Aso Villa Reads for 11/08/2020

Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria

The federal government has stated its desire to boost investment in Nigeria’s natural gas market with its formal activation of the National Gas Transportation Network Code yesterday. According to the Technical Adviser (TA) on Gas Business and Policy Implementation to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva, Justice Derefaka, the launch of the National Gas Transportation Network Code would open a vista of opportunities for investors interested in the country’s gas market. Sylva in February had launched work on the National Gas Transportation Network Code and review of the code’s licensing framework and development of all its ancillary agreements have however been firmed. Derefaka told This Day in a telephone chat that the new code was encapsulated in the National Gas Policy of 2017. He explained that it was critical to the federal government’s objective in firming up the country’s domestic gas obligation as well as promoting gas export. “The network code will ensure that the wrong quality gas does not go into the pipeline in addition to guaranteeing gas pipeline integrity, open access to pipeline and common understanding on metering,” said Derefaka. He noted that the code would also provide a uniform platform in terms of guidelines for agreements between buyers and sellers of gas to ensure transparency and eliminate existing bottlenecks.

The new electricity deal between the Nigerian government, its German counterpart and Siemens AG, will see the upgrading of 105 power substations and the construction of 70 new ones, the Minister of Power, Mr. Sale Mamman has said. Providing what he described as ‘key details’ of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) deal which has already into effect, the minister noted that the deal represents one of the largest and most transparent power sector investments in modern day Nigeria. Listing the details under major infrastructural points, project timeline and expansion outcomes, Mamman explained that the deal for which the federal government made an initial N8.6 billion commitment penultimate week, would totally transform the sector. The government added that aside the 105 sub-stations, to be upgraded and 70 new sub-stations to be built under the new arrangement, 35 power transformers will also be manufactured and installed. It disclosed that 3,765 distribution transformers would be installed and 5,109 km distribution lines will be built with a potential generation capacity of over 13,000 mw as opposed to the current transmission of 4,500mw. The minister explained that in the Phase one, 7gw is expected to be achieved between now and 2021, with the upgrading of transmission and distribution of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Distribution Companies (Discos) expected to contribute an additional 2gw. For phase two, 11gw will be achieved between 2021–2023, with full use of existing generation and last mile distribution capacity. According to Mamman, the phase three would see the achievement of 25gw between 2023–2025 with appropriate upgrades and expansion in generation, transmission and distribution. Last week, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved the payment of €15.21 million (N6,940,081,465.20) offshore and N1.708 billion onshore as part of Nigeria’s counterpart funding for the power deal signed in 2019. This Day reports.

Vanguard reports that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development says no fewer than five million candidates have applied for the N-Power programme. The Minister, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, made the disclosure in a statement on Tuesday by her Special Assistant on Strategic Communication, Mrs Halima Oyelade. She said that the registration which commenced on June 26 was to end on July 26 but was extended by two weeks. “A total of 5,042,001 Nigerian youths have applied as at the end of the registration. “Due diligence will be applied during the next stages of the selection to ensure that only duly qualified applicants are enrolled. “The Ministry will ensure that the applicants as well as the general public, are fully informed on the progress of the scheme,” she said.

The Federal Government has commenced feasibility study for the construction of a shipyard in Brass Island, Bayelsa State, which would cater for the maintenance and repair services of cargo vessels, oil tankers, and Liquefied Natural Gas, LNG, carriers. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, who chaired the project’s kick-off meeting last Thursday, stated that the China Harbour Engineering Company, which had carried out similar projects across the globe as well as in Nigeria, would execute the project. He said the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, would fund the feasibility study, as part of its overarching mandate to domicile key oil and gas industry infrastructure and increase retention of industry spend. According to him, scope of the feasibility study includes geotechnical and bathymetric surveys, conducting a market study, ascertaining an optimal construction scale, developing technical proposal and construction plan and estimation of the required investment to bring the project into reality. He said the high traffic of vessels in and out of Nigeria provides a huge opportunity to retain substantial value in-country through the provision of dry-dock services. He said the Brass shipyard project would further develop and harness the nation’s position in the oil and gas value chain and linkage to other sectors of the economy. Vanguard reported.

Following measures put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease, the federal government, Monday directed civil servants on Grade Levels 12 and 13 including others on essential duties to resume duties on a full scale. According to Vanguard, the directive was contained in a circular dated August 10, 2020, signed by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan. Titled “Resumption of officers on Grade Levels 12 and 13 and those on essential duties,” the Head of Service said staff would now work from Monday to Friday beginning from 8 am to 4 pm as was the case before the COVID-19 pandemic. “Following Mr President’s approval of the recommendation of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, officers on Grade Levels 12 and 13, and those on essential services are hereby directed to be in the office every working day (Monday to Friday) with effect from Monday, August 10, 2020. Also, the officers and those affected by earlier circulars on the resumption of duty are now to resume by 8 am and close by 4 pm daily.”

The United States has handed over 200 ventilators to the Federal Government on Tuesday. This is in fulfillment of the promise made by the US President Donald Trump during a telephone conversation with his Nigerian counterpart, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) in April 2020. The medical equipment was handed over to the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, by the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, at a ceremony in Abuja this morning. Ehanire described the breathing apparatus as a critical component of the response strategy to save the lives of COVID-19 patients, noting that the equipment would be of great benefit to Nigerians. While expressing the President’s appreciation for the gesture, Ehanire noted that the disease has drastically affected the world, adding that the severity of the outbreak had impacted health systems, economy and social structure of all nations. He highlighted the efforts so far taken by the FG to combat the infection and commended the United States Agency for International Development, the US Centre for Disease Control and the US envoy for their interest and engagement in Nigeria. Punch reports.

The Federal Government has clarified that there was no Nigerian among the casualties of the August 4 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, which claimed over 150 lives and injured hundreds of others. The incident, which was reported to have been caused by a blast inside a warehouse, released a strong shockwave causing catastrophic damage to infrastructure and buildings in different parts of the city. According to Punch, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement in Abuja on Monday, commiserated with the Lebanese Government over the tragedy. In a Statement by the ministry’s spokesman, Mr Ferdinand Nwonye, titled, ‘Federal Government commiserates with Lebanon over deadly explosion’, the FG said it was in solidarity with the Arab nation in this period of grief. It called for international support to facilitate the rebuilding process. The statement read in part, “The Federal Government of Nigeria wishes to commiserate with the government and people of Lebanon over the August 4, 2020 deadly explosion that occurred in the main seaport in Beirut. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform the general public that reports from the Embassy of Nigeria in Beirut indicate that so far, there is no reported case of Nigerian nationals among the dead, but the host authorities are still assessing the impact of the damage caused by the massive explosion.”