Kaduna electric collaborates with Yauri Emirate on improved services

From Abubakar Yunusa ABUJA

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Kaduna Electric, Yusuf Usman Yahaya, has assured that the company will work closely with Yauri Emirate Council to ensure improved services. He also solicited the support of the Emirate in mobilizing customers to settle their bills promptly.

The MD/CEO gave the assurance when he received a delegation from the Emir of Yauri led by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Sports, Alhaji Samaila Dallatu on Wednesday.

After 12 months of hiatus, Shell resumes oil exports from Bonny terminal

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) says it has resumed oil exportation from the Bonny crude oil export terminal.

SPDC, in a statement issued by Bola Essien-Nelson, its media relations manager, said the resumption follows the lifting of force majeure on oil exports at the facility.

Force Majeure is a legal clause that allows a company to skip contractual obligations in the event of issues beyond its control.

SPDC had declared a force majeure on oil exports due to a blast on a pipeline feeding the terminal on March 3, 2022.

Providing updates on the incident, SPDC said it has lifted the force majeure on its oil cargo from the 1.25 million barrels of oil per day capacity terminal.

“The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), operator of the SPDC joint venture, has lifted the force majeure on Bonny export programme with effect from Wednesday, March 15, 2023,” the statement reads.

“The force majeure was declared on March 3, 2022, following a significant decline in crude receipts at the Bonny Oil and Gas Terminal.”

In October 2022, Shell resumed export operations at the Forcados oil terminal after about three months of inactivity due to oil theft.

In recent years, the country has been grappling with oil losses in the face of operational issues, lingering oil theft, and pipeline vandalism.

In 2022, the country’s oil production was severely impacted even as output fell below 1 million barrels of oil per day in August and September.

In October last year, Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, had said Nigeria loses about 600,000 barrels per day to oil theft.

“The Brass, Forcados, and the Bonny terminals, are all practically doing zero production today; the combined effect is that you have lost 600,000 barrels per day when you do a reality test,” Kyari had said.

However, due to renewed efforts from stakeholders in the oil sector, oil output seems to be steadily improving.

In February 2023, Nigeria’s oil production increased to 1,306,304 bpd.

He said one of the major challenges Kaduna Electric faces in supplying adequate power to Yauri and environs is poor customer response to bills payment. He bemoaned the attitudes of customers who skip monthly bills payment, those who refuse to pay in full and those who outrightly refuse to pay for energy consumed, saying these sre major set backs to improvement in services.

He however expressed hope that with the commitment of the Emir whom he said has shown great support to the company and the electricity committee set up to work with Kaduna Electric, the challenge will be surmounted.

The Kaduna Electric helmsman took time to explain to the delegation the workings of the power sector value chain and recent developments in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry such as Banding, Capping, Meter Asset Provider Scheme and National Mass Metering Programme among others.

He also said Kaduna Electric is often hamstrung by the challenges of low power generation in the country and that grid disturbances which sometimes make supply at the distribution end difficult.

In his remark, the leader of the delegation said they were in Kaduna Electric on the behest of the Emir to explore ways through which lasting solutions can be found the the power supply situation in Yauri. He said the situation has affected businesses negatively and exercebates insecurity in the Emirate and neighboring communities.

Other members of the delegation included a member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Tanko Sununu, a former Commissioner at the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Dr. Rilwan Abarshi and the Managing Director of HYPPADEC, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa.