Oil & Energy
NIMASA, NRC Law Volations Affecting NSIB Operations –DG
The Director General of the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Captain Alex Badeh, has faulted the continued disregard for the bureau’s establishment act of 2022 by the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NPA), and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NMASA) by refusing to remit the statutory percentage of their revenue to the bureau.
Badeh, who disclosed this while re-opening the bureau’s regional office in Lagos on Friday, noted that the violation of the law by NIMASA and NRC had continued to adversely affect the activities of the bureau.
Recall that the NSIB’s operational office was demolished to pave the way for development during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
But over three years after the office was pulled down by the former minister, Senator Hadi Sirika, nothing was done at the site as the space has been taken over by grass.
This development, according to the DG of the bureau, has caused an obvious setback to it operations, adding that the nightmare was ended through the help of the Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
He said, “However, our journey is far from complete. We continue to face significant challenges in fulfilling our mandate, notably securing the necessary funding to support our operations.
“The non-compliance with the NSIB Establishment Act of 2022 by the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency and the Nigerian Railway Commission in remitting the statutorily required percentages of their revenue to NSIB has severely impacted our ability to conduct comprehensive multi-modal accident investigations.
“The NSIB Establishment Act of 2022 stipulates that NIMASA should remit three per cent of the gross freight from international cargo, while the NRC is required to contribute five per cent of ticket sales and cargo charges.
“This financial shortfall not only limits our operational capabilities but also hinders our growth and effectiveness in safeguarding Nigerian lives”.
NSIB boss, however, appealed for the Federal Government’s financial support, “to enable us to effectively fulfil our mandate, conduct thorough investigations, enhance safety standards, and contribute meaningfully to advancing transportation safety across Nigeria”.
Responding at the event, Keyamo appreciated Badeh’s work, recalling how the NSIB office was pulled down.
His words, “A functional office owned by the NSIB was demolished for no reason, that was very sad and the DG spokes with me when I got into office and we have no choice but to make this happen and all the accolades should not come to me but to the DG NSIB for his drive and passion for this agency, which has driven this agency forward. This looks good, I thank you and all the other directors here seated.
“And on the issue of the non-remitted funds from the other agencies, thankfully my brother is here, the Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation.
“Please, thank him very much. I must tell you all that a lot has happened as regards making what you want to happen and a lot is still going on behind the scenes and very soon you will begin to see some change of attitude by the other agencies and you will have your funds. It may not be all of it”.
Meanwhile, an attempt to speak with NRC publicist, Mahmoud Yakub, was unsuccessful and he did not pick up repeated calls to his phone number, nor did he respond SMS sent to him on the issue.
Also, the spokesperson of NIMASA, Edward Osagie’s phone rang once and became unreachable afterwards and he did not reply to messages sent to him by our correspondent as of the time of filing this report.
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Researchers in Hong Kong and China have developed a new form of battery that is more eco-friendly and longer lasting than lithium ion batteries – and it runs on tofu brine. The new water battery is still in research phases, but if the technology proves to be scalable enough to hit commercial markets, it could be a game-changer for the energy and tech sectors.
“Compared with current aqueous battery systems … our system delivers exceptional long-term cycling stability and environmental friendliness under neutral conditions,” the research team, composed of scientists from the City University of Hong Kong and Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, Guangdong, said in a paper published this month in Nature Communications.
The researchers found that their battery model can be recharged over 120,000 times. “At over a hundred thousand cycles, this could mean a single water-based battery could last at least a decade or so,” states a recent report on the breakthrough from Interesting Engineering. “For applications like grid storage (solar farms, wind balancing), that’s extremely valuable,” the article went on to say.
This kind of lifespan would represent a drastic improvement over the battery technologies that dominate today’s market. Lithium-ion batteries degrade after between 1,000 and 3,000 charge cycles. This could prove revolutionary, as finding an alternative to lithium-ion batteries to power rechargeable devices is a major priority for Big Tech and the global energy sector.
Moreover, these tofu-brine batteries could prove safer and more environmentally friendly than lithium-ion batteries. According to the study authors, the full cells are environmentally benign and nontoxic and can be directly discarded to environments according to various standards.” Water based (also called aqueous) batteries can also potentially be cheap to produce as they rely on ingredients that are less rare in addition to being less hazardous.
Lithium is environmentally harmful to extract, prone to fires, and its supply chains are geopolitically fraught. Currently, China alone controls half of the global lithium market, and is rapidly increasing its stake. In 2024, more than eight in ten battery cells on the planet were made in China. This means that finding a battery model that can compete with lithium-ion batteries in applications like grid-scale energy storage and electric vehicles would have revolutionary implications for global markets.
Researchers around the world have been racing to develop battery models that could diversify the market and make it more competitive and resilient. These models range widely in size, components, and application, with models currently under development for next-gen sodium-ion batteries, quantum batteries, nuclear batteries, and even sand and dirt batteries.
Of course, the irony is that the leading alternatives to lithium-ion batteries are also being developed in Chinese labs. If this new tofu-brine battery proves scalable and applicable outside of a laboratory environment, it could just be another step toward Beijing’s goal of near-total domination of clean energy technology value chains and status as the world’s first and premiere ‘electro-state.’
China’s extreme advantage in global battery making gives it a major point of leverage in global economies as the world continues to electrify at a rapid pace. It is estimated that European demand for lithium in batteries will reach kilo tonnes (thousands of tonnes) of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent by next year, and North American demand will reach 250 kit LCE. it’s all but certain that the vast majority of that demand will be supplied by China.
Other nations are aware of the risk of this dependency, and are taking pains to protect and promote domestic battery manufacturing, but these efforts may be too little, too late. “For globally competitive battery manufacturing industries to emerge outside of Asia over the next ten years, companies will need to do far more than ensure regulatory compliance,” summarizes a McKinsey & Company report released in January. “Challenges will need to be overcome on multiple fronts spanning supply chains, talent management, operations and technology.”
By: Haley Zaremba
The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) says it will spend N100 billion in 2026 to deploy hybrid mini-grids for government agencies within and outside Abuja.
The Managing Directors, REA, Abba Aliyu, disclosed this while addressing newsmen on the sidelines of the 2026 budget defence session
The approved funds form part of the National Public Sector Solarisation programme, a component of the agency’s broader N170 billion budget proposal for 2026.
The initiative is designed to improve electricity reliability for public institutions while reducing operational costs and easing pressure on the national grid.
Aliyu explained that the agency’s total proposed budget for 2026 stands at N170 billion, with N100 billion of the amount dedicated specifically to the solarisation initiative targeting government agencies.
He said the hybrid mini-grid systems combine solar power with complementary energy sources to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply.
“The total budget size for 2026 operations is N170 billion, out of which N100 billion had been approved for National Public Sector Solarisation.
Aliyu cited the National Hospital in Abuja as an example where similar infrastructure had been deployed to ensure stable power and cut operational expenses.He added that beyond the Solarisation
Recall that earlier in February 2026, REA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to deploy solar power systems to 15 public institutions across Nigeria.
The project will be implemented under the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP), a World Bank-supported initiative aimed at expanding off-grid electricity access across West Africa and the Sahel.
ECOWAS will provide a $700,000 grant to fund the installation of solar photovoltaic systems in selected rural health centres and schools in the Federal Capital Territory, Niger, and Nasarawa States.
Oil & Energy
PIA: TotalEnergies Transfers OLO Oilfield HCDT Obligation To Aradel ……Says HCDT Enabled Completion of 100 Projects In 2 years
In his remarks, the Community Affairs Manager, Aradel Holdings Plc, Blessyn Okpowo, affirmed the company’s commitment to honouring all PIA obligations and continuing Total Energies’ community engagement approach.“We want to say that in line with the PIA, we will honour commitments and duties required of the settlor and we want to work very smoothly with the way TotalEnergies has worked with them,” he stated.
He recognised the Commission’s role in approving the Community Development Plan (CDP) before project start, underscoring regulatory excellence.The parties noted that between 2023 and 2025, the trust has enabled the completion of more than 100 community projects, spanning water supply, electricity, road infrastructure, education, and healthcare with a further 40 projects currently ongoing.
