The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ahmed Shekarau

  • AEDC Layoff 500 Staff in Niger, Nasarawa and Abuja

    The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC)  has retrenched 500 workers in the offices of Abuja, Niger and Nasarawa.

    The affected persons were served their sack letters between Tuesday and Thursday  this week.

    The Nation learnt that most of the affected staff were the casual staff who were engaged when the AEDC took over from the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and some senior staff who were over 35 years of service.

    A visit to the AEDC office in Niger State revealed that the sack was true as a lot of the affected staff were wearing long, mourning look as they were being consoled by those who were retained.

    Our Correspondent learnt that the management had promised to pay the entitlement of those affected soon.

    The development was confirmed by the AEDC Director of Corporate Affairs, Ahmed Shekarau who said the sack was to ensure transformation to take place in the organization.

    He said that the management needed to replace redundant and uneducated staff in order for it to move forward adding that the number of those sacked is lower that what is being peddled but refused to state the actual number of staff affected.

    “It is true that some staff of the Company have been disengaged as is normal in many organizations undergoing transformation worldwide.

    “The current Management of AEDC Plc finds it necessary to replace employees due to deaths, deficiencies in relevant skills, lack of dedication to the Company’s customer service charter, among other factors.

    “Contrary to speculations, the number of those affected is far lower than what is being peddled. However, in the fullness of time, we will issue a press statement confirming the actual number of people affected”.

  • AEDC begins clean-up of poorly wired communities in FCT

    AEDC begins clean-up of poorly wired communities in FCT

    The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company ( AEDC ) said  it would  begin the clean-up of poorly wired communities, beginning with Gishiri village in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Oct.  9.

    A statement by Ahmed Shekarau, Head of Public Relations and Media of AEDC issued  in Abuja on Sunday,  disclosed that the exercise would be subsequently  extended  to Tudun Wada and Dape in Lugbe and Life Camp areas of the territory.

    Shekarau said that the exercise was in line with AEDC’s  determination to create an accident-free electricity service atmosphere in its franchise areas of  Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger states and the FCT.

    He said the work in Gishiri community would commence with the strategic removal of substandard electrical poles and their replacement with standard concrete ones.

    He, however, said that the Gishiri network sanitisation would result in intermittent disruption of power supply in some parts of the community at some periods.

    “Against this backdrop, therefore, we are appealing for the patience and understanding of our affected customers, just as we solicit their cooperation with members of the teams appointed to carry out this operation,” the AEDC Spokesman said.

    He said the exercise was  intended to ensure safe delivery of power to customers and improve  quality of supply.

    He said the management of the company was determined to stop all incidents that could lead to injuries or death in the area, while it strives to improve service delivery to customers.

    NAN

  • AEDC sensitizes students on safe use of electricity

    AEDC sensitizes students on safe use of electricity

    Officials of Nasarawa Region of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) have taken the company’s health, safety and environment (HSE) campaign to the Ta’al Model Nursery, Primary and Secondary School in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State, where they admonished the scholars to avoid playing around electrical wires and also advise their parents not to build under high tension power lines.

    Addressing the pupils and students after the distribution of 500 notebooks bearing safety messages at the school’s premises, the AEDC’s Nasarawa Regional Manager, Alhaji Ameen Shakur said that while electricity has several benefits for human existence and comfort, it is also a dangerous product if not properly handled.

    “We recognize and appreciate children as you happen to be leaders of tomorrow. This is why we have brought this awareness and simple safety tips to your school so that you can have adequate knowledge of measures to take on how electrical accident can be prevented.

    The campaign of today is to further assure you that you have a right to live an accident free life if the tips are obeyed,” said Shakur who was represented by the Regional Corporate Communications Officer, Mr. Rotimi Omisore.

    A statement issued by Ahmed Shekarau, the company’s Head of Public Relations & Media at the weekend, said the Regional Manager also told the youngsters that as potential workers and users of electricity, the AEDC deliberately targeted them with its HSE campaign so that they began to have knowledge of how electrical accidents can be avoided.

    The statement said Shakur also disclosed that the donation of books was part of AEDC’s 2017 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects, and that the choice of the school was to further actualize the commitment of the Nasarawa State Government to the education of the teeming youths in the state.

    Responding on behalf of the school, Principal of the secondary section, Mallam Hamza Maina expressed gratitude to AEDC for the gesture and for selecting the school out of many in the state, and assured the company that the management of the school would also ensure electrical safety as part of its curriculum.

    The statement said under its 2017 CSR projects, AEDC is among other things distributing a total of 20,000 exercise books to students and pupils in FCT, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger states in order to introduce safe usage of electricity to young Nigerians. Similar HSE campaigns were carried out at the LEA Primary School in Wuse Zone 3, Abuja, as well as the Kofar Hausa Primary School in Keffi, Nasarawa State.

  • AEDC raises panel on electrical accident in Niger

    AEDC raises panel on electrical accident in Niger

    The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) on Tuesday raised a six-man Investigative Team set up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the electrical accident, which occurred in Angwan Biri, a neighbourhood of Minna, the Niger State capital.

    A press statement issued by Ahmed Shekarau, Head, Public Relations & Media of the Company said a preliminary report on the incident showed that the binding wire of an 11Kv line got loose due to a windy condition and came into contact with the 415V red phase cable, thus sending high voltage which was alleged to have led to the unfortunate death of two people, while four others sustained injuries.

    Inaugurating the panel in Abuja, the Director, Risk and Compliance, Engr. Collins Chabuka also used the opportunity to dismiss insinuations that 49 houses were affected in the incident as “false”, and cautioned the media and other members of the public against misinformation.

    Chabuka said the decision of the Company to set up a probe panel was in line with the internal AEDC Incident Reporting and Investigation Procedure Guidelines and industry best practice.

    “It is AEDC’s internal Health and Safety Policy requirements that all accidents are investigated by independent internal persons with an extensive industry background, competence and knowledge. The purpose of the investigation is to highlight the shortcomings that may have led to the incident and also to recommend industry best practice and remedial measures to prevent a recurrence,” he said.

    Describing the incident as “most unfortunate”, the AEDC Director, said that the Company had complied with regulatory requirements by officially notifying the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Nigeria Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) of the accident.

    The AEDC director, while commiserating with the family of the deceased and other members of the Angwan Biri Community, also expressed the company’s sympathy with the injured, three of whom have been treated and discharged from the hospital. He assured that the AEDC is taking over treatment of the lone victim who is still receiving treatment in hospital.

    The investigative panel is being chaired by Engineer Mohammed Ainoko Sule, an experienced Nigerian Electricity Industry professional with over 26 years of experience in Distribution Network Operations, Maintenance and Protection System.

    Other members of the team are the Head of Health and Safety, Engineer Dirisu Biodun; the Regional Head, Human Resources, Malam Sani Ibrahim; the Team Lead, Legal Services, Niger Region, Barr. Aminu Ubandoma; the Regional Corporate Communications Officer, Adamu Mohammed and a Health and Safety Officer, Mr. Hisham Kamar.

    The Panel has two weeks to submit its report.

  • AEDC says death of five children in Mpape not caused by electricity

    The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has distanced itself from the unfortunate inferno in which five children died in Mpape area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on   April 1.

    The AEDC, in a statement by Mr. Ahmed Shekarau, Head of Public Relations and Media on Thursday in Abuja, expressed sympathy with the family of the deceased.

    It, however, said that the management deemed it necessary to set the records straight to correct the erroneous impression being created.

    The company said that the report of AEDC preliminary investigation carried out by a fact-finding team revealed that the accident was caused by an explosion from a fuel container taken into the room where the inferno occurred.

    According to records from the AEDC control room in the area revealed that the area had no electricity supply at the time of the inferno, due to load shedding.

    It said that the team’s report also revealed that the mother of the five deceased had sent one of her children to buy petrol for use in a generator.

    According to AEDC, upon return, the child took the fuel into the room where the five deceased children were sleeping.

    “Because of the saturation of petrol fumes in that room, when the woman lit up a match stick to light up a mosquito coil to wade off mosquitoes, the flame ignited an explosion which engulfed the room.”

    It stated that some of the neighbours of the affected family had also attested to the report in separate interviews they granted to the team.

    It said one of the neighbours of the family had also explained to the team that electricity supply was not restored to the neighbourhood throughout the night of the incident.

    This, it said, had confirmed that the unfortunate inferno that led to the death of the five children was not caused by electricity.