Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) is pleased to announce a partnership and initial investment of around $100 million to develop a 100MW “Safe Grid” for Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa States, to provide 24-hour power supply to key industries, commercial hubs, and critical government infrastructure, eliminating reliance on the national grid.

This was contained in statement signed by Head of corporate communications KEDCO Sani Bala Sani and made available to newsmen.

He said due to the lingering effects of the challenges the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is currently facing in supplying energy to our franchise area, KEDCO is still receiving less than half of its allocation from the grid, which has caused great disruptions for our valued customers, institutions, and businesses while challenging our company’s financial performance

Sani said the ‘Safe Grid’ will be powered by embedded electricity generation in KEDCO’s network to ensure energy security within the network and eliminate the risks associated with absolute dependence on the grid such as unreliability and total blackouts, enabling key industries and socio-economic activities to thrive in Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa States while safeguarding jobs and competitiveness in our network.

This project will build the first 20MW power plant (of the 100MW) with Utilita under an Emergency Project valued at $20 million that will be operational by the end of the year to begin supply for the “Safe Grid”. The Generation units are already available and KEDCO is accelerating project development ahead of installation and commissioning in the Tamburawa area. KEDCO will also purchase electricity for the “Safe Grid” from the 10MW Haske Solar Power Plant (built by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) and from the 16MW combined capacities from Tiga and Challawa Hydroelectric power projects built by the Kano State Government, bringing the total initial supply in the ‘Safe Grid’ to 46MW.

Furthermore, KEDCO is discussing with the Federal Ministry of Power to take over and complete the 10MW Katsina Wind Farm project and supply it into the ‘Safe Grid’. A further 54MW will be supplied through additional power plant projects using Gas and Solar. A new parallel distribution grid architecture is being built to take this ‘Safe Grid’ to all key locations and supply areas in the Franchise Area (Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa) starting from Kano State. ‘Safe Grid’ is already connecting the Dawanau International Grain Market through a dedicated 40km line (90% completed), conceived and executed by KEDCO and its core investor – Future Energies Africa (FEA).

KEDCO is engaging and partnering with the State Governments to determine the “Safe Grid” supply locations that will ensure the most economic value for its citizens, focusing on enhancing and securing jobs in industries, agro-processing, and commercial hubs, and safeguarding supply to critical Government Infrastructure. The Administration of their Excellencies – Abba Kabir Yusuf, Dikko Radda, and Umar Namadi (and their respective State Assemblies) have been great supporters of the ongoing turnaround programme in KEDCO. We plan to continue partnering with the State Governments to provide an enabling environment and to accelerate laws for the first Joint Electricity Regulation structure in the country across the 3 States. This will enable KEDCO to power the “Safe Grid” for the benefit of the 3 States from any of the power plants being built in the embedded network.

The “Safe Grid” will complement the ongoing “Utility 2.0” project earlier announced and being embarked on with 31 key developers to build 60MW of mini-grids. Developer partners in Uility 2.0 include Bagaja, Elektron, Paras, Grid Crux, Strom, Prado, Axxela, Bayshore, and Husk (amongst others).

Interestingly, as Bagaja has already commenced building projects in Charanci (Katsina) and Kafin Hausa (Jigawa) KEDCO is encouraging “Utility 2.0” developers to accelerate the pace of their projects in light of the lingering supply constraints in our network.

To foster reliability and affordability, KEDCO currently has the most competitive industrial Band A rates in the country with its partnership with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) branches in our States and still intends to maintain competitive rates with ‘Safe Grid’ through competitive bilateral grid contracts for the benefit our valued customers.
KEDCO is excited to be the first DisCo to offer 24-hour supply through the ‘Safe Grid’ initiative and ascribes to the visions of our State Governors in making our franchise area attractive for industrial and agro-processing businesses to provide the jobs needed to improve the economies of the region, in which stable power is crucial.
Our vision is to enable re-industrialization and socio-economic empowerment of our franchise area through safe, stable, and cost-competitive electricity supply, keenly focused on our customers’ satisfaction. Thus, we encourage all Electricity Supply (and Gas Supply Companies) working in our network to partner with us in providing more affordable electricity rather than operating in isolation leading to higher costs for consumers.

We remain committed to improving electricity supply and associated services. To achieve this, we urge strong collaboration with all stakeholders to achieve this goal of providing electricity for all.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has fired back at President Bola Tinubu’s policies, accusing them of worsening the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

In a statement from his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that instead of targeting opposition figures, Tinubu should focus on governing effectively to ease the hardships faced by millions across the country.

Shaibu in his statement on Monday said that Atiku cannot be jealous of Tinubu for inflicting pain on Nigerians, stressing, “wickedness is an exclusive preserve of T-Pain!”

Shaibu said that unlike Tinubu, “Atiku is not a bigot, refunded money to the US for alleged drug trafficking”

Atiku’s comments on Monday were a direct response to a recent statement from the Presidency, which accused him of criticizing Tinubu out of jealousy. However, Atiku insisted his concerns are solely about the well-being of Nigerians, not personal rivalry.

Atiku cited Tinubu’s unfulfilled promise from July 2024 to temporarily remove import duties on essential goods. According to Atiku, nearly 120 days have passed, yet the government has not implemented this relief measure. This delay, he said, has contributed to record-high inflation, with food prices skyrocketing over 40% in recent months, marking one of the worst inflationary periods in Nigeria’s recent history.

He said, “On July 8, 2024, Tinubu announced that import duty on essential goods like food would be lifted for 150 days.

“But over 120 days later, the policy is yet to take off, while Nigerians continue to die daily due to increasing costs, including food inflation, which now exceeds 40%, the highest in decades.

“The brazen disobedience to a government policy by Tinubu’s appointees and the failure of the finance ministry to issue a gazette after over four months reflects the fatuousness, inanity and the incompetence that characterizes the Tinubu administration.

“Sadly, rather than focus on governance, they are preoccupied with verbally assaulting their opponents – Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi – while using compromised courts to foster crisis in the opposition. What a shame!”

Atiku accused Tinubu’s appointees of disregarding government orders, and he criticized the finance ministry for failing to enact policies promptly. “This administration is marked by poor coordination and incompetence,” he said. “Rather than addressing these issues, the government is busy attacking opposition leaders, including myself and Peter Obi.”

The former Vice President also condemned what he described as inconsistency in Tinubu’s economic policies.

Since taking office, Atiku argued, Tinubu has taken actions without carefully assessing the consequences, leading to confusion and hardship for citizens. He highlighted the abrupt removal of the petrol subsidy, which led to a surge in transportation costs and inflation without adequate alternative solutions in place.

Atiku also criticized Tinubu’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative, aimed at reducing fuel prices. The program, he said, has barely taken off due to limited gas infrastructure across Nigeria. “Even Tinubu and his ministers have not adopted CNG for their own transport,” Atiku said. “This policy has done nothing to curb the rising cost of transportation.”

Atiku further pointed out Tinubu’s unrealistic projections for the naira’s value, claiming that the administration has misled the public about the country’s foreign reserves. He challenged the government to release the Central Bank’s 2023 financial statements to provide transparency.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, would be buried in Abuja, on Friday.

His immediate elder brother, Moshood Lagbaja, disclosed this in Osogbo, Osun State, during a condolence visit by St Charles Grammar School Osogbo Old Boys Association (SCOBA).

He said the military could not release his remains to the family, but assured them he would be given a befitting burial in Abuja, on Friday.