Maintenance
Nigerian government mulls TCN’s unbundling, partial concession to boost power supply
The federal government is considering the unbundling and partial concession of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to boost its efficiency in the government’s bid to improve power supply. Director, Energy, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Yunana Malo, said during the March edition of “the Electricity Hub” conversation series on power that the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) had directed that a proper strategy should be mapped out for the unbundling of TCN. He stated that the government believed that all the players in the energy value chain should be able to align with the needs of the power sector seamlessly, adding that the right environment is being created for the transmission component to match generation and distribution. Malo said data was key to making decision...
Official: TCN completes new transmission tower in Lagos
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it has completed the construction of a new transmission tower in Ajah, Lagos state. The TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs Ndidi Mbah, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Thursday. Mbah said that TCN has also strung the old and a new 330 kilovolts Egbin – Ajah transmission lines, adding that both lines have been energised. She said that the new line increased the transmission lines capacity on that line route by 600 Megawatts (MW) bringing it to a total of 1,200MW. “The old line was re-energised on March 13 while the new line was energised on March 15. “Prior to resuscitation of the second Egbin-Ajah Transmission Line, the Aja 330/132/33kV Substation operated through a single circuit 330kV transmission line. “Within the period, t...
Nigerian monarchs demand roles in constitutional review
The National Traditional Council of Nigeria has called on the National Assembly Joint Committee on the review of the 1999 constitution to ensure a constitutional provision is made with a view to creating roles for traditional rulers in matters involving religion, culture, security, justice and other ancillary matters. The council also accused the regimes of Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi, Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo of relegating the traditional institution to the background with no constitutional role. The Chairman of the council and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, said late Gen. Ironsi’s 1966 Unitary Government Decree, Gen. Gowon’s and Gen. Obasanjo’s 1967 and 1976 Local Government Reforms Decrees respectively, stripped traditional rulers of their powers an...
Security forces burst arms stockpile in Ebonyi
Nigerian security forces have burst arms stockpiles at Effium in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State after a joint security operation. An intelligence source told PRNigeria that a combined team of security forces recorded the huge success in a major sting operation carried out by the Department of State Services (DSS) in collaboration with the Nigerian Army in the early hours of 12th February, 2021 at Effium. Items recovered during the operation included: an AK-47 rifle; One (1) G3 rifle; a pump action rifle; double barreled Dane gun; five single barreled Dane guns; two locally made pistols; locally made revolver pistol and 592 different calibers of ammunition including those for General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) and AK-47 rifles. Though the DSS Spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, whe...
Group hails Enugu governor on rural roads
A social group, Ishi-Obere Brothers Club, IBC, in Amufie autonomous community, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu state has applauded Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s effort at ensuring rural access roads in every community in the state. This commendation was made in a statement signed and issued to pressmen in Enugu by the chairman of the group, Pharm. Ernest Odo and financial secretary, Mr Chinedu Adonu respectively. Odo while expressing satisfaction with the construction of Amufie-Ugbaike-Inyi rural road which links the aforementioned communities to Abuja through Obollo Afor-Makurdi expressway said it was a shortcut for those travelling to Abuja. He expressed the view that the road would boost economy of the state, adding that rural roads development is a sure way of attaining rap...
PHED begins distribution of 77,000 meters to customers
File Photo The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Plc, PHEDC, has begun the distribution of 77,000 Prepaid Metres to its Customers within its area of operation. The Head, Administration, Ngozi Koroye, in a statement in Port Harcourt, noted that the metres were installed under the National Mass Metering Programme, NMMP. Koroye explained that the initial scheme, Meter Asset Provider, MAP, which runs concurrently with the NMMP was launched in 2019 and operated by independent entities licensed by the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, to provide metering services which may include meter procurement, supply, installation, maintenance, and replacement. Koroye noted that MAP was introduced to specifically eliminate arbitrary estimated billing through accelerated meter rollout, s...
Dangote completes Nigeria’s longest concrete road
Makamba Online The Dangote Group has completed Nigeria’s longest rigid pavement located in Kogi State. It is the first of its kind, top engineers say. The 43KM Obajana-Kabba road constructed by Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), has been described by motorists as the country’s most strategic highway that is aiding travellers between the North and the South. Olatunbosun Kalejaiye, the Project Director, said he was excited that the Corporate Social Responsibility Project is being delivered for use by Nigerians, adding that while the rigid pavement has been completed, the company was dressing the shoulders. Site Engineer Samuel Obosi assured that the dual carriage way will be durable and less susceptible to potholes and repairs like asphalt road, adding that it would crash the rate of road acc...
Indonesian plane crashes after take-off with 62 aboard
A Sriwijaya Air plane crashed into the sea on Saturday minutes after taking off from Indonesia’s capital Jakarta. The plane was on a domestic flight with 62 people on board and their fate was not known. The Boeing 737-500, en route to Pontianak in West Kalimantan, disappeared from radar screens after taking off just after 2.30 p.m. (0730 GMT) – 30 minutes after the scheduled time because of heavy rain. Indonesian Transport Minister, Budi Karya, told a news conference that 62 people had been aboard Flight SJ 182, including 12 crew. The detik.com website quoted him as saying the plane crashed near Laki Island, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the airport. Rescue agency Basarnas said in a statement it would send a team to the Thousand Islands area to help in the search for victims “after th...
#EndSARS: It’ll take long to rebuild destroyed property – Governor Sanwo-Olu
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, said, yesterday, that it would take the state time to rebuild the properties destroyed during the EndSARS protests. This came on a day the Lagos State government disclosed that the 2021 budget of N1.164 trillion would be funded from a revenue estimate of N971.028 billion in the fiscal year, with a target on the expansion of tax nets. Governor Sanwo-Olu stated this while briefing State House correspondents, after meeting behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said the meeting dwelt more on the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic, security situation and the impact of the #EndSARS protests in the state. On rebuilding Lagos after the EndSARS protests, he said: “It is also some of the things I dis...
ExxonMobil staff killed, others wounded in gas flaring accident
File Photo Fire explosion from a gas flaring operation at the Qua Iboe Terminal (QIT) process area at ExxonMobil facility in Ibeno local government area, Akwa Ibom State has allegedly killed some staff of the company and left others wounded. It was gathered that the incident happened on Sunday, December 13, 2020, when the victims were about to light up the gas flaring plant. Sources who preferred to remain unnamed said one of the victims who was killed was a supervisor working at the facility’s processing area, while another supervisor injured by the explosion had been rushed to an undisclosed hospital in the state. He said it was possible that the victims who were to turn on the plant shut for maintenance purposes, flouted all safety procedures that would have averted the explosion. “Two ...
South Africa becomes new head of UN Security Council
South Africa on Tuesday assumed the rotating monthly presidency of the United Nations Security Council. During the month, South Africa will focus on strengthening the cooperation between African Union (AU) and United Nations, and emphasising the importance of a proactive approach to the maintenance of international peace and security, particularly in the form of drawing greater attention to “preventative diplomacy mechanisms,” Jerry Matjila, permanent representative of South Africa to the UN and president of the Security Council for the month of December, told journalists during a hybrid press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York. This is South Africa’s second presidency during its two-year (2019-2020) elected term on the council. December will also be the country’s final month on t...
Nigerian government given N81 million bill to cut Abuja stadium grass – minister
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has said the Federal Government was given a bill of N81 million to cut the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja. He said this in a series of tweets on Sunday. According to Dare, the sports ministry rejected the bill. The minister explained that fund was not available, adding that there would be an outcry if Nigerians were told that N81 million was used to cut grass. He tweeted, “The ministry was given a bill. The Ministry did not accept. It will be detrimental to spend such an amount. And it can be better invested. “If we tell Nigerians we used N81m to cut grass, which is not even available, there will be an outcry. “The funds are not really there for us and that is why we are partnering with private investors to bring back the...
