The Federal Government earned about $907 million as taxes and royalties from the operations of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) in 2022.
  
Facts from SNEPCo obtained by The Guardian revealed that the oil firm also remitted over $20 million to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) within the same period in compliance with statutory requirements.
  
Managing Director, SNEPCo, Elohor Aiboni, said the company has also invested heavily in education and health sectors to the benefit of Nigerians.
   
Noting that the SNEPCo-operated Bonga, Nigeria’s first deep offshore floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, is more than oil and gas, she said it has advanced the frontiers of deep-water technology in the country, empowered Nigerian contractors and positively impacted lives across the Nigerian federation.
  
Recounting the social benefits of SNEPCo to Nigerians beyond oil and gas revenues, Aiboni recalls that among the many projects delivered with support from its senior partner, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), SNEPCo built and equipped a 100-seat ICT Centre at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun Delta State, while work is in progress on a $5-million e-library at the Niger Delta University in Bayelsa State. 
  
In addition, she noted that a $10-million Geosciences Centre of Excellence is under construction at the University of Lagos, adding that the company’s scholarship schemes have provided opportunities for thousands of Nigerians to acquire secondary, university and postgraduate education. 
  
On the health side, SNEPCo, with the support of NNPC and in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, implemented a capacity-improvement project for cancer treatment at the National Hospital, Abuja, which reduced the cost of cancer treatment from $10,000 to $2,000 with waiting time now less than two weeks from the previous six months. The project involved the installation of a state-of-the-art Linear Accelerator radiotherapy machine at the hospital.    
    
SNEPCo has also built and equipped health centres, including a paediatric facility, in different parts of the country and has donated medical equipment, ambulances and a mammogram machine to hospitals.
  
“This is Bonga at work,” Elohor said, adding: “It is a story of Nigerians working for Nigeria. It has not been a coincidence that Nigerians have been managing directors of SNEPCo since 1993, with Dr. ‘Femi Lalude as the pioneer occupant of the post. This success story is the outcome of the collective efforts of these and other Nigerians who have not only enjoyed the backing of the extensive deep-sea experience of Shell but also the support and encouragement of NNPC and our co-venture partners.” 
  
Aiboni, who is the first female to lead a Shell exploration company in over 60 years of operations in Nigeria, said: “The experience has been challenging but exciting. It has been an honour leading a team of dedicated professionals who continue to safely produce oil and gas in a complex geographical zone, delivering value to stakeholders.”
  
Former Spokesperson of Shell, Precious Okolobo, described Aiboni’s appointment for two years running as that which has not only shattered the proverbial glass ceiling but also recognised the repertoire of Nigerian talent in the oil and gas industry.