General
NDDC Gives Police Housing Units to Boost Morale
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The waning spirits of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) were recently boosted by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with the donation of some housing units to the security agency.
The property, located at Omagwa in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, was handed over to the Special Protection Unit of the police and it comprises 68 standard blocks of flats, in addition to a gatehouse, an admin building and commandant quarters, among others.
The NDDC said the project was pursuant to its corporate social responsibility (CSR). It was renamed President Muhammadu Buhari Nigeria Police (Special Protection Unit) Bade 6 Barracks.
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Godswill Akpabio, while addressing reporters in his office in Abuja recently, announced that the project would be commissioned by President Buhari on Tuesday.
He expressed appreciation to Mr Buhari for seeing to the eventual completion of this all-important project seven years after it was abandoned.
The Minister stated that the President’s special interest in the project was anchored on his commitment to boost the work of the Nigeria Police Force in the Niger Delta, as well as efforts at facilitating sustainable regional development.
While reassuring the people that the new NDDC is renewing the confidence of Niger Deltans in the government’s seriousness to bring development to the communities, Mr Akpabio expressed hopes that the project would boost the morale of the police in the maintenance of law and order in the society.
It would be recalled that following deafening outcries of people of Niger Delta, over the rot in the NDDC, especially in the areas of non-execution of and abandonment of projects duly awarded to contractors, Citizens Quest for Truth Initiative (CQ) embarked on several quests to situate the veracity or otherwise of the outcries.
The non-governmental organization on July 25, 2019, visited the project site. With the physical assessment of the state of the abandoned project, the group articulated and used its broad media platforms to call the attention of the federal government to the deplorable state of the project.
Reacting to the news of the completion and planned official commissioning of the project, the founder/President of Citizens Quest for Truth Initiative, Mrs Obiaruko Ndukwe, thanked Mr Akpabio for following through with his assurance to the CQ that the project would be given expeditious attention.
She also commended the sole Administrator of the commission, Mr Effiong Akwa, for acting true to power in seeing to the delivery of this project.
General
Watt Renewable Secures $15m Loan for Hybrid Solar Power Plants in Nigeria
By Dipo Olowookere
A $15 million debt facility has been obtained by Watt Renewable Corporation from the AfriGreen Debt Impact Fund to finance hybrid solar power plants to be built and operated by the former, especially in Nigeria.
WATT intends to use the projects to serve commercial and industrial clients in Nigeria, particularly in the telecommunication and financial services sectors.
By integrating solar hybrid solutions, the firm aims to significantly reduce diesel consumption and CO2 emissions, enabling its clients to achieve substantial energy cost savings while promoting environmental sustainability.
As a pioneer in renewable energy solutions, WATT continues to drive innovation in Nigeria’s energy sector.
The company’s robust roll-out plan includes deploying hundreds of hybrid solar power sites nationwide to meet the growing energy demands of commercial & industrial clients.
This strategic expansion aligns with WATT’s vision to revolutionize energy access across Africa, enabling sustainable development and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The funds from AfriGreen provide the critical capital needed to accelerate WATT’s ambitious projects, strengthening its market position and empowering businesses with reliable and affordable energy solutions.
Business Post gathered that to mitigate the currency risk for WATT in the event of devaluation of the Nigerian Naira, AfriGreen is offering a local currency facility that matches the payment structure of the power purchase agreements.
“We are thrilled to partner with AFRIGREEN on this transformative journey to expand reliable and sustainable energy solutions across Africa.
“With this support, it enables us to accelerate our shared mission of providing hybrid solar power to businesses, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting economic growth while enhancing energy security for our clients,” the Managing Director of WATT, Mr Oluwole Eweje, said.
“We are delighted to support WATT in rolling out hundreds of hybrid sites across the country.
“This represents another key transaction for AFRIGREEN in Nigeria. The combination of high energy prices, good solar irradiation, and strong demand from industrial and commercial energy users makes this market particularly attractive for companies like WATT.
“By leveraging these favourable market conditions alongside WATT’s exceptional operational performance and a well-structured financing solution, we are setting the stage for a strong and lasting business partnership,” the Managing Director of AfriGreen, Mr Alexandre Gilles, stated.
General
NMDPRA Denies Restricting Gas Supply to Gencos
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has denied issuing a directive that gas supply to power generating companies (GenCos) be halted.
In a statement on Wednesday, the authority also denied instructing wholesale gas suppliers to stop further supply of gas to companies due to failure in payment obligations.
The NMDPRA described reports stating that it has directed the stoppage of gas supply to GenCos over N2 trillion debt as “false and completely unfounded”.
“It has absolutely no bearing on the information shared at a recent stakeholders’ engagement held in Lagos between the Authority, the OPTS, IPPG and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry,” the NMDPRA said.
“The purpose of the engagement was to sensitise stakeholders on the requirements, opportunities and benefits associated with the implementation of the wholesale supply license as provided by sections 142 and 197 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
“It was a follow-up to an earlier stakeholder engagement held at the NMDPRA corporate headquarters in Abuja on November 27, 2024.
“The Authority wishes to reassure all our stakeholders and indeed the general public that at no time was the false statement made at that event and anywhere else, and are advised to completely disregard the publication as every effort is being made to ensure that the supply and distribution of natural gas and petroleum products to end users is seamless and unabated as we head into the festive season and indeed all through the coming year 2025.”
Recall that Nigeria’s national grid experienced another collapse on Wednesday, the 11th time in 2024 as Gencos couldn’t generate enough power, compounding issues facing the Nigerian power sector.
This was the first time in over a month as the last time the nation witnessed a nationwide shutdown in electricity supply was on November 7, 2024.
Before then, the country was experiencing an incessant collapse of the grid, which prompted the federal government to set up a team to address the issue.
General
Power Outage in Nigeria as National Grid Collapses
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigeria is currently experience a cut in power supply after the national grid collapsed for the 11th time in 2024.
This is the first time in over a month as the last time the nation witnessed a nationwide shut down in electricity supply was on November 7, 2024.
Before then, the country was experiencing an incessant collapse of the grid, which prompted the federal government to set up a team to address the issue.
However, just when Nigerians were thinking they will not witnessed another national grid collapse in the year, it issue reared its ugly head again.
On Wednesday afternoon, most of the energy distribution companies suffered power outage, prompting them to inform their customers of the situation.
One of the DisCos, Ikeja Electric Plc, in a message to electricity consumers under its franchise area, said, “Please be informed that we experienced a system outage today, December 11, 2024, at about 13:32 hours affecting supply within our network.
“Restoration of supply is ongoing in collaboration with our critical stakeholders. Kindly bear with us.”
Recall that on Tuesday, in a report, Google listed national grid as one of the top trending searches by Nigerians this year.
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