Woman arrested for stabbing PHCN official in Akowonjo

A joint effort by security operatives attached to the Lagos State Command and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has led to the arrest of a suspect identified as Mrs. Ediale Ayodele.

 

The suspect was apprehended for stabbing an official of power distribution network, Ikeja Electric in the Akowonjo axis of Lagos State.

 

According to a report by PM News, the suspect who resides at No. 6, Ayodola Close, Akonwonjo, allegedly stabbed the official who was on a routine forecast drive in the area. The official was said to have visited the said property to check on a disconnection carried out some weeks back when the altercation occurred.

 

An altercation reportedly ensued which led to the suspect stabbing the official in the process.

 

While commenting on the matter, the Commandant, NSCDC, Lagos Command, Tajudeen Balogun, warned that the act of attacking officials of Ikeja Electric would not be tolerated.

 

He stressed that “anybody found to have committed such an act would be made to face the wrath of the law as the officials were carrying out their lawful duty.”

Fashola Flags Off Distribution Of Free Pre-Paid Meters In Sokoto [Pictures]

Sokoto state Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal was joined by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, to flag off distribution of free pre-paid meter in Sokoto. The Minister also inspected ongoing works at the site of the Sokoto Independent Power Project (IPP).

Court revokes bail granted to ex-PHCN staff over alleged N5.5m fraud

Justice Jude Okeke of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, has revoked the bail granted to Solomon Yakubu Ndam, a former staff of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, who is standing trial on a 13 count charge of forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N5, 540,000.00 (five million, five hundred and forty thousand naira) brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Ndam allegedly obtained the money from some unsuspecting persons, claiming that he would help them acquire plots of land being sold by PHCN.

The offence is punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code Cap 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990.

However, the accused was granted bail by the court after he was arraigned on July 7, 2015 and the case went into trial.

The decision of the court to revoke his bail today was informed by the application by his surety, Tijani Haruna, to withdraw without giving the court any reason.

Justice Okeke, in granting his application, ruled that the accused person be remanded in Kuje prison pending the time he would get a new surety, adding that all documents belonging to Haruna be returned to him.

Thereafter, counsel to EFCC, Samuel Okeleke, entered his fifth prosecution witness, Olushola Adewumi.

Adewumi, a staff of the First Bank of Nigeria Plc, said he received a subpoena to produce certain documents and witness in the case.

“All customer details are captured in the bank’s database and we also demand that the customer furnish us with bank mandates which include his pictures, names and signature.

“We also produced the certificate of identification of the customer and the name of the account is Babatunde Kolawole”, Adewumi stated.

Justice Okeke adjourned to November 28, 2016 for ruling, while fixing October 25, 2016 for continuation of trial.

NNPC, PHCN, 11 Other Agencies Get TSA Exemption

The federal government may have considered and approved the applications of 13 agencies which made a case to be exempted from complying with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to all federal parastatals to pay their revenues into the Treasury Single Account (TSA) domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by September 15.

A source said that several agencies of government had applied to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), showing reasons why they should be excluded from the TSA in view of the peculiar nature of their operations.

It was learnt that of the several applications submitted by federal agencies for exemption, the OAGF only acceded to the requests of 13 agencies including the Bank of Industry (BoI), Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), Urban Development Bank (UDB), Nigerian Import-Export Bank (Nexim), Ajaokuta Steel Company, Federal Mortage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Nigerian Railways Limited, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) and Galaxy Backbone.

Read More: thisdaylive

Refineries: My Buhari Delivers Death To The Cabal, Change To Nigeria By Dr. Peregrino Brimah

Power Generation At All Time Low, Situation May Worsen – FG

The Federal Government on Friday in Abuja raised alarm over dwindling and epileptic electricity supply across the country.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Mr Godknows Igali, made this known after a meeting with Vice-President Namadi Sambo to State House correspondents in Abuja.

Igali, and Prof. Chinedu Nebo, Minister of Power, had briefed Sambo on the state of power generation, transmission and distribution in the country.

He said the ongoing strike by Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas had further worsened the power supply situation.

The workers were protesting the transfer of the operatorship of the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 42 to two indigenous companies, claiming the move would affect the fortunes of NPDC and its staff.

“With the strike which has gone on for one or two days there is dramatic turn as of this afternoon we have gone down for the all-time low to 1,327 megawatts.

“So, if you look at it from 4,800 there is dramatic turn, the loss is terrible”, Igali said.

He said as at 12 noon May 22, 2015, Utorogu, CHEVRON ORE DO, OB EN gas plants were all shutdown while UGHELI and CNL ESCRAVOS were already isolated.

He said, “on the eastern axis Shell Gas, ALAKIRI has also been shut down. This has led to the several power plants being stranded and shutdown.

“This includes EGBIN, OLORUNSHOGO I & 11, OMOTOSHO 1& 11, GEREGU I & 11, IHONVOR and SAPELE (NIPP) on the western axis and ALAOJI on the eastern end”.

According to him, besides, pipeline vandalism which has continued to have very negative impact on the power supply situation in the country, the ongoing strike by the labour unions in the oil and gas sector has added additional toll.

“The overall effect is that power supply which had started picking up steadily since the beginning of the week following repairs of various vandalised portions of the ELP Line and the Trans-Forcados Gas Pipelines, has fallen to all-time-unprecedented low of 1,327m was at 1.00 p.m. May22, 2015.

He, therefore, warned that “situation could get worse if the strike continues”.

Igali expressed the hope that the ongoing discussion between the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and, the labour unions, would end amicably.

“Indeed, it is hoped the labour unions will help restore supply of gas to the power plants even while negotiation are ongoing”. (NAN)

FG Raises Alarm Over Dwindling Electricity Supply, Power Plants Shutdown

The Federal Government on Friday in Abuja raised alarm over dwindling and epileptic electricity supply across the country.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Mr Godknows Igali, made this known after a meeting with Vice-President Namadi Sambo to State House correspondents in Abuja.
Igali, and Prof. Chinedu Nebo, Minister of Power, had briefed Sambo on the state of power generation, transmission and distribution in the country.
\
He said the ongoing strike by Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas had further worsened the power supply situation.

The workers were protesting the transfer of the operatorship of the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 42 to two indigenous companies, claiming the move would affect the fortunes of NPDC and its staff.

“With the strike which has gone on for one or two days there is dramatic turn as of this afternoon we have gone down for the all time low to 1,327 megawatts.

“So, if you look at it from 4,800 there is dramatic turn, the loss is terrible,’’ Igali said.

He said as at 12 noon May 22, 2015, Utorogu, CHEVRON ORE DO, OB EN gas plants were all shutdown while UGHELI and CNL ESCRAVOS were already isolated.

He said, “on the eastern axis Shell Gas, ALAKIRI has also been shutdown. This has led to the several power plants being stranded and shutdown.

“This includes EGBIN, OLORUNSHOGO I & 11, OMOTOSHO 1& 11, GEREGU I & 11, IHONVOR and SAPELE (NIPP) on the western axis and ALAOJI on the eastern end.’’

According to him, besides, pipeline vandalism which has continued to have very negative impact on the power supply situation in the country, the ongoing strike by the labour unions in the oil and gas sector has added additional toll.

“The overall effect is that power supply which had started picking up steadily since the beginning of the week following repairs of various vandalised portions of the ELP Line and the Trans-Forcados Gas Pipelines, has fallen to all-time-unprecedented low of 1,327m was at 1.00 p.m. May22, 2015.

He, therefore, warned that “situation could get worse if the strike continues’’.
Igali expressed the hope that the ongoing discussion between the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and, the labour unions, would end amicably.

“Indeed, it is hoped the labour unions will help restore supply of gas to the power plants even while negotiation are ongoing.’’(NAN)

Read More: http://www.kevindjakporblog.com/2015/05/fg-raises-alarm-over-dwindling.html#ixzz3awg27jgT
Follow us: @kevindjakpor on Twitter | KevinDjakporBlog on Facebook

”Lagos State Alone Uses 40% Of Power Generated Nationally” – VP Sambo

Speaking during the unveiling of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited Oke-Aro 330/132kV transmission substation in Lagos yesterday Friday May 15th, Vice President Namadi Sambo who was represented by the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, said The Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company and Eko Electricity Distribution Company account for over 40% of power consumption in Nigeria.

He said this was understandable from the fact that Lagos, which used to be the country’s capital remained Nigeria’s commercial and industrial hub with a large concentration of industries in Lagos state and Ogun State. Oke-Aro is situated in a border line between Lagos and Ogun states.

 “Prior to the advent of Oke-Aro substation, there were only three 330/132/33kV substations in Lagos. One of these three is Ikeja West 330/132/33kV substation which was the major marshalling point for all power plants that flow their generation into Lagos, and this development had thrown the state into a state of great congestion with limited space for safe expansion of capacity for increased flows into Lagos and environs.

“All the 330kV power lines from the Benin and Oshogbo 330kV hubs of the national grid, which were also serving as evacuation lines for NIPP new power plants at Omotosho as well as Olorunsogo, terminated there. Even 330kV evacuation lines for older major power plants such as Egbin in Lagos also terminated at Ikeja West.”

Source: Punch 

Buhari Will Be Ill-Advised To Reverse Power Sector Privatisation – FG

President-elect Muhammadu Buhari will be “ill-advised” to reverse the privatization of PHCN, Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, said on Wednesday.

Addressing journalists in Abuja after the weekly FEC Meeting, the minister said the gains of the privatization were very obvious and any attempt to reverse it will take Nigeria many decades back.

“I think the incoming government will be ill-advised to reverse privatization and liberalization of power generation, transmission and distribution because any attempt to do that would be to set Nigeria back many many many decades”, Nebo said.

“The gains of privatization are very obvious. If we can solve the problem of gas like we are talking about energy mix, we are not just going by gas we are doing hydros. It was this same administration that flagged off Zungeru hydro power plants for 750 megawatts, and is a bid to flag off Mambilla 3,050 megawatts, Shiroro has been improved, revamped, Kanji revamped and improved, the same as Jebba.

“So there is a lot of work being done by the government. However to turn back on privatization would mean stopping all of these companies and then reversing the massive inflow of investments coming into the power sector. Nigeria’s power consumption per capita is one of the lowest in the world and that is part of the efforts of government to reverse that. So I don’t think it is in the best interest of the country”, the minister stressed.

Atiku To Buhari: Reverse PHCN Privatisation

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has advised the incoming government of Gen. Muhammad Buhari (Rtd), to will the political power and reverse the current privatisation exercise of the Power sector for Nigeria to move on.

Atiku made this statement at the 36th Kaduna International Trade Fair’s Seminar organised by the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA).

He said the failure experienced in the power sector of the economy has been due to the successive government’s approach in tackling the problem in the sector.

The former Vice President recalled that the Obasanjo-led administration which sunk several billions of United State Dollars into the sector, took the wrong approach in tackling the power sector but failed to address the problem of the power sector because the government took a long-term measure rather than a short-term approach.

In response to why private investors were unable to collect licenses to build private refineries during the Obasanjo/Atiku administration, he said that in his eight years as Vice President to ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, he knew nothing about what happened in that sector as Obasanjo doubled as the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

“During our administration, there was no transparency and accountability in the oil and gas industry. There was a time we were handed a Ghana-must-go memo on the oil and gas and asked by the president for our input and I refused to support it”, he added.

According to him, President Goodluck Jonathan also took a wrong step in solving the Power sector problem which has accounted for the current epileptic power supply in the country.

“Japan, Singapore never depended on oil but human capital development and today they are ranked among the world best economy,” he said.

2015: Still Celebrating The New Year Without NEPA By Dolapa Aina

The reader might wonder if this writer is livid (trust me; you don’t want to know what I have realised), but no crony or Hallelujah yeoman (or rather yeoboy) should table official excuses for an increasingly aware electorate.

Lagos: Thursday, 8th of January 2015

The time is 10.28am and as I pen this piece; I haven’t experienced a service which isn’t freely given to the citizens of Nigeria-Power. 8 days into the New Year; into an election year; this part of the city of Lagos (between the Lekki and Chevron axis) seems not to be on the radar of PHCN (Power Holding Company of Nigeria) which is still commonly referred to as NEPA (National Electricity Power Authority).

I had to pen a similar piece within the first week of 2014-HAPPY NEW YEAR WITHOUT NEPA. What struck me during the 4th day of this absence of basic electricity was/still is the fact that; this same dilemma was experienced by this writer exactly a year ago. Same situation in January 2014 and January 2015? This can only mean one thing (I leave you to deduce my thoughts; considering the fact that a lot of Nigerians can dig up newspapers of the 80s and 90s with screaming headlines of promises of 24hour uninterrupted power supply). One is tempted to conclude that “24hour uninterrupted power blackout” is now the norm.

A norm which should not be accepted for it is utterly abnormal. A childhood friend of this writer informed me that at his billionaire father’s palatial abode; 30,000 Naira worth of diesel is spent daily. About 250,000 a week. About 1 million (cool Naira) a month on diesel. Though, the money isn’t the issue but according to him, they could make better use of this handsome and pretty sum. Now, not many people can afford to spend even 250,000 Naira on diesel monthly. It would appear, Nigerians live on diesel. An absurdity which a lot of Nigerians and especially young Nigerians think is normal. I had to ask more privileged upper class business individuals who shuttle between Nigeria and overseas; if they experienced 24 hours of uninterrupted power supply for a day. The general answer was a no. One top oil and gas official had to really think to give me No as an answer. Have you noticed that when Nigerians travel overseas, they unintentionally tend to do home chores (especially ironing clothes) at odd houses? 

If African countries like South Africa can boast of over 70,000 Megawatts (and can still sell to neighbouring countries) and Rwanda can sort out power supply (as this writer experienced with 6days of uninterrupted power supply while there), then this country has no excuse. Actually, the only experiences of 24 hour uninterrupted power supply this writer experienced in 2014 weren’t in my own country. (Can you believe that and you wonder what the leaders of this giant are up to?)

The reader might wonder if this writer is livid (trust me; you don’t want to know what I have realised), but no crony or Hallelujah yeoman (or rather yeoboy) should table official excuses for an increasingly aware electorate. Excuses are the verbal swords of unsecure, unfocused, purposeless lazy leaders. The more enlightened Nigerians become; the more we see the light.

Dolapo Aina,

Lagos, Nigeria.

dolapo@dolapoaina.com

dolapowrites@yahoo.com

www.dolapoaina.com

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dolapoaina/sets

Follow and Twitteract with me on Twitter via @DolapoAina

Articles on www.omojuwa.com are solely authors opinion