FG Hailed Over Ongoing 2nd Niger Bridge, Other Landmark Projects In Southeast As Achina Community in Anambra State pays “Thank You” visit to Fashola Says the people are appreciative of the quantum of projects ongoing in the Zone President Buhari means well, has good intentions toward the people of Nigeria – Minister The Achina Community in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, Friday paid a “Thank you” courtesy visit to the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, expressing appreciation to the Federal Government over the quantum of ongoing projects in the Zone, especially the Second Niger Bridge. A delegation of the Community, led by Chief Modestus Umenzekwe, also expressed gratitude to President Buhari for deeming worthy of appointment a son of the Community into the newly constituted Board of Directors of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA). Describing Fashola as a detribalized Nigerian, the delegation recalled that the Minister had always supported the Community even when he was Governor of Lagos State, pointing out as example the establishment of  Adem Industrial and Commercial Complex in Lagos by the Community, which it said currently accommodates about five thousand people. In his remarks, Fashola reaffirmed the good intentions and commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari towards Nigerians saying the President has underway so many good projects conceived to better the lives of Nigerians in various sectors, especially roads, bridges, effecting solutions to erosion and other ecological problems. Pointing out that the President needed competent and patriotic people to help in actualizing his policies and programmes for the nation, Fashola declared, “Make no mistake about it, the President needs every good hand and every good mind to give effect to not only his policies and commitment to the Nigerian people but also to their expectations”. Stressing on the need to have competent hands to help in executing the various projects and programmes nationwide, the Minister, who received the delegation in his office in Abuja noted, “No matter how well intentioned he can be, the President cannot be in every room and in every state. He, therefore, requires good men and women who will be part of the solution and not the problem”. He commended the patriotic and selfless commitment of Chief Modestus Umenzekwe to the development of his area and people; “he has been faithful to this cause. He has asked nothing to be done for himself. If he asked for anything at all it would always be for his community”, he said. On his appointment to the Board of FHA, Fashola, who urged him to bring to play the same zeal and commitment towards the development of his community as he assumes office as a member of the Board of FHA, added, “Honourable Umenzekwe has been faithful and committed to the cause of the present administration”.   ...

Off-Grid Power: Efficient Public Service Delivery Will Improve Ease Of Doing Business - Buhari ·      As President commissions 1.52 MWp/2.28 MWh Solar Micro-grid System and Energy retrofitting in FMW&H ·      “This project enables Nigeria fulfill commitments made with other leading countries of the world”, he says ·      Investment is in consonance with the Buhari Administration’s policy to promote off grid option-Fashola ·      UN Deputy Secretary, Ministers hail FMW&H for leading the way on Off-Grid President Muhammadu Buhari, Tuesday commissioned a 1.52 Megawatts Solar Mini-grid System and Energy retrofitting of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Headquarters in Mabushi, Abuja saying the project was in line with his administration’s pursuit of off-grid as its focal policy. President Buhari, who was represented at the occasion by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, said in addition to policy implementation, the project also enables Nigeria fulfill commitments made with other countries of the world under the Paris Climate Change Agreement which he signed on behalf of Nigeria. Recalling that a global resolve to reduce carbon emissions by committing to the use of renewable sources of energy was at the heart of the Paris Agreement, the President declared, “This 1.52 megawatts solar farm which, I am told, is the largest solar project for any public building in Africa, will enable us reduce carbon emission, and it is something to be proud of that we are contributing to saving this planet for future generation”. “Another reason why I am pleased about this project is the impact of reliable energy on the ability of our public servants housed in these buildings to efficiently discharge their responsibilities to members of the public”, he said adding that as critical enabler of the Private Sector, the improved efficiency in public service delivery should translate to an improvement in the ease of doing business. The President, who pointed out that ease of doing business “is a major objective of our economic plans to grow the Nigerian economy and create jobs”, further assured Nigerians of his administration’s commitment towards promoting energy efficiency and ensuring energy security to all Nigerians. He disclosed that the Government has just embarked on the competitive procurement of up to 150 Mega Watts of solar power along the Maiduguri axis to help address the issue of electricity supply while enhancing grid stability through the provision of clean renewable energy. The President commended the Ministers and staff of the Ministry of Works and Housing and the Contractor for the successful delivery of the project which, according to him, “hopefully is jus t the first of many more to be delivered across Nigeria in the public and private sectors”. In his keynote address, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, said the investment in Mini-Grid by the Ministry was in consonance with the Buhari Administration’s policy to promote off grid option as a way of making more of the on-grid power available to ordinary Nigerians who cannot afford the cost of investing in off-grid power. Fashola said, based on the mandate of the Federal Executive Council, which, according to him, gave approval for the project on March 20, 2019, a 1.52 Mega-Watts Solar System has been delivered that would provide uninterrupted power supply to five blocks housing the Ministry of Works and Housing and Ministry of Environment and Lands. The Minister said in fulfillment of the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of creating jobs, the project also employed 382 artisans and 176 skilled workers throughout its duration adding that the project would see to the reduction of average diesel consumption from 764,248 litres per annum to 166,825 litres per annum. According to him, such huge reduction in diesel consumption would translate to cost saving of N270,945,000 over 20 years of the life of the system while also contributing towards the reduction of government operational expenses and reduction of recurrent expenditure. Other deliverables from the project, he said, include the upgrade and retrofitting of the Ministry’s electrical appliances by replacing 400 old Air-conditioning units with 400 new inverter-based energy efficient Air-conditioning units and replacing 2,600 old light fittings with energy efficient LED ones, which according to him “are energy saving because they consume 40 percent less energy.” In terms of local content, Fashola said the contract has engaged five STEM candidates to work throughout the solar PV lifecycle of the project with two candidates trained in engineering design and another two in project construction while one candidate got trained in engineering project management. Urging other government agencies to follow the same path, the Minister declared, “With this investment we have built our own Mini-Grid, in consonance with our Administration’s policy to promote off grid option, thereby making more of the on-grid power available to ordinary Nigerians who cannot afford the cost of investing in off-grid power. “All I need now say is that other government buildings can follow this path and our team will be most enthusiastic to provide the support, and share our experiences and lessons learned, working with the Ministry of Power”, he said adding that the Ministry of Finance has already indicated interest and the team has begun the energy audit of the Ministry. He expressed deep appreciation to the contractor, Messrs. EM-ONE Energy Solutions, “for the efficient execution and more importantly for the sacrifice to complete this project in spite of the wide disparity between the foreign exchange rates in 2019 when the project was awarded and now, notwithstanding high importation costs of the parts”. Fashola also acknowledged the contributions of Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi and Engr. Femi Akinyelure, two young people whom the President appointed to the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and who were part of the project at different stages from inception to completion recalling that the two, along with their colleagues, were involved in the energy audit and design of the project. “They represent the positive impact of youth involvement in public service”, the Minister said as he also commended Engr. Julius Olurinola, the Director of Engineering Services, “whose role I liken to that of a midwife, supervising, monitoring and reporting the progress of this project from incubation to delivery”. Inviting the President to commission the project, Fashola declared, “I have the pleasure to now invite you Sir, to perform the official commissioning of the 1.52 Mega-Watts Solar Power project to provide uninterrupted power to your staff in the Ministry of Works and Housing and Environment to improve their working conditions”. In his goodwill message, the Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, commended the Minister and the Management of the Ministry of Works and Housing for the successful completion of the project noting that it would enable the user Ministries to improve in productivity. Describing the project as a wonderful achievement, the Minister commended the resilience and diligence of the Ministerial Team led by the Minister in completing the project and urged other Ministries and government agencies to follow suit “in line with Climate Change”. Also in her goodwill message, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations and former Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, commended the Minister of Works and Housing for the successful completion of the project pointing out that it is a demonstration of Nigeria’s adherence to the global efforts towards zero emission. Noting that the installation of Solar energy across the world was creating three times more jobs than the use of fossil fuel, the former Environment Minister added that more countries needed to embrace solar, especially in Africa. She said the successful completion of the project, aside improving productivity, highlights Nigeria’s development and leadership in the area of renewable energy in the African Continent. Earlier, in his Welcome address, the Minister of State for Works and Housing, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, said the successful completion of the project has brought solution to the Ministry’s challenges brought about by the use of fossil fuel.   ...

FG Restate Commitment To Promote Energy Efficiency And Security For All President Muhammadu Buhari has restated the commitment of his administration towards promoting energy efficiency and ensuring energy security to all Nigerians. The President stated this at the official commissioning of the 1.52 MWp/2.28 MWh Solar Microgrid System built by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said that the 1.52 MegaWatts Solar System is a project that delivers on so many of the Federal Government’s commitments at the Local and International levels. The President explained that the Solar Microgrid System is part of Nigeria’s commitment to the Paris Climate Change Agreement which he signed on behalf of the country to reduce carbon emission globally. He commended the Ministry of Works and Housing, saying that the project has placed the Federal Government as a champion on the use of renewable energy, not just off-grid and for the last-mile, but also within urban contexts for commercial users. Similarly, the President noted that the project has added to government objective of economy Plan of Ease of doing Business which is a major objective of the Federal Government economic plan to grow the economy and create jobs.. He urged other MDAs to key into the initiative. In his keynote address, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola,SAN said that the project was approved by the Federal Executive Council on the 20th March 2019 at the time the Ministry of Power was part of Works and Housing. “I express our appreciation to members of the Federal Executive Council who voted to entrust our Ministry with this project,” he said. Explaining the scope of the project, Fashola said the Ministry has delivered a 1.52 MegaWatts Solar System based on the mandate of the Federal Executive Council, and it would provide uninterrupted power supply to 5 blocks housing the Ministry of Works and Housing and Ministry of Environment and Lands. In fulfillment of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of creating jobs, the Minister said that the project employed 382 artisans and 176 skilled workers throughout its duration. Continuing, he said that the project would see to the reduction of average diesel consumption from 764,248 litres per annum to 166,825 litres per annum and cost saving of NGN270,945,000 over 20 years and contribute towards the reduction of government operational expenses and reduction of recurrent expenditure. “With this investment we have built our own Mini-Grid, in consonance with our Administration’s policy to promote off grid option, thereby making more of the on-grid power available to ordinary Nigerians who cannot afford the cost of investing in off-grid power,” he said. The impressive event also received goodwill messages from the Honourable Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar and the Deputy Secretary General of United Nations, Hajiya Amina Mohammed. ...