The cost of a 50kg bag has jumped from $16 to $60, far surpassing the country's minimum wage. With local production falling short and insecurity hindering supply, many Nigerians find rice unaffordable despite slight price drops.
Monday, March 17, 2025
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Lagos businesswoman Ifunanya Nwakwudo creates durable and stylish crochet footwear. Her creations helped her start a small business.
Army attacks Eko DisCo over power outage
Personnel of the Nigerian Army have reportedly attacked a substation belonging to Eko Electricity Distribution Company (Eko DisCo) over power outage, escalating tensions between military personnel and power distribution companies in Lagos.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, has revealed that 20 federal universities and three affiliated teaching hospitals received significant solar power interventions to reduce skyrocketing energy costs.
The purported assault came just a week after officers and men of the Nigerian Air Force from the Sam Ethnan Airforce Base, Ikeja, stormed the headquarters of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (Ikeja DisCo) in Alausa and brutalised staff members and journalists, while property worth billions of naira was vandalised.
The Guardian gathered that the attack happened around 1.00 a.m. on March 14.
Eko DisCo’s Head of Corporate Communications, Babatunde Lasaki, condemned the incident as unfortunate, noting that attacks on DisCos were becoming a recurring issue due to the Federal Government’s failure to take action against perpetrators of previous assaults.
He emphasised that the company’s legal team reported the incident to the police, while efforts were underway to petition the Chief of Army Staff (COAS, the Minister of Defence, the Minister of Power, and other relevant authorities.
“The soldiers attacked our office at night. They went to one of our stations in Badagry and picked two of our staff. Though they released them later in the day, the fact that they went there and abducted our workers is unfortunate. Later on Friday, they went there again, threatening that we should restore their supply. Our workers tried to explain to them that it was a fault and that the outage was not deliberate, but they continued to harass our workers,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan, expressed shock over yet another military attack on a DisCo within a week, highlighting the growing trend of military invasions of utility companies.
He noted that while they were still reeling from the brutalisation of Ikeja Electric staff and the vandalism of its head office by the Air Force, the Army invaded Eko DisCo’s Injection Substation in Badagry at 1.00 am on March 14.
He stated that the Commanding Officer, Lt-Col S. Lawan, had been properly informed about the ongoing Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) upgrade in Agbara.
Nigerian Army’s Director of Information, Maj-Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, described the incident as a minor misunderstanding between soldiers and Eko DisCo workers following a fire outbreak.
Nwachukwu added that the Commanding Officer of the unit set up a board of inquiry to investigate the cause of the fire outbreak.
ABBA revealed the interventions when he welcomed the Committee of Chairmen, Governing Councils of Federal polytechnics across Nigeria, led by Sen Barnabas Gemade, on a visit to discuss the urgent need for solar power intervention in federal polytechnics.
A statement by REA, yesterday, noted that discussions focused on accelerating the National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative, which aims to provide clean, reliable energy to public institutions, including polytechnics.
The high-level engagement underscored the importance of sustainable energy solutions in strengthening technical education and fostering economic growth.
The committee chairman, representing all 36 federal polytechnics in Nigeria, reiterated the need to electrify the institutions, particularly those in areas yet to be connected to the national grid.
The REA boss emphasised the agency’s commitment to expanding access to sustainable energy across educational institutions.
He highlighted the agency’s ongoing efforts through the Energising Education Programme, a landmark initiative that has successfully deployed solar hybrid power plants to federal universities and teaching hospitals across the country.
By Waliat Musa, The Guardian
Meanwhile, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, has revealed that 20 federal universities and three affiliated teaching hospitals received significant solar power interventions to reduce skyrocketing energy costs.
The purported assault came just a week after officers and men of the Nigerian Air Force from the Sam Ethnan Airforce Base, Ikeja, stormed the headquarters of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (Ikeja DisCo) in Alausa and brutalised staff members and journalists, while property worth billions of naira was vandalised.
The Guardian gathered that the attack happened around 1.00 a.m. on March 14.
Eko DisCo’s Head of Corporate Communications, Babatunde Lasaki, condemned the incident as unfortunate, noting that attacks on DisCos were becoming a recurring issue due to the Federal Government’s failure to take action against perpetrators of previous assaults.
He emphasised that the company’s legal team reported the incident to the police, while efforts were underway to petition the Chief of Army Staff (COAS, the Minister of Defence, the Minister of Power, and other relevant authorities.
“The soldiers attacked our office at night. They went to one of our stations in Badagry and picked two of our staff. Though they released them later in the day, the fact that they went there and abducted our workers is unfortunate. Later on Friday, they went there again, threatening that we should restore their supply. Our workers tried to explain to them that it was a fault and that the outage was not deliberate, but they continued to harass our workers,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan, expressed shock over yet another military attack on a DisCo within a week, highlighting the growing trend of military invasions of utility companies.
He noted that while they were still reeling from the brutalisation of Ikeja Electric staff and the vandalism of its head office by the Air Force, the Army invaded Eko DisCo’s Injection Substation in Badagry at 1.00 am on March 14.
He stated that the Commanding Officer, Lt-Col S. Lawan, had been properly informed about the ongoing Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) upgrade in Agbara.
Nigerian Army’s Director of Information, Maj-Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, described the incident as a minor misunderstanding between soldiers and Eko DisCo workers following a fire outbreak.
Nwachukwu added that the Commanding Officer of the unit set up a board of inquiry to investigate the cause of the fire outbreak.
ABBA revealed the interventions when he welcomed the Committee of Chairmen, Governing Councils of Federal polytechnics across Nigeria, led by Sen Barnabas Gemade, on a visit to discuss the urgent need for solar power intervention in federal polytechnics.
A statement by REA, yesterday, noted that discussions focused on accelerating the National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative, which aims to provide clean, reliable energy to public institutions, including polytechnics.
The high-level engagement underscored the importance of sustainable energy solutions in strengthening technical education and fostering economic growth.
The committee chairman, representing all 36 federal polytechnics in Nigeria, reiterated the need to electrify the institutions, particularly those in areas yet to be connected to the national grid.
The REA boss emphasised the agency’s commitment to expanding access to sustainable energy across educational institutions.
He highlighted the agency’s ongoing efforts through the Energising Education Programme, a landmark initiative that has successfully deployed solar hybrid power plants to federal universities and teaching hospitals across the country.
Friday, March 14, 2025
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Shell shifting focus to deepwater and integrated gas in Nigeria as it wraps up onshore unit sale
According to Shell, the divestment is in line with its plan to simplify its presence in Nigeria through an exit of onshore oil production in the Niger Delta and focus on future disciplined investment in its deepwater and integrated gas positions. As stated by Renaissance, SPDC will be renamed Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.
“We are extremely proud to have completed this strategic acquisition. The Renaissance vision is to be ‘Africa’s leading oil and gas company, enabling energy security and industrialisation in a sustainable manner,'” said Tony Attah, Managing Director/CEO of Renaissance.
Now that the deal is finalized, Renaissance controls SPDC’s 30% stake in the SPDC JV, an unincorporated joint venture in which the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NPC) holds 55%, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria 10%, and Agip Energy and Natural Resources (Nigeria) a 5% interest.
When the deal was announced in January 2024, the book value of the entity subject to the sale process was said to be around $2.8 billion. It was stated that SPDC JV holds 15 oil mining leases for petroleum operations onshore and three for petroleum operations in shallow water in Nigeria.
Zoë Yujnovich, then-Integrated Gas and Upstream Director at Shell, who recently decided to leave the company, said that it was time for SPDC to move to its next chapter under the ownership of an experienced Nigerian-led consortium.
In addition to international operations, Shell has been keeping busy at home. Earlier this month, the UK giant disclosed its plan to make a field development plan (FDP) and a final investment decision (FID) for the Selene gas project in 2027.
By Dragana Nikše, OFFSHORE ENERGY
“We are extremely proud to have completed this strategic acquisition. The Renaissance vision is to be ‘Africa’s leading oil and gas company, enabling energy security and industrialisation in a sustainable manner,'” said Tony Attah, Managing Director/CEO of Renaissance.
Now that the deal is finalized, Renaissance controls SPDC’s 30% stake in the SPDC JV, an unincorporated joint venture in which the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NPC) holds 55%, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria 10%, and Agip Energy and Natural Resources (Nigeria) a 5% interest.
When the deal was announced in January 2024, the book value of the entity subject to the sale process was said to be around $2.8 billion. It was stated that SPDC JV holds 15 oil mining leases for petroleum operations onshore and three for petroleum operations in shallow water in Nigeria.
Zoë Yujnovich, then-Integrated Gas and Upstream Director at Shell, who recently decided to leave the company, said that it was time for SPDC to move to its next chapter under the ownership of an experienced Nigerian-led consortium.
In addition to international operations, Shell has been keeping busy at home. Earlier this month, the UK giant disclosed its plan to make a field development plan (FDP) and a final investment decision (FID) for the Selene gas project in 2027.
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