General
Why DisCos Can’t Meet Obligations—EMRC
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Country Director, Energy Market and Regulatory Consultants (EMRC), Mrs Rahila Thomas, has explained why electricity distribution companies in Nigeria fondly called DisCos, are not performing optimally.
Mrs Thomas, speaking in Abuja at a one-day round table discussion organised by the Nigerian Senate on Addressing Nigeria’s Power Problems, stated that these electricity firms were cash-strapped.
“DisCos are not collecting sufficient cash to meet upstream obligations,” Mrs Thomas at the event while giving a presentation on the evolution of Nigeria’s electricity supply industry.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Mr Gabriel Suswam, said at the forum that, “The challenges in the power sector can be categorized into five crowd areas: Institution and Governance, Infrastructural, Political, Legislative and Environmental.”
He stated that, “The workable solution may be holistic and should take into account these broad challenges. We are here today to find solutions to electricity challenges in our country.”
Speaking further, he explained that the roundtable was organised as a result of a motion brought to the Senate on addressing Nigeria’s power problems on Tuesday, November 19, 2019, noting that the Senate resolved to hold the programme to address these issues and provide working solutions.”
In his contribution, the Minister of Power, Mr Saleh Mamman, stated that, “The most important factor in addressing the power sector is building synergy and team spirit. We have identified this at the Ministerial level. I wish all of us a fruitful resolution that will help in solving these problems.”
His counterpart in the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, who was represented by Mrs Evelyn Amobi, lauded the commitment of the legislative to work with the executive to resolve the issues affecting the power sector.
She assured that, “All the decisions that will be made here will have our full support and be taken to the executive.”
Senate Leader, Mr Yahaya Abdullahi, said at the forum that, “A lot of resources have been used in finding solutions into problems that have put this country backwards.
“It is the concern of the Senate to look into each other’s eyes and say the truth. We are here to own up to the issues that face this particular centre and work to find solutions to the major problem that affects the delivery of power to Nigeria.”
Senate President, Mr Ahmad Lawan, while speaking at the event, noted that, “If there is any single sector of our economy that is so important and so challenged, it is the power sector.”
He said, “This is a sector that needs a declaration of emergency. This is an opportunity for us to discuss the solutions and the way forward. The truth is we all know what is wrong, what we really need to do is to have the political will to take on the challenges frontally.”
“From the electricity power reform of 2005 and the privatization of Discos, with what is happening today, we know that everything is wrong. The time has come for us to have courage.
“We have signed into AFCTA and I believe what will give us an edge is to have a competitive environment. Our industries must be able to produce things that will compete favourably to other products in Africa but we are not in that position today. Even our citizens who have capital would rather relocate to Ghana and produce what they want to sell and bring it to Nigeria,” he said further.
Continuing, Mr Lawan said, “If we went wrong with the privatization of discos and Gencos, the time has come to look into it in the interest of our country. Definitely something is not working right. This round table is an idea of the senate that we should come together, talk amongst ourselves, ours is of course legislative intervention but we are also part of government. Whatever that is required to support the executive to amend the power sector reform, we are prepared to do that.”
Concluding, the Senate President said, “We owe this country obligation to provide employment opportunities for our teeming population. I think this round table at least is an opportunity to come up with measurable roadmaps to take the power sector to the next level.
“I believe that we have to declare a state of emergency on power and courageous decisions must be taken by government. I believe that this is one interaction that will not disappear after this session we want to take appropriate actions.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has been urged to extend the deadline for the payment of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) by property owners in Abuja.
This plea for an extension was asked by the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) through a statement signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr James Ezema.
The group said the initial two-week grace period given to the affected allottees, which expired on Friday, January 3, 2025, was insufficient, considering the current economic challenges facing the country.
Recall that after public outcries, Mr Wike, who is the immediate past governor of Rivers State, granted an extension to the owners of the 762 revoked plots of land in Maitama, Abuja.
“We are appealing to the Minister and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to tamper justice with mercy and issue an extension in the spirit of the yuletide and in view of the economic challenges in the country,” the association stated.
It stressed that the extension would give the affected individuals and groups ample time to comply with the directive, thereby avoiding any undue hardship or loss.
“We pray that the Minister and the FCTA will grant the allottees an extension to comply with the directive, giving all the affected individuals and groups enough time to have themselves to blame at the end of the final extension,” the statement added.
The CNPP’s appeal comes on the heels of its recent expression of concern over the escalating hunger and suffering faced by millions of Nigerians due to the economic realities in the country.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has dissociated itself from an unofficial viral statement by one of it members, regarding posters indicating activities of the organisation.
The group dissociated itself from the member in a statement signed by its National President and the National Secretary, Mr Kabiru Ibrahim, and Mr Yunusa Halidu, respectively.
“This post is made by an authorized member, Ado A Ado Kano.
“The opinions and views expressed here are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the group, its administrators, or other members.
“For official statements, please refer to AFAN official contact or platform,” parts of the statement made available to Business Post stated.
According to AFAN, the unofficial posters flying around doesn’t represent the association, noting that Mr Kano is not authorized by AFAN or its officials but those of the author.
AFAN is the umbrella organisation for all farmers’ commodity associations in Nigeria.
Its vision and mission are to assemble all Nigerian producers into one organization, providing a single interlocutor for the government to address agricultural issues with the farming community.
AFAN was formed by the merger of the All-Farmers Association of Nigeria (ALFA) and the National Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (NAFAN). The merger was recommended by former Nigerian president, Mr Olusegun Obasanjo.
By Adedapo Adesanya
BUA Group has denied widespread reports that its ongoing construction of a 200,000 barrels per day capacity refinery located in Akwa Ibom State is 90 per cent completed.
In a statement signed on Sunday, the group with subsidiaries in food, cement, and energy sectors said that the claims that the structure was at end stage did not come from it.
“Contrary to a misleading report stating that our 200,000 barrels/day refinery is at 90% completion, BUA wishes to advise the public to disregard such misleading reports that did not emanate from us,” a part of the statement read.
It clarified that the project was progressing well and added that it was going to meet the project timeline of 2025.
“As we make remarkable strides on our Akwa Ibom refinery project, we are proud to share that construction is progressing steadily.
“Whilst the refinery is not at 90% completion, we are however on track to meet our delivery timelines in collaboration with our partners.
“This BUA Refinery & Petrochemicals project represents a major milestone in strengthening Nigeria’s refining capacity and energy security,” the group said.
BUA is also carrying out other energy projects, including the construction of a mini-LNG plant and several new hybrid power plants across the country, which it said are also progressing rapidly.
The group says this will add additional capacity to our over 1,000MW installed captive power generation capacity.
“The public is advised to verify any news through our official channels and platforms so as not to be misled by mischievous persons,” the statement said.
“At BUA, we remain committed to transparency and excellence. As we have consistently done with over 12 of our completed mega industrial projects worth over $ 3.5 billion in the past 10 years, we will continue to keep you updated with verifiable and accurate information only where necessary, and as milestones are achieved.
“We appreciate the public’s interest and enthusiasm for this transformative project as we work together in building a stronger industrial and manufacturing base for a self-reliant Nigeria,” it added.
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