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Four DISCOs Exceed 50% Metering Of Consumers In Q3, 2017 -NERC

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The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) says only four out of 11 Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) in the country have metered up to 50 per cent of electricity customers under their coverage areas.
NERC in its 2017 third quarter report published on its website, last Wednesday also revealed that only 46 per cent out of total 7,476,856 registered customers had been metered by the 11DisCos.
The report indicated that there was an existing consumer metering gap of 54 per cent in the country during the quarter under review.
According to it, only 25,504 customers are metered during the quarter under review.
“This is grossly lower than the quarterly average of 410,103 meters expected of DisCos as stated in their performance agreement with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE)”, NERC said.
According to the report, the metering status of the DisCos under the period is: Benin DisCo, 69.9 per cent, Eko, 60.7, Ikeja 55.9 per cent, Abuja 52.2 per cent, Jos 48.7 per cent .
Others, NERC added are: Port Harcourt 48.5 per cent, Ibadan 41.3 per cent, Kaduna 37.2 per cent, Kano 34.4 per cent, Enugu 27.7 per cent, and Yola 23.6 per cent.
It, however, said the pace of metering rolled out by DisCos remained the priority of the commission, noting that metering was key in accurate billing of customers.
According to the report, NERC has initiated a strategy to address the problem, by developing a framework to ensure rapid roll-out of meters by potential investors under a bankable financing arrangement.
On energy generated, it said that the total power generated stood at 7,568,489 MWh with in the period under review.
This, it said, was 3.2 per cent less than the power generated in the second quarter.
The commission said the industry recorded the peak daily generation of 4,589.70MW on September 6, 2017.
It, however, said despite the increase in the peak generation, the utilisation of the total available generation capacity had been constrained by a combination of factors.
The commission listed the factors to include; inadequate gas supply, transmission bottlenecks and limited distribution networks.
NERC also said the resolution of the technical and operational constraints of the power industry remained a top priority of the commission.
On energy received and Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) load allocation, it noted that energy delivered to DisCos at their trading points declined by 6 per cent in the third quarter and stood at 6,200GWh.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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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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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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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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