Business

Fashola Inaugurates TCN Substation …Mulls N72bn DISCOs Funding

Published

7 years ago

May 16, 2018

The Minister of Power Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola has commissioned a 132/33KV transmission substation with a 40MVA transformer at Mayo Belwa town in Adamawa state.
Fashola also announced a decision of the Federal Government to invest N72 billion as a shareholder loan and intervention to the 11 Distribution Companies (DISCOs).
After the power sector privatisation in 2013, government retained 40 per cent stake in the 11 DISCOs while private equity accounts for 60 per cent. The envisaged shareholder loan would be the first intervention loan to the DisCos directly from government shareholder since the privatisation of the sector.
Federal Government had in 2017 introduced a N701.9bn Payment Assurance Guarantee (PAG) to the Generation Companies (GENCOs) to boost their liquidity and generate more electricity.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been disbursing a loan of N213bn under its Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Fund (NEMSF) to about 47 power firms including the DISCOs since 2015.
The Minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary (Power), Mr Louis Edozien, urged the 11 DisCos to invest more in their networks to complement TCN’s grid expansion following the envisaged N72bn commitment from government.
Fashola said with the new 40MVA (32MW capacity) Mayo Belwa substation, over seven towns of the state including Mayo Belwa, Numan, Jada and Lamorde would witness improved electricity delivery with the commissioning of the substation.
He added the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing complemented the TCN project by installing distribution transformers in the franchise area.
“With this development, TCN has not only improved the quality of power in this area but it has also increased the wheeling capacity of TCN which was last simulated in December 2017 to be above 7,000 megawatts (MW),” he said.
He noted that TCN has acquired land to upgrade the new substation to a 330/132/33KV substation and the 132/33KV Jalingo substation to carry more power to sates in the North East.
He said while the procurement has advanced, the 330/132/33KV Yola substation would be upgraded by 350MVA capacity as a 150MVA, and two units of 100MVA transformers will be installed along with other equipment.
To improve power supply in the northeast, Fashola said the administration has resolved hurdles in completing the 40MW Dadin Kowa hydropower plant in Gombe state.
He also said TCN would install Static Var Compensator (SVC) in Gombe to improve the quality of power in the region.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of TCN, Mr Mohammed Gur-Usman has also disclosed that the company would attain a transmission capacity of 9,000MW by end of 2018.

Business

NPA Assures On Staff Welfare

Published

20 hours ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive with the development of the welfare of its personnel.

Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the clearing of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.

A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying, “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.

The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.

“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”

Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.

“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.

Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”

Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos

Business

ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

Published

21 hours ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).

The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.

Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.

The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.

The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.

The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.

Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos

Business

NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement

Published

21 hours ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.

Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.

He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.

“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.

Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.

The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.

“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.

Chinedu Wosu