Oyo State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Finnish Consortium to establish an Energy Innovation Centre for excellence in the state.

The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the Nigerian-American Business Forum in Florida, United States of America, which was attended by a state delegation led by Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde.

Signing the bill on behalf of Oyo State, Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Seun Ashamu said that the development was another step in the process to make Oyo State the hub for energy and mineral resources.

The State’s delegation to the Business Forum where the MoU was signed included the Commissioner for Energy & Mineral Resources, Commissioner for Education, Mr Sukanmi Olaleye and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr ‘Segun Ajekiigbe.

Iyabo Adebisi

 Federal and Ekiti State Governments have distributed three thousand gas cylinders to selected women across the Sixteen Local Governments in Ekiti.

Distributing the three kilograms cylinders already loaded with gas to the beneficiaries at different fora in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State Deputy Governor Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi and the wife of the Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi observed that the present administration both at the National and State levels would do everything possible to make life meaningful for the populace through policies and Programmes that would have direct impact on them.

Erelu Fayemi, who appreciated the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Helen Paul Tallen for the gesture assured Ekiti women of continuous support from the federal government.

The governor’s wife explained that thirteen thousand gas cylinders would still be claimed from the Ministry, adding that each local government in the state would receive at least one thousand cooking gas.

Among the beneficiaries were Alhaja Habibat Ogunjobi, Chief Adefunke  Ogunrinde and Mrs Kudiratu Oladipupo, who appreciated the government’s gesture and promised their support to the administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi and the President Buhari-led government.

Oriola Afolabi

Electricity consumers have condemned in the Southwest have condemned the proposed tariff increase by the electricity distribution companies in the country.

They expressed their displeasure at a public hearing organized by Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, held at Jogor Centre Liberty Road Oke-Ado Ibadan with the theme ‘Investment towards Improvement of Power Supply and Quality Services in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry’.

The consumers, however, called on NERC to check activities of DISCOs to enhance sustainable development of the power sector.

They also pleaded with Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC, to provide pre-paid meters to prevent estimated billings and extortion from its officials.

At the occasion, Commissioner for Planning, Research and Strategy, NERC, Dr Musiliu Oseni, said the programme was to give consumers the opportunity to bare their minds.

Reacting, the Chief Operating Officer, IBEDC, Engineer John Ayodele, said the company was poised to give the public quality service and sought the cooperation of consumers for optimal performance.

Akintunde

Three members of staff of a cooking gas Depot in Oyo town who sustained injuries during yesterday’s fire incident are recuperating at the State Hospital.

One of the doctors attending to the victims, and who did not want his name mentioned, said they were responding to treatment.

Radio Nigeria correspondent reports that but for the intervention of the fire services from neighbouring towns, the casualties and damages would have been worst.

Insiders’ account has it that the fire broke out from one of the delivery nozzles.

Crowd mixed with touts almost marred rescue efforts, but two of them were caught and beaten up as police and vigilante prevented looting.

Kayode  Oguntona

A cooking gas depot in Oyo town around State Hospital along Ogbomoso road is reportedly on fire.

The report says Oyo State Fire Service has mobilized its personnel from Ibadan to the scene of the incident.

For Nigeria automobiles to switch from premium motor spirit, PMS, energy to compressed natural gas, CNG energy, Abeokuta office of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, has commenced sensitisation of the motoring publics. 

At a media sensitisation on the use of compressed natural gas in Abeokuta, the controller of the Field Office, Mrs. Muinat Bello-Zagi explained that the programme was in line with the Federal Government’s policy aimed at preparing Nigerians for the proposed stoppage of subsidy payment on premium motor spirit.

Correspondent Wale Oluokun has the details.

Firefighting trucks numbering about ten and back up water tankers from private, federal and state fire services were this morning deployed to the Transmission Company of Nigeria, to stop an outbreak of fire in the regional substation. 

Despite the intensity of the fire, men of the fire service maneuvered their ways to quench the fire, in one of the transformers from spreading to other parts of the electricity compartment. 

Our correspondent reports that Safety experts, engineers and security operatives also assisted in the operation that lasted for about three hours and to ensure the safety of lives. 

Witnesses said the fire started at about 5 O’clock this morning and was put out at some minutes to 10 O’clock. 

In an interview, Oyo State Fire Director, Mr.  Adewuyi Moshood and an assistant superintendent of fire from NNPC, Abioye Oluwaseun explained that they suspected that the fire might have been caused by overwork on the affected transformer which contains highly inflammable liquid substances.  

There were three minor casualties from the fire outbreak but no lives were lost. 

Mosope Kehinde

Osun State residents have frowned at the resolve of the eleven electricity distribution companies, Discos, to hike electricity tariffs across board from April 1, 2020.

Those who spoke in Ilesa, Ile-Ife and Osogbo, the state capital with our correspondent, Temitope Mosadomi, described the development as another policy to further impoverish the citizenry.

Her reports.

Massive gas explosion has kills scores of people and crippled social activities in Sabon Tasha, Kaduna.

Eye witnesses say the incident occurred at about Two o’clock at a gas selling plant opposite the Sabon Tasha filling station.

One of the eye witnesses, Lekan Oyediran, said three shops within the area were affected.

The eye witnesses lamented that late arrival of firefighters affected rescue efforts and the saving of those trapped by inferno that was caused by the explosion.

Radio Nigeria reports that electrical installations were also destroyed as well as business activities crippled as a result of the incident.

Shindong Bala

After twelve years of total blackout, communities in the southern senatorial district of Ondo State are to be reconnected to the national grid following completion of Federal Government’s power projects in the areas.

These projects are to be inaugurated by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in few weeks time.

The Executive Director, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC, Mr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele made these disclosures in Akure while speaking on  efforts to ensure that power was restored to communities who had suffered long years of outage.

Mr Oyedele explained that electricity projects completed in the southern part of Ondo State included restoration of electricity supply to Ajagba, Igbokoda ,Okitipupa, and Igodan lisa while rehabilitation had been completed with Ondo to Ore, and Ore to irele, among other towns.

He expressed optimism that the people of Ondo southern senatorial district would soon be enjoying electricity to boost their economy.

Mr Oyedele, who emphasised that the power restoration project should not be politicized, asked BEDC to provide metres to consumers and ensure transmission for the benefit of the people.

Over 1,000 communities in the six local government areas in the senatorial district had been without power supply following alleged debts owed the power distribution company by consumers.

Kayode  Animasaun

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has decried the low distribution capacity of four thousand megawatts by all the eleven distribution companies, DISCOS, in the country, leaving an excess of more than five thousand mega watts of unused electricity to waste away.

Prof. Osinbajo made this known while speaking at the commissioning of the new 2x60mva, 132/33kv substation and associated transmission lines in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

The project was constructed by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company under the Nigerian Integrated Power Project (NIPP).

The vice president, who said it was regrettable that despite the efforts of the Federal Government at improving power generation in the country, the infrastructure of the DISCOS cannot deliver government’s promise of uninterrupted power supply.

Professor osinbajo stressed the urgent needs for the recapitalization of distribution companies to enable them build more infrastructure that would take the excess power generated for distribution.

He however, reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring adequate power supply to the nook and cranny of the country, describing power supply as the life wire of any economy.

The managing director of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Mr. Chiedu Ugbo in a remark, lamented the massive load rejection of power generated by the discos due to lack of capacity.

He lamented that the substations like the one commissioned might be  a stranded assets with the distribution companies inability to distribute more than their capacity.

Wale Oluokun

Electricity is indispensable to life sustenance in the 21st century.

Its importance to industrial growth and contribution to residential comforts has made it a necessity whether in the remote village or in the urban centers.

It is therefore the responsibility of electricity consumers to accurately pay for the services they enjoy.

Aside from those using pre-paid meter, tax paid on electricity is based on estimation or estimated electricity billing system.

Rather than be allowed to enjoy what they are over-charged for as consumers, the opposite is the case whether electricity is supplied or not, the bill for a new month comes in sometimes even before the beginning of month, or latest by the second week of the month.

This is the major reason investors who were contemplating about setting up businesses in Nigeria left the country.

In a bid to lessen the sufferings of electricity consumers, the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (Amendment) Bill 2018 was introduced and seeks to prohibit and criminalize estimated billing by DISCOS and provide compulsory installation of prepaid meters to all power consumers.

Also, the recent move by the House of Representatives to sponsor a bill to prohibit the issuance of estimated electricity bill to consumers is a right step in the right direction.

The bill will ensure that the rights of every electricity consumer are protected and be metered within thirty days of applying for the device.

It also proposes different categories of penalties, ranging from five hundred thousand to one million naira fines and a jail term of six months, for failure to comply or for illegally disconnecting a consumer on the grounds of estimated billing.

In a renewed bid to ensure that electricity customers only pay for what they actually consume, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, also approved a regulation that provides for the supply, installation and maintenance of end-user meters by other parties.

The regulation is expected to fast-track a closure of the metering gap and encourages the development of independent and competitive meter services in the electricity industry.

Many deadlines for mass metering of customers have been set and disobeyed by the DISCOS, to which NERC has not had any effective response.

Thus, providing meters to customers has become a privilege instead of a matter of routine, this trend needs to be checked.

Customers should be provided with prepaid meters for efficiency and ease of revenue collection.

Most importantly, it is imperative that DISCOS live up to their responsibility by responding swiftly to reports of complaints by consumers.

Titilayo kupoliyi