UKNIAF, NGF Advance Electricity Reform with Nationwide Workshop Series

By: Michael Mike

The United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF), in partnership with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) have wrapped up a major national initiative to support State-led electricity market reforms.

The State Learning Workshop Series focused on Electricity Market Development, Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) and energy modelling software.

Workshops in Lagos, Calabar, Kano and Jos have been successfully completed, drawing participants from all the 36 States and the FCT and setting a strong precedent for what lies ahead.

These sessions equipped policymakers, regulators and stakeholders with the tools to design robust, sustainable and investor-ready electricity markets at the State level, in line with the provisions of the Electricity Act 2023.

Reflecting on the significance of this initiative, the Director-Legal/Head Power Desk at the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Mr. Chijioke Chuku,, stated that: “Nigeria’s electricity future depends on the capacity of our States to lead with vision, clarity, and technical precision. Through the workshop series, we are equipping States not just with knowledge, but with the confidence to take charge of their electricity markets. The NGF is proud to partner with UKNIAF in ensuring that the promise of the Electricity Act 2023 becomes a lived reality across the country.”

The sessions in the State Learning Workshops covered: The legal and regulatory pathways for setting up State Electricity Markets; Commercial models for private sector investment; Integration of State plans into Nigeria’s National IRP;

Practical training on the software platform for energy modelling.

The initiative drew from lessons learned in the course of UKNIAF’s work supporting the Akwa Ibom, Enugu, and Oyo State Governments—early movers in electricity market development—in setting up their markets.

It also drew from experience gained in the course of UKNIAF providing technical support to the Federal Ministry of Power in drafting both the National Integrated Electricity Policy and Nigeria’s first National Integrated Resource Plan, both of which were approved very recently.

With States now empowered by the Electricity Act 2023, this series is a timely and strategic effort to ensure capacity, coordination, and sustainability in Nigeria’s decentralised energy landscape.

UKNIAF, NGF Advance Electricity Reform with Nationwide Workshop Series

Three killed, others injured in bandits’ attack on Zamfara community

By: Zagazola Makama

Armed bandits have killed three persons and injured three others in an attack on Galadi town, Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara.

Sources confirmed the incident saying the attack occurred at about 10:50 p.m. on Aug. 27.

The sources said the bandits stormed the town, shooting sporadically, which resulted in the deaths and injuries.

Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA were mobilised to the scene. The corpses and injured victims were evacuated to Galadi Primary Health Care Centre for autopsy and treatment.

Meanwhile, a manhunt for the fleeing culprits has been intensified, as the bandits escaped before the arrival of the joint forces,” the sources said.

Three killed, others injured in bandits’ attack on Zamfara community

GM Yobe Mills Explains Why the Company Is Operating at 50 Percent Capacity

By: Yahaya Wakili

The General Manager of Yobe Flour and Feed Mills Co. Ltd., Potiskum, Yobe State, Alhaji Saminu Utai, has revealed that the company has started the production at almost 50 to 60 percent capacity, noting that the company cannot produce up to 100% right now.

He, however, said that very soon the company will achieve the production capacity at 100 percent.

The general manager disclosed this recently to newsmen in his office. He said, “When I resumed this office, there was no any production in this company, so I thank Almighty God that from this period, January to date, we are starting the production atalmost 50 to 60 percent capacity.”

The raw materials, we buy them normally at Maiduguri, which is the Biu area; we buy them in Gombe, which is the Kumo; and we buy them from Taraba, which is to come and process the product here, and we have customers in Geidam, Damaturu, and Azare, and then I have them in Kano and Maiduguri. All these customers patronize the product of the flour mill.

“Because, if you look at the problems of this company, they spent a lot of years without any production. When I resumed this office, I sat down with the staff just to figure out how to get customers in this company, but the staff told me that you have the previous customers, one in Kano and some of them in Geidam,” Utai added.

“I start moving to those various places and discuss with the customers, and they said they did not buy the product until they saw the samples. I just came back to the company and processed the samples, and then I got and gave them so that they started buying the product, and we have 50 kg, 25 kg, and 10 kg, and the type of product we have is maize, flour, and animal feed.”

He said the challenges are only two things: the capital, which is the running cost of the face of the company, and the customers. I talked to His Excellency; there are no running costs in this company. He told me that I should go and write it and send it. When I wrote it, His Excellency approved it and sent the money to start running the affairs of the company.

According to Utai, before the Executive Governor came into power, there was not any company that existed in the state, but we thank God when Governor Buni came to power in 2019; he sat down to think about all the companies that had not existed in the state, like Yobe Flour and Feed Mills, the Aluminum Roofing company, Dafurga Spring Water, and the Woven Sacks company, among others; he resuscitated them all immediately.

“We thank Almighty Allah for giving Yobeans His Excellency, Governor Mai Mala Buni CON COMN, as our governor, and call on the entire people of Yobe State to continue praying for him to complete his tenure successfully.

GM Yobe Mills Explains Why the Company Is Operating at 50 Percent Capacity