Apapa Is A Priority Area For FG, We’re Very Close To Starting Enduring Work On The Roads - Fashola *  Minister appeals to residents, those earning livelihood from Apapa for patience *  Design, other requirements for reconstruction of Wharf road with concrete to last for at least 30 years ready *  Procurement details, Heads of Agreement ready for signing of MOU with Companies supporting project ahead of presentation for FEC approval The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN, has reiterated that the Apapa Area in Lagos is a priority for the Federal Government under the Ministry’s programme to solve the issue of roads leading to critical ports in the country. According to the Minister, who was interacting with newsmen in Abuja at the weekend, at the end of Day One of the Federal Ministry of Power Works and Housing’s Retreat, arrangements for the deployment of an enduring solution on Wharf road were near closure. Fashola who explained that a couple of private companies had offered to work with Government in terms of fixing Wharf Road, said the design and other requirements for the road were ready adding what was left now was to sign a formal Memorandum of Understanding before proceeding to the Federal Executive Council for approval. “ I just want to appeal to residents of Apapa, to people whose livelihood depends on Apapa, that Apapa is one of the priority roads under our priority of Works to solve roads that lead to critical ports. We also have Calabar on our radar. But one by one there would be an enduring solution. We’ve done the design, we’ve done everything for Apapa, it’s ready. It’s going to be a concrete road, I believe, that will last another 30 years. So we are close to starting work,” Fashola said. The Minister, who was certain that work would start in a couple of weeks, pointed that irrespective of the fact that the fund of the Companies, offering to support the project,was private money there had to be some transparency on how to procure it adding that those procurement guidelines were being followed because, according to him, “In government, if you receive a gift, it must have a value and you must declare that value”. “So we needed to get certification of all these prices before we get approval from the Federal Executive Council to allow this to happen, that is the only delay. But we are very close; we have held two meetings in the last 10 days with the companies. We have agreed Heads of Agreement. What is left now is to sign a formal Memorandum of Understanding before which we can then proceed to Council”, he said. Fashola also explained that government wanted to be clear whether what the companies were offering was simply Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or they wanted a tax refund for what they were offering adding that the challenge of inadequate budgetary allocation had affected the roads over the years. “Year on year , you will see that the provisions for the budget funding of Apapa and the Tin Can Island and Mile 2 – Oworonsoki Roads, all of which evacuate the Port have not been sufficient really to deal with the cost”. Appealing to residents and other users of the road to exercise a little more patience, Fashola explained further, “The cost that we are getting from the contractor there is in the region of about N100Billion and above and the annual budgetary appropriation that is approved for us is about N7 Billion. And then there are debts that we met”. The Minister also noted that the problem of the Apapa area has been compounded by the excess tonnage on the access routes due to the absence of a rail link which used to take the tonnage off the roads which is also being looked at.” Apapa has many problems one of which is the excess tonnage. There used to be a rail link there to evacuate the Port. From the time we stopped using the rail link and went on to the road, we started degrading the quality of the road. There is only so much tonnage that you can put onto a road”, he said. On the purpose of the Retreat for Directors, Heads of Departments and Agencies which focussed on “Teamwork for Optimal Productivity”, the Minister said it was for team building for service delivery adding, “A good team where members know their strength and weaknesses, know their strong points and their common purpose is likely to deliver more results in quicker time and more effectively”. ...

Power Sector Tackles Energy Theft As EFCC Investigates Collusion By Staff, Customers, Meter Manufacturers To Bypass Ibadan Disco’s Meters *  As Sector Operators report progress in project executions to boost supply : Community connection projects in Magboro completed by NDPHC, currently undergoing testing by IBEDC *  Katampe 60MVA substation in Abuja restore , 40 MVA mobile substation in Damboa, Borno State commissioned by TCN *  Makeri to Pankshin 132kV and Okpella lines to be switched on in August, installation of new circuit breaker in Egbin slated for May 19 Efforts to curb the incidence of energy theft in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) is being intensified with the on going investigation of the collusion by some staff, customers and meter manufacturers to bypass meters under some of the areas covered by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company. This development along with significant progress in on going electricity generation and transmission projects execution across the country were some of the highlights captured in the Communique of the 15th Monthly Meeting of the Power Sector Operators presided over by the Minister of Power Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, at the NIPP Injection Substation, Lamingo, Jos. According to the Communiqué, ”Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company noted that collusion by some of its staff, customers and meter manufacturers to bypass meters has been reported to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and is under investigation.” The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) also announced the completion of host community connection projects in Magboro, which is currently undergoing testing by Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and the progress being made in the community connections in Egbema, Okija, Oronta, Ihiala, and Nnewi in the South-East. On its part, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reported that Katampe 60MVA substation in Abuja was restored on April 11, 2017 and the 40 MVA mobile substation in Damboa, Borno State was commissioned on May 7, 2017, while the Makeri to Pankshin 132kV line in Plateau and Okpella line in Edo State were both expected to be switched on in August 2017 adding that the installation of new circuit breaker in Egbin was scheduled for commissioning on May 19, 2017. In the area of customer service, while the Nigerian Electrical Regulatory Company (NERC) announced its intention to reduce the number of days required to access electricity connections in new buildings from an estimated 198 to 30 days through a regulatory Order to be released shortly, Jos Electricity Distribution Plc (JED) reported on complaints on fast reading meters in its coverage areas which were forwarded to the Minister and agreed to resolve the issues to the satisfaction of consumers. Hope of a boost in liquidity in the sector rose also as the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader (NBET) reported on international customer payments, stating that the Republic of Niger (NIGELEC) and Republic of Benin (CEB) had made payments for power of $159,773, 116.61, with a combined balance still outstanding of $92,315,986.20, adding that payments had been duly remitted to the Generating Companies and Service Providers who, it said, had provided the generation and transmission services. In the same vein, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Power, and Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to paying verifiable power debts, and announced the completion of physical verification of the top 100 MDA locations in Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) with plans to visit Eko and Ikeja DisCos for physical verification as a prelude to payment. In terms of payment performance for service provision among the DisCos, the Market Operator reported that Eko DisCo was the best performer at 89 per cent while Kaduna DisCo recorded the worst performance at 13 per cent. And in terms of registration as power market participants amongst DisCos, Abuja Electricity Company, APL Electricity Company, Kaduna Electricity Company and Geometric Power have not completed registration while amongst GenCos, Delta Power, Okpai, Omoku and NIPP plants are yet to complete registration. In the Communiqué, the operators, who noted that the Monthly Meeting serves as forum for Providing an opportunity to inspect electricity assets and for power sector decision makers to take critical decisions in unison to move the sector forward as well as providing correct sector information to the public noted that while the first and second objectives had been largely achieved, the third had not been achieved. Blaming it on the inaccurate information often disseminated by the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) regarding the plan to escrow accounts earlier agreed by the DisCos themselves as a condition before accessing low priced loans from the Federal Government, the Communiqué averred that by failing to mention the fact that the conditions of the loans were not mandatory, but were terms of the credit facility, information advertised by ANED were misleading. Additionally, the Communiqué stated, lack of corporate governance displayed by some DisCos, evidenced by failing to provide audited accounts, improved services and urgent response to customer complaints, meters and network investment had shown inconsistencies in DisCo statements, pointing out that the Federal Government had expended income to verify any claims accurately made against them, to the knowledge of the DisCos. The meeting also noted that the failure of Distribution Companies to remit payment as owed to NBET led to the approval by the Federal Government of Nigeria of N701billion Payment Assurance Guarantee to Generating Companies, to fill the payment gap. Expressing regrets over the electrical accident which occurred on April 20, 2017 in Calabar, Cross River State for which it observed a moment of silence, the Meeting reiterated the need to prioritize safety regulations and emphasized the need for the support of the sector regulators. In order to avert similar incident in the future, the Meeting announced, for the information of the public, applicable regulations for setback saying for 330kV lines a total of 50 metres setback was required consisting of 25metres on each side from the centre while 132kV and 33kV lines required a total 30 metres (15 m on each side) and a total 3.5 metres setback respectively. For 11KV lines, a total 3 metres setback is required while 41kV lines require 1.5 metres setback and underground cables are to be buried at least 3 metres below the ground surface, the Meeting said while also agreeing that buildings and structures built beneath ‘high tension’ power lines should be disconnected from power supply systems as already issued by NEMSA to DisCos for reasons of safety. Enjoining the public to halt the practice of illegally constructing structures beneath and illegally connecting to power lines, the Meeting said it would encourage prioritisation of investment in education and communication on electrical safety measures through the creation of a task force within the sector, adding that it would work with state governors to reduce accidents as a course of action. According to the Communiqué, the Governor of Plateau State, Mr. Simon Lalong, highlighted the work being done in various areas of Plateau State to supply power using solar, wind and other renewable resources saying they were complimentary to the Federal Government’s projects. The Governor acknowledged, with gratitude, the importance of the Federal Government projects in the state, particularly the 132kV line from Makeri to Pankshin and their potential to boost tourism, agriculture and power to rural communities, as well as various rural electrification projects being undertaken by the Rural Electrification Agency. The Meeting, chaired by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN, was hosted by Jos Electricity Distribution Plc at NIPP Injection Substation, Lamingo, Jos and had in attendance the Plateau State Governor, Hon. Simon Lalong as well as the Chairman of Jos Electricity Distribution Plc, Alh. Yayale Ahmed. Focused, as usual, on identifying, discussing, and finding practical solutions to critical issues facing the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, the Meeting also had in attendance Power Sector Operators who were fully represented at the highest executive management levels, including Commissioners of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). Also in attendance were the Managing Directors and CEOs of Generating Companies (GenCos), Distribution Companies (DisCos), and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Gas Companies (GasCos) and other government agencies such as the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader (NBET). Others were the Managing Director and CEOs of the Nigerian Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO) and Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) responsible for the regulation and development of the electricity industry as well as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). ...

Fashola To Journalists: Be Impartial In Your Reportage The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has urged journalists to be objective and unbiased in carrying out their responsibility, saying that the world is changing and Nigeria cannot be left behind, therefore, he charged them to take up the challenge by informing the public rightly and investigating their sources of news thoroughly and balancing their stories before going to public domain. Fashola gave this advice when he received in audience, the Executive Members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Oyo State Council in his Abuja office late yesterday. The Minister said that the present administration under President Muhammadu Buhari, is leaving no stone untouched on how to make life better for Nigerians in the face of the economic meltdown, adding that government is also committed to security of lives and properties, fight against corruption and improving the nation’s economy. Fashola stated that the decision of the Federal Government to repositioning the economy through infrastructural development has begun to yield positive result; mentioning “that the contractors on many of the federal roads across the country are back to construction sites engaging host communities by creating  employment to Nigerians and generating wealth.” This he added has improved economic status of most Nigerians along such road alignment. Earlier, the Chairman, the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Oyo State Council, Comrade Adewumi Faniran, had expressed the council’s appreciation to the Minister and the Ministry’s Officials for their unalloyed commitment in making sure that the interest of Nigerians is protected, saying that the council has been monitoring the performance of the Ministry under the leadership of the Minister and that the council is satisfied. Faniran promised the Minister of the Council’s readiness to make itself available for any media assistance whenever the case arose. The council also used the occasion to inform the Minister about the forth-coming 50 Years Anniversary of the Council on June 12, 2017 and the Minister has been selected as a Guest Speaker and will be decorated as the Man of the Year. ...