The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Energy

  • Ogbeh’s ‘low energy’ agric policy

    For want of a kinder description, one has elected to find solace in Trump-speak here. Of course we all know Donald Trump don’t we? The brash, swashbuckling presidential candidate of the Republican Party, his reputation and the sheer prospect that he might just end up in the White House continues to confound the world.

    But because even the devil has his day, let us borrow something from Trump to illustrate our point today. In the early days of his party’s primary election campaign, Trump had literally ‘slayed’ one of the prospective candidates, Jeb Bush, damaging his campaign mortally.

    He of the Bush dynasty that had produced two American presidents already, Trump had described Jeb as “a ‘low energy’ candidate who does not have the will to win the presidency.” Poor Jeb, a much younger man, lived under the rubbles of that verbal shelling until it became futile for him to continue in the race.

    Now, for want of a more polite description, one would take some liberty here to describe Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbeh’s recently released Agriculture Promotion Policy (2016 – 2020) as a ‘low energy’ document. The strategy document is nearly at variance with the realities of today.

    Though Chief Audu Ogbeh, a renowned farmer heads the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), the job of producing this document was obviously farmed out to consultants who simply made a ‘job’ of it as they are wont.

    And it’s difficult to love consultants. You know what they say about them: about borrowing your watch, telling you the time with much flourish handing you a fat bill? It must be the same scenario at the Presidency where ‘professional economic consultants’ have just concluded that the best way forward for the ailing economy is to grant the president emergency powers.

    By omission or commission, they seek to return Nigeria to dictatorship through the back door. How presidential emergency powers would translate to Nigeria earning more foreign exchange or drastically reduce her staple food imports has not been explained. But this is story for another day.

    APP 2016 – 2020 is frustratingly long on wooly prognosis and tragically short on solutions. For a PhD dissertation on Nigeria’s agriculture, it would probably earn an ‘A’ but for strategy a document take Nigeria from her current morass of food crisis and acute foreign currency shortage to sustainability, it is an ‘F’.

    What is wrong with APP 2016 – 2020?

    First, there is no urgency about it at all and Nigeria is in an emergency of sort: we need to stop food importation immediately; we need to earn foreign exchange. Last month before the Senate, Central Bank of Nigeria’s Governor, Godwin Emefiele, had lamented that forex demands for the importation of rice alone stood at $14 billion.

    Today in Nigeria, our basic salary cannot buy a bag of rice and finally, if rice import is banned outright today, an implosion may ensue in the polity almost immediately. All of this suggests a situation that is urgent and critical. It is the same situation for chicken and poultry products, milk and dairy products among others.

    In the light of this, one would expect an agric policy that is in line with these realities and that can galvanise the expedited production of these commodities.

    What must be done now While this document may be beneficial in the medium to long terms, there are a few things that must be done immediately:

    One: need for task forces on rice production value chain, poultry production value chain, dairy production value chain and fish production value chain, for a start.

    Task force on rice production value chain (call it a presidential task force if you like, I don’t think we need any emergency powers to do this). This team will monitor, support and coordinate all rice production, processing and marketing activities all around the country regardless of the ownership. It will ensure that critical presidential and institutional support and intervention reach the fields and the mills and even the silos and warehouses real time.

    They will work on the entire ramification of the rice value chain. Quarterly report is presented to a presidential committee headed by the president or his deputy. The task force itself is reviewed each year for a maximum period of three years. This way, we can achieve self sufficiency in rice production in two years flat.

    The task forces on poultry production, dairy production and fish production will work in nearly the same fashion. In two to three years, Nigeria can achieve self-sufficiency in rice, poultry, dairy and even fish production. The ultimate objective is to conserve ample foreign exchange by ending importation of these products.

    Other task forces on areas, such as agro-cooperatives and on reduction of harvest wastages may be looked into. Again because of the versatility and wide acceptance of such crops as cassava, maize, yam and millet, there may be a need to pay a special attention to their planting, harvest, processing and preservation.

    FMARD would continue to implement the APP in the medium and long term and to develop a system that would eventually meet and take over from the task forces at a juncture. Of course export cash crops would be among its major prerogative. Is it not criminal that some factories in Nigeria still import palm oil and raw rubber sap is taken out of Nigeria to Ghana to produce vehicle tyres that are shipped back here at exorbitant rates?

    What are the urgent actions required for post-harvest wastages in such fruits and crops like water melon, mangoes, oranges, tomatoes, yam and potatoes? The situation is urgent!

    In other words, APP 2016 – 2020 lacks the requisite adrenalin to attend to our immediate problems; it’s a ‘low energy’ policy.

     

    Zamfara 8: Low presidential umbrage

    Again and again, it happens and all we hear is tepid presidential assurances and nothing is ever done. When 74-year-old Madam Bridget Abahime was butchered in Kano on June 3, the president told us the action was “utterly condemnable” and that justice would be done if we maintained the peace.

    When Deaconess Eunice Olawale was slaughtered on July 9, it was the same refrain. Not one person have we seen detained or in the box.

    This time eight innocent Nigerians murdered with seven of them roasted right in their home and our president tells us again that ”it is barbaric and the law will take its course.”

    Not good enough at all. Where is presidential umbrage which requires that the IGP is summoned and given express orders to pick up all the suspects, put them in handcuffs and parade them the following day? Presidential umbrage would cause the police to expedite prosecution of cases like this to make one or two example of these murderers.

    But increasingly, government has shown that it has no interest in deterring some people from cold-blooded killings in the name of Islam. The polity will become a jungle when  government pushes the citizenry into having to defend themselves… that is where we are now. Zamfara is one case too many.

     

  • Electricity firm seeks mass action against energy theft 

    The Port-Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) is one of the 11 distribution companies licensed to operate in Nigeria. But the firm does not derive joy operating within its jurisdiction of Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Rivers State.

    Ordinarily, one expects a company that renders services to 440,000 residential, commercial, industrial and street lighting customers to have a robust balance sheet. But PHEDC is not smiling to the bank despite having such customer base.

    Its operational profit has been seriously hampered by energy theft. In fact, the statistics reeled out by the company in a forum it recently organised in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, showed that the PHEDC is operating at a huge loss. Such losses according to the firm is the reason behind its inability to effectively buy and distribute megawatts of electricity to its real customers.

    Present at the forum were the Chairman, Board of Directors, PHEDC, Chief Amalate Turner,  represented by the Special Adviser to Bayelsa Governor on Energy, Mr. Francis Ekio;  Manager, Corporate Communications Department,  John Onyi; Head, Glory City Main Integrated Business Centre, Mrs Ngozi Manafa, among others.

    A presentation by a member of the company’s Legal Department, Mr. Ephraim Munachiso showed that the company loses over N233million representing over 7million kilowatts of energy to electricity theft every month. Yearly the company incurs a loss of N3bn to the menace.

    Munachiso further posited that 10 per cent of prepaid customers had never vended since they were connected while the Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC &C) losses of the company is as high as 60 per cent monthly representing 30megawatts or N2bn average monthly losses.

    Defining ATC & C, he said: “The most critical challenge facing the distribution sector is how to reduce the technical, commercial and collection (ATC & C) Losses.

    “Unfortunately, the Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Coll ection losses is what is used in assessing the health status of anys utility company like PHED. The lower the value of ATC & C, the healthier the utility company is considered to be.

    “Technical  distribution losse s are electrical losses arising from the transformation of electrical energy into heat energy as it flows and transmitted through conductors to any of the DISCO’s”.

    On commercial losses, he said they are revenue losses arising from electricity theft, poor b illing practices, inaccurate c ustomer database, wrong tariff classification and  unbilled energy. He defined collection losses as simply revenue losses arising from discos’ inability to collect revenues for energy billed to known customers.

    He said two years after privatisation, PHED was still grappling with very high losses caused by poor collection and revenue shortfall, network infrastructure challenges and grid energy insufficiency and instability.

    He identified common types of electricity theft as hooking or direct tapping, meter bypass and illegal connections. But he said the law frowns on electricity theft saying it is classifying as stealing under the Criminal Code Act Section 400.

    He said civilians are empowered by the Police Act to arrest anybody seen to be committing energy theft. According to him currently, PHEDC is prosecuting 13 different criminal cases emanating from energy theft within its network. He named key players to the theft as staff sabotage, casuals and electricians.

    Munachiso lamented that the company incurs its major loss at the Yenagoa district adding that most people living in Bayelsa State do not pay their bills. He said it is not profitable to operate in the state.

    Speaking on the matter, Turner further explained that the poor power supply especially in Bayelsa is because consumers were not paying their bills.

    On stealing and vandalism of PHEDC equipment, he urged the perpetrators to desist from such act, saying the menace had far reaching implications for power supply.

    Turner said the Bayelsa State Government was coming out with a law to punish anybody who engaged in unwholesome practices such as vandalism, tapping of light, meter manipulation,  among others.

    He also urged the public to report any errant officials of the PHEDC, challenging the customers not to be docile.

    A safety manager with the company, Mr. Gabriel Egede,  urged customers to be safety conscious and avoid engaging in unwholesome activities as such could lead to loss of lives.

    He said no fewer than 557 fatalities had been recorded in the last four years because of vandalism,  illegal connection and tempering with electricity equipment. He said it was dangerous for people to engage in the practice of erecting structures under high tension wires.

  • Energy health workshop held in Enugu

    A workshop on energy health, perhaps the latest form of alternative medicine, has been held in Enugu. Its aim was to train professionals in the field.

    The two-day workshop organised by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in collaboration with the Foundation for Energy Health International, Nigeria witnessed a large turnout of alternative medical practitioners.

    The president of the Foundation for Energy Health International Nigeria, Professor Joseph Okoro Akpa, in his opening remarks, told participants that the workshop would inculcate the knowledge of Energy Health to all Nigerians as to what they can do for themselves to achieve health without spending too much money on drugs.

    Akpa also disclosed that the workshop aimed at establishing institutions of research and Energy Health Education “not only in Nigeria but in other countries of the world as well as to affiliate with any International organisations that have some identical ideas with us.”

    He posited: “It is to make Nigeria the land of Energy Health where people from other countries of the world will be trooping in for treatment and knowledge, hence this is the first time that there is a comprehensive programme for the study and research on Energy Health that is not available even in advanced countries.”

    While defining Energy Health as “the most natural scientific method applied in the treatment of human diseases, solution of other health problems and social maladies in the human race, Akpa explained that the concept was that man is living because man absorbs universal energy usually called Cosmic Energy into the system through energy centres in various points in human body.

    The Enugu state commissioner for Health, Dr. Samuel Ngwu who was represented by Dr. Christian Ochi said he was impressed by the gathering and commended the efforts and approach of Professor Akpa in establishing the Energy Health as an alternative medicine in Nigeria.

    He said the ministry would explore ways to partner with the foundation.

    The executive secretary of NBTE, Dr. M. A. Kazaure who was represented by A.D.K. Mohammed expressed delight at what he witnessed in the Energy Health programme.

    He hoped that the outcome of the workshop would lead to the accreditation of Energy Health Education in Nigeria.

    The deputy director in NBTE, Dr. Abdul Isa Kofarmata insisted that the workshop should endeavor to establish a minimum standard programme in order to ensure accreditation.

  • Energy health workshop held in Enugu

    A workshop on energy health, perhaps the latest form of alternative medicine, has been held in Enugu. Its aim was to train professionals in the field.

    The two-day workshop organised by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in collaboration with the Foundation for Energy Health International, Nigeria witnessed a large turnout of alternative medical practitioners.

    The president of the Foundation for Energy Health International Nigeria, Professor Joseph Okoro Akpa, in his opening remarks, told participants that the workshop would inculcate the knowledge of Energy Health to all Nigerians as to what they can do for themselves to achieve health without spending too much money on drugs.

    Akpa also disclosed that the workshop aimed at establishing institutions of research and Energy Health Education “not only in Nigeria but in other countries of the world as well as to affiliate with any International organisations that have some identical ideas with us.”

    He posited: “It is to make Nigeria the land of Energy Health where people from other countries of the world will be trooping in for treatment and knowledge, hence this is the first time that there is a comprehensive programme for the study and research on Energy Health that is not available even in advanced countries.”

    While defining Energy Health as “the most natural scientific method applied in the treatment of human diseases, solution of other health problems and social maladies in the human race, Akpa explained that the concept was that man is living because man absorbs universal energy usually called Cosmic Energy into the system through energy centres in various points in human body.

    The Enugu state commissioner for Health, Dr. Samuel Ngwu who was represented by Dr. Christian Ochi said he was impressed by the gathering and commended the efforts and approach of Professor Akpa in establishing the Energy Health as an alternative medicine in Nigeria.

    He said the ministry would explore ways to partner with the foundation.

    The executive secretary of NBTE, Dr. M. A. Kazaure who was represented by A.D.K. Mohammed expressed delight at what he witnessed in the Energy Health programme.

    He hoped that the outcome of the workshop would lead to the accreditation of Energy Health Education in Nigeria.

    The deputy director in NBTE, Dr. Abdul Isa Kofarmata insisted that the workshop should endeavor to establish a minimum standard programme in order to ensure accreditation.

  • ‘Nigerians need to develop energy conservation culture’

    ‘Nigerians need to develop energy conservation culture’

    Stakeholders  have advocated for discreet usage of power, following limited generation and other problems in the sector. They spoke during the  13th edition of the Distinguished Electrical and Electronics Engineers Lecture (DEEEAL) in Lagos, EMEKA UGWUANYI was there.

    •Procurement for Mambilla’s 3,000mw hydro plant begins

    Considering the numerous challenges including security, pipeline and equipment vandalism and power theft that militate against government’s aspiration of attaining stable power supply, it has become imperative for Nigerians to optmise available generation by cultivating energy conservation culture while the government finds sustainable solution to the problems, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Dr Oladele Amoda has advised.

    Amoda was the guest lecturer at the 13th Distinguished Electrical and Electronics Engineers Annual Lecture (DEEEAL) held in Lagos. In his paper titled: “Power distribution demand side management in developing economies,” Amoda stressed the importance of energy conservation, which can be achieved by switching off devices, lightings and other equipment when not in use.

    The paper dealt with basic concept of demand side management (DSM) and its proposed use as a tool to mitigate power shortages in Nigeria. To underscore the importance of DSM, Amoda said at an estimated annual economic growth rate of between seven per cent and 13 per cent, as well as an urbanisation rate of 3.8 per cent, Nigeria’s electricity demand is projected to grow from 15,730 megawatts (mw) in 2016 to 41,133mw and 88,282mw by the end of 2018 and 2020 respectively.

    He also noted that the increase in demand for electric power is noticeable in the residential sector. This is due to increase in population, greater need for housing and rural electrification. The demand by the industrial sector is difficult to estimate due to the fact most of the medium to large scale industries rely heavily on self-generated power, which is generally believed to be in excess of 40,000mw, he said, adding that energy is the central force behind our productivity, our leisure and our environment.

    Amoda said: “Low cost energy was abundant in the past, which made the cost of energy a small fraction of the cost of finished product. Use of low cost energy for home comfort became very predominant. The subsequent increase in oil prices increased the energy cost in every sector, domestic, commercial and industrial, among others. However, our energy resources are fast getting depleted. Thus energy saving or conservation is essential in developed and developing countries.”

    According to him, the goal of DSM is to encourage the consumer to use less energy during peak hours, or to move the time of energy use to off-peak times such as nighttime and weekends. The DSM is an energy conservation mechanism, which concentrates action at the user’s end rather than at the supplier’s side. At the supplier’s side, electric energy consumption can be controlled using a number of actions carried out by the utility on its own installations to manage electricity supply, he added.

    Amoda listed some energy conservation measures, which include building design that permits most of the spaces to be day lighted, adding that using day lighting reduces energy consumption by replacing electric lights with natural light, capable of reducing 40-60 per cent of electricity for lighting needs. Provision of enough windows for cross ventilation, can also reduce the use of air-conditioners in homes and offices, he said.

    “Substituting incandescent lamps with energy saving lamps is good energy conservation measure. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are generally considered best for replacement of lower incandescent lamps at homes, offices, commercial and industrial outfits,” he added.

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, who was the guest of honour at the event, corroborated Amoda. He said the Federal Government is considering a new building code that would promote usage of glass buildings to enable utilisation of day light, more widows and use of materials that will keep the building illuminated and cool.

    Fashola said the new building code becomes imperative because the nation’s power generation remains at the lowest ebb. He also noted that the government is working on energy mix that will enable the country tap electricity from different sources because dependence on gas holds the country to ransom.

    He said: “Government will access any available source of energy in order to achieve not only affordable energy but also national energy security so that we are not dependent on one source of fuel. Our vulnerability to gas has been responsible for the developments we see today, so one of the things that the energy mix will do is not just taking power plants closer to fuel source but also help us to achieve national energy security.

    “So we will go beyond solar to some coal, to a lot of hydro – finishing hydro plants such as Zungeru and starting the biggest hydro power plant, Mambilla, which will give us in one place 3000 megawatts (mw). We are finalising procurement now. We will also explore biomass. There is a sugar processing and sugarcane plantation in Adamawa.  We are talking to the proprietors to see how we can use some of that to produce energy.”

  • New building code for energy use coming

    New building code for energy use coming

    The Federal Government is considering a new building code that will ensure energy conservation, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has said.

    Fashola who spoke at the 13th Distinguished Electrical and Electronics Engineers Annual Lecture (DEEEAL) in Lagos yesterday said the new code would promote usage of glass buildings to enable the use of day light, more windows and use of materials that will keep the building illuminated and cool.

    Fashola said the new building system becomes imperative because the nation’s power generation remained at the lowest ebb. Government’s decision on the new building code underscores the need for power consumers to adopt a more efficient ways of consumption, adding that his administration has formed another building code as a new guideline for electrical and construction engineers in the country.

    Fashola stated that the government is working on energy mix that will enable the country tap electricity from different sources because dependence on gas holds the country to ransom.

    He said: “Government will access any available source of energy in order to achieve not only affordable energy but also national energy security so that we are not dependent on one source of fuel. Our vulnerability to gas has been responsible for the developments we see today, so one of the things that the energy mix will do is not just taking power plants closer to fuel source but also help us to achieve national energy security.

  • Govt needs review of approach to energy access, says PwC

    Govt needs review of approach to energy access, says PwC

    The time is right for policymakers to reappraise their approach to accessing energy, a report from PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) has advised.

    The report said going by the trends, two-thirds of the world’s population will be without electricity by 2030, which is the target year to achieve the newly agreed post-2015 UN Sustainable Development Goal of universal access to energy.

    The PwC report titled: “Electricity beyond the grid: accelerating access to sustainable power for all”, said a new approach that better recognises the part that off-grid technology can play is needed.

    Partner and leader, Power & Utilities unit of PwC Nigeria, Pedro Omontuemhen, said: “For the millions of people, who do not currently have access to electricity, the old assumption that they will have to wait for grid extensions is being turned on its head by new technological possibilities. There are currently 634 million people without electricity in Africa and in Nigeria. We estimate that only one in five persons has access to power from the electricity grid.  This leaves four in five people living in urban and rural communities, having to fend for themselves with makeshift and localised power solutions. Faster progress is needed, and we believe it can be achieved if national energy policies adopt a more comprehensive approach to energy access, embracing the new starting points for energy provided by stand alone renewable technology and mini-grids.”

    Current electrification strategies tend to focus on national grid extension plan, but Olumide Adeosun, Associate Director in the firm’s advisory practice, said: “It is critical that Nigerians take steps to understand and embrace the new starting points for energy provided by stand-alone renewable technology and mini-grids as discussed in this report. We believe these solutions provide a viable, bottom-up solution to the patchy availability of electricity in Nigeria.

    Some of the enablers, such as mature mobile payment platforms and data analytics capabilities are already in place.  Others will require investors and communities engaging policy makers to formulate an integrated energy access strategy, work together in their communities to accelerate momentum in the electrification of Nigeria’s urban and semi-rural locations.”

    The report foresees a major transformation of the electricity sector in the period ahead and sets out five recommendations for accelerating the increase of electrification. One of them is to develop an integrated energy access plan and map – so that everyone can plan with more certainty for either off-grid or grid extension solutions.

    Another is to create an enabling environment for off-grid development – including clearer criteria for mini-grid development, support for skills and training and more supportive regulation to allow private players to unlock the off-grid market potential.

    There is also the need, according to the report, to recognise the value of and promote the growth of mobile infrastructure, microloans and payment solutions in supporting energy access – mobile infrastructure is proving crucial in the take-up of stand-alone home systems, giving providers a low-cost channel for customer relations and an ability to automatically manage non-payment.

    Establishing an off-grid innovation and development fund – a highly visible development and innovation fund, the report said, can play an important part in spurring off-grid growth in each country.

    Also, having a high-level energy access champion that can drive results – to cut through bottlenecks and monitor results.

  • Engineers train science teachers in energy tech

    To bridge the knowledge gap in teaching energy-related subjects in secondary schools, the Lagos State branch of Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), last weekend, organised a workshop for teachers.

    At the event held at Dowen College in Lekki, about 50 science teachers selected from 20 schools in Lagos were engaged by SPE facilitators, who equipped the participants with cutting-edge curriculum about energy education and economy of oil production.

    According to the organisers, the workshop with the theme: “Energy4me” was designed with the objective to give science teachers intensive training in energy education to enable them transmit the same knowledge to pupils, who have interest in green energy and oil exploration technology.

    SPE Lagos Section chairman, Ernest Mkpasi, said the training was necessary, given the importance of energy in daily human activities. He said the workshop was part of the global campaign by SPE international to drive modern concepts in energy education.

    He said: “Our targets are young people, who may want to take career in the energy sector. We have adopted a novel approach by bringing teachers together in this training and equipping them with workable curriculum in energy concept. We believe the teachers would return to their respective schools and equip pupils with this modern knowledge. We believe the extent of using energy is a reflection of the level of development of any country.”

    In addition to the training, Mkpasi said SPE had established students’ chapters across tertiary institutions with the aim of exposing the student members to soft skills that would prepare them for managerial capacity. He added that the Society also initiated Students’ Technical Conference to discuss topical issues in energy sector.

    Mkpasi said the workshop would bridge students’ knowledge gap in theory and practice, adding: “This training is a way of giving back to the society. We need to boost students’ interest in energy to develop the sector using latest technology and concept.”

    The training was divided into eight modules. Some of the participants hailed the Society for workshop, promising to disseminate all they learnt to their pupils.

     

  • Court adjourns winding-up suit against Japaul Energy

    The Federal High Court has adjourned a suit by a company, AYM Shafa Limited, against Japaul Energy Limited over its alleged failure to repay a N153million debt.

    AYM Shafa, in a petition, is praying that Japaul Energy be wound up for being insolvent and unable to pay its debts.

    The petitioner said it paid Japaul Energy N153,200,000 for the supply of two million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), to be delivered between last October 5 to 12.

    AYM Shafa said Japaul Energy claimed that the product was already on ground in a tank farm in Calabar, adding that the contract was entered on the assumption that the product was available for supply.

    The petitioner, through its lawyer Chris Ekemezie, said Japaul Energy failed to supply the product despite repeated demands. It said said when it got to the tank farm, it discovered that Japaul Energy had no PMS stored.

    AYM Shafa said after two months of the respondent’s failure to supply the product, it demanded a refund of the money; Japaul Energy, it said, promised to “process” and make the refund.

    “Despite this undertaking to refund the money and several other oral and written entreaties, three months after, Japaul Energy still has refused, failed and/or neglected to do so, thereby putting the petitioner in a financial quagmire,” AYM Shafa said.

    The petitioner said it learnt that Japaul Energy never had the product on ground to supply, contrary to its “misrepresentation”.

    AYM Shafa’s Depot Supervisor Isyaku Yahaya, in a counter-affidavit, said: “I know that the applicant is indebted to a lot of companies as well and not just to the petitioner. The only reason it has failed to pay back the money is because it is insolvent and incapable of paying its debts.”

    He added that the expected date of delivery, which was April 24, had long passed with Japaul Energy still unable to commence the product’s delivery. The petitioner accused the respondent of frustrating all attempts to resolve the dispute

    But, Japaul Energy said it is “very solvent given her various on-going transactions with customers across Nigeria.”

    It said the money in its bank accounts “are far more than the amount of money involved in the contract…”

    The company said there was only a delay in supplying product and it was not a case of inability to pay debt.

    “Due to the prevailing conditions of petroleum products scarcity as is well known in the public domain, the respondent/objector could not meet up with the supply of the product within the time agreed by parties,” Japaul Energy said.

    Justice Ibrahim Buba adjourned till June 8 for settlement or definite hearing should Japaul Energy fail to pay the debt.

  • Nigeria ready for nuclear energy, says Fashola

    Nigeria ready for nuclear energy, says Fashola

    The Federal Government has expressed its readiness to commence the production of nuclear energy.

    The Minster of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, who spoke in Abuja yesterday said Nigeria had secured the necessary certification from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

    “This thing has protocols and standards; we are already in it; we are not venturing into it; we started a nuclear programme 17 years ago.

    “We have gone through the training level; we have produced 25 graduates of master’s level under certification by the IAEA.

    “We have found the sites; the sites have been approved, two sites have been approved by the IAEA. We have started the design for the financing; that is the stage we are now; once we conclude that, we move to the design for the construction.

    “If all things go well, by quarter four of next year – that is the schedule that I met – we should have started construction, so that is what I meet,“ Fashola told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    The minister said it was important for Nigeria to focus on the gains and safety of nuclear energy as obtained in other developed countries.

    He said since the whole world was moving toward a cleaner fuel and the use of more sustainable energy, Nigeria could be an exception.

    He, however, said the developed countries could only share the technology with countries ready keep to the standards in the utilisation of the technology.

    Fashola further said diversifying the nation’s energy mix would lead to the utilisation of the various forms of renewable energy sources in the country.

    This, according to him, will ultimately make electricity cheap in the country.

    He said: “What we are thinking about is long-term solution. We need a solution that will endure for generations to come.

    “When you design a power solution, design it so that the next coming generations can use it.”

    He said the ministry and other agencies under his supervision were working hard to ensure that Nigeria obtained the best in the electricity industry through strict regulatory responsibilities.

    On the monthly meeting with stakeholders in the industry, Fashola said it was designed to evolve better ways of managing the industry, adding that it was yielding the desired results.

    Fashola also admitted that the Land Use Act is not defective because it is serving the purpose for which it was enacted.

    He however noted that the administration of the law was its greatest challenge.

    He therefore said any review of the Act should be done at the state level because land administration is on the Residual List.

    The minister explained that there were no plans to amend the Land Use Act of 1978, saying land administration is the exclusive preserve of the states.