October 27, 2021
Press Statement
As part of our preparation for the forthcoming Saturday October 30 to Sunday 31, 2021 Elective National Convention of our great party, the PDP, all members of the NCOC (Main Committee), are hereby invited to a meeting as follows;
Date: Friday October 29, 2021.
Venue: Legacy House, Shehu Shagari Way, Maitama, Abuja
Time: 3:00Pm
Please note that attendance is strictly by invitation.
Members are advised to also note that Covid-19 protocol on public gatherings will be strictly observed.
Signed:
Engr. Seyi Makinde, Governor of Oyo State and Secretary, 2021 National Convention Organizing Committee,
Announcer.
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF POWER
PRESS STATEMENT
THE FIRST 50 DAYS : OUR REFORM AGENDA FOR THE POWER SECTOR – BEING A STATUS UPDATE REPORT BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF POWER, ENGR. ABUBAKAR D. ALIYU, FNSE ON WEDNESDAY, 27TH OCTOBER, 2021
It is with great delight that my Team and I engage with you today through this Statement. We hope to do this very frequently to bring Nigerians up to speed on the developments within the Ministry and the Power Sector as a whole.
Since I assumed office in this Ministry, 50 days ago, a lot has transpired in that short period. This reinforces my inaugural assertion and conviction that you do not need to be a magician to Perform.
I do believe that a determined and motivated team will always find a way to mobilize resources and deliver on its assignment. We have put in place goal delivery machinery which is operational.
With this in place, many of our lingering challenges in the power Sector are now being addressed in a Methodical, systematic, and Proactive manner.
We are working tirelessly as we explore opportunities that will, in the short term, deliver the much-desired quick wins whilst still focusing on the long-term objectives of increasing the available Power, improving the quality of services, attracting the much-needed investment, promoting efficiency, competition and growth and lastly ensuring transparency and accountability in the value
chain of the Power Sector.
The Ministry is intensifying performance monitoring of the licensees and the licensing regime, especially their revised Performance Improvement Plans (PIP) to have a better understanding of why some critical stakeholders are performing below expectation.
We shall be taking a careful and detailed look at issues of policy, capacity and the technical requirement, amongst other things.
One very critical concern that we must address in this performance monitoring process is to find out if the terms for granting of licenses were onerous.
Do we need additional laws and or regulations to enable the sector to perform optimally?
These are some of the critical concerns that the performance monitoring will highlight. The outcomes will also hopefully point at ways to address these concerns and challenges.
It is well known the primary policy aim of this administration is to Provide stable, good quality, reliable and affordable electricity for the people of Nigeria for domestic and industrial usage.
The Electric Power Sector Reform Act of March 2005 is quite revolutionary. We are working on its full implementation to match up with the huge sums invested by this administration to realize our objectives in the Sector, which are very much achievable.
Against the backdrop of the reality that the delivery of electric power is a multi-sectoral undertaking, specific areas of conflict and tensions within the power industry value chain are being harmonized for greater synergy which will bring about a wholesome alignment of responsibilities within the governance system of the power sector. It is this new mindset of cooperation for optimal performance that we are bringing on board.
So far, I am happy to inform you that everyone is in alignment with this mentality. There are ongoing conversations within the power value chain. Stakeholders are talking and cooperating with one another and in so doing, bridging the observed disconnect within the sector.
It must be clearly stated that within this value chain, some responsibilities are by virtue of the EPSRA performed by our private sector partners and other agencies of Government. These partners are being more closely monitored and sometimes given the needed nudge in the right direction in order to achieve our objectives.
Hopefully, we will soon begin to experience the imminent turn around in the power sector.
We are determined to deal with some policy issues, the legal and regulatory bottlenecks, and the human factors involved in the implementation and coordination of the power sector’s road map. Though clearly a work in progress, let me assure you that the viability of the sector is not in doubt. As much as it is a capital-intensive sector and currently in need of massive injection of fresh capital, we are making steady progress.
CHALLENGES IN THE POWER SECTOR
We are aware that the Nigerian Power sector is confronted by many challenges which have not enabled the sector to grow as desired.
These challenges are reflected in the two over-arching problems of the Sector:
- Service Quality:
Too many people are still not satisfied with the quality of service in terms of hours of supply, voltage,
Disputed/estimated bills, or have no access to electricity;
- Sector illiquidity. The payments the DisCos are able to collect from consumers does not cover the full investment and costs of the GenCos who produce and sell the power, and Transmission Company of Nigeria which wheels the power to the DisCos. Federal Government financial support is required to cover the shortfall. The resulting huge burden on Government is unsustainable.
OUR FOCUS
My immediate focus is how to achieve the following through effective policy and regulation and cooperative engagement with private and public sector operators:
- Create liquidity in the electricity market;
- Improve services in terms of hours of supply, billing transparency and accuracy, and wider access to electricity;
- Bring consumer, operator and investor confidence back to the sector to attract foreign and local investment into the sector;
- Create jobs;
- Promote competition and bring in more participants in the Nigerian Electricity Market (NEM).
The key policies and initiatives of the Ministry to achieve these aims are: –
- Accelerate progress and completion of key projects of the Ministry and its partners, especially:
- Kashimbilla 40MW power station has already started generating power into the National Grid.
- Gurara phase 2 being developed in partnership with Ministry of Water Resources will soon be ready to deliver 30MW to the grid.
- Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Project is progressing towards completion next year to deliver another 700MW of renewable power.
- Katsina Wind farm is with a full capacity of 10MW is already generating part of its full capacity on the grid.
- Dadin Kowa 40MW power station started generating power into the National Grid under a concession with the private investor. The remaining regulatory and power purchase
agreement issues are being resolved.
- Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project was contracted in 2017. Discussions are being intensified so that all encumbrances preventing full take off of the project are resolved soon.
- TCN’s Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Program funded by various multilateral financial institutions to ensure adequacy and stability of the National Grid.
- Systematic implementation of the Presidential Power
Initiative (PPI) of this administration. Siemens Nigeria and the Federal Government in 2020 entered into a Power
Infrastructure revamp agreement. It is a government-to-
government agreement. The Nigerian Electrification Roadmap (NER) is a partnership that will expand Nigeria’s electricity capacity from the current average output 4,500MWh/h to 25,000MW. We are confident that the NER will succeed because of the pedigree of Siemens and their footprint in the Global Power Industry.
The first phase of the PPI is the upgrading and expansion of the vital infrastructure of the TCN and Discos with the end goal of achieving 7,000MW. This first phase started in earnest this year, with the ongoing pre-engineering phase. The selected EPC Contractors will soon be contracted officially so work on the project implementation can commence.
- Reinvigorating important policies and regulations, especially: –
- the Eligible Customer and related regulations that move the electricity industry from the present interim commercial structure to full commercial structure in compliance with Clauses 25 and 26 of the Act, whereby consumers contract for better services directly with willing GenCos and service providers that are ready to make new investment to deliver better services;
- Meter Asset Provider program to attract investors into metering;
- Mini-grid policy and regulation that allows underserved consumers to partner with investors and contractors to get better services. The Ministry of Works and Housing, for example, has started a pilot of 1.5MW of Solar.
- Optimizing the available generation capacity and putting them to good use. This means that we shall ensure that the unutilized capacity is used in line with the Ministry’s incremental power focus and the Eligible Customer policy;
- Strengthening the regulator to ensure that all sector players and stakeholders work according to the rules and guidelines especially in dealing with customers.
CONCLUSION
Reforms take time and require patience to implement, especially in a highly regulated sector like the power sector. I am confident that these reforms, when fully implemented, will bring about the transformational change that we all desire to see in the sector. We are very mindful of the various challenges and bottlenecks. I plan to face the challenges with a dogged determination and resolve. It is my belief that with the right focus, determination and teamwork, the power sector will experience a new lease of life. This further serves to assure you that Nigeria is finally navigating towards resolving some of the seemingly intractable challenges of electricity and power supply in our country.
We are at the threshold of a new era of greater liberalization in the power sector as we gradually achieve results based on all the plans for quick wins and for long term growth of the Sector.
I am convinced that everything we need for the power sector to succeed is available to us. We must ensure that all stakeholders Work together as a family to improve the lot of the power sector.
Thank you, gentlemen of the press.
Abubakar D. Aliyu, FNSE
Honourable Minister of Power
Wednesday, 27th October, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
COVID-19: SANWO-OLU LAUNCHES MASS VACCINATION PROGRAMME, TARGETS 4 MILLION LAGOSIANS BEFORE YEAR END
- ‘Fourth Wave of Pandemic Imminent’
There is possibility of the fourth wave of Coronavirus (COVID-19) as the Yuletide approaches, Lagos State Government declared on Wednesday.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, however, launched a mass vaccination campaign as part of the strategies to stave off re-emergence of the viral infection. The objective is aimed at vaccinating four million residents in Lagos before the end of the year.
The immunisation programme was flagged off with a symbolic event held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island. Residents of Lagos, who are 18 years and above are eligible to be fully immunised with the COVID-19 vaccine.
The accelerated vaccine rollout is tagged: “Operation Count Me in 4 Million Lagosians Vaccinated Against COVID-19” and it is being undertaken by Lagos State Government in collaboration with National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
The Governor believed the mass vaccination campaign would help bolster the State’s response to the emerging threat posed by the pandemic.
Sanwo-Olu said the joint committee set up by the Lagos State Government and NPHCDA to oversee the implementation of the campaign would be opening vaccination sites in high traffic locations as part of the strategies to expand vaccine access in underserved communities. Mobile vans, the Governor added, would be deployed to move round boundary settlements in order to reach individuals in areas with limited access to health facilities.
He said: “There is potential for the fourth wave of COVID-19, as our borders would be opened to all people coming into Lagos in December. To prevent the catastrophic events we witnessed in the previous waves, the State has developed a robust vaccination drive, leveraging on both the strengths we have in the public and private sectors of our healthcare system. In development of our strategy and counter-measures, we prioritise the protection of human lives and keeping our economy open for business.
“To mitigate against this potential damage that will further spread existing variants of COVID-19 in the State, and accelerate efforts towards herd immunity, the need for a different strategy became a front burner issue. This is what has culminated in the campaign, tagged ‘Count Me In! 4 million Lagosians Vaccinated Against COVID-19’ to target the full vaccination of 4 million Lagos residents before the end of December 2021. Once achieved, this will bring the State closer to reaching our promise to vaccinate 30 percent of our population within one year.”
Since March when Lagos started its vaccination programme, Sanwo-Olu said the State had successfully vaccinated 800,000 residents with the first dose of Moderna vaccine and 310,000 persons fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
This, he said, sums total number of residents vaccinated with the first dose of either AstraZeneca or Moderna to 1.2 million, while raising the number of fully vaccinated individuals to 550,000, which accounts for about four per cent of the State’s population.
Sanwo-Olu re-emphasised that the vaccines being administered are safe and remain free of charge in public health facilities. The Governor, however, said an administrative charge of N6,000 would be paid by individuals who wish to get the vaccines at approved private facilities.
The Governor charged all stakeholders, including the local council chairmen, to mobilise for participation in the programme and ensure the success of the campaign.
He said: “We have set up COVID-19 vaccination in all our 205 public primary health centres, 14 of the State’s second and tertiary hospitals, and we are hoping that this partnership can be implemented in over 400 private health centres across seven underserved Local Government Areas in the State.
“Let me re-emphasise that we are not compelling anyone to get vaccinated. But, we want everyone to take it as personal responsibility, which is highly important. What we seek to achieve by this campaign is to ensure there is access to the vaccines and availability. Then, give people an opportunity to get vaccinated at centres close to them. This will give nobody a reason not to get the vaccines.”
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, described the vaccination campaign as “ambitious”, saying the State Government had put in place two-pronged approach to prevent the fourth wave of the pandemic.
“The first step is to control the in-bound flight passengers and maintain adherence to all preventive measures that have been put in place, while the second step is to closely monitor the isolation of those coming from the red zone area,” Abayomi said.
NPHCDA Executive Director, Dr. Shuaib Faisal, disclosed that only 2,950,232 Nigerians had been fully vaccinated, which is a far cry from reaching the target number for herd immunity.
He said: “We have enough vaccines in storage to give many people the opportunity to get vaccinated. We now have the jabs, but we now need the arms.”
The campaign kicked off with symbolic vaccination of Mr. Okeke Onyeama, a private security guard, who was inoculated in presence of the Governor and NPHCDA boss.
SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
OCTOBER 27, 2021
27 October 2021
Actress Damilola Adegbite discusses balancing career and dealing with broken marriage on #WithChude
This week’s episode of #WithChude gave viewers an insight into the life of the award-winning Nigerian actress and TV personality Damilola Adegbite. The actress discusses how her career turned out to be a walk in the park and how she was able to come out of her marriage scandal strong.
Finding the perfect romance in her fellow actor, Chris Attoh, on the set of Tinsel, Damilola Adegbite had believed she had found her own fairy-tale. Both actors had gotten engaged in 2014 and welcomed their son, Brian, a month later. Unexpectedly for the actress, this perfect haven came crashing down three years into the marriage, and the news of it had gone viral.
Exposed to this turn of events, she had handled the whole episode with grace. The actor reveals how she had consistently refused to grant interviews because she had felt they would cause her more harm than good. One interviewer in particular had gone ahead to make up a false interview on her behalf.
When the actress was asked about the circumstances that led to the end of her marriage, she replied, “It didn’t work. I learnt a massive lesson from that experience and it is that love is not enough. When you meet somebody and you want to spend the rest of your life with them, love is just one of the qualities that you need, but it’s not everything.”
Damilola Adegbite goes further to distinguish the popular marriage mentality from hers and how it doesn’t fit into her lifestyle. According to her, a failed marriage is not the tragedy people make it out to be. Not every marriage is ordained by God. She reminisces how she had fought and prayed hard right to the end of the marriage and how she knows in her heart that she did her best.
Touching on her journey so far with her son, she explained how difficult it had been to answer the questions the seven-year-old had been coming up with. “I know how to maneuver my way through but it’s hard to be able to strike a balance between the truth and what he needs to know.” For her, Brian won’t always be a seven-year-old, but for now, there are limits to what he can know.
Despite the ups and downs, she has experienced in the past few years, the actor continues to keep herself in an area of peace and self-awareness while making waves in her career. In her words, “You just have to ride that wave, just be strong and ride it if that’s what you have found yourself in”.
PRESIDENT BUHARI PRAYS FOR EVERLASTING PEACE IN NIGERIA
President Muhammadu Buhari continues his visit to Saudi Arabia with a brief stopover at Madinah where he observed his evening prayers and engaged in intense prayers, along with his entourage for the return of peace and security all over Nigeria and the world at large.
The President who had earlier been received at the Prince Muhammad Abdulaziz Airport, Madinah by the Deputy Governor of the Region, Prince Sa’ud Al-Faisal spent quality time at the Mosque of the Holy Prophet Muhammed, Islam’s second holiest, engaging in prayers and recitation of the Holy Qur’an.
President Buhari and the delegation prayed for the well-being of the nation and its people and for the full restoration of peace and security in Nigerian and around the globe. Prayers for the economy, ravaged by the pandemic to fully recover for the benefit of the nation and its people were also offered.
The President will later on in the evening proceed to Makkah for the performance of the Umrah (lesser Hajj).
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
October 27, 2021
PRESIDENT BUHARI CONDOLES WITH THE ADUDAS OVER DEATH OF FATHER
President Muhammadu Buhari condoles with the Aduda family on the passing away of their beloved father, Rt. Rev’d Tanimu Samari Aduda after a brief illness.
The President commiserates with the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion in the Federal Capital Territory and especially the Diocese of Gwagwalada on the transition to glory of its pioneer Bishop who devoted his life to contributing to the spiritual wellbeing of its members.
He particularly extends condolences to Senator Philip Aduda representing the Federal Capital Territory in the Senate as well as Gabriel Aduda, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urging them to uphold and surpass the legacies of their father in their services to God, country and humanity.
As President Buhari prays for the repose of the soul of the late Bishop, he asks for strength for the family and those who mourn at this time.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
October 27, 2021
