Month: July 2023

Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has reaffirmed government’s commitment to finding solutions to end load shedding.

Briefing media on progress in the implementation of the Energy Action Plan in Pretoria, Ramokgopa reassured South Africans that, working with a team of competent engineers at Eskom and the leadership of the Board, significant strides are being made.

“I want to give you confidence that we are going to resolve this, it’s an engineering problem. I eat, breathe and sleep [finding] solutions to load shedding and I’m confident that with the team that is helping us, we will be able to resolve load shedding,” he said on Sunday.

“We will get out of load shedding and build a buffer and ensure that the South African economy is able to realise its potential,” Ramokgopa said.

Government had projected that in winter the country would hit the highs of 34 000 Megawatts, but it has not reached anything close to this. The Minister attributed this to a change in South Africans’ and industries’ attitude towards reducing their electricity demand.

Giving an update on the previous five-day average ending on 30 June 2023, Ramokgopa said the current available capacity was beginning to plateau at about 29 913 Megawatts, compared to 28 664 Megawatts of capacity which the country was sitting on from 26 June 2023.

“We are making significant improvements of about 1 300 Megawatts of improvement [and] what is encouraging for me is that we are beginning to maintain that,” Ramokgopa said.

He said South Africa was beginning to keep up with the demand and this had resulted in no load shedding for significant periods of the day.

However, the Minister emphasised that there was a need to ensure that generation far exceeds demand.

“In that way we would be able to pull a number of units through planned maintenance and we would be able to build a buffer, so that, as the South African economy continues to grow and recover, we would have sufficient generation capacity.”

The Minister said it was worth noting that in the midst of winter they were able to ramp up planned maintenance, which he said is “an illustration of a system that is recovering”.

Focus on partial load losses

Partial load losses was an area receiving attention, Ramokgopa said, adding that government was tapping into expertise outside of Eskom to go and work with General Managers at various stations.

“We are able to diagnose and determine the root causes of the failures from one unit to the other – what are the common failures that are responsible for the failing of that unit and/or responsible for the partial load losses? Then we know the biggest culprits on the units going out is boiler tubes, quality of the coal, us keeping to the emission parameters.

“We are very meticulous [and] deliberate. There’s is a degree of granularity on how we are beginning to understand the performance of these units and the kinds of skills and interventions that are required to help us to address this situation,” Ramokgopa said.

Transmission remains a vulnerable area

Meanwhile, the issue of transmission needs to be addressed.

The Minister said this remained a vulnerable area and required urgent attention as it undermines the ability to bring on board new generation capacity from renewable energies that give the best returns.

“If you have to do a wind atlas, the best areas for you to have wind is the coastal areas of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape. It is exhausted in the Northern Cape, it is about to be exhausted in the Western Cape [and] it is not sufficient in the Eastern Cape, to accommodate the amount of energy that we want to introduce,” he said.

He said Eskom is working on a transmission development plan, but the issue is around finance.

Ramokgopa said this required an innovative plan.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Malam Shehu Ahmed, the Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) says the FCT Administration would demolish all structures on waterways across the nation’s capital.

Ahmed made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

He said some structures were preventing water from flowing freely through its natural course which was responsible for flooding recorded in some parts of the city.

” People are clamoring that we act quickly and take tough decisions to save lives. And this is what we must do. We cannot act as though we don’t see this man-made problem caused by those who violate the Abuja Master Plan.”

” Buildings in Trademore Estate had been severally marked for demolition. Warnings have been given year after year but the occupants of the estate keep risking their lives and those of others.

” By declaring Trademore a disaster zone, we have told the residents there to evacuate. The area is on a low line zone which is not safe. Flooding can come at anytime. They know this and have been experiencing it over the years”.

The executive secretary, who is the chairman, Special Ministerial Task Team on Flood Mitigation, revealed that a Police station in Trademore would be demolished and other buildings.

” We have The Police station in Trademore would be demolished. It will go alongside other buildings. We have engaged the FCT Police command and have provided a suitable place for them to operate from and fight crime.”

The executive secretary pointed out that Trademore Estate did not have FCDA Approved building plan and the continuous flooded areas can best be left as Green areas and not residential.

He explained that the estate was just one of the areas in focus as other areas where structures were built on floodplains would experience removal of illegal structures.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The pioneer Editor-In-Chief of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Prof. Victor Adefela, has advised parents to allow their children to follow their passion in choosing career paths, to help them succeed in life.

The 85-year-old professor gave the advice on Friday while presenting his new book titled “Notes Along The Way” at NAN Media Centre in Iganmu, Lagos.

Adefela, who was accompanied by his wife, Oluyemisi, also spoke on how the COVID-19 lockdown and the attendant boredom of staying indoors, in the U.S., eventually resulted in him putting pen to paper to author the book.

He said passion for journalism drew him into the profession and it had been a wonderful experience since becoming one, with him visiting no fewer than 40 countries across the globe.

According to him, life is interesting and meaningful when people do what they actually like, as against professions imposed by parents for various reasons.

“Whatever your children want to do, let it be and give them the support.

“Let people be what they want to be, that is the only way they can find fulfilment,” he said.

Speaking about his book, he said it was a collective story of his life journey.

He said he spent one tenth of his life in NAN and so devoted one tenth of the over 200-page book to the agency, which impacted his life positively.

“This is not the story of NAN, this is the story of Victor Adefela,” he said.

Adefela, Editor-in-Chief of NAN from 1977 to 1985, said coming to work in the agency was the highpoint and most fulfilling aspect of his career life.

“In all my working years, I think the years in NAN were definitely the most productive and the most satisfying,” he said.

The professor said change is constant and everything, people and institutions evolve and are not static, but only passion endures and remains.

“In whatever you do, it is self fulfilment that matters,” he said.

Adefela said he and his pioneer colleagues were excited working hard to achieve something new and useful for growth of the nation.

He expressed hope that the current staff members in NAN were going to uphold the high standard they met.

Earlier, while introducing the author, the Managing Director of NAN, Mr Buki Ponle, said the book presentation was about “giving honour to whom honour is due”.

He led the staff to sing the popular Christian song, “Count your Blessings”.

He described Adefela as a father, mentor, and an icon, who contributed to what he had become.

Ponle said that Adefela was highly disciplined, and in spite of his rich knowledge, very humble.

He recalled Adefela’s stay in NAN when he (Adefela) stood for excellence and tolerated nothing less from members of staff.

“He meant well for us, he has always been our mentor,” he said.

The managing director thanked him for donating 50 books to his fellow retirees.

He said that the book, written by an 85-year-old man, had challenged him to also write a book.

The book reviewer, Mr Segun Adeyemi, was represented by a retired staff, Dr Kingsley Kubeyinje, who joined NAN in 1984.

Adeyemi is a former New York Correspondent, NAN, and former Special Adviser to the immediate-past Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

He said the book captured the reality of the life of the reputable journalist and academician.

He said that 22 of the pages were dedicated to his times in NAN, adding that, it also captured his early adventurous childhood which had many turns and twists.

He said it captured the “life story of a boy who was born in Lagos, grew up partly in Igbara-Oke and Ile-Ife, went to school in both, as well as in Ibadan and the United States, and then became a world citizen, a renowned Journalist, a global Consultant and a University Teacher who has visited 40 countries in three continents!

“What many readers, especially from the NAN family, will look forward to in the memoir is his notes on the time he spent in the agency, especially because he was the very first journalist to be employed in NAN, and the agency’s pioneer Editor-in-Chief who largely charted its editorial pathway.

“Only 22 of the 274 pages in the book were dedicated to the eight years he spent in NAN, but so much was packed into those pages that I do not think he left much untouched.

“Find out why the story of NAN will be incomplete without this man,” he said.

Also, a former editor-in-chief, Mr Isaac Ighure and others took turns to relish exciting moments.

Ighure said he met “an organised and sweet NAN to work in” because Adefela laid the right foundation.

“We were breaking the news and the others were following us,” Ighure said.

He recommended the book for those seeking growth and better understanding.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria