Business News B2
Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, April 10, 2018
House committee assures of adequate funding of ongoing TCN projects Moses Oyediran, Enugu
The House of Representatives Committee on Privatization has assured that it will make adequate budgetary provision in 2018 budget to complete all ongoing Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) power projects in the country. The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Ahmed Yerima, gave the assurance when he led members of the committee to an oversight function and interaction with management of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) on Monday in Enugu.
Yerima noted that ongoing TCN power projects were critical to the economic and social growth of the country. ``We are looking for a way to meet all the TCN budgetary needs for the completion of their numerous on-going power projects at various degrees of completion to ensure constant and stable power supply in the country. ``These projects are critical to the economic and social growth of the country. ``When completed and put to use it will translate to more jobs, employments, profits, more money, security and general well-being of our people in the country,’’ he said. He also said that it would
also look at the issue of government ministries, departments and agencies owing private investors huge money running into billions of naira in the accumulative. The chairman also said that the committee was considering a legislature that would be all-encompassing to checkmate energy theft in the country. ``It is basically a morally issue for people not to do the right thing like paying for electricity they had consumed. ``We have decided to look at the issue of energy theft from a broader view. We will see what we can do on it,’’ he said. Yerima, who is representing Misau/Dambam Feder-
al Constituency in Bauchi State, said that the committee had fruitful deliberations with the management of EEDC especially on issues militating against their progress and service delivery to the people. ``It was a fruitful session with the EEDC management; as we came purposefully to see, hear, interact and found common ground to improve power supply for the good of Nigerians. ``It is a known fact that the power sector is the key driver of the economy as well as other socio-political necessities meant to better the lives of Nigerians,’’ he added. Earlier, the Acting Managing Director of EEDC, Mr Paul Okeke, said that
the company had improved its operating reach, using of smart meters and metering system, customer services, ease of payment and reduce time of repairs of faulty installations. Okeke said that in spite of the achievements; there were so many challenges facing the company; ``which energy theft remained one of its major problems’’. ``I will implore the lawmakers to enact a law that will put stringent penalty on people that engage in energy theft. ``In the same vain, I will like the committee to master-mind and establish a special court for prosecution of those who engage in energy theft,’’ he appealed.
L-R: Obiora Okoye, Experience Centre Manager, North Central Zone, Heritage Bank Plc; Pupils of Makurdi International Schools and Doo Atongo, Experience Centre Associate, North Central Zone, during Heritage Bank’s support to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Financial Literacy Day on Global Money Week themed: #MoneyMattersMatter, held in Makurdi International Schools, Benue State, as one of the schools directed to adopt
‘CCTV installation at NAIA at 90 per cent completion ‘ CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1
at MMIA, Abuja in the first phase simultaneously and after this, we will go to Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu Airports. “The project has been on for a long time even before the issue of alleged incursions into the airports. It is just that we are facilitating and we want to ensure that it is done within the shortest period. Our security staff have been trained on how to monitor the equipment and others within the airports.” On the forthcoming ACI Africa conference, Yakubu declared that FAAN would use the opportunity to open up the aviation sector to internal and external investors. She explained that Mustapha would declare open the conference while Sen. Hadi Sirika, Minister of State for Aviation, Dr. Bernard Aliu, President of Council, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and Ms. Angela Gittens, DirectorGeneral li Tounsi, ACI World would also be in attendant. Others are Mr. Ali Tounsi, Secretary General of ACI Africa, Mr. Abderahmane Berthe, Secretary General of African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Mr. Bongani Maseko, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Airports Company, South Africa, Mr. Romesh Bhoyroo, CEO, Mauritius Airport, Ms. Isabel Zarza, Managing Director, Africa, Dufry, Mr. Sidi Gueye, Regional Director, Africa, International Air Transport Association (IATA) and a lot of other experts in the aviation industry.
AIB inaugurates 10-man safety recommendations committee Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo To complement their efforts and enhance the industry’s capacity to improve safety, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) yesterday inaugurated a 10-man safety recommendation committee. Members of the committee drawn from AIB, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Ministry of Transportation and the industry include: Com-
missioner of AIB, Akin Olateru, Director of Operations, Charles Irikefe, Sadik Abubakar and Roland Nwaohiri, all of AIB. Others are: Iteke Ifeanyi, J. O Vincent, S Aminu, J Adegboye and Taiwo Olugbenga of NCAA. Awogbami Clement from Ministry of Transportation was also amongst the members. To ensure a balance and objectivity, the Honourable Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika
has also approved the appointment of experienced industry experts-Capt Kiddie Dare and Engr. Gbolahan Abatan as consultants to the committee. They are Capt Kiddie Dare and Engr. Gbolahan Abatan. Speaking at the media briefing on the inauguration of safety recommendation committee held at AIB Safety House, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Commissioner/ CEO Of Accident Investi-
gation Bureau (AIB), Engr. Akin Olateru said that the reason for the inauguration is to consolidate the remarkable efforts being made by this management since assumption of office to extend the frontiers of aviation safety, not only in Nigeria but globally. Engr Olateru noted that AIB inherited 27 outstanding accident reports out of which they have published 10 as at the end of 2017, adding that the reports gener-
ated 35 safety recommendations. Emphasising that the responsibility for enforcing safety recommendations lies with NCAA, Olateru hinted that the committee will engage the affected stakeholders on the effectiveness of the safety recommendations addressed to them and submit their report to AIB management, which will work on it for the benefits of the industry.
He however, informed, that the bureau hopes to release another set of six accident reports before the end of May, 2018. “The purpose of accident investigation, which is to improve aviation safety cannot be achieved if our recommendations are not found to be effective by the stakeholders. The recommendations guide the regulators, operators, the Ministry and other stakeholders in the industry.
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