NERC Advises on Compliance Officers

Fri, Mar 7, 2014
By publisher
6 MIN READ

Energy Briefs

THE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has urged all distribution companies to get compliance officers who would ensure that rules and regulations are adhered to. Steve Andzenge, NERC commissioner, legal, licensing and enforcement, gave advice  when the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, ICSAN, led by Jacqueline Odadu, council chairman, paid a visit to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

He stated that those in regulatory bodies were concerned with compliance adding that the commission had made it compulsory for all distribution companies to have compliance officers. Andzenge also agreed that the role of ICSAN was beneficial to any corporate body and that a secretary is in a position of trust, serving as a bridge builder between the management and board.

Sam Amadi, NERC chairman, said while receiving the delegation that ICSAN’s profile depicts a reputable institute that the commission stands to benefit from. He urged the delegation to use its member’s knowledge and influence to perpetuate the prescription of standards for corporate governance saying, “One of our priorities is to streamline our corporate governance framework.” Amadi, however, described the institute as a body that is perhaps the most prestigious of all institutes in the country.

In her remarks, Odadu disclosed that ICSAN is a body of chartered secretaries, trained to be corporate secretaries, the type that dominate boardrooms where important decisions are taken by directors and chairmen, among others. She noted that the council has representatives who work with other corporations to bring about a unified code of corporate compliance for Nigeria.

Odadu expressed the institute’s readiness to offer its service to the commission, adding that, “It is one of the few bodies where they do not have honorary members. We are unique, not many in number, but tactful.”

Electricity Wastage Worries IKEDC

Chinedu Nebo, Minister of Power
Chinedu Nebo, Minister of Power

THE management of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, IKEDC, on Tuesday, March 4, said it would collaborate with the Lagos State government on energy conservation to reduce unnecessary waste by electricity consumers. Pekun Adeyanju, assistant general manager, public affairs, said the partnership was announced during a visit by Damilola Ogunbiyi, general manager, Lagos State Electricity Board, LSEB, to the management of IKEDC.

He said that Abiodun Ajifowobaje, managing director, IKEDC, raised the issue of energy waste by electricity customers in Lagos during the visit. According to him, such wastage was part of the obstacles to effective distribution of electricity as the energy being wasted could be easily utilised by other customers. He therefore, sought the assistance of the state government to partner with the company in enlightening electricity customers on energy conservation.

Adeyanju said some consumers had formed the habit of putting electricity on even when they don’t need it. He said that structures under power lines posed serious threats to human lives as electrical lines might snap and affect people living or trading under them.

Responding, the LSEB general manager said the issue of energy wastage was at the heart of the state government. She said it was also part of the focus of the coming 7th Lagos Economic Summit, tagged “EHINGBETI 2014.” Ogunbiyi said the government had begun an awareness campaign to educate Lagosians on how to manage electricity wisely and economically. She said that IKEDC management had sought the assistance of the government on removal of structures erected under power lines.

 

NUPENG Threatens Again

NIGERIA Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has threatened to cripple the nation’s oil and gas sector over increasing unfair labour practices and divestment by international oil companies, IOCs, in the country. Igwe Achese, president, NUPENG, who served this notice at the commissioning of the Lagos zonal office of NUPENG, accused the IOCs of stalling the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, and called on the National Assembly to put the interest of the nation above that of its members and ensure that the PIB becomes a reality.

Achese
Achese

“The casualisation/outsourcing of workers has become a cancer, especially in the oil and gas sector. The Union has threatened to call its members on a nation-wide strike without notice, if industrial relations issues on outsourcing and negotiation of Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, for our members in the multi-national oil companies, especially, Mobil Producing Nigeria, Agip, Chevron and Shell Petroleum Development Company are not addressed. The Union re-iterates that the new drive of the oil majors and multi-nationals amount to sabotage and therefore calls on President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene as all efforts by the NNPC and Federal Ministry of Labour have failed. We also kick against the on-going divestment in the oil sector by the multi-national oil companies, as it often leads to job losses and therefore enjoin the government to constitute a team to look into the issue in order to avert an industrial unrest.

“We therefore warn that the Union will go on strike without notice, if the issues are not addressed. Part of the responsibility of government is to create jobs and protect the jobs that already exist. It is against this backdrop that we call for the quick passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill that is before the National Assembly. The quick passage will go a long way to reforming and ensuring transparency in the oil and gas sector. The multi-nationals are running helter-skelter to halt the passage but this must be rebuffed by the National Assembly members because the multinationals are doing it for their selfish interests,” he said.

Achese lamented the increasing cases of pipeline vandalism and said “It is a pity that pipelines vandals have refused to change. The recent poor power supply in the nation was attributed to vandalism of the gas pipelines in Escravos area. The nation’s economy still bleeds with the resultant oil theft from the activities of vandals. We continue to call for the establishment of a Pipeline Protection Agency to be well funded to tackle the problem.”

Compiled by Anayo Ezugwu

— Mar. 17, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT

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