Latest news with #Aliyu
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3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Death toll from Nigeria flash floods rises to 151
At least 151 people in central Nigeria are now known to have died following flash floods that destroyed homes and displaced thousands of residents earlier this week. The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (Nsema) confirmed to the BBC the death toll had risen sharply from 115, after floods hit the town of Mokwa. A Nsema spokesman told the BBC more than 500 households with a population in excess of 3,000 people were affected. Some families are said to have lost between two and five relatives including children. The agency warned the death toll could rise further after people were washed into the River Niger below the town. Local authorities said 11 people had been rescued and taken to hospitals for treatment. Nsema said the Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa districts of Mokwa were worst affected. Mokwa's district head Muhammad Shaba Aliyu said it has been 60 years since the community had suffered this kind of flooding. "I beg the government to support us," Mr Aliyu said. But the officials appear to be overwhelmed by the scale of destruction as families desperately seek food and shelter. Mokwa is located at the edge of the River Niger, a transit point between the northern and southern part of Nigeria. A bridge linking the northern and south-western parts of the country has collapsed in the floods and left motorists stranded. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu directed "all relevant emergency and security agencies to intensify ongoing search and rescue operations". Torrential rain fell in the region on late Wednesday into Thursday, causing flash floods. Nigeria's rainy season is just beginning and usually lasts from April to October. Authorities have warned of heavy downpours in at least 15 of the country's 36 states. Floods kill at least 110 people after heavy rain in Nigeria Could Nigeria's careful ethnic balancing act be under threat?
Zawya
29-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
REA signs grant to expand Nigeria's energy access
In a decisive move to accelerate energy access while marking a major milestone for Nigeria's energy sector, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has held the first grant signing ceremony under the World Bank-funded Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) Project since its official launch in 2024. Tribune Online reports that the signing, which involved eight Renewable Energy Service Companies (RESCOs), forms a crucial step in Nigeria's commitment to electrifying unserved and underserved communities, driving economic growth, and improving the quality of life for millions. The DARES Project is structured to catalyse the off-grid energy market through targeted grant support for mini-grid and standalone solar projects. A key initiative under the Nigeria Electrification Programme (NEP), DARES is designed to facilitate the deployment of renewable energy solutions across Nigeria. These solutions are vital for providing reliable and affordable electricity to communities that are currently off-grid, thereby unlocking their potential for social and economic advancement. The Nigeria DARES Project aims to impact the lives of 17.5 million Nigerians. Under the Performance-Based Grant (PBG) sub-component for isolated mini-grids, Privida Power Limited secured a grant to deploy 2.47 megawatts (MW) of solar mini-grids across eleven communities in Kogi State, providing over 11,027 new connections. In Kogi State, Privida Power's projects will serve communities including Abocho Ojogba, Emewe Efopa, Icheu, Ochi Ofago, Offa, Ogene Ago, Ojamapunu, Oji Ofa, Ojo Agefu, Okura Ofate, and Onyakoji, with plant capacities tailored to local needs ranging from 61kW to 704kW per community. In addition, eight companies under the Standalone Solar Systems (SAS) component, including Baobab Plus, Salpha Energy, Asolar, NTA-StarTimes, A4&T, Sunking Greenlight Planet, Bboxx, and signed agreements to roll out tier 1 and 2 plug-and-play solutions to households and MSMEs to increase energy access in rural Nigeria. Speaking during the signing ceremony, the Managing Director/CEO of REA, Abba Aliyu, highlighted the significance of the partnership, stating that the aim of the project is to create access and enhance the reliability of the Agency's interventions in different areas. According to Aliyu, the issue of 18 million Nigerians without access to electricity would soon be a thing of the past with the intervention of DARES and other projects being implemented by the REA. 'Today's signing is not just a contract; it is a commitment to communities long underserved by conventional infrastructure. Through DARES, we are enabling private-sector leadership in bringing life-changing energy solutions to the heart of Nigeria. This is what distributed renewable energy should represent: local empowerment, economic opportunity, and human dignity. 'This is a big milestone. The project has started, and when we began, we commissioned the implementation of 42 interconnected mini-grids. Today, we're signing the first batch of grant agreements. These projects aim to electrify 17.5 million Nigerians, and we intend to deploy 1,350 mini-grids. We also segregated the implementation of the projects into two different components. The first component is for the deployment of the mini-grid, whether isolated or interconnected. The second component is the deployment of solar home systems. 'The aim of this project is to create access and enhance the reliability of our interventions in different areas. The interconnected mini-grids we are deploying, of which we aim to deploy 125, are designed to enhance the reliability of electricity for customers on Bands D and E. Isolated mini-grids will create access for communities currently without electricity in Nigeria. 'Like I said, today marks a significant day. We are signing this grant agreement with one of our key developers, Privida, and also eight of our solar home system companies. A total of 82 companies, both national and international, applied for this grant agreement under this project. Nine companies out of the 82 have submitted their sites. The total sites submitted are 198, which will provide an estimated 340,000 connections and a total of 47 megawatts (MW) of additional clean, reliable electricity to the country's total capacity. 'The 11th site we are signing today is Privida, one of the renewable energy service companies. Privida is committed to adding a total of 2.5MW of reliable, clean electricity, which will provide over 11,000 additional connections. For the solar home system, a total of 36 companies applied for this grant agreement, of which eight qualified for this signing. This will enable the deployment of 1.6 million solar home systems, which is significantly more than the total deployed under the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP). This signifies the scaling-up efforts under DARES to address the electricity access challenge in the country. 'The government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, through the Renewed Hope Agenda, is tackling the challenge of electricity access in the country head-on. We are committed to addressing this challenge. The issue of 18 million Nigerians without access to electricity will soon come to an end through the intervention of DARES and other projects being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency. 'We will soon reach a stage where Renewable Energy Service Companies (RESCOs) not only address the electricity access challenge in this country but also export their technical ability and capacity to other West African countries, addressing the issue of access across the continent under the Mission 300 initiative being implemented by the World Bank and the African Development Bank,' the REA boss told Tribune Online. Head of the Nigeria Electrification Programme (NEP), Olufemi Akinyelure, while emphasising the broader impact of the initiative, said, 'Every connection made under DARES is more than a number; it is a doorway to education, healthcare, commerce, and inclusion. The 11,027 new connections we are announcing today represent lives transformed, futures energised, and a Nigeria that leaves no one behind. Partnerships like these are the blueprint for achieving our national energy access goals.' The Nigeria DARES Project is a $750 million initiative funded by the World Bank and is designed to accelerate access to reliable, decentralised energy solutions for unserved and underserved communities across Nigeria. The project aims to empower state governments, enable private sector participation, and scale solar technologies to reach over 17.5 million Nigerians, supporting the World Bank's Mission 300 agenda and Nigeria's broader energy transition goals. Copyright © 2022 Nigerian Tribune Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
21-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Nigeria: Sokoto govt trains, empowers 500 women
The Sokoto State Government has successfully graduated another batch of 500 women from its poverty reduction programme. These women, drawn from various parts of the state, received training in leatherworks, crafts, soap making, food and spice processing, tamowa production, and hairdressing. Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Governor Ahmed Aliyu reaffirmed his administration's commitment to empowering women and youths through skill acquisition, making them self-reliant and economically productive. 'Since the inception of this administration, we have trained hundreds of youths in various skills through the Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Welfare, Local Government Affairs, the Poverty Reduction Agency, and the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs,' Aliyu stated. He emphasised that these efforts aim to create employment, reduce youth restiveness, and combat idleness among young people in the state. 'Empowering youths through skill acquisition remains a key priority of our administration. We urge all well-meaning citizens to support these initiatives to ensure their success,' the governor added. Aliyu also announced plans to train more youths in the coming years to achieve the administration's targets in job creation, poverty reduction, and economic empowerment. 'We are committed to creating an enabling environment for economic growth through skilled labor and entrepreneurship. As part of this effort, we have procured 1,000 motorcycles and 500 tricycles, which were sold at subsidised rates to boost job opportunities for unemployed youths in the state,' he revealed. He urged the graduating trainees to make good use of the tools and stipends provided to them, emphasising that their newfound skills would enable them to support their families and contribute to the state's economic development. Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Muhammad Bello Sifawa, highlighted the crucial role women play in economic growth and urged the beneficiaries to justify the confidence reposed in them. Also speaking at the event, Alhaji Lirwanu Bello, the Magajin Rafin Sokoto, representing the Sultan of Sokoto, commended the governor's empowerment initiatives, describing them as a significant step toward reducing crime and promoting stability in the state. Sa'adatu Yunusa, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Poverty Reduction, lauded Aliyu for his unwavering support for poverty alleviation programmes, noting that substantial investments had been made in training and providing necessary tools for the trainees. Some beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to the governor for the opportunity to acquire valuable skills, enabling them to earn a livelihood and support their families. At the end of the ceremony, Aliyu was honored with the Empowerment Trailblazer Award in recognition of his commitment to economic empowerment and job creation. Copyright © 2022 Nigerian Tribune Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
