ABUJA AIRPORT CLOSURE: FASHOLA INSPECTS WORK ON KADUNA-ABUJA HIGHWAY, CALLS FOR CAREFUL DRIVING TO AVOID ACCIDENTS

· Assures Nigerians that his Ministry is on track to fix the road and make it safe, motorable

Ahead of the planned reconstruction and repair of the Abuja Airport runway which would lead to a diversion of air traffic and passengers from Abuja to Kaduna, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, at the weekend inspected progress of work on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway.

The Minister, who stopped at several points on the road to ascertain the quality of work being done in company with the Minister of State, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri and other senior officials of the Ministry, said the Federal Government through the Ministry was effecting the emergency repair work to ensure that the road was safe and motorable even as he called for careful driving to avoid accidents during the period of closure and on the nation’s roads generally.

Communique: Finding practical solutions to critical issues facing the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry - Ministry of Power

Communique Issued at the end of the 11th monthly meeting of the Honourable Minister of Power, Works and Housing with operators of the Power Sector, held on Monday, January 9 2017 at Ikeja West Transmission Station, Lagos State.

1. Introduction
The Honourable Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) chaired the eleventh monthly meeting of operators in the electricity industry. The meeting was jointly hosted by Ikeja Electric and Egbin Power.
The meeting focused on identifying, discussing, and finding practical solutions to critical issues facing the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.

PRESS RELEASE FASHOLA TO NIGERIAN YOUTHS: DON’T DESPAIR, THERE IS HOPE, RECOVERY AHEAD

· Calls for patience, hard work as panacea for economic recovery
· “With what I am seeing in the seven months of implementing a budget, recovery is on the way”, he says
· Urges Nigerian youths to be prepared to play bigger roles as results of budget implementation, steps to stimulate local production begin to manifest more forcefully

Fashola

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, Tuesday participated in a Special Town Meeting with Youths in Abuja bearing an unmistakable message of hope even as he called for patience and hard work among Nigerians as the panacea for the much desired national economic recovery.

Fashola, who spoke at the Town Hall Meeting with Nigerian Youths in Abuja organised by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, prefaced his contribution with an acknowledgement of his age and some of his colleagues as being beyond the youth bracket but quickly added that he has useful experience to share with the gathering.

His words: “ The point really is that as unyouthful as I am there is a lot of story and history there. For the very, very young people, the first thing I’ll like to say to you is don’t despair. There is hope and there is light at the end of the tunnel. I have seen Nigeria like this before, even worse…I want to say to you don’t lose faith.”

Fashola To Companies - Patronise Local Meter Makers, Says Niger Delta Avengers Responsible for Low Power Supply

Minister of Power, Works and Housing Mr, Babatunde Fashola, has urged electricity distribution companies to patronise local meter manufacturers in the quest for mass metering system of their customers across.

At the 6th Power and Stakeholders Monthly Meeting held on Monday in Kano State, North West Nigeria, the Minister said the patronage of local manufacturers would help avoid foreign exchange problem associated with importation of meters.

Mr Fashola stressed that it would greatly save cost if made in Nigeria meters were patronised, pointing out that it is of same quality with the imported ones.

Nigeria’s Electricity Challenge: A Roadmap for Change, Minister unveils roadmap for boosting electricity generation

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, yesterday unveiled federal government’s roadmap for boosting electricity generation through incremental power, saying that the government is looking at what the country could generate out of the existing power assets.

Delivering a public lecture in Lagos yesterday, the minister stated that the country has 26 power plants, with three powered by water in Jebba, Kainji and Shiroro, while the rest of the plants are powered by gas.

According to him, the country has 140 turbines with installed capacity of 12,341 megawatts, adding however that at the best of times, only about 78 turbines generate power, which had resulted in February 2, 2016 peak of 5,074 MW.

Power Supply: Consumers won’t pay after 15 days of power cut – FG

Federal Government, yesterday, said with effect from today, electricity consumers that had no power supply for 15 days in a month are no longer required to pay the monthly N750 fixed charge to their respective Distribution Companies, Discos.

The Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, who issued the directive at a briefing in Abuja, said it became necessary after the commission carried out investigations into complaints from consumers over continued payment of fixed charge even when service is not delivered.

Amadi said: “While the commission has determined that the fixed charge remains an essential component of the bill, it has, however, reviewed the continued retention of the fixed charge component in the tariff and payment of fixed charge in the light of consumer complaints, particularly with regard to continued payment of fixed charge even when the energy is not delivered to the consumer.