it is targeting a consumption level of two million metric tonnes of LPG, also known as cooking gas, in the country in the next two years.
The NLPGA said this on Wednesday in a statement where it described as a major milestone the achievement of a consumption level of over one million MT of cooking gas in 2020.
It said, “The year 2020 will be remembered for so many things, least of all, a once in a century global pandemic. But, within this year also, Nigeria’s LPG sector achieved a major milestone with the laudable achievement of exceeding the one million metric tonne per annum mark for gas consumption.
“As at December 30, 2020, LPG coastal supplies broke the 1 million tonnes barrier for the first time in Nigeria’s history and Nigeria being the first country to hit this mark in West Africa sub-region.”
According to the association, other milestones achieved included incremental volumes from inland producers as well as the inauguration of two major inland production plants. The statement said, “These are significant achievements in spite of a COVID-19 ravaged economy, global economic downturn and numerous business environment bottlenecks.
The Nation says that stakeholders in the oil and gas sector yesterday disagreed with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), though they agreed on the need for the speedy passage of the bill to drive the needed reforms in the sector.
While organised labour warned against creating multiple regulatory agencies under the new law, insisting this may lead to unhealthy rivalry among them, some state government want to be on the boards of such agencies as well that of NNPC Limited.
While the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) wants a Nigeria Oil and Gas Commission as the sole regulator, oil workers suggested the Oil and Gas Regulatory Commission instead of the two commissions being proposed under the law.
However, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, who presided over the public hearing on the PIB, assured that the National Assembly would protect Nigerians’ interest in the bill.
He said it was unfortunate that, despite the importance of the bill to the economy, it was not passed into law by previous Assemblies.
Gbajabiamila said there was a consensus about the need for a reform in the industry. “We did not arrive at this consensus suddenly.
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