The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Power outage

  • Iwobi shocked at PHCN over power outage

    Iwobi shocked at PHCN over power outage

    Arsenal attacking midfielder Alex Iwobi has aimed a cheeky dig at Abuja Electricity Distribution Company PLC, sometimes colloquially referred to as NEPA, after a power cut at the Super Eagles Bolton White Hotel and Apartments camp.

    Although Iwobi was born in Lagos, he has lived non-stop in England for the past 16 years, so is unaware of the reality on the ground regarding frequent power outages.

    The Gunners number 17 took to social media to express disapproval and his message was clear though he tried to play down his discomfort.

    Iwobi tweeted  on Thursday night: “When Nepa Take Light ?? #Nigeria.”

    The 20-year-old arrived in Nigeria on Tuesday from his base in north London.

  • Why there’s power outage at Lagos Airport, by FAAN

    Why there’s power outage at Lagos Airport, by FAAN

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has blamed incessant power outage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos on the ongoing construction at the new international terminal of the airport.

    Although electricity supply was restored at some parts of the airport yesterday. FAAN however warned that there could be more disruptions  as the agency plans to find a lasting solution to the power cuts.

    The agency explained that electric cables buried underground that provided electricity at the airport were inadvertently excavated by construction workers at the location where the new terminal is being built.

    FAAN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Yakubu Dati who confirmed the excavation of the cables said engineers from the agency have been working to move the cables from the construction site and replace those that have been destroyed, noting that this would take a little time before the work is completed.

    “Preliminary reports indicate the cause of the outage was the damage of two 11 KVA underground cables located within the construction premises of the new international terminal. Our engineers are urgently rectifying the problem. However, FAAN will relocate those cables out of the construction site to prevent re-occurrence and we crave your indulgence while that is being done. The Authority apologises for the inconvenience caused to airlines, passengers and the general public,” Dati said.

    He said demand for electricity at the airport has been overstretched due to increased activities and expansion of the terminal. FAAN has acquired 500 KVA transformer and it is in the process of installing the equipment.

    “Once we move the cables from the construction site, we are sure we would have stable electricity supply at the airport, but to permanently meet the growing demand and in view of the rapid and continuous increase of activities in the near future, we are installing the 500 KVA transformer,” Dati said.

    He noted that FAAN doesn’t rely on public power supply because of the hiccups associated with it so the agency has new generators and with the combination of the old ones, the Authority has been providing electricity to both the international terminal and the General Aviation Terminal (GAT).

    Dati also disclosed that FAAN would replace all the old underground cables, which were installed when the airport was built almost 40 years ago.

  • Power outage disrupt proceedings at Lagos High Court 

    Judicial activities were disrupted at the Lagos High Court, Igbosere, Thursday following a power outage that lasted for hours.

    The outage, which The Nation learnt occurred before 9am, forced virtually all the courts to adjourn sitting.

    A judiciary staff, who preferred to remain anonymous, told The Nation that part of the court complex had been running on generators since Monday.

    “The generator must have developed a major fault,” the source said.

    A walk round the premises showed that there was no electricity in the courtrooms and the administration offices.

    Litigants and their lawyers were seen hanging in or around the darkened courtrooms as they sought the adjourned dates of their cases from court registrars.

    One of the affected litigants, Mr. Pascal Egere, lamented the situation.

    Egere, an insurance practitioner, said: “The court itself is a very tense environment for any litigant, so if there’s no light it adds to the tension and anxiety that we litigants go through in seeing that our cases are well prosecuted and judgment is given timely.

    “It’s not very good to come to court and find that there is no electricity, it doesn’t speak well of us in this country, but I don’t think it’s the fault of the court. It’s just a national issue that has to be tackled.”

    His lawyer, Mr Francis Monye, told newsmen that the power outage made it difficult for the judges to sit.

    He said: “Courts are meant for serious business, but when the environment is not conducive, it will be difficult for judicial activities to go on”.

    He advised the government to find a lasting solution to the power problem in the country.

    One of the cases affected by the outage was the continuation of trial in the N1.767b fraud charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Mohammed Gobir.

    The case was adjourned till June 16.

     

  • Power outage cripples National Assembly

    The National Assembly complex was yesterday hit by a debilitating power outage that crippled legislative and commercial activities at the complex.

    Mostly affected were the Senate and House of Representatives committee rooms and the lobby which were thrown into darkness.

    As the outage lasted, commercial activities including banking transactions, were disrupted..

    Also affected was a public hearing on the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2015 holding in the Senate wing of the complex.

    Participants at the public hearing which was earlier inaugurated by Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, resorted to hand fans when the cooling system in the hearing room stopped due to the power outage.

    It was not clear the cause of the outage which also occurred on Friday, 22 April 2016 for several hours.

    A source however attributed the problem to aging generating sets which he said ought to have been replaced.

    He also said that “acute shortage of diesel” to power the generators was an issue.

    Power outage at the National Assembly, he said, is “likely to continue because the generating sets are getting weak by the day due to over use.”

    He noted that “generators that were installed to serve as alternative sources of energy have become the only means to power and light the National Assembly every day.”

    He said that it should be expected that “with constant use the generators will become weak no matter how you service them.”

    Yesterday’s outage which started around 2.30pm was only restored around 5.20pm when most of the workers and few legislators who were around had left the complex in frustration pleaded with Justice Auta to review the decision. The Chief Judge, thereafter, returned the case file to Justice Ekwo, who has now found Daudu guilty of the 77 counts.”

  • Frozen food traders lose N20m to power outage

    Frozen food traders lose N20m to power outage

    Members of the Ajeromi Frozen Foods Market Association at Ijora-Olopa in Lagos have cried out over the worsening power outage at the market.

    This, they claimed, resulted to the decaying of frozen foods worth N20 million.

    The association’s President, Alhaja Afusat Popoola, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday that power outages at the market had taken a turn for the worse since March 8.

    She said the current fuel crisis had compounded the woes of the traders, making them to throw away decaying frozen foods daily.

    Popoola said the traders had recently taken delivery of four trailers of chicken, turkey, fish, gizzard and prawns for storage when power went off at the market.

    She said that inability of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) to restore power at the market resulted to the frozen foods decaying.

    She said: “Even when we organised ourselves to get petrol to power our generating sets, the attendants at the filling stations refused to sell to us.

    “Everybody knows that frozen foods require uninterrupted electricity supply but unfortunately those five days outage had cost us over N20 million.

    “The traders were crying when we ordered them to surrender all the decayed food items for destruction.

    “The market has a reputation for selling fresh frozen food and we cannot allow any trader to sell bad frozen food under our leadership.

    “We have never incurred this kind of loss since we started operation many years ago.

    She appealed to the State Government to assist the traders to stay in business, following their huge losses.

    “Most of the traders affected are bread winners of their families. If the government cannot assist them now, who will they turn to for assistance?

    “Most of these frozen foods were collected with promise to pay back after being sold, now that it has come to this situation, how do we pay back our loss?”

    “We are appealing to EKEDC to always consider the impact of outages on our business and the health of the general public. Our business depends on regular supply of electricity.” she said.

  • FG blames sabotage, vandalisation for power outage

    FG blames sabotage, vandalisation for power outage

    The Federal Government yesterday issued an apology to Nigerians on the  prevailing power situation in the country  which it attributed to gas failure, sabotage and vandalization of power infrastructure.

    Information and Culture Minister,  Lai Mohammed, in a statement in Abuja  said all efforts were being made to rectify the situation and ensure a gradual improvement in the power situation.

    ‘’There will be a decent improvement in the power situation from this weekend, thanks to ongoing remedial efforts that will double the current power supply to 4,000WM. Getting back to the 5,074MW all-time high that was reached earlier will take a few more weeks,’’ he said.

    Alhaji Mohammed said at a time the routine maintenance by the Nigeria Gas Company has affected the supply of gas to power stations, forcing down power supply from an all-time high of 5,074 MW to about 4,000MW, a combination of unsavoury incidents further crashed the power supply to about half that figure.

    He said:’’The vandalization of the Forcados export pipelines forced oil companies to shut down, making it impossible for them to produce gas. Then, workers at the Ikeja Discos, who were protesting the disengagement of some of their colleagues after they failed the company’s competency test, apparently colluded with the National Transmission Station in Osogbo to shut down transmission.

    “The unfortunate strike by the unions at the NNPC over the restructuring of the corporation shut down the Itarogun Power Station, the biggest in the country. Due to these factors, only 13 out of the 24 power stations in the country are currently functioning. It is this same kind of unsavoury situation that has affected fuel supply and subjected Nigerians to untold hardship.’’

    The minister condemned some Nigerians who he said “will continuously sabotage the country’s power infrastructure” under the guise of the various unions in the oil and gas sector or sheer vandalization.

    ‘’The bitter truth is that for as long as these groups of Nigerians continue to sabotage the power infrastructure, Nigerians cannot enjoy a decent level of power supply. We, therefore, admonish all Nigerians who may be agitating for their rights in whatever form to refrain from any action that will further hurt the same people they claim to be protecting,’’ he said.

  • Power outage paralyses activities in FESTAC Town

    Power outage paralyses activities in FESTAC Town

    Residents and business operators in FESTAC Town in Lagos yesterday lamented the epileptic power supply to the area by Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDP).

    They alleged that the poor supply had paralysed their domestic and commercial activities, adding that the situation had brought untold hardship to the community.

    A resident, Mrs Josephine Okoro, who manages a business centre, said the power outage coupled with scarcity of fuel had thrown her out of business.

    “We have been experiencing power outage in FESTAC town for more than two months. The most unfortunate thing is that EKEDP used to restore electricity supply in the middle of the night when it is of no use to my business. The scarcity of petrol has compounded the situation. I am always idle because I don’t have electricity to operate. Currently, I cannot afford two meals a day because EKEDP has rendered me jobless,” she said.

    Mr Jide Johnson, a resident of 23 Road, accused the power company of being insensitive to consumers’ complaints.

    Johnson said the bills the community receives every month are outrageous in spite of the outage.

    According to him, the poor supply had crippled their businesses, making artisans in the community to take to commercial motorcycling.

    EKEDP spokesman, Godwin Idemudia, said the company was doing everything possible to improve power supply in the town.

    Idemudia said the drop in the supply to some of the areas was as a result of the drop in the supply from the national grid and subsequent bulk energy load to the company, adding that the situation was beyond the company.

     

  • Seven months power outage worries LG boss

    Seven months power outage worries LG boss

    Alhaji Alhassan Bagudu, the Chairman, Kaiama Local Government Council of Kwara state, has lamented the seven months power outage in the area, which he said had crippled economic activities.

    The chairman in a statement he issued on Sunday in Kaiama, appealed to Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to restore electricity in the area.

    Bagudu said that the blackout persisted in spite of the fact that the council had committed a lot of funds for the replacement of damaged cables and other electrical materials.

    According to the council boss, the power outage had slowed the pace of work in the local government council operations.
    He, however, commended the Emir of Kaiama, Alhaji Muazu Omar, for donating a 50 KVA power generating plant to Kaiama General Hospital.

    The statement added that the council had set up a seven-member committee, headed by the Vice-chairman of the council, Alhaji Usman Yusuf to fast-track restoration of electricity to the area.

    The committee, among other things, will suggest permanent solutions to the power problem in the area.
    The committee is expected to visit headquarters of IBEDC in Ibadan, among others.

  • Residents lament power outage

    Residents lament power outage

    Residents of Ije-Ododo in Ojo area of Lagos yesterday urged Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) to urgently restore power to the community.

    They claimed that the community was thrown into darkness following Monday’s pipeline explosion, which damaged many electricity poles.

    The explosion, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), followed illegal activities by suspected vandals at NNPC’s pipeline at Ije-Ododo.

    The Baale of Ije-Ododo, Alhaji Tajudeen Subair-Ododo, told NAN that the community has been thrown into darkness since explosion, adding that it used to experience such outage for several months whenever pipelines exploded.

    He, enjoined the electricity company to replace the affected poles.

    Mr Taofik Idowu, a teacher, said the outage had a terrible economic impact on the community, as business activities, adding: “This is not the first time that pipeline explosion has occurred here. Members of the community are the ones suffering for the outage.’’

    Mrs Chinyere Okorie, a frozen food seller, said the outage is affecting her business, noting: “The damage done by the pipeline explosion to electricity poles has started affecting my business. We were just thanking the electricity company because power was stable and this has happened now. After the last explosion, we suffered for three months. Only God knows when power supply will be restored in the community,” she said.

    Mr Pekun Adeyanju, Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs Division, Ikeja Electric, said the fire would soon begin repair of the poles.

    Adeyanju said the management was aware of the problem, adding that the company would soon swing into action to put things in order. He appealed to the community to bear with the company.

    Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said last night that the pipeline fire has been put out.

    Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, the NEMA spokesman in the South-West, said the rains and swampy nature of the land made it difficult for emergency officials to reach the site of the incident early.

    He said that platforms made of wooden planks were constructed to enable officials reach the site

    “But thank God, we have gotten to the fire point and with the assistance of emergency agencies, the fire has been put off,’’ he said.

    Farinloye said that pumping of petroleum products would resume immediately after the affected pipeline had been repaired.

  • Residents protest power outage

    Residents protest power outage

    The squabble between Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) and residents of Agege has deepened as no fewer than 5,000 of electricity consumers gathered at Orile Agege Recreation Centre to protest the company’s poor operation and over billing.

    They unanimously maintained a posture of stand of “no light, no pay”.

    The aggrieved residents had begun the protest against the company’s alleged fraudulent and none transparent attitude since February 23.

    The residents accused the IKEDC of lack of non-maintenance of electric transformers, poles and cables, coded meters, over-estimated billing system and nonchalant attitude of members of its staff towards residents.

    The residents also demanded proper maintenance of malfunction meters in the absence of prepaid ones.

    Speaking at the event, the President, Youth Alliance for Better Nigeria, who is also the coordinator, Mr. Moruf Niniola Adegoke, said the protest was to register their grievances and dissatisfaction about the epileptic power situation in the area. “It also is also meant to let the company know the extent of suffering which the residents are going through as a result of lack of power supply,” he said.

    He noted that the residents have become fed up with the poor service of the IKEDC, adding that it amounts to wickedness on the part of the company to force them to pay for electricity which they did not use.

    Continuing, he said: “The firm has failed to improve on its services to the consumers despite several meetings and agreements we have had.”

    As a result of the ugly situation which the residents are experiencing, they have unanimously agreed that the IKEDC should disconnect the entire Agege from among the areas it supplies electricity, saying it is unjustified for the company to supply electricity to some areas and leave others in darkness.

    Adegoke said the residents could no longer bear the suffering and smiling condition which IKEDC has subjected them to.

    He further said the aggrieved residents have decided not to pay for electricity bills until the company improved its services to the residents by providing them with prepaid meters.

    He said the company’s operations are becoming worse on daily basis, noting that some electric poles and wires that are damaged since March 9, due to rainstorm have never been restored. But what the company is after is money.

    “All that the residents want is to be supplied with the prepaid meters in order to put in check the non-transparency operation of the company’s members of staff,” Niniola said.

    One of the residents, Mrs. Funmi Jolade Ajayi, maintained that the company does not willing to distribute the prepaid meters because it will uncover their atrocities and non-transparency.

    She noted that the prepaid meters will not read if there is no light. This, she said, was the major reason the firm is not willing to distribute the meters.

    Another resident, Bishop Babatunde Olusanya urged the residents to keep praying for President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to have the political will to fix the country’s power sector.company to force residents to pay for electricity which they did not use.