Bavijas Energy

 Hello, Fellow Nigerians Praise be to God, the beneficent, the merciful who has blessed us to see this day March 18. It's a day many of us looked forward to.  Across the country today, 28 out of the 36 States would vote for whoever they want to be their governor and lawmakers for the next four years. If you don't vote in today's election, someone else's choice - good or bad, would affect you for the next four years.  Do you have a candidate? How about your voter card? If you answer yes to these two key questions, then there is no need for you to stay at home today. Stroll down to your polling unit and cast your vote. I'm on my way to the polling unit already. Recall, Politics is a game of numbers. Everyone may have their say but the majority always have the day. Please get involved and do this all-important civic duty for the love of the state and country. I hope your candidate wins. Stay alert and safe. May God bless you, our state Akwa Ibom and the federal republi

One of Nigeria's major problems is policy implementation. And it tells us on the face wherever we go. Over the years, many laudable policies have been enunciated by successive governments, but the ugly paradox remains that only a few of them have been implemented. Even the few successful ones haven't been implemented to the hilt, in fact. It only shows how irresponsible governments in Nigeria can be when they formulate policies without following through. Of recent, the Petroleum Industry Act, Nigeria Energy Transition Plan, National Autogas Initiative, etc have been merely announced but they remain, as we speak, largely unattended to yet the government keeps bringing up new ones. Today, all over the country we are talking about the Nigeria Agenda 2050; a decade-long national economic policy plan which is aimed at significantly improving per capita income, increasing real GDP growth by 7 per cent, creating 165 million new jobs and reducing the number of people living in poverty

Human beings are social animals and they value relationships. More so, why an aspiring leader - be it in business, church, or politics should build good relationships. Good leadership is built on relationships. People won't go along with you if they can't get along with you. In other words, they must be a common ground. The key to sparking this chemistry with people or your would-be followers is to develop relationships with them. If you can get close to them, feel their plight, and respect their sensitivities without breaching your integrity, you'll be able to lead up. All people have dreams, issues, or causes that connect them with you. Show that you are genuinely concerned about their experiences by not approaching them casually or suggesting that you do so for personal gain. Ideally, leaders should see the need to connect with the people they lead, and not the other way around. A true leader is the servant of the people and not their master. But in many places today, th

What is the problem with train accidents this year? Just three months into the new year, some shocking train incidents have been recorded, from Europe to America to Africa. On February 3, there was a train derailment in Ohio, Pennsylvania.  Last week in Greece, 57 people died in what can be termed the country's worst train disaster when two trains collided in the city of Larissa. This week Tuesday, a passenger train derailment in Cairo, Egypt killed at least 2, injuring 16 others. As though those weren't enough. Thursday this same week at about 7:15 am in Lagos, Nigeria, a fatal train-bus collision occurred at the level crossing in the Public Works Department (PWD) in Ikeja, Lagos killing at least six and leaving scores more injured.  The BRT bus which was laden with majorly state workers on a trip from Ikotun to the state secretariat in Alausa got hit seriously by a train running from Ijoko to Iddo. What has caused all these train crashes? Mostly, negligence to safety rules. B

With the world's human population fast approaching 8 billion people, does it occur to you there's ever going to be a time in the future when the world would be crowded with no more land left for human habitation? Definitely not soon. I mean every year at least 60 million babies are born and less than that number die (though 2022 is an exception because of COVID-19).  Maybe such a day will eventually come, perhaps that's one of the major factors prompting a scientific foray into space; to find another habitation for man.  In recent times, world rivals like China, the US, Russia, etc have gone on an expeditious journey to space more often than before in a bid to find a new foothold; call it home if you wish, and claim it first before anyone else does. This sounds more like a conspiratorial statement but it isn't.  This journey, it seems would never end, unless Jesus returns. Well, this is me just thinking out loud.

Earlier this week, I read about the Jewish people and drew so much inspiration from their success stories; how they have continued to hold the most wealth in America and Europe, despite their ugly past and being a minority.  To say that the Jewish people are fabulously wealthy is the most modest of words I can use. But what's their secret?  Seven keys have been identified by many writers to have led to Jewish success. And the most outstanding of these is EDUCATION.  The average Jew believes that real wealth is knowledge; what you know. And so they pursue it vigorously in the best of colleges with the full support of family members. As of 2009, 40% of the top 40 of the Forbes 400 richest Americans were Jewish. Also, one-third of American multimillionaires are tallied as Jewish. Plus, 30% of American Nobel Prize winners in Science, and 25% of all American Nobel Prize winners are Jewish.  Can you see that? No wonder the Jewish people are often referred to as the American nightmare, an

Our country Nigeria is going through a lot - politically and economically. And you know it. Nigeria has assumed a phase in nation-building - a historical moment when its citizens have become seemingly more aware of the age-long inner, selfish bidding that characterizes the attitude of corrupt public officeholders. This widespread social awareness has evoked a feeling of resentment toward what was before now the status quo. As the glamour for a change of government enters an unprecedented gear in Nigeria, the desire for a positive change in our economy remains sacrosanct.  A robust economy feeds its population, reduces unemployment, improves the standard of living, attracts investors, and drives industrialization.  As I always say, energy remains the fuel that drives industrialization and the economy. The economy grows as energy use grows. As of the year 2022, 759 million people lack access to consistent electricity in the world, and 2.6 billion people use dangerous and inefficient cook

Solen Gabon, a subsidiary of Solen Renewable Dubai, has launched the construction of a 120MWp photovoltaic solar power plant in the capital Gabon follows Ivory Coast and Angola in going solar. Angola is set to commission two major solar photovoltaic power projects in the Benguela and Catumbela municipality with a combined capacity 284MWp. China Energy Engineering Corp. (CEEC) has signed a contract with Biovea Energie to build a 46MW biomass power plant in Ayébo, Aboisso region of Ivory Coast. Construction work would've started before the end of 2022 and will be completed by 2024. The plant will generate electricity from the use of 480,000 tonnes of oil palm waste collected over 25 years from 12,000 farmers in Ayébo. South Africa's Solar training foundation, Nepoworx Renewable Energy Institution, in collaboration with Skills Development Agency, the Manufacturing, Engineering, and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (MerSETA), have signed a Memorandum of

In a few coming years, Africa will host several High Impact Wells, which when explored have the potential to reform the entire E&P landscape of the continent. One of such high im5pact well is the axis mundi of today’s post- Cahora Bassa. Cabora Bassa or Cahora Bassa,   finish the job is Africa’s fourth largest (with surface area of 2,739km2) artificial lake, located in the Tete province of western Mozambique. The second name is a colonial relic of the Portuguese Mozambique. On the adjourning basin of that lake - in neighbouring Zimbabwe, lie a promising hydrocarbon project, widely publicized on the media as Cabora Bassa. It is one of the last untested large frontier rift basins in onshore Africa, according to Oil and Gas Journal. All things being as planned, the successful completion of the prospective oil and gas project, will launch Zimbabwe on the edge of a major transformative breakthrough because it boasts of commercial oil and gas discovery. Bassa will be one -of the

The energy war of good oil vs bad oil has just begun. Any oil associated to Russia has now been termed bad over Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, in the guise of what Putin calls a special military operation. Since then, many countries have stopped buying Russian crude, while some are planning to boycott it in the international oil market, among which shockingly include economies whom studies reveal can't do without Russian oil because of the attendant risks involved. Let's be clear here, it won't be easy to boycott Russian oil without throwing the global economy into turmoil. This is simply because countries well put economies need energy to thrive. However, many countries feel that evading Russian oil will help mount pressure on it to stop the senseless killings in Ukraine, while some say any attempt at that will put middle income and highly energy dependent countries in extremely tight corners; exactly what we have in Europe at the moment. Angered by the prepo

Although I'm popularly known for my interest in energy analysis and environmental activism, there are moments when I feel the need to also write on key sensitive issues affecting our country Nigeria. And when such moments beckon, I always do so almost immediately, in fact. One of such key issues which I wish to write about is the current spate of inconsistency in legal interpretation in Nigeria 🇳🇬 It's one delicate issue that's important to and should concern democracy anywhere in the world, when we think of the role and relevance of law in our society. Why are they conflicting court judgements here and there in Nigeria? I mean even amongst courts of coordinate jurisdiction, why are they several interpretations on similar court cases? Well, I leave that to lawyers and other learned folks to answer. Normally, interpretations are always a translation of thoughts into words. So long as this be the case, law creates a problem not just for the tried but also for the society as

A product tanker offloading into a standing aircraft   In the same way that motor vehicle needs petrol or diesel to move, aircraft also need fuel to fly, too. Aircraft use a special kind of fuel called aviation fuel to transport passengers and cargo from one place to the other. The fuel is known in the aviation industry as Jet-A1.  Aviation fuel is responsible for at least 40% of an airline's operating cost. The availability or non-availability, as the case might be, of aviation fuel, greatly impacts aircraft operations. It influences air transport patronage. For instance, three weeks ago when I boarded a flight, the sight of many empty seats on the aeroplane is proof of this. The ongoing rally in the price of aviation fuel is one, among many other factors, that has sent the price of air tickets skyrocketing in Nigeria, eating deeply into the profit airline operators would have made. In commercial arithmetic, when the cost of delivering a service goes up, the price at which the sai

ICIR: A carton image depicting armed bandits To say that nowhere in Nigeria 🇳🇬 is safe, is to say the least. Nigeria is in a firestorm of insecurity. You need to see the ordeal people go through in the hands of terrorists in Nigeria. Yesterday, I ran into one Chidi Nwaogu who said he was kidnapped on November 1, 2020, somewhere in Southern Nigeria. He said the experience is one he wouldn't even wish for his enemy. Chidi said he spent five days in the bush all chained up like a dog and seriously beaten, without food or water, until a ransom was paid by his relatives. Though the incident was over, the man added, he can't get the trauma off his head. So bad! 😔😢 Please, wherever you might be at this time, ensure you are abiding by set security rules and taking certain smart measures to stay safe. One of the major reasons why insecurity in Nigeria is proving a fight too big to be won, amidst huge government spending, is simply the fact that high-ranking state officials an

An in-motion picture of Ibom Air carrier taking off Nigeria is one of the countries with low air transport patronage. Only 17% of Nigerian passengers are reportedly carried by air transport in Nigeria.  Between the years 2008 and 2017, 139 million passengers flew through Nigerian airports. Hundred million out of those were domestic flights, while the remaining 39 million were international flights. For months now, airline operators in Nigeria, courtesy of some reasons, have been struggling to secure enough foreign exchange to be able to import aviation kerosine. If you have used a flight recently, you won't argue with me if I say the cost of air travel has skyrocketed in the past few weeks, increasing by over 100% in the past few weeks. Depending on which airline you're on, and or what destination you are headed to in Nigeria, a domestic air ticket now costs an average of ₦165,000.  Similarly, international passengers now pay as much as ₦1million for economy, and ₦2million for

AFRICA: OPEC Pays Last Tribute to Barkindo as Secretary-general.  Following the death in his home country Nigeria on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, OPEC boss, Barkindo who spent over 40 years working in the oil and gas industry, was laid to rest in Yola, Adamawa State on Wednesday, July 6, according to Islamic rites. OPEC sent special tributes. Report:  Africa Energy Forum AEF estimates that Nigeria, Algeria and Egypt will account for 80% of Africa's LNG production from 2022 to 2025. Tanzania becomes the first African country to use electric train. Tanzania on July 4 began testing its new electric rail line as part of its commitment to reducing carbon emissions by moving away from diesel-powered trains used by its regional peers. The country is currently in agreement with Turkish and South Korean firms to ensure the full rollout of environmental friendly locomotives. NNPC to Establish Automotive Ethanol fuel Refinery in Kogi.   An automotive biofuels scheme which will ensure the productio

A sand battery stands tall (Source: AP/CC) D o you know what Sand Battery Technology is all about? Maybe not yet, I guess. Gear up! And let's go surfing if you wouldn't like being left behind in this ever-changing world of technology. The world is in dire need of energy. But while doing so, it gives preferential treatment to that energy which comes by without much burden to the climate. Renewable energy sources are worth mentioning here but, is man able to adequately tap the vast energy embedded in them? The wind doesn't blow all the time to keep the windmill on, and the sun doesn't shine every day of the year to keep solar panels excited, and even if they did, does man yet has the technology to harness or store all the energy released from these renewable sources? No! Without much argument, the use of technology to develop systems that can store renewable(green) energy for man's continuous use is one long journey that the world is headed on right now. It is against

Victor is a freelance energy analyst and currently the managing editor of Bavijas Notes - covering energy and environment. He previously was R & D assistant at SOFER Initiative ; a not-for-profit environmental organisation based in Uyo, Nigeria. As a blogger, when he is not writing, Victor is volunteering in a community-based project to leave the society better than he met it.  Bavijas Notes, as an energy newsletter featuring specially curated short energy-related stories, has over 4,000 readers on WhatsApp. You'll like it! Click here to subscribe.

Mohammed Barkindo the Nigeria born secretary general of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries OPEC has died, according to a Twitter statement issued by the GMD of the NNPC Ltd Mallam Mele Kyari on Wednesday morning. He died yesterday Tuesday July 5, 2022 at around 11pm in Abuja few hours after delivering a keynote address the 2022 Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Conference and Exhibition. He was the Honorary Chairman of the 21st edition of the conference whose theme for this year is Finding the Nigerian Energy Mix for Sustainable Economic Growth. Moreso, his death comes a few days to the expiration of his term as the 13th Secretary general of OPEC on August 1 2022, after six eventful years (stated from August 1 2016) as its elmsman.  Born in Yola Nigeria on April 20 1959, Barkindo aged 63, will be greatly missed by the international oil and gas community, OPEC, his home country and by his immediate family. While at OPEC as boss, Barkindo took many bold steps to st

In the extractive industry, mineral resource estimation is often classified and reported in a manner that may not be understood at a mere glance by the unfamiliar. For instance, in the oil and gas industry, hydrocarbon reserves are often categorised into Proven, Probable, and Possible depending on their degree of recoverability or extraction. Proven reserves  tell us that the mineral or hydrocarbon in commercial amount exists and can be extracted or recovered. It has a 90% degree of recoverability. Probable reserves tell us that a probable commercial amount of mineral or hydrocarbons exist but the chance of extracting it is 50%. Possible reserves suggest that an amount of mineral or hydrocarbons exist. While it has only a 10% degree of certainty, its recoverability as a commercial reserve is often disputed. Such reserves are usually evaluated for findings or information sake as their commerciality and cost of drilling are higher than the perceived economic returns. By exte