DPR assures indigenous oil, gas trainers more collaboration

Mr Sarki Auwalu, Director, DPR

By Solomon Asowata

Lagos, April 28, 2021 (NAN) The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has assured indigenous oil and gas trainers of more collaboration towards sustainable human capacity
development, for the benefit of stakeholders in the Nigerian oil and gas value-chain.

Mr Sarki Auwalu, Director, DPR, gave the assurance on Wednesday while receiving the “Oil and Gas Innovative Award” at the 2021 Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) Conference.

Auwalu said: “Let me reassure all our partners of DPR’s commitment and collaboration towards sustainable human capacity development for the benefit of all stakeholders in the
Nigerian oil and gas value-chain.

” In this, we look forward to enhanced collaboration with indigenous training organisations.

“For us at the DPR, our role as business enablers and opportunity providers positions us strategically as a driving force in the use of technology and application of technical
know-how, thereby entrenching sustainable partnerships to grow our indigenous capacity. ”

He said the DPR would continue to play the leading role and provide needed direction for the benefit of the industry.

Auwalu said the recent inauguration of the National Oil and Gas Excellence Centre (NOGEC) by President Muhammadu Buhari was aimed at reducing cost, enhancing safety and adding value to the industry.

“Accordingly, we must continue to collaborate and leverage our individual strength for mutually beneficial outcome. This is the pivotal role that the Department will continue to play as industry leader.

“To this end, the DPR is proud to be associated with OGTAN because our drive to build industry capacity is synchronous with that of the renowned organisation.

” Over the years, OGTAN has maintained its reputation as the “gold standard” of independent training service providers in the
oil and gas sector.

“OGTAN was established to develop indigenous capacity for the Nigerian oil and gas industry in line with the mandate of the department and other agencies of government such as Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.

” I am proud to say that OGTAN has become a household name to reckon with and continues to blaze the trail in the comity of indigenous capacity development experts,” Auwalu said.

Earlier, Mr Mayowa Afe, President, OGTAN, said the award was bestowed on the DPR boss for bringing inovativion to the oil and gas industry and transforming the agency to a business enabler.(NAN)

Sahara Group urges more awareness on occupational health,safety

By Solomon Asowata 

Energy conglomerate, Sahara Group has called for increased stakeholder collaboration towards achieving sustained awareness campaigns and interventions that would enhance workplace safety and health across the globe.

Mr Adeniyi Ige, Safety Manager, Sahara Group, made the call in a statement issued on Monday in Lagos ahead of the Safety and Health at Work Day, marked globally on April 28.

Ige said employers and employees need to adopt a unified approach to safety and health issues to safeguard lives and drastically reduce the number of work-related deaths and injuries.

He said the focus must be on how increasing investment and participation of all stakeholders could make Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.

According to him, this will ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages and promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.

“Workplace safety and health issues must be seen as everyone’s business and should be institutionalised in a manner that makes everyone’s involvement crystal clear.

“The International Labour Organisation estimates that about 2.78 million workers die from occupational accidents annually, while lost work days globally represent almost 4 per cent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product.

“This trend highlights the need for a systemic approach to effective management of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) concerns at work. We must all make safety first a way of life within and outside the workplace,” Ige said.

He noted that collaboration, investment and adoption of technology would help achieve timely identification and monitoring of health and safety hazards within the workplace.

Ige said it would also help to train employees to minimize and/or avoid any risks associated with their jobs; review health and safety legislation to ensure compliance with the most recent standards.

He added that it would also help them perform safety inspections of the workplace environment and write workplace-specific safety policies and best practices.

“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses shows that the world needs to be prepared always to take on workplace safety and health issues to safeguard global economic development and prosperity,” Ige said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the World Day for Safety and Health at Work is celebrated by the International Labor Organisation (ILO) annually on April 28.

The celebration creates an awareness-raising campaign to promote the prevention of accidents and diseases at work globally.

It also gives international attention on the magnitude of the problem and on how promoting and creating a safety and health culture can help reduce the number of work-related deaths and injuries. (NAN)

OMAA unveils Nigeria’s first locally assembled gas-powered buses

Left to right) Dr Ishaku Abner, Technical Assistant (Downstream) to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources; Mrs Pat Igwebuike, Special Adviser to the Anambra State Governor on Legal Matters; Dr Mohammed Ibrahim, Chairman National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) and Chinedu Oguegbu, Founder, OMAA

By Solomon Asowata

Lagos, April 24, 2021 (NAN) The Federal Government’s autogas scheme has received a boost with the rollout of Nigeria’s first locally assembled natural gas-powered buses by an indigenous energy firm, OMAA Global.

A statement posted on Saturday on the company’s website said the rollout took place recently at its facility in Igbo Ukwu near Nnewi, Anambra, in the presence of Dr Ishaku Abner, Technical Assistant (Downstream) to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.

Also in attendance at the rollout were Mrs Pat Igwebuike, Special Adviser to the Anambra State Governor on Legal Matters and Dr Mohammed Ibrahim, Chairman of the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP).

Mr Chinedu Oguegbu, Founder of OMAA, said the move was the beginning of a trend that would revolutionise not just the transport industry but also the energy industry in Nigeria.

Oguegbu said the rollout of the buses would accelerate utilisation of the abundant natural gas resources that Nigeria was endowed with.

He noted that the buses were rugged and more durable because of adaptation to Nigerian roads.

Oguegbu added that the company was expanding its network nationwide to ensure quality after sales and availability of spare parts.

“With the African Continental Free Trade Agreement already in force , we hope to expand our service beyond Nigerian borders, exploring opportunities in Africa’s 54 countries and 1.2 billion population.”

“Whatever the need for our development and industrialisation as a people today, we should be sustainable in our approach and think of the livelihood of future generations.

“Whether we like it or not, climate change is real and the use of gas as a transition fuel reduces the damage done by biomass, not just to the environment but to human health,” Oguegbu noted.

He said the company plans to introduce a wider portfolio of solutions to address the energy demand in the residential, commercial and industrial markets, using natural gas by next year.

Also speaking, Ibrahim said OMAA had been a robust partner with the NGEP, stressing that the company was on track to make a tremendous impact in the energy and transport industries.

In her remark, Igwebuike said “it is delightful to see such innovative developments take place in Anambra state.

“With this technology, I believe that OMAA will eventually become a staple brand in the industry.” (NAN)

COVID-19: DPR recommends antigen rapid diagnostic tests for offshore workers

Engr. Sarki Auwalu, Director, DPR

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has recommended the use of Antigen-based Rapid Diagnostic Tests (Ag-RDTs) for offshore workers in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

The DPR made the recommendation on Wednesday in a circular to the oil and gas industry operators and all industry service providers on the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The circular said the World Health Organisation had granted Emergency Use Authorisation for two Ag-RDTs which were SD Biosensor and Abbott with above 80 per cent sensitivity and above 97 per cent specificity.

According to the circular, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has subsequently approved their use in Nigeria as contained in the guidance for the Use of Approved COVID-19 Ag-RDTs released in January, 2021.

”Consequently, the DPR is by this circular, advising operators and service providers to commence the use of these approved Ag-RDTs .

“This is with the aim of addressing the cost implications and psychological impacts on staff due to the current practice of mandatory seven to 10 days isolation to and from offshore/remote locations.

“Ag-RDTs can typically be conducted within a short turnaround time of 10 to 30 minutes by medical personnel with the requisite training,” the circular said.

It further advised them to adhere to the NCDC guidelines.

“All Ag-RDTs positive results should be interpreted as positive results; counselling, isolation and national case management guidelines should be adhered to.

“For asymptomatic case or a high-risk contact who tests negative on Ag-RDT, a Polymerase Chain Reaction confirmation test becomes mandatory to rule out COVID-19,” the circular said.

It said furthermore, all operators and service providers are to comply with the NCDC guidelines in the use of COVID-19 testing self-reporting case investigation form.

The circular also directed them to submit monthly returns of summary of test results to the DPR for the monitoring of industry performance in this regard.

“Whilst hoping for the imminent end of this global pandemic and early return to normal operations, please be rest assured that DPR will continue to support your business and facilitate continuity of operations in overriding national interest, ” it said. (NAN)

National mass metering programme: Beyond the blame game

An analysis by Solomon Asowata, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

 

When Tunde Saheed, a 28-year old banker, got his electricity bill for February, he was shocked and angry at the same time.

The bill read N46,210.03k for a two-bedroom apartment he recently moved into in Surulere area of Lagos State as part of preparation for his marriage later in the year.

For a young bachelor who lives alone and works every day apart from weekends, Saheed could not understand the rationale for the high bill, except that his house is one of the few houses in the area without a prepaid meter.

He said he tried contacting Eko Electricity Distribution Company on its official Twitter account after attempts to speak with the company’s marketer failed to yield the desired result.

“I have no option than to pay part of the amount pending when my landlord gets us meters but it is very unfortunate because this is exploitation by the DisCo,” he complained bitterly.

Many electricity consumers in Nigeria are facing the same situation with 62.63 per cent of them still on estimated billing as at September 2020, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

NERC, which regulates the power sector, believes that the metering gap for end-use customers remains a key challenge in the industry.

“The data showed that out of of the 11,841 registered electricity customers as at the end of the third quarter of 2020, only 4,425, 628 (37.37 per cent) have been metered. 

“Thus, 7, 416,191 representing 62.63 per cent of the registered electricity customers are still on estimated billing,” NERC said in its Quarter 3, 2020 Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) Key Financial and Operational Report.

Worried by the development, which had led to low bill collections by the DisCos, the Federal Government on Oct. 30, 2020, flagged off the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP).

The programme is aimed at meeting the target of closing the metering gap in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry by  December.

It would assist in reducing collection losses, while at the same time increasing financial flows to achieve 100 per cent market remittance obligation of the DisCos.

Part of the objectives also include the elimination of arbitrary estimated billing, improving network monitoring capability and provision of data for market administration and investment decision-making.

But more than four months after it commenced, the government’s plan to distribute free one million prepaid meters to Nigerians under the phase zero seems to have come unstuck.

Ikeja Electric, which targets metering 106,701 of its customers within the period blames the slow pace of the programme on apathy and attitude of some of the unmetered customers.

Mr Felix Ofulue, Head, Corporate Communications, IE, said only about 24,000 customers had been metered so far under the scheme.

He said: “The challenge we are having is that people are not going online to register. Only 57 per cent have done their Know Your Customer (KYC) and some are even saying they don’t want meters.

“There is also the issue of separation of accounts by customers which involves installation of their electrical connection to the required standard before they can be issued meters.

“Some of them have refused to do that and we cannot issue one meter for instance for five flats because it can easily get damaged.

“All those who are yet to register are enjoined to visit map.Ikejaelectric.com to complete their registration as soon as possible.”

Similarly, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), announced that its target was to meter 100,000 customers under the phase zero.

Mr Godwin Idemudia, General Manager, Corporate Communications, EKEDC, said the NMMP had already commenced with with pre-installation survey, followed by installation of meters for the customers. 

“Customers who are yet to register are advised to visit EKEDC official website and fill the application form via www.ekedp.com/ordermeter  to benefit from the programme,” he said.

However, electricity consumer groups have faulted the claims by the DisCos that customers were responsible for the slow pace of the NMMP.

Mr Adeola Samuel-Ilori, National Coordinator, All Electricity Consumers Protection Forum, said even customers who made payment for meters under the Meter Assets Providers (MAP) scheme were yet to be metered.

“They can’t put the blame on customers because many customers want to get their meters but the DisCos cannot even after making payments for them under MAP.

“The truth is that the DisCos are enjoying this estimated billing and exploitation of Nigerians otherwise this issue of metering should have been resolved a long time ago,” he said.

Samuel-Ilori noted that limiting the registration to online had also affected some customers, adding that the DisCos should explore other options to make customers embrace the programme.

Mr Surai Fadairo, National President, Energy Consumer Rights and Responsibilities Initiative (ECRRI), also said the DisCos should work with Civil Society Organisations to speed up the process.

“When you do this kind of programmes you need Non Governmental Organisations to help you look into it. They need us to do their follow up to ensure that the process is going on as scheduled,” Fadairo said.

He said the regulation clearly stated that any customer who rejected meter should be disconnected, adding that the DisCos had no excuse for not installing customers with meters.

Mr Sina Odugbemi, Converner, Where’s the Light Movement, said the failure of the NMMP was due to lack of sincerity.

“All these things are just to keep consumer busy because it does not take anything to have the meters and give them out. All those procedures are just to buy time.

“I am challenging them that the meters are not there. If the meters are there they should show us where the meters they want to distribute are stored. 

“The DisCos need to do an audit of how many meters they have given out since they started the programme and show sincerity that they want it to succeed,” Odugbemi said.

Reacting to the complaints, Mr Kola Balogun,  Chairman, Momas Electrical Meters Manufacturing Companies Limited (MEMMCOL), one of the indigenous companies involved in the NMMP, maintained that meters were available.

Balogun said: “There are meters practically in most places. What we are battling with is manpower. We are recruiting more hands in order to address the challenges.

“There are challenges in terms of logistics because some places are too far from other locations so we need more people to be able to meet up the deficits. 

“That is why we are recruiting and training so that more people will join the installation team to speed up the process of installation.”

He also commended the federal government for the initiative, stressing that the programme should be sustained due to its immense benefits to the country.

“Apart from helping us solve this problem of metering gap once and for all, it has created an opportunity for us to empower our youths with meter installation skills which will help in reducing unemployment in the country,” Balogun said. 

Experts are of the views that NERC needs to ensure the success of the NMMP by working with the DisCos and other stakeholders to overcome these challenges hindering its smooth implementation. (NAN)