General
NPC Inaugurates Advisory Group to Implement Nigeria’s Population Policy
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Population Commission (NPC) has inaugurated the Population Advisory Group (PAG) to drive the implementation of the Revised National Population Policy (NPP) to improve the quality of life and standard of living of everyone in Nigeria.
This is as Nigeria is expected to be among the set of countries to drive population growth in the next few years.
The Executive Chairman, NPC, Mr Nasir Kwarra, tasked the members to support the National Council on Population Management (NCPM) to drive the implementation of the Revised National Population Policy.
“The PAG is a laudable group saddled with the responsibility of advising the National Population Commission and National Council on Population Management
“On the most appropriate way to coordinate the implementation of the National Population Policy and to manage the population,” he said.
The Executive Chairman, who commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the launch of the National Population Policy, said it was vital to improving the quality of life in Nigeria.
Mr Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), said that on the occasion the Revised National Population Policy was an innovative and transformative document that required the support of stakeholders.
Mr Mustapha, who was represented by Mr Shehu Ibrahim, Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) urged the members to live up to expectations.
On behalf of the federal government, he expressed gratitude to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and other international donors for their support of Nigeria.
The SGF, which urged the UNFPA and its partners to sustain their support, expressed Nigeria’s commitment to achieving a quality population.
Ms Ulla Mueller, Country Representative, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) described the inauguration as a great step towards mobilising resources for the implementation of the National Population Policy.
Ms Mueller, who was represented by Dr Collins Opiyo, Chief Technical Adviser to the National Population Commission and official of UNFPA, said that the inauguration demonstrate the country’s commitment to harnessing the potential of young people.
On his part, Mr Durunguwa Abdulmalik, Chairman of Population Management and Development (PMDD), said that coordination and full implementation of the National Population Policy required a holistic advisory guide.
While congratulating the members of the group, he described them as persons with intellectual capacity and proven integrity capable of rendering fruitful advice to NPC.
Responding, Mr Usman Sarki, on behalf of the members of the group thanked NPC for finding them credible enough to serve in the group and affirmed their commitment to delivering on their mandate.
National Population Policy (NPP) provisions, the Population Advisory Group (PAG) has 15 members and is chosen from different spectrums of society. The Chairman of the group is the Executive Chairman, National Population Commission with eminent persons in the field of population development constituting the membership and the membership of the group reflected geo-political spread and gender considerations.
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.
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.
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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