By Christiana Ekpa
The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), has unveiled the `who wants to be an engineer’’ initiative, to promote girls in engineering and address limiting stereotypes and biases.
The APWEN President, Dr Adebisi Osim, made this known at an event to mark the 2024 International Day of Girls in ICT, on Thursday in Abuja.
Osim said the gesture was in honour of Late Funmilola Ojelade, the past president of APWEN for the significant contribution she made in the association’s ICT sector and for supporting more girls in engineering.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a science competition was organised in the six geo-political zones among students in Senior Secondary Schools and the specified winners would be offered scholarships.
“We are tapping into this year’s ICT day by introducing who wants to be an engineer as a reflection of our commitment to empowering young girls with necessary tools to pursue careers in engineering and technology.(NAN)
Speaking at a stakeholders meeting called by the House of Representatives committee on Power, Garba said that current investments in the sector was not enough to guarantee steady power supply.
He said if nothing concrete is done to address issues in the sector including foreign exchange Flutuarion and none payment for gas, the sector will be heading for doom.
He explained that prior to the recent review in tarrif, DISCOS were only obligated to pay 10 percent of their energy invoice, adding that the lack of cash backing for aubaidy is creating a liquidity challenge in the sector.
He said further that as a result of the none payment of subsidy, gas supply and power generation have continued to dip, adding that the continuous decline of generation and system collapse are largely linked to liquidity challenge.
He raised an alarm of what he called a looking risk not total shut down by the Generation and distribution companies, achieving cost effective tarrif is key to the sustainability of the sector.
He further explained that between January 2020 abe January 2923, tarrif increased from 55 percent of cost to 94 percent lt cost recovery, adding that “the unification of FX and current inflatinarybpressurws are pushing cost reflective tarrif to N184/kwh
He said “if seating back and doing nothing is the way to go, it would mean that the National Assembly and the Executive would have to provide about N3.2 trillion to pay for subsidy in 2024.”
Garba also said that only N185 billion of the N645 billion subsidy in 2023 has been cash backed, leaving a funding gap of N459. 5 billion.
Vice Chairman of NERC, Musiliu Oseni who also justified the recent increase in tarrif said the increment was needed to save the sector from total shutdown.
Chairman of the House Committee on Power, Victor Nwokolo (PDP, Delta) said the essence of the meeting was to address the recent increase in tarrif abd the issue of band A and others.
Nwokolo said the officials of NERC and DISCOS have given the committee useful Information, adding “we have not concluded with them because the Transmission Company of Nigeria were not here and the Generation Companies too.
