NEDC to Introduce Electric Vehicles in Northeast States

By: Michael Mike

The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has announced plans to introduce e-mobility for commercial purposes in all six states of the Northeast region.

This is part of the initiatives of the Commission to reduce hardships on the people of the region which comprises Taraba, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa and Borno States caused by removal of subsidy on petroleum products.

The project, which has been approved by President Bola Tinubu, will commence soon after final deliberations with a Joint State Committee of the six states comprising the NEDC.

The e-mobility project, according to the NEDC Managing Director/CEO ,Alhaji Mohammed Alkali will provide tricycles, taxis, and buses for intra and inter-state services, reducing reliance on gas and petrol.

He revealed that the project will be implemented in phases, based on individual state needs, and will include training and maintenance schedules for staff, road unions, and beneficiaries, adding that the e-mobility vehicles will be provided on loan, with flexible terms and conditions determined by the Joint Committee.

Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting in Maiduguri on Wednesday, Alkali solicited the support and cooperation from union leaders and members to ensure the project’s success.

He noted that the project is expected to influence rapid development in the region.

Meanwhile, the MD/CEO of the NEDC has directed the management of Al Ansar University to forward their demands to the commission for consideration.

The university has sought the support and assistance from the commission, which include educational facilities, mobility provision, solar energy systems, ICT facilities, and research funds.

The NEDC is in the habit of assisting and supporting many tertiary institutions in the region as part of its mandate to promote and develop the educational sector.

The NEDC also requested a proposal from Al Ansar FM 96.1 Radio Station for a retainership on some radio programmes, especially in local languages, to reach a wider audience.

NEDC to Introduce Electric Vehicles in Northeast States

Kachalla Tsoho Lulu Killed by Kachalla Gajere in Anka, Zamfara

By; Zagazola Makama

A notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Tsoho Lulu, was killed by fellow bandit Kachalla Gajere.

The incident occurred on Sept 26, 2024, near the village of Kawaye, located in the forests of Bagega within Anka Local Government Area, Zamfara State.

Intelligence told Zagazola Makama the conflict between the two arose from a dispute over mining activities in the area. Sources indicate that tensions between the factions had been escalating for some time.

In response to the killing, followers of Kachalla Tsoho Lulu are now actively seeking revenge, vowing to track down and kill Kachalla Gajere.

Kachalla Tsoho Lulu was notorious for orchestrating violent attacks across the Dan Kurmi region, affecting communities in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

His raids also extended to areas from Dan Ummaru to Bena in Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, leaving a trail of destruction.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident on Sept 27, 2024, Kachallah Gajere, aka Mai’Yar Gashi, clashed with the Nigerian troops at Dankurmi village in Dansadau.

The clash resulted in the killing of unconfirmed numbers of bandits while GAJERA escaped but fatally injured.

Kachalla Tsoho Lulu Killed by Kachalla Gajere in Anka, Zamfara

How two bearings mirror upgrading of China’s manufacturing

By Li Xinping, Wang Zheng, Ding Yiting, People’s Daily

Bearings are considered as “joints” of industries.
Recently, the Liu’ao offshore wind farm in Zhangzhou, southeast China’s Fujian province, which features the application of 16-MW offshore wind turbine units, was put into full-capacity operation and connected to the grid for power generation. The bearings of the turbine units were independently developed in China.

Meanwhile, a tunnel boring machine equipped with a Chinese-manufactured main bearing, which comes with a diameter of over three meters, was instrumental in building the Suzhou Metro Line 6 in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu province.

These two bearings exactly mirror the solid strides in China’s manufacturing over the past 75 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

The bearings used on the 16-MW offshore wind turbine units were produced by LYC Bearing Corporation. “We were incapable of producing high-end bearings over 10 years ago, but we were determined to crack this hard nut,” said Wang Xinying, chairman of the company.

To strengthen its capabilities, LYC set up Chinese national-level key laboratories and other innovative platforms. It also cooperated with Tsinghua University and other institutions of higher learning to leverage their strength.

As a result, it launched a wide range of new products, such as bearings for new energy vehicles (NEVs), wind turbine units, and for rail transit. These products have been employed by important equipment such as the Chang’e series lunar probes, the Tiangong Space Station, and the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST).

While LYC is striving for excellence in manufacturing high-end bearings, China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation Limited (CRCHI) is focusing all of its energy on the development of tunnel boring machine (TBM) bearings.

In 2019, CRCHI set up a dedicated research and design institute to develop main bearings for TBMs, the “final piece of the puzzle” in China’s goal to fully localize its TBM industry. After three years, the institute finally developed a TBM bearing with a diameter of over nine meters.

“This main bearing, the largest and heaviest in the world, can be used in the largest TBMs currently available,” said Liu Feixiang, CRCHI’s chief scientist.

“In the past, what we could do was decided by what equipment we had, but now we can manufacture equipment for whatever task is needed,” Liu added.

Behind the two bearings lies the strong confidence stemming from China’s complete manufacturing system.

In 1949, China’s first batch of molten steel was produced by Ansteel in northeast China, and today, China has maintained the world’s largest steel producer for 28 consecutive years, constantly breaking world records in the thickness of steel foils.

In 1956, the first Jiefang truck rolled off the assembly line of Chinese automaker FAW Group. Today, China has been the world’s largest auto production and sales country for 15 consecutive years, while its production and sales of NEVs topped the global market for the ninth year in a row.

China has completed in a just few decades the industrialization process that took developed countries several hundred years. It boasts the world’s most comprehensive industrial categories and a well-rounded industrial system, with its manufacturing spanning 31 major categories, 179 subcategories, and 609 branch categories. For 14 years in a row, the country has remained the world’s top manufacturing hub. In 2023, its value-added manufacturing output accounted for 26.2 percent of its GDP and approximately 30 percent of the global output.

As Chinese enterprises constantly improve their capabilities and extend to the higher end of the industrial chain, more bearing products are hitting the market.

On March 10, a bearing developed by LYC for a 40-meter-aperture radio telescope in the Changbai Mountain area, northeast China’s Jilin province, completed acceptance inspection to support future lunar and deep-space probe missions.

On March 14, the world’s first main bearing for 25 MW wind turbine units successfully rolled off the production line at Luoyang Bearing Science and Technology Co., Ltd. in Luoyang, central China’s Henan province, setting a new record for the highest single-unit capacity in wind turbine bearings.
As products become higher-end, production must also become smarter. CRCHI has built a digital twin of the general assembly facility in one of its industrial parks in Changsha, central China’s Hunan province.

“This is a digital twin image of the front of a TBM’s cutterhead. The varying shades represent the stress and wear on the blades,” said Wang Yongsheng, deputy head of CRCHI’s digital twin research institute. By analyzing the data in real-time, engineers can upgrade the next-generation products in a more targeted manner, Wang added.

In China, mass-produced power battery cells now have an energy density of 300 watt-hours per kilogram, placing them at the forefront of international standards. The silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells made in China have achieved an efficiency of 34.6 percent, continuously setting new world records.

Besides, recent years have seen rapid growth in China’s export of “the new three,” namely, NEVs, lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic products, with annual exports exceeding 1 trillion yuan ($140.93 billion).

Currently, strategic emerging industries account for about 13 percent in China’s GDP, and China is home to 463,000 high-tech companies. Chinese manufacturing is rapidly advancing toward the high end of the global industrial chain.

Moreover, the penetration rate of digital R&D and design tools in major Chinese enterprises reached 80.1 percent, and 62.9 percent of their key production processes are numerically controlled. Industrial internet has been applied in all major industrial categories, and the steps of industrial digitalization and digital industrialization have been accelerated.
By upgrading traditional industries, expanding emerging industries, and planning for future industries, China is developing new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions, continuously creating new drivers of growth and competitive advantages.

How two bearings mirror upgrading of China’s manufacturing