The Nigeria LNG Limited NLNG Commissions Consulate on Bonny Island, a 19th-century historic landmark in Bonny Kingdom that was reconstructed as part of plans to boost tourism in the kingdom.
The NLNG had in 2019 flagged off the construction of the building to restore the memory of the ancient monument in Bonny kingdom.
A statement by the General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, NLNG, Andy Odeh said that the consulate building, which was the seat of the British colonial administration in 1897, with a district commissioner and other administrative offices, now accommodates an FM radio station, office for the King of Bonny, a library, museum, café, cinema, conference hall, seminar/exhibition hall, souvenir shop, utilities, and visitors’ centre.
According to the statement, the construction is a partnership between NLNG, Julius Berger Nigeria (JBN) and Bonny Kingdom. While the NLNG funded the procurement of project materials, setting up and equipping all the building sections, including the museum, the radio station, the cinema, and the library, among other sections; the JBN undertook the design, site construction, supervision, and provision of equipment while the kingdom provided the parcel of land.
In his remarks, NLNG’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, was quoted as saying, “The actualisation of the Bonny Consulate Building is a project aimed at a self-sustaining economy in Bonny Kingdom. Other notable projects are the Bonny-Bodo Road, which we are fully funding in partnership with the Federal Government, the NLNG-sponsored Bonny Community Health Insurance Programme (BCHIP) which has enrolled over 8,000 beneficiaries, the ongoing Bonny Malaria Eradication Programme where we are partnering with the United States President’s Malaria Initiative (US-PMI), and our numerous economic empowerment programmes.”
The re-construction of the Bonny Consulate Building is part of an NLNG’s initiative to upscale the prominence of Bonny and make it a major investment and tourist destination, diversifying its economy from reliance on oil and gas.
NLNG is an incorporated Joint Venture owned by four Shareholders, namely, the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (49%), Shell Gas B.V. (25.6%), TotalEnergies Gaz & Electricité Holdings (15%), and Eni International N.A. N. V. S.àr.l (10.4%).
