EKEDC obeys NERC, returns seconded staff
Amid worsening electricity supply across the federation, the Federal Government has cautioned against power theft and vandalism, observing that the actions were detrimental to realisation of uninterrupted energy in the country.
The warning came as the European Union (EU) unveiled two new projects worth €9 million in the energy sector as part of its commitment to supporting the current administration in providing clean, affordable and sustainable energy for all.
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, made the appeal yesterday during the launch ‘Promoting small hydropower development and circular economy approaches in Nigeria’, financed by the EU and implemented by United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in Abuja.
The projects – Small Hydro Power Development for Agro-industry Use in Nigeria (SHPDAIN) and Advancing Nigeria’s Green and Just Transition to Net Zero through Circular Economy Practices – are to enhance energy accessibility and promote circular economy practices to address pollution and climate change.
While the SHP-DAIN is a three-year scheme with a budget of €5 million, Advancing Nigeria’s Green Transition to Net Zero through Circular Economy Practices is also a three-year programme with a budget of €4 million.
Noting that the government is decentralising power generation and distribution in the country, Adelabu emphasised that no sector of the economy could operate optimally without stable, functional, reliable and uninterrupted electricity. He pleaded with Nigerians to be patient with the President Bola Tinubu administration in its bid to turn around critical sectors.
The minister revealed that about 92 million Nigerians do not have access to electricity from the national grid, adding that all hands must be on deck to ensure that energy poverty becomes a thing of the past.
EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Samuela Isopi, explained that the SHP-DAIN project would increase the capacity of small hydropower in the country’s total energy mix to promote productivity along the agricultural value chain and other businesses, as well as enhance livelihoods and foster food security and decent work.
Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, assured the government’s commitment to completion of the projects.
MEANWHILE, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has complied with the directive of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) by releasing all seconded personnel from WPG Limited.
The order had mandated utility companies to employ directly. A letter dated March 25, 2024 and signed by the chairman, Dere Otubu, confirmed EKEDC’s full compliance with the regulator’s directive.
A March 21correspondence from NERC had read: “EKEDC is hereby directed to ensure that all staff working for the utility are employed by the utility directly, bound by applicable service conditions that are applicable to the employees of the utility and paid through the utility’ payroll.”
Otubu stressed that the DisCo is obligated to obey NERC’s orders as stipulated in the Electricity Act 2023. Also the DisCo has refuted claims about the purported removal of Dr. Tinuade Sanda as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer. It also indicated intention to issue a formal statement on the issue.
