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Fashola Tasks DISCOs On Equipment, Customers’ Complaints

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7 years ago

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The Minster of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola on Monday called on Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to improve their distribution networks to supply more electricity to Nigerians.
Fashola made the call at the 26th Power sector meeting hosted by Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in Umuahia, Abia State.
He also urged the DISCOs to respond swiftly to consumer complaints and resolve them in a business-like manner.
“On this last matter of consumer complaints, let me say that we are getting a number of them in the ministry in Abuja, from different parts of the country.
“They should appropriately go to the DISCOs and the private investors who own them.
“Government has handed over these assets as a business and no longer collects revenue for power from consumers since the sale of PHCN in 2013.
“Those who bought the DISCOs and bill consumers must rise up to the responsibility of resolving consumer complaints.’’
The minister said improvement in quality and capacity of distribution equipment would stimulate consumer willingness to pay for electricity consumed.
He also said it was germane for the DISCOs to also improve collection of revenues without extortion through estimated bills or hostility and remit what they collect in accordance with the agreement with Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) plc.
He urged them to take ownership of the meter asset provider regulations to improve supply of meters.
According to the minister, DISCOs should get their employees out on the field to inspect lines, breakers, transformers and other distribution equipment, especially in the wet season.
“They should get their employees to visit consumers and ask if they have problems, and fix them.
“They should also get them to do preventative maintenance and notify your consumers in advance if it will result in disruptions of service, and state very clearly how long it will take.
“I know that it may be difficult, but that is why we took our jobs, to do difficult things and improve people’s lives against the odds,” said Fashola.
He, however, said government through the Niger-Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), was constructing over 100 distributions lines in the country to help DISCOs supply electricity to their customers.
Earlier, Abia Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, accompanied by the minister, commissioned a 40MVA mobile transformer in Ohiya transmission sub-station.
Fashola said the project was one out of the 90 projects across the country by (TCN).
He explained that the 40 MVA transformer, which was an addition to the existing 80MVA in the substation would improve power supply to communities in the state.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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21 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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21 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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21 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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