General
What Sapele Must do to Enjoy Steady Electricity—Igbuya
By Dipo Olowookere
Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Mr Monday Igbuya, has highlighted steps that must be taken to enjoy steady power supply.
Mr Igbuya said this during a radio programme in Oghara, Delta State, on Thursday.
He also urged management of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to work towards providing uninterrupted power supply to residents of Sapele.
The lawmaker expressed concerns over the epileptic power supply in the town, lashing out at those he said constituted themselves into cogs in the wheel of progress in Sapele.
Mr Igbuya stressed that the problem of inadequate power supply to residents of Sapele has continued to be a source of worry to him.
“For Sapele to have steady electricity, the emphasis should not be on individuals who are not key players in the power sector, who did or did nothing but asking the service provider to sit up and calling on the federal government to further liberalize the sector to bring in new competitors, as it is in the telecommunication industry. Once that is done, consumers will then be at liberty to choose their service providers. Energies should be channelled in this direction,” the Speaker opined.
“I have done my best to leave worthwhile achievements behind in all my public endeavours. As council chairman, I observed then that Sapele was and is still known for its timber business.
“Of course you know the famous Africa Timber and Plywood and a cluster of Saw Mills, which was the economic main stay of the town. Electricity was a major problem to the saw millers and they were losing patronage. I am not a saw miller but I took it as a challenge, knowing the adverse economic effect of the perennial power outage,” Mr Igbuya said on the show.
Driven by an abiding concern for the well-being of the good people of Sapele, the Speaker said he marched in the streets.
“Sapele then was using 6.6 transformer while other areas were already on 11.5. I led the protest and that was what led to the changing of the 6.6 to 11.5 transformers. I also led the protest which gave rise to the step down in Amukpe.
“I did all of that and I was arrested by the Federal Government for leading a protest and kept in Abuja. It was Chief James Ibori who secured my release from the Directorate of State Security Service. He supported us and we got the contract awarded. That is what is in Amukpe today,” he added.
Using the opportunity to point out certain aspects of electricity agreements in Sapele, Mr Igbuya said those who signed the Ogorode Power Station agreement didn’t take into cognizance the need to step down the power for everybody.
“NEPA Estate, Sapele is enjoying electricity from the Ogorode Power Station,” he said.
The lawmaker, who looked at the realities in the country’s power sector, said electricity supply was no longer a social responsibility but a commercial venture.
“Where there is no competition in commercial services, there is bound to be a monopoly and where there is a monopoly, efficient service is at the mercy of the monopolist. This is simple economics,” he submitted.
Apparently angry, Mr Igbuya said that he suspected ulterior motives in the recent protest.
“I am representing Sapele State Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly and I can say that I operate a 33 line. There is no doubt about that. I am not the only person on 33 KVA in Sapele and I am not the first to use it. It is an industrial line. My people should not suffer because I am on 33 line. Being on 33 is an enormous cost to my finances. The tariff is higher. I would have loved to be on 11.5 and payless like every electricity consumer in Sapele. Electricity is now a private concern and Investors want returns on their investment,” he said.
The presiding officer of the Delta State House of Assembly pointed out the short comings of the Benin Distribution Company (BEDC).
“Reverend Father Christopher Ekibo, a priest of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Sapele, said there was going to be a protest. I was in London when he called and I expressed excitement about the protest. Sapele used to get only 2 hours electricity supply from BEDC daily.
“I held meetings with the managing director of BEDC in Benin. And she told me that my people can get more power if they so desire but they have to pay their electricity bills. When I met Father Ekibo in Sapele, I appealed to him to encourage our people to pay bills. If they pay bills, we will get more hours of electricity supply,” he disclosed.
He charged BEDC to leave no stone unturned to ensure uninterrupted power supply to Sapele.
“BEDC is a private concern. This is the issue. BEDC is not giving metres to houses. What it brings majorly is estimated bills,” he said.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Celebrated broadcaster with Arise TV, Mrs Ayo Mario-Ese, has charged women to be open to collaboration and not limit themselves.
The charming media personality was one of the panellists at the UBA Business Series themed Introducing Gen W – The Evolved Woman, held at the UBA House in Lagos last Thursday.
At the event moderated by popular actor, Mr Tobi Bakre, the Morning Show anchor on Arise TV expressed worry about females who are usually laidback about speaking up and sharing their achievements, and said that women need to own their stories.
“A lot of women are doing phenomenal work and are sometimes afraid of showcasing what they are doing. As an evolved woman, you have to find out what you are comfortable doing, create your own unique offering, and also be open to collaboration,” she submitted.
Another panellist, Ms Joycee Awosika, described an evolved woman as one who has awareness of who she is.
“That woman does not need to ask to sit at the table; she is creating her own table and adding value. As your company is growing, you must grow too, and always do an audit of where you need to become a better leader,” the energy economist stated.
For a digital entrepreneur, Ms Tomike Adeoye, the question of what a woman is bringing to the table has now become obsolete, as the evolved woman is now bringing their own table.
“She is now more vocal about their struggles, setting the standards, and she is not ready to give up on her dreams,” she declared.
For the founder of Fine-Funky, Ms Olufunke Davies, she remarked that, “Creating unique designs that are affordable remains my driving force and something that has helped me grow as an evolved woman.”
In her remarks, the Group Head for Brand, Marketing and Corporate Communications at UBA, Ms Alero Ladipo, said, “Raising each woman is actually not that hard, because everyone has their community as well as their story; and so as women, we need to take a position so that we can give to others.”
She said the Gen W platform of the lender is dedicated to the evolved woman, adding, “Through expert insights, real stories, and practical resources, the platform connects women who are building brands, creating businesses, growing careers, and leading across industries. They also have access to a plethora of discounted products and loans. The best part: it is open to every woman. No UBA account needed. This is Gen W, for the evolved woman.”
This edition of the UBA Business Series was hosted to mark International Women’s Month.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal bunkering, destroying a reactivated illegal refinery site in Rivers State and intercepting suspected stolen petroleum products in Calabar.
The Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, revealing that personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship SOROH, operating under Operation Delta Sentinel, destroyed a reactivated illegal refinery site at Okolomade Community in Abua-Odual Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State.
He said the action followed credible intelligence that a previously dismantled illegal refining site had resumed operations.
According to him, an Anti–Crude Oil Theft (Anti-COT) team deployed to the location discovered that the dismantled refining oven had been reconstructed.
“Further exploitation of the area led to the discovery of additional refining equipment and storage facilities containing about 3,000 litres of product suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO),” he said.
Mr Folorunsho added that the illegal refining infrastructure—including ovens, storage tanks, hoses, connected pipes and newly acquired metal components used for illegal refining—was destroyed in line with operational procedures.
He said personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship Victory, in another operation, intercepted about 3,950 litres of suspected stolen petroleum products at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) area in Calabar, Cross River.
He said the interception was based on credible intelligence on suspected siphoning of petroleum products from vessels berthed at the port.
The naval patrol team, according to him, swiftly deployed to the area and traced the illegally siphoned products to a trailer park within the port facility.
“On sighting the naval patrol team, the suspected perpetrators fled the scene, after which the area was cordoned off and the illegally siphoned products secured,” he said.
The official said further inspection led to the recovery of about 3,950 litres of Automotive Gas Oil stored in drums and jerrycans, which had been evacuated to the naval base for further necessary action in line with extant regulations.
He noted that the successes aligned with the directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, to intensify operations against crude oil theft and other maritime crimes across Nigeria’s maritime domain.
The captain reiterated the Navy’s commitment to sustaining the operational tempo of Operation Delta Sentinel through intensified surveillance, patrols and intelligence-driven operations aimed at combating crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other forms of economic sabotage.
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