Broadcasting
How to Identify Sub-standard Solar Components – PPC
In view of the current saturation of the Nigerian market with substandard solar panels, PPC Limited, Nigeria’s leading engineering and infrastructure development company, has highlighted ways to identify fake or substandard solar components.
While commenting on the concerns that clean energy consumers were not getting value for money from their solar energy investment, the Head of the Power Division at PPC Limited, Engr. Kelechi Onuigbo, said fake solar panels deliver reduced power output and have a short-term productive lifespan.
According to him, some of the defective panels are produced using non-solar materials that were added merely to create a high-quality impression or to hide faults in the design.
The renewable energy expert explained that some of the substandard voltaic solar panels were prone to security risks and were either defective, or “end-of-life” panels meant to be recycled, but illegally smuggled into the country.
Earlier on, the Federal Government had embarked on a series of initiatives to revitalize the nation’s power sector, one of which was the integration of Solar Power into the country’s energy mix, with plans to invest $10billion to drive the energy transition plan.
Onuigbo said, “It is undeniable that solar energy plays a crucial role in the attainment of the energy transition objectives set by the Federal Government.
“In order to meet the energy transition targets for the country, it is important to tackle the menace posed by the latest trend of invasion of substandard solar panels into the country.
“These compromised solar panels increase security risks for users and create vulnerabilities in their power system.
“There are many ways to identify them – one of which is the presence of visible cracks or debris inside the panels. This may be because the panels were produced with lower grade cells or soldered manually.”
He stated that the best manufacturers used top-notch components, automation and the finest manufacturing procedures to ensure their products meet industry performance standards.
Onuigbo said the quality of components used would ensure that the panels didn’t lose their efficiency before the end of the warranty period; adding that this was the reason PPC had partnered with best-in-class solar panel manufacturers to deliver reliable and affordable clean energy solutions to Nigerian corporates and SMEs.
While certain levels of degradation caused by extreme weather are inevitable, he said proper installation and regular maintenance would ensure that this was minimized and the panels continued to deliver optimally.
Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON) has established six committees to help strengthen and modernize the country’s broadcasting industry.
The committees will focus on content creation, skills development, digital transformation, sustainability, policy and commercial opportunities
The initiative aims to support industry growth and improve collaboration between broadcasters, regulators and media experts
The official launch recently, was led by Tony Akiotu, president, BON and attended by media professionals, program directors, former journalists and heads of specialized media organizations.
The event brought together several prominent figures in Nigeria’s media industry, including veteran broadcaster and trainer Bimbo Oloyede, Tony Uyah of M4S TV, Kingsley Uranta of Channels Television, Ismael Sani of Platinum TV and Ibrahim Shehu of Trust TV.
Together, they are expected to help drive innovation and support the growth of Nigeria’s broadcasting sector.
According to Akiotu, the committees are intended both to help shape industry policy and to provide a forum for dialogue between BON and broadcasting experts.
Akiotu said the ad hoc committees were intended to strengthen BON’s work and ensure that the umbrella body for Nigeria’s broadcasters played a more direct and meaningful role in developing the country’s broadcasting sector.
The six committees reflect the sector’s main priorities. The first focuses on collaboration and innovation to promote content creation.
The second is dedicated to training and talent development, while the third focuses on industry sustainability by improving the sector’s long-term financial viability.
A fourth committee will focus on digital transformation and work with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on regulatory issues.
The remaining two committees will oversee public policy advocacy and the development of sports and commercial rights to help broadcasters increase revenue and attract more investment. Together, the committees are expected to guide BON’s efforts to modernize and strengthen Nigeria’s broadcasting industry.
The committees, chaired by members of BON’s General Assembly and supported by the organization’s Secretariat, have an initial 12-month mandate that may be renewed if necessary.
They are required to submit a progress report within three months and implement approved recommendations within the following six months.
The arrangement is intended to ensure close oversight and the timely implementation of their work.
Akiotu also reminded committee members that Nigeria pioneered television broadcasting in Africa and urged them to carry out their work with greater effectiveness and efficiency.
Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) says it is investigating about 34 tertiary institutions over allegations that they failed to refund students whose tuition fees were paid twice under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
The Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, disclosed this during an interview on Arise Television.
Sawyerr said the agency had deployed a five-member investigative team, including operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and internal auditors, to examine the allegations.
According to him, the investigation was prompted by numerous complaints received from affected students.
“As of right now, there are 34 institutions that we are looking at closely with respect to this issue,” he said.
Sawyerr explained that the double payment issue arose because President Bola Tinubu directed that the student loan scheme commence in the middle of an academic session instead of at the beginning.
He said the decision compelled many students to pay their tuition fees to meet registration deadlines while awaiting approval of their loan applications.
“What happened is that a lot of schools got double payment; some from the students and some from us,” he said.
“The refund process is entirely out of our hands. It is the recipient of the double payments that is obliged to make refunds to the students.”
The NELFUND boss noted that many students had borrowed money from family members, friends and other sources to pay their tuition with the expectation of receiving refunds once the loans were disbursed.
He said while some institutions had promptly refunded affected students, others had failed to do so.
“Some have been very good at this. Others haven’t been so good at it,” Sawyerr said.
“I reserve judgement on the intentionality around it because, for some of them, they just didn’t have the process to make refunds.”
Sawyerr disclosed that NELFUND was exploring a tokenised payment system that would enable students to authorise tuition payments directly to their institutions, thereby reducing the likelihood of duplicate payments.
He said the agency deliberately chose not to disburse tuition loans directly to students to minimise the risk of fund diversion.
“Paying the funds to the students could really lead to the temptation for them to divert and do other things,” he said.
The managing director, however, acknowledged that NELFUND lacked the statutory powers to compel institutions to refund students or prosecute officials found culpable.
He added that many frustrated students had submitted complaints not only to NELFUND but also to anti-corruption agencies, including the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Sawyerr also expressed concern over increases in tuition fees by some institutions following the introduction of the student loan scheme.
He said NELFUND had declined to pay institutions that increased their tuition fees beyond acceptable levels.
“Some schools, because they get paid easily, started to put up their fees. We refused, point blank, to pay institutions who had hiked their fees beyond a certain level,” he said.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to investigating every reported irregularity and strengthening the implementation of the student loan programme through continuous monitoring and internal reviews.
Xora Finance, Fintech Firm Refuses to Hire Nigerians over Alleged Dishonesty
FG Secures Fresh $208.3m World Bank Loan for Cash Transfer
How Ponzi Scheme Victims can Seek Legal Remedies — Lawyers
SERAP Sues INEC over Alleged N800Bn 2027 Tinubu Campaign Fund
Kaigama,Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Warns against Misuse of AI
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
Nigeria Launches FreeTV Nationwide
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
CANAL+ Partners Samsung to Pre-Load DStv Stream on New Samsung TVs In Nigeria, Other African Countries
Telecom3 days agoDStv, GOtv Owner MultiChoice Officially Joins Canal+ Group
News3 days agoPolice Busts Syndicate Who Allegedly Stole N3Bn from Financial Institution
Telecom3 days agoAirtel Africa to Connect 5,000 Schools to Free Internet by 2027
E-Financial3 days agoSEC Unveils Plans to Enforce Mandatory ESG Reporting for Large Firms Next Year
Telecom3 days agoMTN Accelerates Network Expansion to Meet Surging Telecom Demand
Broadcasting3 days agoFrom Scarcity to Scale: What Africa Can Learn from India’s Agricultural Transformation
E-Business3 days agoTeKnowledge, Equinix Partner to Advance Nigerian Digital Infrastructure
General News3 days agoNSIB Faults Runway Identification, Reveals Cockpit Disagreement in Asaba Jet Incident