Buhari welcomes FFED contracts signing for Shell

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has welcomed the signing of the contracts for the Front End Engineering Design (FFED) of Train 7 of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Project.

In a statement issued in Abuja by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity), on Wednesday, the president

congratulated the board, management, staff and shareholders of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas company (NLNG), the NNPC and other Joint Venture partners, Shell, Total and AGIP involved in it.

According to the statement, “the President welcomes the signing of a MOU between NLNG, ‘B7 JV Consortium’ and “SCD JV Consortium”, Wednesday in London, which paves the way for the additional Train 7 that would increase the country’s gas production output from 22 million tonnes per annum to 30 metric million tonnes per annum.

President Buhari also welcomed the commitment of all parties in supporting his administration to launch the “gas revolution” in Nigeria by ensuring the realisation of Train 7, which has been stalled for many years under previous administrations.

He is optimistic that this significant step would culminate in a Final Investment Decision (FID) for the much-awaited multi-billion dollar Train 7 expansion programme by the end of this year.

The President noted that the signing of the contract for the plant expansion project after an eight-year delay is a sign of irreversible commitment by the Joint Venture to enter a Final Investment Decision (FID), and a clear indication that the confidence of investors is coming back to Nigeria following the good governance practices instituted by his administration.

Buhari also noted that the 7th train which is expected to provide some 8,000 jobs is not only important for the country but also an important benchmark for the Niger Delta region, which rightly yearns for development projects.

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The statement added that as a former Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources, the President recalled with nostalgia that several signature projects, launched under his watch, which would have accelerated the growth of Nigeria’s economy, including the NLNG, had sadly suffered neglect and abandonment by succeeding administrations.

It’s said: “For instance, the NLNG had the goal of establishing 12 trains by early 1980s but the projected growth was stunted. So far, only six of those trains have been commissioned.

“However, with this signature project back on the cards, President Buhari strongly believes it is destined for his administration to complete the project.

”This project perfectly keys into the Federal Government’s ‘Economic Recovery and Growth’ agenda.

”It signifies foreign investors’ confidence in our country’s economy.”