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

Video - Nigerians shift away from cable television

Nigerians shift away from cable television Rising subscription fees make it increasingly expensive for consumers to stay connected to cable.

CGTN

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

Corruption watchdog in Nigeria recovers nearly $500 million in one year

Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced a major anti-corruption milestone, recovering nearly $500 million in misappropriated funds last year.

The recovery effort is part of the agency’s anti-corruption campaign under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

According to the agency, more than 4,000 criminal convictions were secured last year, its highest record since the EFCC was established over two decades ago.

Some of the recovered money was reinvested in government projects. Besides recovering cash, the EFCC said it also seized 931,052 metric tons of petroleum products, 975 real estate properties, and company shares.

The $500 million recovered last year is on par with the amount lost to corruption in 2022. Additionally, cybercrime suspects accounted for the majority of the 3,455 convictions recorded during this period.

Like many other countries, corruption has been a thorn in Nigeria’s side for years, holding back development in Africa’s most populous country and fourth-largest economy.

Despite efforts to tackle it, the country still ranks 140 out of 180 on Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

In Africa, South Sudan takes the title of the most corrupt nation, scoring 8 and ranking 180th globally. Right behind it is Somalia at 179th with a score of 9, while Libya isn’t far off at 173rd with 13 points.

These countries continue to struggle with weak institutions, poor governance, and corruption that affects almost every aspect of life.

By Adekunle Agbetiloye, Business Insider Africa

Nigeria, China crack down on Chinese nationals in financial crimes

Nigeria and China said this week they will cooperate in efforts to crack down on the increasing number of Chinese nationals taking part in financial crimes in the African country.

The joint effort comes after Chinese Ambassador Yu Dunhai visited Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, in Abuja.

In a statement posted to the EFCC website Tuesday, Dunhai expressed regret over the rising trend of Chinese nationals engaged in financial crimes in Nigeria.

He assured Nigerian authorities that the Chinese government is ready to send delegates to work with local law enforcement agencies to address the issue.

At the same time, Dunhai urged authorities to protect the rights of Chinese citizens while investigations are conducted.

Since November, Nigerian authorities have arrested at least 400 Chinese nationals suspected of cybercrime, telecom fraud and illegal mining. Many of them are facing trial.

But Nigerian political analyst Chukwudi Odoeme warned that China’s influence over the process could undermine the rule of law.

“The collaboration looks good, but then the relationship between Nigeria and China is something that is suspicious in this particular arrangement,” Odoeme said. “The collaboration may be defeated in the sense that China will have undue influence, and it may even lead to political release of those persons instead of subjecting them through the criminal trial system in Nigeria.”

China is Nigeria’s largest trading partner by value, with trade totaling $5 billion in 2023.

In the first quarter of last year, Chinese companies provided 23% of Nigeria’s total imports.

Critics argue that Chinese nationals are exploiting trade routes and immigration loopholes to enter Nigeria illegally and engage in criminal activities.

Authorities say many of the arrested Chinese nationals were found to be living in Nigeria without proper documentation.

Public affairs analyst Jaye Gaskia raised concerns about the transparency of the collaboration.

“On what basis are you going into this collaboration? For what purpose?” he asked. “The conversations around trying to develop such collaborative strategies also need to be transparent, so that citizens will be able to interrogate the process to see whether national interest is going to be somehow undermined.

“We have to be careful, and we have to ensure who does the prosecution,” Gaskia said. “The best-case scenario is for the country not to cede its own sovereignty in terms of how this is going to happen.”

Nigeria’s debt to China exceeds $5 billion — more than the bilateral loans owed to all other countries combined.

Meanwhile, Nigeria is seeking China’s backing to join the grouping of the world’s 20 largest economies, the G20, and secure a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

But political analyst Rotimi Olawale believes the debt should not influence how Nigeria handles criminal cases.

“I don’t think that the debt we owe China, $5 billion, will affect anything,” Olawale said. “That’s government-to-government relations. The most important thing is that the case should not be politicized. We must clearly define our rules and uphold our laws.”

Previously, Nigeria’s parliament called for the mass deportation of illegal Chinese migrants.

By Timothy Obiezu, VOA