Energy

Residents of the ancient city of Daura on Wednesday called on the Katsina State Government to urgently intervene to end the persistent power outage affecting the town and its environs.

The residents made the call a week after the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Faruk Umar, summoned the PHCN Area Manager, Alhaji Ibrahim Dayyabu, over the situation.

A cross section of the residents who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Daura lamented that the area had remained in darkness for more than three weeks.

The situation, they said, had adversely affected socio-economic activities of the people.

They urged the state government to complete work on the Daura electricity sub-station, which was abandoned by the Federal Government for decades.

``The entire Daura emirate has not been enjoying stable electricity supply for years, hence the need for the state government and the PHCN to do something to address the situation.

``For instance, for the past one month we do not have electricity in our houses and no explanation was made by the PHCN over the situation, yet they send bills and threaten us with disconnection,” Alhaji Abdulfatah Mahmud, a resident said.

The Dan’Madamin Daura, Alhaji Abdulrahaman Dan’Malam, also appealed to the government and the PHCN to address the problem in order to reduce the suffering of people in the area.

NAN observed that some of the residents now rely on power generating sets for their domestic electricity needs and businesses, while others were forced to close down their businesses.

It was also observed that the incessant power failure had forced many operators of grinding machines in the town to operate with gasoline, thereby hiking the cost of grinding a measure of grain from N10 to N30.

Reacting to the development, the PHCN Manager in Daura, Alhaji Ibrahim Dayyabu, attributed the problem to the breakdown of some electricity transformers.

``Two transformers in Daura metropolis have problems, but we are working round the clock to repair them so as restore normal supply of electricity to the town.

``I have briefed the Emir of Daura on the situation.''  

The Federated Azagbane Communities in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa, has appealed to Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to provide electricity for the communities.

The spokesman for the communities, Mr Evans Sanugba, made the appeal in Yenagoa, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

 ``Our appeal to the SPDC has become imperative because Azagbane Communities as host to SPDC's operations need to be linked to the company's Opukushi power plant for electricity supply to our communities,’’ he stated.

 Sanugba, who is also the Chairman of Azagbane Community Development Committee (CDC), called on the SPDC to link the cluster communities of Azagbane, the way it had done to Egbemo-Angalabiri and Agbidiama Communities.

 According to him, the communities see no reason why the SPDC should not link them to its electricity power supply in view of their proximity and status as host communities to the SPDC.

Sanugba also appealed to the SPDC to offer  employment to Azagbane youths.

The CDC chairman stated that no Azagbane indigene had been offered employment by SPDC since it started operation in the area many years ago.

 When contacted, Spokesman for the SPDC, Mr Precious Okolobo, asked for time to enable him verify the employment issues raised by the community from the SPDC' Department of Human Resources.

 "I am at the airport now, on my way to Lagos, you don't expect me to respond immediately, I need time to verify these issues from the Human Resources, then I can respond," he said.

Deregulation of the downstream sector will be a gradual process in line with the Federal Government’s transformation agenda, an official of the NNPC has said.

The House of Representatives has urged the federal government to forward a supplementary appropriation bill to the National Assembly to fund  Distribution   and Generation companies (DISCOS)  of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria ...

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has lamented the preference for foreign companies to indigenous companies in the execution of jobs in the oil and gas industry. The minister particularly attributed the development to the con...

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has secured  the approval of the Presidential Action Committee on Power (PACP) to commence implementation of the alternative metering scheme aimed at ensuring rapid deployment of pre-payment el...

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, says the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) currently before the National Assembly will transform the nation’s oil and gas industry when passed into law.

The minister was quoted as saying this at the Africa Energy Summit session during the Cambridge Energy Research Association (CERAWEEK 2013) in Houston, Texas, U.S.

A statement issued by the Group General Manager, Public Affairs, NNPC, Ms Tumini Green on Friday said that the minister was represented by the Group Executive Director, Exploration and Production, NNPC, Mr Abiye Membere.

``The PIB will ensure the development of our abundant oil and gas reserves, encourage significant infrastructural development and situate the Gas revolution,

``Aside attracting new investors to the nation’s oil and gas industry, the PIB will also ensure that new fiscal regime is put in place to address all issues of equity among stakeholders.’’

It noted that the instability in the Niger Delta would be addressed by the PIB and the country's revenue would be well-managed for a balanced development of the country.

It said that the continued reluctance of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) to sincerely implement in-country capacity building to drive the local content implementation posed a big challenge to the sector.

``If after 50 years of operation in Nigeria, foreign companies are preferred to indigenous companies; it clearly shows that there is a problem. This has to change,’’ it stated.

The statement decried the non involvement of host communities in the development of their areas and stressed the need to collaborate with the host communities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bill, which has been generating a lot of controversies recently scaled through second reading at the Senate

The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, has disclosed federal government’s resolve to explore the abundant renewable energy sources such as mini hydro, solar, wind, coal, and bio- mass in the country in 2013 to ensure the provision of electric...

Twenty-two ships are waiting to discharge petroleum products at the various oil terminals within the Lagos Ports, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said. The Shipping Position, a daily publication of NPA, indicated on Friday that 14 of the ships w...

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed plans to review downward the fixed charges paid by the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The Commission’s Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi disclosed at a press briefing in Abuja that a...

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has shut down the System 2B pipeline at Arepo village in Ogun for repairs, an official of the corporation said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the latest explosion, suspected to have been caused by vandals, happened in the early hours of Wednesday.

A top management official of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), who preferred anonymity, confirmed the shutdown of the network in Lagos.

He said that the corporation had suspended pumping of products from Atlas Cove through System 2B to allow for repairs of the vandalised pipeline.

The source said that maintenance and service management team of the corporation had to wait for the fire to die out subside before they embarked on the repairs.

He explained that engineers from the corporation and other stakeholders were waiting for fire to subside to access the level of damage.

``Pumping of petroleum products had been suspended at the early hours of the day when it was observed that the line has been vandalised again to allow for repairs.

``No causality was recorded in the acts but we are going to ensure prompt repairs of the line to commence pumping of product to the line,’’ the source said.

He said that the management of the corporation had resolved to install the vandalised pipeline in a vertical directional position to restrain vandals from getting access to the line.

While assuring prompt repairs of the line to commence pumping of products, he added that adequate product have been pumped to Mosimi before the system was vandalised, .

Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, the South West Zonal Public Relations Officer of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), also confirmed that there was no causality in the explosion.

Farinloye said that the line had been shut down to allow for repairs of the pipeline, adding that the remains of the product that was in the pipeline was the one burning.

 ``There is no causality, while all stakeholders are presently on ground to see the last of the fire before we embark on the repairs,'' Farinloye said.

NAN reports that this is the second time this year that the pipeline had been vandalised at Arepo.