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OML30 communities protest removal of SALVIC
There’s been ongoing community protests at Oil Mining Lease (OML) 30, Nigeria’s second largest onshore oil & gas asset, located in the Niger Delta about 35km east of Warri. Central to the unrest is the success story of a young technical services operator, Salvic Petroleum Resources Limited. Investigations reveal that SALVIC, a relatively young Nigerian company, had been acting as 3rd party operator of OML30 in the last one year on behalf the name-plate operator, a company called Heritage Energy Operational Services Ltd (HEOSL), and that SALVIC achieved obvious successes in the one year it took charge of the mining lease to the benefit of all stakeholders, that the communities are unhappy with the sudden move to replace SALVIC with foreign operators who do not understand the local environment nor the requisite stakeholder management.
OML 30, covering 1,095sqkm, comprising 11 fields, 9 flow stations, the Ughelli tank farm (UPS), the Trans Forcados Pipeline (TFP), and with reserves estimated at about 1 billion barrels of oil, OML30 is a critical source of oil revenues for the Federal Government, the Delta State, 110 host communities and other asset owners around the region. The communities point to SALVIC’s commendable performance OML30, taking production from zero to 75,000 barrels per day (bpd), rehabilitating the Forcados Pipeline in record time and sustaining an uptime of over 86 percent in the 12 months of operations between March 2017 to April 2018. Furthermore, SALVIC restored good relationships with the communities and recorded no major security or environmental issue during the same period. The Communities and their leadership therefore see no justification to terminate SALVIC.
SALVIC is a new breed exploration & production (E&P) company in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. Company information indicates that SALVIC has strategically differentiated itself as an E&P company with a service orientation, focused on providing the full range of value chain E&P services as a non equity holder 3rd party operator to asset owners. Their strengths lie in execution excellence, cost control, operational efficiencies and optimising existing infrastructure to extract value, even from challenging and mature assets, to deliver superior value to stakeholders.
In 2017, OML30 presented an opportunity for SALVIC to prove its new approach and capabilities. Between March 2017 and April 2018, under a Technical Services Agreement (TSA) with the name-plate Operator of OML30, Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited (HEOSL), SALVIC embarked on handling all aspects of operations and crude oil production in OML30, including technical support services, security, operation & management (O&M), community relations & other stakeholder management, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and management of the 87 kilometre Trans Forcados Pipeline (TFP).
The company was given steep production targets with a penalty of $25million if the targets were missed. Considering the 15 months prior to March 2017 foregoing conditions of Zero production in OML30 and the TFP down throughout, it was a daunting challenge for any operator, let alone a young new company in a complex business arrangement.
Undaunted, SALVIC took on the challenge and turned around the fortunes of OML30 by ramping oil production from Zero to 75,000 bpd by end December 2017, drawingcommendations from industry experts, the communities and stakeholders, as well as the Federal Government and the Delta State government.
According to company sources, Salvic achieved the feat without drilling any new wells, but with a robust work programme of creative and innovative solutions that optimised production and unlocked value from old legacy infrastructure and equipment. These feats were instrumental in improving revenue generation for the Federal Government, the Delta State, all injectors into the Forcados Pipeline and other asset owners in the western Niger Delta. The sustained uptime on the trunk line also enhanced gas production into the domestic market for power generation by the continuous support of OML34 condensate evacuation.
Other verifiable successes that Salvic achieved in OML30 on behalf of HEOSL and the JV Partners include the rehabilitation of the TFP and sustaining 86 percent uptime; peaceful community relations & stakeholder management as it changed the practice of treating community workers as cash-based casual labour by converting them to full time permanent employees with full benefits. The operator alsorecorded no major health, safety, security & environment (HSSE) incident. Specifically, in February 2018, the company achieved a total of over 1.1 million loss time injury–free man-hours, which is a rare feat in view of the size of the OML30 asset and the operations.
“Undoubtedly, the SALVIC and OML30 success story is one of defying all the odds. By their achievements in OML30, the SALVIC Team has gained a name as Turn-Around experts in handling and extracting value from challenging and complex assets. Salvic met and exceeded targets that were near impossible and demonstrated that excellence does not come from the age of a company but from the resilience of innovative, intelligent people who are empowered and focused on results”, an industry expert said. The Salvic-OML30 project was led by Ikemefuna Okafor, CEO, Salvic; Ebenezer Ajayi, ED, Operations, Theophilus Ekiyor-Katimi –OML30 Asset Manager; Gabriel Oramasionwu CEO, Abbeycourt; Celine Loader Director, Corporate Affairs (incl. Government & Community Relations); Fufeyin Funkakpo, Manager, Government & Community Relations; Uchechi Nwankwo –GM, HSSE; Okey Ekeocha, Manager, Security; Maxwell Okoh, MD, Eraskorp
Cardano (ADAUSD) climbed amidst tight trading activities in the crypto market, up by 1.05% in the past 24 hours, showing resilience near key support.
The price ticked up on Sunday amidst negative movements in the global crypto market. The gain has reduced its negative movement in the week to 1%. Cardano is showing strength with a $70 million ADA treasury push and a bullish December setup, but it faces key resistance amidst competing traders.
The token is trading at $0.4165 at the time of filing the report on Sunday, gaining more than 1% on the day as volume traded reached $359.252 million. The token is in a notable correction from its November highs. Recent trading activity reflects pronounced investor caution. Over a 30-day period, ADA has declined approximately 15%, mirroring the broader pressure on risk assets from macroeconomic uncertainties.
Sentiment trades mixed, as retail and mid-sized investors are accumulating at lows, but large holders remain sceptical. Cardano’s privacy-centric Midnight Network went live after years of development, introducing NIGHT – the first native asset on Cardano.
According to crypto analysts, Short-term speculation around NIGHT airdrops and interoperability boosted ADA demand. ADA rebounded from $0.371–$0.416 after testing an ascending trend line connecting 2023–2025 lows. Traders interpreted the bounce as a bullish divergence, but ADA remains below critical resistance of $0.5113 and its 200-day EMA of $0.68.
ADA’s minor rally reflects optimism around Midnight’s launch and oversold technicals, but scepticism about its ecosystem impact and whale selling caps upside. While the price surges, analysts stated that Cardano balances technical hope against macroeconomic headwinds, with Midnight’s adoption trajectory and $0.51 resistance serving as critical watch points.
While governance upgrades signal maturing decentralisation, crypto analysts are still querying whether ADA can leverage these developments to reverse its 2025 underperformance.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has recovered over 7.6 million pills of tramadol and a total of 76,273.4 kilograms of different strains of cannabis.
The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja. Mr Babafemi said that the drugs, including Colorado, Loud and Skunks, had several members of drug trafficking organisations linked to the seizures arrested.
He said that out of the total opioids seized during the raids, not less than 3,874,000 pills of tramadol, 225mg and 100mg, and others, as well as 252.2litres of codeine syrup were recovered. He said that they were recovered from a warehouse at Oko market, Asaba, Delta, on Saturday. He also said that no fewer than 1.2 million tablets of tramadol 225mg were seized from a suspect on December 3.
This, he said, was when NDLEA operatives on patrol at Orogwe, along the Onitsha-Owerri road, Imo, intercepted his vehicle conveying the consignment, which was loaded at Aba, Abia, and heading to Onitsha, Anambra. Meanwhile, in Adamawa, NDLEA officers on December 1 intercepted a Toyota Hiace bus marked MGU 554 XB along Maraba-Mubi, coming from Jos, Plateau state, and heading to Mubi, with a total of 1,577,112 capsules of tramadol.
“Other drugs intercepted were Exol-5 tablets, all concealed inside jumbo bags mixed with new rubber sandals and slippers. Two suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure. Similarly, another 27-year-old suspect was nabbed along Zaria-Kano road, Kano state, with 197,000 pills of exol-5,” he said.
The NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa, commended the officers and men of the SOU commands in Delta, Adamawa, Imo, Ondo, Lagos, and Kano for the arrests and seizures. Mr Marwa said that their operational successes, along with those of their compatriots across the country, especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction, were well appreciated. NAN
The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has released the 2025 Subnational Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Report, with Lagos emerging as the best-performing state, scoring 85.6 per cent.
The report released by the director-general of PEBEC, Zahrah Mustapha-Audu, has Kaduna in second position with 65.1 per cent. Oyo, FCT, and Ogun rounded up the top five with scores of 62.7 per cent, 61.0 per cent, and 59.9 per cent, respectively. Others include Enugu (56.2 per cent) in sixth position, with Plateau (56.2 per cent), Ekiti (55.8 per cent), Kano (54.8 per cent), and Nasarawa (53.4 per cent) rounding out the top 10 states.
The EoDB report is a comprehensive data-driven assessment of how Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT are shaping business competitiveness through regulation, infrastructure, and administrative efficiency.
The report assesses performance across 16 indicators and 36 sub-metrics covering electricity, infrastructure, digital connectivity, land administration, taxation, trade logistics, justice delivery, investor support and skilled labour readiness.
According to the DG, these states distinguished themselves through consistent reform momentum, improved digital processes, and more predictable regulatory environments. “The 2025 Report also highlights five priority interventions states can implement immediately. These include establishing investor aftercare systems, strengthening MSME credit enablement, harmonising interstate trade rules, upgrading commercial justice processes, and improving power reliability for industrial clusters,” she said.
According to her, PEBEC will continue to support state-led reform adoption, particularly under the $750 million State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) programme. She added that “the 2025 Subnational EoDB Report provides a critical foundation for policy action, investment decisions, and long-term competitiveness across Nigeria.”
The DG said the Subnational Ease of Doing Business Report is available for download at www.pebec.gov.ng/reports
PEBEC had earlier released its 2025 Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Performance Report, covering MDAs’ performance from January to October. This performance report is part of the council’s effort to track and measure the compliance of federal government MDAs with the BFA’s requirements on promoting Transparency and Efficiency of government-delivered services to the business community.
The report presents a data-driven assessment of 69 priority MDAs, drawing on monthly compliance submissions, independent mystery shopping, website audits, ReportGov analytics, and targeted process-verification exercises.
According to the report, the top five performing MDAs include the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), with an impressive 90.6 per cent score, followed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at 89 per cent. The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), ranks third with 86.6percent, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) secured the fourth and fifth positions, scoring 85.3 per cent and 84.2 per cent, respectively.
PEBEC, currently chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, was established in July 2016 by the federal government to oversee Nigeria’s business environment intervention. It has a dual mandate of removing bureaucratic and legislative constraints to doing business and improving the perception of the ease of doing business in Nigeria. NAN
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