The Nation Newspaper

Tag: vandalisation

  • FG considers legal instrument for offshore gas this quarter

    The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu on Monday said that by the end of this October, the Federal Government would have settled the contractual structure that would aid the country to unlock gas offshore  instead of depending solely on the Niger Delta.

    He said that: “Hence, the statement made earlier on that we must ensure that by the end of this quarter, we settle the issues of the contractual framework that would help us unlock those gas resources, so that we have optionality.”

    He spoke at the ongoing Nigerian Gas Association, NGA, 11th International Conference and Exhibition in Abuja.

    Kachikwu who was represented by his Senior Technical Adviser, Upstream and Gas,  Mr. Gbite Adeniji, said that the Federal Government is serious about taking gas to the northern region of the country, through the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano, AKK, gas pipeline, so as to tackle the huge economic challenges witnessed in the region.

    According to him, Nigeria can no longer tolerate a situation where 11 power plants across the country would be forced to shut down, once there is a disruption in gas supply through the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System, ELPS.

    His words: “As  a government, you want to ensure that you have robustness in supply sources and robustness on delivery system. The position we have taken is that we have to look at as many options as possible in terms of supply sources.”

    “Today, we are very dependent on gas supply from the Niger Delta.  The policy position is that we have to look at other terrains to see what is possible. We have discovered huge amount of gas resources in the offshore…

    “It just does not do well that once the ELPS goes down,  11 power plants and many industrial enterprises also go down with them.  That is not the system.  A huge part of investment in there,  but the reality of our life in Nigeria is that it goes down with them. The planning is that we have to create options to the ELPS for Lagos.”

    The minister explained the strategic importance of the AKK pipeline project, noting that the key was to ensure that the project is delivered in a manner that gives confidence to the upstream that there is viable anchor projects to keep it going.

    He stated that until the AKK pipeline comes on stream, the country must look at the possibility of alternative gas supplies into the northern region and into other stranded gas markets in the country.

     

    Read also: FG completes Warri-Ajaokuta-Itakpe rail line

     

    “Let us focus a bit on northern nigeria, which is facing quadruple whammy,  which is what I would call it today. It is significantly de-industrialised; there is deforestation going on; there is desertification going on; then the population is booming.

    “Cheap access to energy sources,  is a big solution to these problems on northern Nigeria, which is the key essence of the AKK project.”

    Also speaking, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr.  Maikanti Baru, lamented the vandalisation of gas pipeline, stating that some oil and gas well had been completely shutdown, and would never resume operations, because of pipeline vandalisation.

    He said,  “I need to bring to the fore some of our key challenges in the gas sector. Believe me, it has not been all that rosy. Today, we face the challenge of pipeline vandalism which has led to shut-in of some of our wells. For some wells, they will never come back on-stream while for others, additional investments will be required to bring them back to production.”

    In addition, he said, “Similarly, there are issues around power transmission and evacuation. Non-evacuation of power has led to back pressure on the transmission lines which has also resulted in shut-in of producer wells. Thus, it is a cyclical challenge. This challenge will definitely dovetail into discussions around National Grid upgrade, Grid decentralisation, Off-grid power, Captive power among a host of alternatives.

    “I will not forget to mention the challenge of funding critical gas infrastructure. In fact, this led to our adoption of the Contractor-financing model for the AKK pipeline. I am sure there are panel sessions to address these challenges in finer details.”

     

  • Company boss condemns street lights’ vandalisation

    THE Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Lekki Concession Company Limited (LCC), Mr. Mohammed Hassan, has decried the deliberate destruction of street lights, saying it was an act of vandalism.

    Hassan, in an interview with The Nation in Lekki, Lagos, hailed the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration for spending a lot of money to install street lights, saying it would be unfair if they were vandalized by unpatriotic people.

    He said the present administration prioritized the installation of street lights to prevent robberies at night and accidents.

    Hassan condemned the dumping of refuse on the Lekki-Epe Expressway and illegal road cutting, saying anybody caught would be prosecuted.

    “This road cost the government a lot of money. We will not fold our arms and allow unpatriotic citizens to deface it by dumping refuse on it and cutting it to lay pipes for water and electricity.

    “We will ensure the maintenance of the Lekki-Epe Expressway because its users deserve comfort. Lekki is fast becoming the economic hub of Lagos State and the country, as a seaport, an airport, Dangote Refinery and other infrastructure will soon be established there.

    “This is why the Lekki-Epe Expressway is of utmost importance to us. We will do everything to maintain it. We expect proper usage by motorists and others.

    “We are partnering Capricorn Digital and Simple Pay Payment Channels for a more convenient and easy method to top up toll accounts. We are looking at the possibility of moving our cash-paying road users to e-payment to facilitate operation and save time. We are working on e-payment. As soon as we get signal, the public will be informed,” he said.

    The LCC boss said the company’s security team intensified its monitoring activities on the expressway by foiling robberies, adding that suspects were handed over to the police.

    According to him, the firm carried out corporate social responsibility by organsing safety campaigns in schools, sponsoring youth football tournaments, donating vehicles to LASTMA for effective traffic management, among others.

    Hassan said LCC contributed to the economic development of the state by putting in place a world-class infrastructure, adding value to land and property, providing good road access to the Lekki Free Trade Zone and creating employment.

    He said a time would come when the company would take over the toll gates of other highways in Lagos and other states because of its versatility in road management and maintenance.

     

  • Lagos to criminalise power theft, vandalisation

    Lagos to criminalise power theft, vandalisation

    …Lights up 500km road network in one year

     

    The Lagos State Government on Tuesday said it has concluded plans to enact a law to specifically criminalise and punish severely persons who engage in power theft and vandalisation, expressing optimism that it would go a long way to tackle the menace headlong.

    Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Olawale Oluwo, who said this at the ongoing Ministerial press briefing to commemorate the second year in office of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, said the State Government was worried that its efforts to ensure streets of Lagos are well lit was being threatened by vandals.

    He said the Government had noticed a trend where some electricity infrastructures are damaged by hit and run motorists, saying that such was detrimental to the quest of the State to ensure that every nook and cranny of the State is lit.

    But he said the State Government was coming up with a law under its Embedded Power Initiative to protect public lighting infrastructures from such destruction and vandalisation.

    “We have noticed this vandalisation in three ways. The first one is that by weekends, between Friday and Sunday, we see a lot of vehicles knock down our electricity poles and we suffer the consequences.

    So, we make sure that each time we apprehend them we make them to pay fines because we cannot prosecute them under a law that is not existing, so the Embedded Power Programme would come with its own Power Theft Law and we would try to embed this street lighting protection under it, so until the law, we cannot prosecute them, we can only continue to fine them to pay for the street light poles they knock down,” Oluwo said.

    The Commissioner also restated the commitment of the State Government to meet its electricity needs and ensure regular power supply not only for industrial clusters, but also to residents of the State.

    He said that beyond powering its own public facilities with the already established independent power plants delivering a combined 47.5 MW, the state government intends to stimulate investment through this initiative with the generation of 3000MW of power through accelerated deployment of embedded or distributed power plants in strategic locations within three to five years to drive the economy and bring additional electricity to millions of homes and businesses.

    “The State Government is therefore in partnership with major international and local industry key players in the power sector to provide a platform for uninterrupted power supply to its citizenry. The Lagos State Government, in collaboration with the private sector, is using the strength of its balance sheet to guarantee the deployment of off-grid modular plants of between 20MW to 100MW strategically spread within clusters close to reliable sustainable sources of electricity and power evacuation substation for the exclusive benefit of Lagos residents.

    “Solar energy project is another initiative by the Lagos State Government, focused on implementing power solutions for public facilities. This project aim at delivering a total of 4.59 MV of sustainable power to rural, riverine and public boarding secondary schools, 172 of them and 11 primary health centres located within the rural areas in Ikorodu, Badagry, Epe and Ibeju-Lekki,” he said.

    He said in the year under review, the Government through its “Light up Lagos” Initiative, achieved 500km of streetlight installations in its bid to light up the nooks and crannies of the State, while over 100km length of street lighting installations are on-going at various locations.

    “In a bold step, the State Government has taken over and adopted the management of all street lights within Lagos irrespective of legacy ownership. In this instance, street lights hitherto controlled by Local Government, Ministry of Works and Infrastructures, LAMATA and those of Federal Agencies like FERMA and FAAN are now under the management of Lagos State Government. The essence is to ensure uniformity of standard, excellent service delivery and provision of a more holistic and sustainable approach to monitoring and maintaining of the installations.

    “It is gratifying to mention that in a bid to save cost, the Lagos State Government has been able to connect some of the street lights to the Alausa, Mainland, Island and Lekki Independent Power Plants; while efforts are on to connect others to the Independent Power Plants,” Oluwo said

     

  • FG apologises over power failure

    FG apologises over power failure

    The Federal Government Friday 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.

     

  • PHCN seeks SSS, police, intervention on equipment destruction

    PHCN seeks SSS, police, intervention on equipment destruction

    • Union threatens strike over severance package

    The Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) has urged  members of the State Security Service, Police and other law enforcement agencies to help tackle the issue of vandalisation of its equipment.

    Speaking at a Customers’ Parliament Forum in Lagos, the Chief Executive officer, Mr Oladele Amoda said the call became necessary to end acts of vandalism and further boost power supply in the country.

    Amoda said the cost of replacing vandalised materials is unbearable, adding that its runs into several millions of naira.

    He said the socio-economic effect of vandalism was negative, because it results in throwning the communities into darkness.

    He said: ‘We spent millions of naira to replace the vandalised equipment; this amount would have been better expended on new projects for the customers.’’

    He advised Community Development Associations, and other well meaning community members to be alert and assist in curbing vandalism of electrical equipment within their localities.

    He said the forum was an avenue for various customers to express their mind on how to improve service delivery and to intimate them of the challenges confronting the zone.

    The PHCN boss said that the forum would create enabling environment to appeal to customers on ways to protect government equipment, adding that the agency is putting measures in place to improve electricity supply and socio=economic activties in the country.

    “We are working towards ensuring distributing 20-hour electricity supply daily to our customers by December, and to 22-hours in January, said, adding that funding is the major problem preventing the government from providing regualr power to people.

    He explained that in the current Multi Year Tariff Order 2 (MYTO 2), customers are expected to have metres installed at their premises free.

    Meanwhile, the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), has threatened to stage a nationwide protest if payment of PHCN workers’ severance package is not implemented by the government.

    The Chairman, Lagos Chapter of NUEE, Adeleke Ibrahim, told the News Agency of Nigeria yesterday in Lagos, that the union has given an ultimatum of end of July.

    Ibrahim said that the payment has suffered setbacks due to the inability of the Federal Ministry of Power to put their records straight. He however advised the committees and government agencies saddled with the computation of the workers’ severance package to expedite action and ensure they were paid on time.

    Ibrahim said the union will resist any further delay in payment of the severance package as from the end of this month.

    “At the end of this month, if nothing is done, we will come out as usual and Nigerians will now know who is who. We are not pretending over that,’’ he said, adding that the workers have waited long enough since for the severance package to be paid.

    “Our members keep worrying us that the money is being delayed,” he said, urging that government should fulfil its pledge to pay the workers by the end of July.

  • Illegal refineries, vandalisation are our greatest threat, says Maku

    Illegal refineries, vandalisation are our greatest threat, says Maku

    INFORMATION Minister Labaran Maku at the weekend attributed the twin menace of illegal refineries and pipelines vandalism as the greatest threat to the nation’s socio-economic development.

    The Minister spoke while inspecting the Civil Defence Academy during the National Good Governance Tour of projects in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Apart from the illegal activities causing environmental pollution in the Niger Delta, he said it is adversely affecting the nation’s economic income.

    Maku noted that the illegal activities are posing great danger to the future of the people of the Niger Delta.

    He said: “The greatest threat to Niger Delta region is illegal refinery and pipeline vandalisation. Our forefathers left behind good and safe environment for us. The pollution and contamination that is coming from the Niger Delta is great.”

    “If these communities do not stop these activities, it will cause great danger to the future of the people of Niger Delta.”

    “So, it is in the interest of those communities and the nation to stop the destructions they are doing in the Niger Delta area,” he said.

    Maku also reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to tackle the challenges of environmental degradation in the region.

    Inspecting the N13.4 billion Inner Southern Expressway in the city, Maku said the road is strategic and will greatly de-congest traffic.

    “It will remove grid lock in the city and add value to the residents of the city,” he stated.

    The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed said the 3.8 kilometer road is aimed at reducing traffic congestion within the city centre.