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Tag: Nigeria News

  • FUTO SUG advises students against rape, ritual killing

    President of Students’ Union, Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) Comrade Frank Chigozirim, has urged the entire students of the institution to desist from immoralities.

    Chigozirim spoke with CAMPUSLIFE at the flag-off of ’War against vices in FUTO’ a student advocacy group against social vices in the university.

    “We are also saying no to rape and indecent dressing in our campus,” Chigozirim added.

    He explained that the essence of the awareness campaign was to encourage students not to be part of social decadence.

    “As students of the institution, we are intelligent, good Nigerians who want to be part of the development of the nation,” Chigozirim added.

    The campaign, which began with a roadwalk was launched last week by the Institute of Women, Gender and Development Studies (IWoGDs) in collaboration with the Federal University of Technology, Owerri Women Association (FUTOWA).

    The Director, IWoGDs, Prof Gloria Okwu, told CAMPUSLIFE that FUTO has begun the fight today because it could no longer tolerate such vices in on campus. She frowned at vices such as internet fraud which she said is now prevalent across institutions nationwide.

    “There is a lot of internet fraud happening around here which we also want to also stop. We are beginning the fight in our institution and we want to encourage others to join in the fight against these vices.”

    “We don’t want these vices. There is no need for any boy to co-habit with any girl. It cannot be heard of, we cannot tolerate such a thing around us,” she said.

    She the campaign aims to first to sensitise the students after which sanction might then be applied to defaulters.

    Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (Administration) Prof Julius Orebiyi who represented the vice-chancellor, Prof Francis Eze, described the war against these vices as a remarkable project in the annals of FUTO.

    “I have served the institution close to 30 years but I’venot seen this kind of development. FUTO is known for its good performances and the institution cannot lag behind in this aspect.

    Also, the president of FUTOWA and wife of the VC Mrs Eze Egejuru, observed that anti-social tendencies such as drug abuse, rape and ritual killing creeping into FUTO are not part of the culture of the institution.

    Eze warned that students caught in any of the aforementioned vices after the sensitisation campaign, stands the risk of being dismissed.

    “This is a warning to all our youth. We are doing this so that they will be guided,”

  • Group accuses NANS member of disrupting election

    THE Public Relations Officer of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Mr Azeez Adeyemi, has been accused of disrupting the election of the National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS).

    A group led by Comrade Ade Bash from the University of Lagos, described as ‘spurious’ the NAOSS election conducted at Iwe–Irohin in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, which produced Olamileke Ogunronbi as president.

    It, however, endorsed another election conducted at NSCDC’s College of Security and Management, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta where Saka Azeez Abidemi also emerged president.

    Bash told CAMPUSLIFE that ahead of the election, Adeyemi allegedly sent some threat messages to some NAOSS contenders, asking them to drop their ambitions or be dealt with.

    But Adeyemi described the group as’ impostors’, adding that their action amounts to ‘impersonation’ because Ogunrunbi is NAOSS’ legitimate president.

    CAMPUSLIFE learnt that the accusations and counter accusations, were the fallout of NAOSS election, which appeared to be producing to parallel leaderships.

    CAMPUSLIFE checks revealed that the crisis started during a run up to the election, held in June after the electoral commission was instituted at a pre-convention earlier.

    The election produced Comrade Kehinde Olaonipekun Olusegun of the National Open University (NOUN), Abeokuta as the electoral committee chairman, alongside other members.

    Bash further alleged that Adeyemi mobilised some armed people to the election venue to disrupt it.

    “Nobody knew who they were. But, it was ascertained that they were not senators neither were they members of NAOSS,” said Bash,  a leading supporter of the Abidemi-led NAOSS.

    Read Also: NANS hails improved security in Katsina

    The group said the invaders were sponsored by Adeyemi who was also bankrolling a presidential candidate.

    “The NANS members came up with various moves and antics to disrupt the peace and serenity of the elections. They lured the security officials into dancing to their tunes to have their ways,” the group said.

    “While everyone was patiently waiting for the arrival of the electoral commission to conduct the elections, NANS agents were seen preparing for the election on their own and insisting that the election must hold for that day. We were wondering why they were adamant on the election holding when they are not even members of NAOSS,” he added.

    The source further explained that Adeyemi, alongside some NANS executive members, ensured they had access to the voting arena, while NAOSS members were shut out.

    Bash said as is the tradition, the outgoing president, who was also barred from entering the venue, was expected to declare the convention open as a prelude to voting. He said certain key members of NAOSS, who were observers in the election, were also denied access into the hall.

    “Out of 21 offices, they conducted election into three offices without the use of any ballot papers which is against the rules of NAOSS and election guidelines and the electoral chairman was forced to declare the results,” the group said.

    Bash noted that after the election, some students of Ogun extraction  summoned a peace meeting of stakeholders in the student unionism.

    The fallout was a resolution for fresh election, which held at the state Command of NSCDC, Oke-Mosan, where Abidemi emerged winner.

    Adeyemi, however, described the allegations as tissues of lies.

    Speaking through NANS Press Consultant Olasunkanmi Akinlotan, Adeyemi  said the election followed due process.

    Adeyemi denied ever mobilising thugs to the election venue. He described the elements behind the story as ‘irrelevant group of individuals’ desirous of heating up the polity.

    “The election held at the Iwe Iroyin was free and fair. It was keenly contested to the extent that it dragged till nightfall.

    “Many of your colleagues (refereeing to CAMPUSLIFE reporter) from national dallies as well as police and other security officers were in attendance as witnesses. In the end, Olamileke Ogunronbi from Ogun State Cooperative College Ijeja-Abeokuta won, and was declared president by the chairman of the electoral committee, who was also shielded by security officers while announcing the results.

    “These people later approached the Ogun State chapter Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC College of Security and Management and misled the provost that they wanted to have a students event, only for them to conduct a kangaroo election that produced Abidemi.

    “We later reached out to the Provost of the college, who said the students lied to him that they wanted to organise students activities, but he didn’t know it was election they wanted to conduct.

    “How could you conduct election with about 15 members on ground? What they have committed is simply impersonation.

    “They have been going from place to place to finding legitimacy to their faction. At a point, we wanted to take up the matter with them, but it was this same that Adeyemi who felt as the chairman of NANS, he would not close his eyes while his colleagues are being harassed.

    “They have been going around sending fake stories with scam mails to certain media houses without revealing their identities. Let them come out as we are coming out, if they are sure they have nothing else to hide. We are ready to honour any invitation by anybody since we have no skeleton in our cupboard.”

    Meanwhile, a top police source, who also witnessed the election at Iwe Irohin, described the Bash-led group as ‘unreasonable’.

    “To the best of my knowledge, the election was very peaceful and a winner unanimously emerged,” said the source who also craved anonymity.

    He continued: “We ensured we mobilised enough police officers to the venue. All efforts by some unscrupulous elements to thwart the election were resisted. So, if some people are saying the election was disrupted, that was a lie from the pit of hell.’’

  • Alumni donate musical instruments

    It was happiness all the way last Thursday when members of Saint Joseph Secondary School, Idi Mangoro, Agege Lagos (SJSS) 2001 set visited their alma mater to donate musical instruments.

    They were warmly received by the Principal, Mr. A.A. Iseyemi , who ensured all members of the staff and pupils were on the assembly ground to witness the donation – two big marker boards,  a Yamaha Keyboard with a keyboard stand, and a guitar.

    The 01 set was represented by Akintan Akinyemi (Chairman); Florence Makinde (Vice Chairman) and Segun Avresivu (Project Coordinator).

    While addressing the current pupils, the Chairman reminisced on school days by getting the pupils to sing the school Anthem with him.  He admonished them to inculcate the spirit of social responsibility by giving back to their alma mater no matter how small because little drops can make a mighty ocean.

    He advised the students to take their academics serious to guarantee a secured future.

    Speaking on the gesture, Isiyemi thanked 2001 set for its yearly contribution to the school. He prayed for their unity to grow stronger and for God’s blessings on them.

    Head Girl of the School, Onome Isibawo, appreciated the Alumni for deeming it fit to contribute to the school’s growth and development through the donation.

  • ‘Why power generation is low’

    Though gas shortage is the main problem of electricity generation firms, experts say other challenges, such as the rising debts profile of the power firms, gas price and transmission bottlenecks, are also threatening the sector, writes AKINOLA AJIBADE

    THE power sector is in dire straits. With a population of close to 200 million people, experts say the country needs between 50,000 megawatts (mw) and 60,000 Mw of electricity to survive. Although the industry has an installed generation capacity of 12,962mw, it generates 7,562 mw, of which only 5,375mw is available for transmission. Generating companies (GenCos) do not have the incentive to increase their capacity, because the country’s capacity for transmission is limited to about 8,100mw.

    In all these, the country relies on two energy sources, gas-fired and hydro power plants for survival, while its off-grid electricity segment is still at the infancy stage. While the hydro power stations are not more than five, representing about 20 per cent of the country’s generation, the gas-fired or fossil fuel plants are 32, which represent 80 per cent of the power being generated in the country.

    The hydro power plants are Kainji (760mw), Jebba (576.8Mw), Shiroro (600mw), all in Niger State; Zungeru (700mw), Kadin Kowa hydro (480mw), and Mambila Power Plant in Taraba State which is under construction.

    On the other hand, the gas-fired plants are in Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Cross-River, Akwa Ibom,  Edo, Abia, and Rivers states, among  others. There are also Egbin (1,320mw), Sapele (1,020mw), Transcorp-Ugbelli (972mw), Afam 1-4 Power Station (977mw), Geregu 1 Power Station (414mw), Omotosho 1 Power Station (335Mw), Olorunsogo (335mw), Kwale Okpai (480mw), Afam V1 (642mw), Akwa-Ibom Power Station (500mw), AES Barge (270mw), Omoku (150mw) and Trans Amadi(136mw) and Rivers State Generator( 180mw).

    Others are Aba Power Plant (140mw), Geregu 11 (434mw), Sapele (450mw), Olorunsogo (675mw), Egbema (338mw), Calabar (561mw), Ihovbor (450mw) and Azura (450mw).

    Read Also: Clean power generation for Nigeria

    Worse still, is that the country is surviving on less than 5,000mw, a far cry from what South Africa is generating to meet the needs of its 56.7 million population.

    One issue, which has been canvassed by stakeholders, as the major hindrance to the growth of the power sector, is the shortage of gas and its cumulative effects on the production of electricity in the country.  Though the issue has been discussed at local and international fora, with a view to proffering solutions to it, the solution appears not in sight.

    According to close watchers of unfolding events in the sector, making gas available for production of electricity remains a challenge, because stakeholders, including the Federal Government, have not deemed it fit to address what they termed ‘specific problems’ in the sector.

    They said the problems are debts, rising cost of transporting gas to generation companies, where it is needed to produce electricity, poor storage facilities and difficulties in evacuating power to power distribution firms by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), among others.

    The Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC) Executive Secretary, Dr. Joy Ogaji, said the growth of the electricity industry was endangered, because the debts owed generation companies were yet to be paid.

    She said the payment of debts owed generation firms is key to their growth, adding that the delay in paying the debts has untold effects in their businesses. According to her, power output would continue to be low for as long as the GenCos are still being owed in the industry.

    Dr. Ogaji said: “Where do you expect generation firms to recoup the money spent on procuring gas for production? She said neither the energy distribution firms nor the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) Limited was making moves to offset the debts.

    “The power generation companies are  being owed over N1 trillion by DisCos and NBET. The energy distribution firms paid 16 per cent and 17 per cent of the debts in  June and July, this year. How can the GenCos survive under this environment? “

    NBET was set up by the Federal Government to administer and control energy pool. She said the debts were accumulated because the DisCos decided to take electricity on credit from the GenCos. She said the GenCos have enough gas to produce power at the moment.

    Energy, Dr. Ogaji said, is not a physical product  that can be displayed in the shop, arguing that operators, such as DisCos, should be able to pay for the electricity given to them by the power generation firms.

    Another problem, which the sector is facing, she said, has to do with energy transmission.The transmission capacity, she said, is limited and the development is hindering the ability of TCN to transmit enough electricity to DisCos.

    “What is the benefit of generating energy, which cannot be transmitted to DisCos  for onward supply to consumers? The problems in the sector vary from one section to another. The three arms – transmission, distribution and generation – have their own challenges. But it would be good if the money owed the power generation firms is paid to enable them stay in business.”

    However, the former Chief Executive officer, Nigerian Gas Company(NGC), Dr. Godswill Ihetu, said gas is not a problem. he the country is blessed with huge gas reserves to grow its economy.

    With  600 trillion of unproven gas reserves and over 187 trillion of proven gas reserves, he said the country has enough gas.

    Ihetu said: “If it is to meet the needs of the international and domestic market, the country has enough gas to do so. He said the Nigerian Liquefied and Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited was not established to meet domestic needs like providing gas to the power firms.”

    Ihetu, also a former managing director of NLNG, said the firm only provides Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to the country, not natural gas.

    “This explains why some International Oil Companies (IOC) that are operating in the country and their local counterparts are made to provide gas for the power generation firms in the country,” he said, adding that the sector has problems, such as pipeline vandalism, a development that has made it difficult to supply gas to thermal plants.

  • Sokoto releases N300m for WAEC, NECO exams fees

    NOT less than N300 million has been approved for payment of Sokoto State pupils who sat for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO).

    In a statementd by the Public Relations Officer, Sokoto State Ministry for Basic and Secondary Education, Nura Bello Maikwanci, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal noted that the essence of the payment was to ensure prompt release of the results of its indigenes.

    The sum covered part of the cost of the 2018/2019 examinations for both bodies.

    “The  amount is meant for the payment of examinations fees for students who sat for the two examinations as it is expected that with this development the results of the students would soon be released”, the release stated.

    The government urged parents and candidates to exercise more patience, adding that” Sokoto State government is doing everything possible to ensure the release of their results in good time’’.

  • When blindness is no limitation

    President, National Association of Nigerian Visually Impaired Students, (NANVIS) University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter, Osho Abiodun Sunday, does not believe in impossibilities. He told DAMOLA KOLA-DARE that visually-impaired people wear their challenge with pride.

    For Osho Abiodun Sunday, President, National Association of Nigerian Visually Impaired Students (NANVIS), University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter, visual impairment is not a limitation and it does not diminish him in any way.

    Tall, lanky and soft-spoken, Sunday believes that being physically-challenged is not a disease and therefore he can compete effectively with those who are not physically challenged.

    Sunday, who comes across as an incurable optimist, noted that visually-impaired people have pain in their hearts but do not allow it to weigh them down.  Hence, he wants a society where visually-impaired people would be assisted and not treated as outcasts.

    He appealed to the government, corporate bodies, and well-meaning Nigerians to empower blind people.  He noted that poverty is the bane of those suffering visual impairment.   Further, he advised the government to borrow a leaf from advanced countries that have a fixed monthly allocation for their physically-challenged citizens.

    Read Also: Sickle-cell anaemia not a death sentence — Experts

    “I am calling on the government, kind-hearted citizens and corporate establishments to help blind people.  Apart from job-creation, money should be made available.  In the Western world, there is a certain amount of money given to the physically-challenged every month. Government should look into that for blind people in the country not to be seen as beggars when help is not forthcoming from other avenues,” he said.

    The NANVIS President praised the management of (UNILAG for the yearly provision of endowment fund for every physically-challenged student.  For some of them, it is what they depend on it to cater for their needs.

    Despite being in need themselves, Sunday said the visually impaired also share with the less priviledged.

    He said the students demonstrated this when they visited Ikoyi Prisons in July.

    “We went to Ikoyi Prisons in July.  We came up with the prison visitation because people give to us and we decided that we would give back to the society to show that even in our current state, we have a loving heart,” he said.

    Always the optimist, Sunday sees hope on the horizon and declared that suicide was not an option even in the face of the stiffest odds.

    Sunday said: “We see hope in our lives. We believe the future will be good, and we remain strong. Though we might not be happy at times, it is very hard for us to contemplate suicide. In fact, if a blind person commits suicide, those in his environment should be questioned.

    He urged other visually-impaired people not to give up.

    “To my fellow visually-impaired brothers and sisters, even if your family is the poorest; do not lose hope and do not be discouraged,” he said.

  • Niger College of Agric, IBBUL sign MoU

    Niger State College of Agriculture, Mokwa (NSCAM), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai (IBBUL), in the areas of teaching, research and community development services.

    At the ceremony,Vice-Chancellor, IBBUL Prof Muhammad Nasir Maiturare, said the university appreciates and acknowledges the paramount role agriculture plays in the development of any nation; hence its determination to explore every opportunity towards facilitating the development of agricultural programmes being offered at the institution.

    Maiturare explained that the MoU would also cover staff training and exchange programme, together with the introduction of Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) programmes in crop science and production, as well as farm management.

    In his remarks NSCAM Provost Dr Aliyu Muhammad, said he was optimistic of fruitful collaborations between the two institutions. Muhammed is also upbeat the MoU would impact positively on the agricultural sector of the state, and the country, at large.

    Delivering the vote of thanks, Registrar, Alhaji Musa Abdullahi, appreciated the Faculty of Agriculture of IBBUL for initiating several partnerships and collaborations with reputable institutions.

    The climax of the occasion was the signing of MoU.

  • Lessons from El-Rufai

    Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has been in the news this week for putting his money where his mouth is.  On Monday, he enrolled his six year old son, Abubakar, in the Capital School Malali, a public school in the state in fulfilment of a promise he made in 2017.

    He had promised back then to enrol his son in a public school in 2019.  He also said other public officers would be required to do same.  He said it was part of his plans to refurbish public schools and restore them to the standard he enjoyed attending public school as a child.

    El-Rufai has won my respect on this one.  I buy his argument that if public servants enrol their wards in public schools, then they would be more committed to ensuring the schools are good enough for the public.  It should become a standard nationwide.

    Recently, during the graduation season in UK and U.S., the social media was awash with pictures of our public officers and their children graduating from ivy-league universities.  We all know that they opted for greener pastures for their wards because of the rot in our own education system.  Starved of adequate funds, many of our schools do not measure up in terms of quality and infrastructure with those that our public officers send their wards to – enabled largely by funding from our commonwealth.

    Our leaders need to demonstrate faith in our public institutions once again.  They need to patronise local public schools and hospitals.  If their wards have to stay in classrooms with leaky roofs and broken walls; if they have to using a darkened wall as chalk board in an era of white and smart boards; if they have to use pit latrines without water instead of functional WCs; if they have to stay home for weeks or months on end because teachers are on strike agitating for unpaid salaries, perhaps they would pay the education sector the attention it needs.

    We do not seem to know how much we really need to prioritise education in this country.  It is practically the only option we have.  Natural resources are not taking us very far.  Already, Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II has warned that we do not benefit from oil price hike because we end up paying it all to import refined products.  However, we have a huge youth population that can become our biggest asset if only our government would make investment in Human Capital Development a priority.

    Various international agencies, including the World Bank, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others have underscored the need for Nigeria and other countries lagging behind in development to make the right investment in the health and education of its people.

    Attending the 2018 Goalkeepers meeting in Johannesburg last December was an eye opener for me.  The 2018 Goalkeepers report warned that Nigeria and Congo would be home to about 40 per cent of the world’s poorest people by 2050.  We cannot sit easy and watch this prediction come true.  We need to fix our education system.  We should domesticate the quality our leaders are seeking abroad for their wards in this country.  Every school – even the ones on the highest hill or the remotest village – should be conducive to learning.  Every community should have a health facility that caters to the needs of all including young ones so they do not die of malnutrition or preventable diseases.  This can happen if we put our money where our mouth is.

    Government needs to cut spending in some areas – especially the huge emoluments of public officers – so it can allocate more resources to health and education.  Government needs to block loopholes used by corrupt officers and punish them while seeking creative ways to diversify our economy.  Nigerians need to learn to hold the government accountable.  Public office holders are in position for our sake, not theirs.  We have the right to ask what they are doing and demand change if they are not doing well.  I hope we start to exercise this right.

  • Sundry Misusages XXVIII: Of which. . . plus more

    Misusages are such that are often taken for granted, as though they do not matter. Yet, they matter. They matter because they can render your writing uneasy to read, digest, comprehend or use. In other words, misusages can impede your communication, which is why we cannot overemphasize the need for correct usage that we have described as the spirit, soul and life of any language. We therefore crave your indulgence to continue to highlight observed pitfalls in usage, such as examined and discussed below:

    Of which

    We posit that the use of this phrase in the sentence below is clumsy and very inelegant and that the message can be rendered more lucidly and fluently.

    The mediation committee of which the outcome is yet to be shared with the field office concluded work several months ago.

    So awkward-sounding has the string of words of which the outcome made the construction that we need to find substitute phrases to make it more readable and intelligible. As the construction is, it is bound to halt the cadence of the reader, whereas we should keep him reading, not jerking in fits and starts. So, let us substitute with either whose outcome or the outcome of which. Here is what we mean:

    The mediation committee, whose outcome is yet to be shared with the field office, concluded work several months ago.

    OR

    The mediation committee, the outcome of which is yet to be shared with the field office, concluded work several months ago.

    Note, however, that some colleagues in broadcasting and even some top-drawer columnists have stuck to something close to the phrasing we have described as clumsy above. They seem comfortable with constructions like: “The mediation committee which outcome is yet to be shared with the field office concluded work several months ago” – even when that sounds as clumsy as they come.” You are likely to mind such usage if you write for the ears!

    On the one hand … on the other hand

    These are adverbial phrases of contrast used mostly correlatively. This is not the case in the following sentence where only one of them has been used wantonly.

    Democracy is about participation and representation. Participation is the extent to which individual members of society take part or get involved in the activities in their societies. Representation, on the other hand, refers to the process by which people get chosen to act in the interest of the community or sectors thereof.

    According to “Pop” Errors, “Here is a new epidemic among many academics – the frequent misuse of the twin idioms on the one hand and on the other hand or just one of them as featured in this example. Following the writer’s sequencing of thoughts on democracy, participation and representation, you are bound to ask what he is using the idiom on the other hand to contrast. The truth is, there is nothing to contrast. It is okay taking one concept after another the way he has done, but without introducing the redundancy and verbosity inflicted by the unnecessary idiom. You do not just throw in such expressions because you need to take a breath at that point or just because you want to transit from one sentence to another elegantly. Yes, such expressions are elegant transition tools, but only when they serve a purpose other than mere elegance. You do not use any of them as applied in the sentence, because it has no purpose. We would do well to note, therefore, that the twin idioms (on the one hand and on the other hand) are “used to introduce different points of view, ideas, etc, especially when they are opposites” (OALD). None of the concepts democracy, participation and representation is the opposite of another. Because we are also sticklers for elegant writing, we suggest, as follows, ways to conclude the writer’s train of thoughts in that introductory part of his paper:

    “For its part, representation refers to the process by which people get chosen to act in the interest of the community or sectors thereof

    OR

    “The related concept representation refers to the process by which people get chosen to act in the interest of the community or sectors thereof.”

    On trial

    In an increasingly litigious and criminal world where, at any time, thousands of people are being prosecuted in law courts, you would expect writers, particularly journalists, to use the phrase on trial correctly all the time. Not so in the following:

    Lawal and 11 others were under trial for stealing.

    Prepositions have forever hobbled many a writer. This explains the distortion of the expression on trial in this example. You are on trial, not under trial. When you are being tried in a court of law, you are said to be on trial. You could also be facing or standing trial. So, we correct the specimen error thus:

    Lawal and 11 others were on trial for stealing.

    Overall

    It is incredible how bizarre the mishandling of simple adverbs such as the above can get. Could it be that what you do not know, you don’t just know, no matter how simple. What to do? Understand them and master their correct usage, to avoid comical pitfalls as the following:

    In the overall, the election processes are continuing at the 20 polling stations.

    You must hasten to proclaim overall as the correct usage here, NOT in the overall! Correctly applied, overall is a sentence adverb, meaning, in the context, “generally; or everything considered” (OALD). So, accordingly, we say:

    Overall, the election processes are continuing at the 20 polling stations.

  • TCN, Eko Atlantic seal deal on 1000Mw power supply

    The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the management of Eko Atlantic have sealed a deal for the supply of 1,000 megawatts (mw) of electricity from the national grid to Eko Atlantic City, under the Eligible Customers Arrangement.

    TCN Managing Director Dr. Usman Gur Mahammed stated this when he visited to the city on Victoria Island at the weekend.

    Mohammed told reporters that TCN had conducted a study for supply of power from the grid to Eko Atlantic City, adding that under such power supply, the DisCos were not eligible to undertake such supply because it comes from a much-higher voltage line.

    He said: “The study conducted showed that gradually the energy required by the city would be close to 1,000mw but it will take a long time before we reach there. Therefore, TCN will build a 330kva double circuit line from Lekki to the city, but we are going to step down and supply them at 132KV line so that when the need for 330kv line comes up in future, we don’t need to build a new line. We will only add the transformers, meaning that we will just build a substation at 330kv.’’

    Mohammed said TCN had earlier placed an advert for the prequalification of contractors for both lines and the substation.

    Read Also: DisCos blame TCN for interruptions despite $1.6b

    “We have already advertised for the prequalification of contractors for both lines and substation. We are working with the Lagos State Government and they have given us all the support we need and the ‘Right of Way’ has been established and we are working to ensure that we realise it.

    “At present, we will connect them to about 30mw but will ramp it up to 1,000mw gradually as the city grows. All arrangements that will make it reach 1,000mw are what we are putting in place,” he added.

    The TCN chief said the city would be connected to the grid under the Eligible Customer Arrangement of former Minister of Power, Work and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN).

    “Under the Eligible Customer Arrangement, Eko Atlantic City is going to be connected directly to the grid. So, there is no distribution company’s requirement. At present, we have about eight companies under eligible customers’ arrangement and what we signed for them is closed to 200Mw.

    “But they are not taking up to 200Mw because some of them being steel companies are not operating at their optimum,” he said.

    The Utility Manager, South Energyx, for Eko Atlantic City, Mr Khaled Bader, said the company was committed to providing all the infrastructural facilities, including supply to their partners in the city.

    “With TCN, we will be able to realise this under the Eligible Customers arrangement. All facilities related to power distribution within the city are almost ready,” he said.