Power Holding Company Of Nigeria Research Articles

Evaluation of Critical Corporate Governance Issues within Nigeria's Top State-Owned Enterprises

Objective: The objective of the article was to examine and analyze significant corporate governance issues prevalent in Nigeria's leading state-owned enterprises by identifying the key corporate governance issues that exist within State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), importance of addressing these critical corporate governance issues in relation to SOEs in Nigeria, explore the various factors that hinder the evaluation of these critical corporate governance issues in Nigerian SOEs and put forth recommendations and strategies for effectively managing these critical corporate governance issues within SOEs in Nigeria. Theoretical Framework: Agency Model Principals (Shareholders) Agents (Management) Performs Hires and Delegates Self Interest Self Interest 257 Talat Afza and Mian Sajid Nazir On the whole, agency theory laid emphasis on the opportunistic behavior of managers; managers try to put their interest first by forgoing shareholders’ interests. Method: The study employed a descriptive survey design, wherein 300 employees were selected through a random sampling process from a pool of over 100,000 employees belonging to various organizations such as Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Nigeria Postal Services, Nigerian Railway Cooperation, Nigeria Water Board Cooperation, and Nigeria Television Authority. The selected employees were representative of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. A questionnaire consisting of 20 items was utilized as the primary instrument for data collection. To ensure the reliability and validity of the instrument, the validation process involved the application of Lawshe's content validity template, resulting in a content validity ratio (CVR) of 1. The psychometric properties of the instrument were assessed using Cronbach's alpha. A coefficient alpha of .85 was obtained, surpassing the threshold of .70. This indicates that the instrument demonstrates satisfactory reliability. The data was collected in real-time and subsequently analyzed utilizing frequency count and percentage calculations. Findings: The results indicate that employees possess a comprehensive understanding of crucial corporate governance matters within their respective state-owned enterprises in Nigeria. Assessing these critical corporate governance issues has the potential to yield outstanding returns on investment (ROI) and enhance stakeholder satisfaction. Hence, it is of utmost importance to conduct a comprehensive assessment of critical issues pertaining to corporate governance. Conclusion: This evaluation is essential in order to protect the interests of stakeholders, attain anticipated levels of performance, promote fairness and transparency, optimize return on investment, and ultimately enhance the provision of services to citizens.

Numerical Design of an Off-Grid Wind Energy Systems for Small Scale Residential Power Supply

The socio-economic developments of all nations depend duly on electrical energy supply. Nigeria as a country is faced with challenges of poor electric power supply due to the challenges from the power holding company of Nigeria (PHCN) which have left many households and isolated areas with no access to electricity. The fact that fossil fuel generators contributes to climate changes, renewable energy such as wind could be the best alternative. This paper presents the numerical design of an off-grid wind energy systems for powering load demand of two bedrooms apartment. The load demand of two bedroom flats were estimated and sizes of wind turbine, storage batteries and inverter with respect to typical load demand were numerically estimated. The performance of three 1 KW horizontal axis wind turbines of the same capacity but from different manufacturers namely; Bergey’s (BWC XL.1), Wind energy (WE.7) and Hummer wind energy (H3.1) were numerically tested using the average monthly wind speed data of Aliero Kebbi state, Nigeria. The result shows that integrating 1 kW wind turbine with 6 pieces of 200 Ah batteries on 24 V system and 1 kVA inverter would be feasible for 505 W (4.37 kWh/day) load demand with two days autonomy. The annual mean energy generated by the BWC XL.1, WE.7 and H3.1 using annual mean wind speed 5.03 m/s were 1782 kWh/yr, 1451kWh/yr and 1909 kWh/yr, attaining efficiencies of 44.45 % 33.22 % and 33.22 % respectively. Based on these results, BWC XL.1 could be best alternative wind turbine for the location because of its optimum efficiency. In addition, its energy generation of 1782 kWh/yr is 11.72% greater than 1595 kWh/year, the typical residential household load demand.

Appraisal and Comparative Analysis of the Privatized Nigerian Electricity Sector: Pre and Post Reforms Experience

The Nigeria’s electric power sector has undergone several policy reforms to address the myriads of issues and challenges confronting the sector for several years. The reforms were implemented in order to establish a highly competitive market to improve management performance and efficiency, increase generation, and attract private investors and enhancing reliable and cost-reflective power supply system. It is noticeable however, that there seems to be no significant improvement in the sector, even after the privatization process. This work assessed and compared the performance of the electric power sector in the pre and post-reforms eras, reviewed its implications and impacts on the living standard of the people. It also identified and discussed some critical issues and challenges confronting the sector, and made useful recommendations in ensuring, a reliable and effective electric power supply system. The study used both quantitative and qualitative descriptive, survey design approach. Relevant data were collected from both primary and secondary sources and field survey mechanism. The research instrument used was a self-designed questionnaire titled “Questionnaire on Appraisal and Comparative Analysis of the Privatized Nigerian Electricity Sector (QACAPNES)” to elicit information from the sample that served as data for the study). Three experts validated the instrument. The four research questions raised were descriptively answered. The data were collected and analyzed descriptively (using weighted mean and standard deviation. The internal consistency of the questionnaire items was ascertained through the split-half method, and the responses were subjected to correlation analysis at a 0.05 significance level, yielding a coefficient of 0.81, a value high enough for the instrument to be considered reliable. For the research questions, a mean mark of 3.5 and above was recorded as "True", and a mean mark below 3.5 was assumed as "False". The result of the analysis showed that no significant improvement has been made that is totally different from the pre-privatization era except the successful unbundling of defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) into generation, transmission and distribution companies. The study recommended full implementation of a cost-reflective tariff system, diversification of energy generation sources and a holistic review of the privatization policies for optimum performance.

Power Sector Reforms and Electricity Deficit in Nigeria: Stakeholders’ Perspective

Inadequate generation and distribution of electricity constitute major bottlenecks to productivity and industrial growth in Nigeria. Over the years, several reforms have been implemented in the power sector but the challenges persist, and many socio-economic activities are negatively impacted. The problems are exacerbated by inconsistent policies of the government on the management of the power sector and the inefficient capacity of the private operators. In this article, we examine the kernels of power sector reforms, the depth of the reforms’ awareness, the level of implementation, and the degree to which customers were satisfied with the electricity supply. Primary data were collected through a cross-sectional survey conducted on the management and customers of electricity distribution companies in Ibadan, Ekiti and Lagos States, using two sets of validated questionnaires. Six hundred and sixty-seven (667) management and staff members, and one thousand one hundred and nineteen (1,119) customers participated in the survey. The results show that a major reform to the sector is privatisation, leading to the unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria. Some of the measures taken to implement the reforms include staff training and redeployment, organisation restructuring, public sensitisation, disengagement of redundant staff, and introduction of more efficient monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. The study observes that a large proportion of customers are aware of the power sector reforms and understood the implications but they claimed there was no significant improvement in the power supply compared to pre-reform periods. The paper concludes with appropriate policy recommendations for the government, operators and stakeholders in the sector.

Analysis of the major factors that effect power consumption: A multiple regression analysis approach

The erratic power supply in recent times has been a matter of great concern not only to the consumers but also to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) organization itself. The nagging problem is compounded by the spasmodic nature of the phenomenon and hence calls for a special scientific investigation. The paper uses a multiple regression analysis technique to investigate the major factors that affect power Consumption in Jos Metropolis – traditionally tin-mining Camp. On the initial assumption that erratic power supply can only be due to the disparity between supply and demand. The paper sets out to answer the following two questions; i) what factors have been responsible for such increase in demand and the behaviour of the relationship that exist between these factors; ii) what likely measures are to be taken to restore the balance between demand and supply. We were able to identify the major factors as Residential Industrial and Commercial. Some interesting relationships were established.

DETERMINANTS OF POVERTY STATUS OF RURAL FARM HOUSEHOLDS IN NIGERIA

Over the years, poverty has continued to prevail in most countries predominantly in developing nations like Nigeria. The majority of those who live below the poverty line in Nigeria are rural farmers despite their contributions to agriculture. This study, therefore, examined the poverty status of rural farm households in Nigeria. The data used were obtained from the National Survey on Incentivizing the Adoption of Climate-Smart Cereal Production Practices in Nigeria: Socio-Cultural and Economic Diagnosis. The data collection was facilitated by the Economic Committee of the Regional Agricultural and Food Agency of the West African States (ECOWAS RAAF-PASANAO) and the French Development Agency (AFD). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Foster Greer Thorbecke (FGT) poverty indicators, and binomial and multinomial logit regression models. The findings show a high incidence of poverty among farm households in rural areas. The results also showed that growing rice, farm size, household size, dependency ratio, age, and market travel costs are the major determinants with positive impacts on rural households' poverty. Credit, gender, year of schooling, Tropical Livestock Unit, access to power holding company of Nigeria (PHCN), and general hospital had a negative influence on poverty status. Poverty was observed to be more severe in the northern geo-political zones. Based on the above findings, it is proposed that adequate attention be paid to education due to the higher incidence of poverty among low-educated households. Agricultural financing policies aimed at rural farmers should be implemented to raise their living standards and thus, reduce poverty among rural farmers. Policies should take the peculiar features of each geo-political zone into consideration while implementing measures to reduce poverty.

Energy Growth and Sustainability Through Smart Grid Approach: a Case Study of the Nigeria Electric Grid

Over the last few years, energy growth and sustainability in Nigeria have suffered many difficulties resulting to inadequacy in the country’s power supply. Numerous solutions proffered by industry experts and energy reforms by the Nigerian government have brought little or no improvement in the energy sector including the unbundling of the nation’s major power company (Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN). The nation’s poor power supply resulting from outdated and unmaintained transmission and distribution facilities, inadequate power generation coupled with decrepit metering system used by consumers have immeasurably affected the nation’s economic development. This paper aims at introducing smart grids and distributed generation approaches as the potential and viable solutions to solve Nigeria’s poor power generation, transmission, and distribution issues. The smart grid technology transforms the nation’s traditional grid technology in order to achieve improved efficiency and reliability by incorporating new communication technologies, which have been lacking in the Nigerian power system. In this paper, the Nigerian energy sector is also examined and the benefits of smart grids to the sector are presented. The current situation of Nigeria in terms of smart grid implementation is also assessed and discussed while its challenges and recommendations are documented. However, it is concluded that in modernizing the current grid and considering the potentials of smart grid, numerous benefits can be achieved and the power supplied to consumers will be significantly improved.

Nigerian Power Sector: A new structure required for effective and adequate power generation, transmission and distribution

In this paper, the structure of the Nigerian power sector is examined, the problems in the structure are identified and a new structure is proposed for effective power generation, transmission and distribution. Besides the problems usually canvassed, the current structure is defective from the perspective of the ownership of the power infrastructures, passive involvement of state governments and undue influence of the federal government. The reforms in the sector were driven by the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) of 2005, leading to the creation of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to take both the assets and the liabilities of the then National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), and the subsequent unbundling of PHCN to 18 successor companies – 6 power generating companies, one power transmission company and 11 power distribution companies. The new structure proposed in this work gives room for every state government to own power plants and distribute power in the various states. They can equally buy power from independent power producers. Power plants owned by the federal government in the present structure are to continue sending power to the national grid and made available to states with insufficient power generation in the new structure. Independent power producers can also send power to the national grid. The federal government will continue managing power transmission in the new structure. Each state government will own at least two power distribution companies in partnership with private organizations who will equally have a stake in the ownership of the power generating plants. The tariff of grid-connected power will be higher, encouraging states to go into active power generation. The new structure will enable the federal government to do away with rural electrification programme and other power generation options regulated by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission which should be under the control of various state governments. New laws are needed in the place of the EPSRA to achieve the new structure. The federal government will make money from the proposed structure instead of spending huge sums of money in the present structure.

Development of a solar energy-powered surface water pump

Availability in energy and water sustainability are mounting concerns in several parts of the world where connection to the electric utility is not obtainable or irregular. There is a need to develop an alternative source of energy for pumping water. This research developed a solar energy powered 1.5 horsepower surface water pump. It comprises of the following major components: charge controller, 24 Volts DC battery, 3KVA inverter, solar panel and 1119W surface water pumping machine. The components were designed and assembled according to functions. Solar energy is used to charge the battery through solar controller. The solar charge controller used in this research was designed in such a way that it regulates the quantity of electrical energy that is stored in the battery which prevents overcharging, thereby ensuring no reduction in life span of the battery. The inverter was designed in such a way that when there is no alternative power supply from the electricity distribution company, that is, power holding company of Nigeria (PHCN), it can make use of the energy stored in the battery to power the single phase motor used to pump water into a tank. Similarly, when there is power supply from PHCN, it has an inbuilt change over switch (relay) to connect it’s output of 220 volts AC supply from PHCN used to charge a battery through a charge controller. Experiments were setup to analyze varying loads on the inverter. Average time obtained for varying loads of 0, 120, 500, 1000, 1300w are 200, 23, 9.8, 4.3 and 2.9hr. Comparisons were also made between locally built and imported inverters. It can be concluded from the results obtained that the design can best be put in use to obtain maximum efficiency of 88.2% at a load in the range of 1000–1300 watts.

Development and construction of automatic three-phase power changeover control circuit with alarm

One primary reason for Nigeria economic underdevelopment is the inconsistency of power supply, and as a result of this fact, immediate attention is required. The criticality of an uninterrupted power supply cannot be overemphasised. Therefore, is this work, a new approach is applied to switch power from a three-phase source to another without human interference. This work presents an automatic three (3) phase power changeover circuit with an alarm that turns power supply from Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to a power generator at an instant of interruption or outage from PHCN. The signal is introduced to notify the user of the restoration of the PHCN supply and automatically carries out this process. This process is achieved by using logic control circuits, three-phase sequence monitors, phase(s) failure monitor, overload relay, and contacting relays for practical switching which takes approximate 30 seconds.

DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF AN ON-GRID PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM

ABSTRACT- In this paper, the design and simulation of an On-grid photovoltaic system for the faculty of Engineering, Abuja campus, University of Port Harcourt (Latitude: 4.78°S, Longitude: 7.01°E) was researched in-order to verify alternate power source possibility that can supplement for the inconsistent power from the (Power holding company of Nigeria) grid to the faculty. The system Solar modules are mounted in a fixed tilt orientation in 4-parallel strings of 15 Solar panels in series on the roof-top of the faculty. The photovoltaic system is also designed with a two - parallel string of nine Tesla Powerwall batteries in series for the battery bank storage system. Inverters used for this system are two 9.9kW battery-based grid-tied inverters stacked in parallel with an inbuilt Maximum power point tracker, MPPT. The reinjection system is on-grid as a net-meter is not used since the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN does not support Net- metering. Thus, power is not injected into the grid from the solar photovoltaic system. In solving the faculty’s power lapses and improving power supply quality in the faculty, data collected both within the faculty. These methods include data collection, evaluation of load data, data analysis, suitable design adoption, simulation of data. A solar photovoltaic software application package called PVsyst was employed for various simulations and plots. The end simulation and final work prove the system to be 57% efficient in performance.

Proposing Utilization of Photovoltaic (PV) Source into Power Distribution Network Using University of Port Harcourt as a Case Study

Relying on Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) for power distribution in University of Port Harcourt (Uniport) has not really helped in satisfying the overall power requirements, considering the fact that alternative renewable sources of power exist in its environs and tapping into it will help ameliorate these challenges. This work involves proposing utilization of photovoltaic (PV) source into power distribution using Uniport as a case study. Solar radiation profile was obtained as latitude 40o48.1 oN and longitude 6o55.9oE with average clearance index of 4.37kwh/m2/day. Solar altitude, angle of incidence, azimuth, global solar value in kw/m2 were recorded as well as models for PV, battery bank and converter components formulated. Moreso, sensitivity and optimization studies including systems architecture, load and PV output for the solar network was carried out. User specified variables such as appliance peak power, total energy produced/consumed per day, total amount to be invested as well as lifespan of solar generating plant. Overall cost of solar PV amounted to about Two billion, seven hundred and forty million, six hundred thousand naira (N2, 740,600,000) for a twenty-four (24) hour power supply. Operation and maintenance cost for a projection of twenty-five (25) years (OPEX was also determined to be Ninety-six million, five hundred thousand naira (N96, 500,000:00). At 25 years, amount that must have been spent on bills to PHEDC for consuming maximum of ten (10) hours of electrical power is about Seven billion, eight hundred and sixteen million, three hundred and thirty-one thousand, one hundred naira (N 7,816,331,100:00). This implies that if Uniport decides to jettison PHEDC for the next twenty-five (25) years and want to be sure of a guaranteed 24 hours’ power supply, it would have saved a total of Five billion, and seventy-five million, seven hundred and thirty-one thousand, one hundred naira (N5,075,731,100:00). Furthermore, generated power by this design is 7500MWhr but the load consumed in a year is 7100MWhr/year given an excess used power of 400MWhr/year. This excess power can be sold thereby creating extra profit for the institution.

Application of GIS in Electricity Distribution: A Case Study of part of Ashamu Layout Kosobo, Oyo East Local Government Area, Oyo State Nigeria

Due to the natural limitations faced by the old system of keeping, planning and managing the distribution of electricity, a computerized system is developed for Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), on Ashamu Layout of Kosobo Area, Oyo State, Nigeria. Data was acquired using south total station (NTS) and the data was downloaded using NTS.comp and project boundary was plotted with AutoCAD civil 3D, 1m Ikonos resolution satellite imagery was downloaded and geo-referenced with Arcgis10.1. Spatial features such as roads and buildings were vectorized. Electricity distribution and management was designed and created using relational database management system (rdbms) approach. The raster image was added as layer to ArcGIS 10.1 environments for geo-referencing and vectorization. The roads, buildings, electric poles were vectorized and a south total station was used to acquire co-ordinates of the electric poles and transformers to their position on the imagery, creating spatial database for the study area. The developed system was tested by carrying out spatial analysis and spatial search using ArcGIS 10.1. The results obtained were displayed in graphics and tables. It was established from the result that Geographic Information System (GIS) has the capacity as an effective tool for management of electricity distribution system.

English

The study focused on the factors mitigating the utilization of information resources and services in the Nigeria French Language Village (NFLV), library, Badagry. A descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of the study is 2,258 which comprised ten (10) library staff, thirty (30) lecturers and two thousand, two hundred and eighteen (2218) undergraduates of Nigerian universities and colleges of education who come from the six geo-political zones of the country to NFLV which is the area of study for their language immersion programmes. A sample of 226 respondents was obtained for this study through stratified random sampling and proportionate technique. Instrument for data collection was the questionnaire alongside the observation method. Therefore, findings showed that, the factors affecting the utilization of information resources and services are as follows: Epileptic power supply, lack of ICT facilities in the library, poor reading culture among undergraduates on language immersion programme and lack of modern facilities in the library. Based on the findings, the study finally recommended that the library should procure its own generator so that it could power the library when there is power outage/failure from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). However, more staffs should be employed so that it could withstand pressure from library users’ requests. Library staff should be trained on ways of handling or dealing with library clientele as this will encourage patronage of the library. Key words: Factors, utilization, information resources and services, Nigeria French language village library.

QUALITY SERVICE DELIVERY AND CUSTOMERS’ SATISFACTION IN THE EEDC ABAKALIKI: TOWARDS THE ATTAINMENT OF SDG7 IN THE NIGERIAN POWER SECTOR

This paper focuses on Quality service delivery and customers’ satisfaction within the framework of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The motivation behind this research is the persistence of power failure despite the privatization and unbundling policy of Federal Government after it failed to induce efficiency and effectiveness in the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). It adopts faceto-face interviews and documentary analyses. The study revealed that factors such as fear of contract review/withdrawal and lack of job security after the probation period (2014-2018) due to change of government are also other challenges that affect the performance of electricity supply by EEDC in Abakaliki. Also, monopoly and customers’ self-pacifist behaviour were found to account for the persistence of the identified challenges identified. Findings further revealed that beating, harassment of EEDC staff and vandalization of power infrastructures by customers due to service failure or as an expression of frustration results in constant high bill estimation since staff cannot freely move to pick accurate meter readings in some premises where they had been confronted regularly. These result in a constant light interruption, overvoltage, load shedding, bulk billing, disconnections, and delay in the new connection. Paper concludes therefore that for the attainment of the current Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) goal 7, which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030; Public Enterprises (PEs) should invest more in recruiting more qualified staff and improving their condition of service; while government institutionalize the contract concession to remove it from political influence, at least partially and finally, make clear its policy responsibility to assign clear areas of intervention between it and the company and invest robustly in infrastructure.

EXPLORING ESSENTIAL GENERIC GREEN SKILLS FOR GREEN JOBS IN THE FIELD OF ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS

Showing keen interest to skills and the occupation requirements of green environment, the green evolution mostly affects existing and emerging new occupations. The occupational profiles globally will change and demand for the most part new and different skills, because green skills demand already poses a major barrier to transitions to green environment, economies and green job creation. The purpose of this study was to explore essential generic green skills for green jobs in the field of electrical/electronics. A qualitative design was the main means of data collection and Nvivo was used to transcribe and analyse the data. The participants targeted for this research were (6) lecturers from the Department of Technical Education, School of Vocational and Technical Education, Adamawa State College of Education, Hong, Nigeria, lecturers from Adamawa State Polytechnic, lecturers from Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola and (6) staff of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Northeast Zone, Gombe office, Nigeria. (3) Renewable energy Firm in Gombe, Gombe Sate. The findings of this study have revealed that the essential generic green skills are; Technical skills, renewable energy, communication skills, intellectual, core-worker relationship, and generally be physically fit. It is envisaged that this study will benefit a large number of professionals more especially those in the field of electrical engineering, green jobs and those in the green economy sector. More study needs to be carried in this area to further explore the essential generic skills.

Urban Well Characteristics and Groundwater Pollution in Ibadan, Nigeria

In many countries around the world including Nigeria, access to adequate potable water has become a mirage. The supply of pipe-borne water in Nigeria has, over the years, become grossly inadequate or totally non-existent. This has led many people to seek alternative sources of water, especially from hand-dug wells. Most of the hand-dug wells are frequently polluted due to improper location and human anthropogenic activities around the wells. This study was carried out to investigate the physical characteristics of the sampled wells in Ibadan city and their vulnerability to pollutants. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to sample862buildings (4%) of existing buildings (21,391) using wells in six Local Government Areas (LGAs) (Ibadan North, Ibadan North-West, Ibadan South-East, Ido, Egbeda and Ona-Ara) of Ibadan sampled. Microbial analyses were carried out on water samples collected using graph method from 50 wells that were randomly selected in the six LGAs. The study revealed that 97.8% of the wells were shallow; 90.4% were ringed and covered; 91.1% fetched manually from of the wells; 60.1% had no fixed drawer and allowed individuals to bring and use various drawers to fetch water; 8.9% of the wells provided mechanical device to fetch water; 29.9% relied on electricity generator; 41.5% relied on electricity provided by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN); while 28.6% relied on both generator and PHCN. About a half (47.8%) of the sampled wells were located down slope to the septic tank; 75.6% were situated at less than 25metres distance to septic facilities. Significant relationship was established between depth of the wells and groundwater pollution with bacterial count (t=17.230, p≤ 0.000); positive association exist between rings and bacterial count (t=10.209, p≤ 0.000); coliform count (t=-6.764, p≤ 0.000) and total suspended solid (t=-13.023, p≤ 0.000). The use of ring and cover on wells have been proved to be the best for proper hygiene while periodic water quality monitoring and incorporation of household water purification practices with hand-dug well water are recommended.

Crude Oil Price Fluctuation and Unemployment Nexus in Nigeria: Evidence from VECM Technique

The main objective of this paper is to examine the impact of crude oil fluctuation on the rate of unemployment in Nigeria using data for the period of 1991 to 2018 and employed VECM to realize the objective. The outcome from the VECM estimation revealed that population and economic growths were positive and significantly associated with unemployment while crude oil price and electricity consumption have significant negative sign with unemployment in the long-run but in the short-run only population growth was significant and positively signed with unemployment. From the granger causality, one-way causality runs from population growth to unemployment; economic growth to unemployment; crude oil price to unemployment; population growth to economic growth; crude oil price to population growth; crude oil price to economic growth; electricity consumption to economic growth. Variance decomposition indicate that population growth responded highly to shock in unemployment whereas impulse response function revealed that unemployment responded positively to shocks in economic growth and crude oil price while negatively to population growth and electricity consumption. Therefore, among the recommendations include population checking measures should be a long-term one, making strategies that provide and encourages greater continued economic growth, redirecting excess crude oil accounts earnings into areas of education, employment encouraging plans, improving healthcare services and infrastructure development plan. Lastly, supervising the activities of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in order to ensure constant supply of electricity to the industrial and domestic sectors would help in providing solution to the increasing rate of unemployment in Nigeria.

Privatization Policy and Rural Development: An Assessment of Power Holding Company of Nigeria in Ijumu Local Government of Kogi State

The state of electricity supply in Nigeria is nothing to write home about. The situation has resulted in the government adopting the privatization policy as the elixir to the affliction of inadequate power supply in the country. Thus, this paper investigated the privatization policy of the power sector and how it affects development in the rural areas of the Ijumu local government of Kogi State, Nigeria. The modernization theory was adopted in this paper. Data acquired from 120 respondents selected with the use of the three-stage sampling procedure, was analyzed with Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS/PC) Version 20. The study revealed that privatization of the power sector has not transformed into a significant improvement in electricity supply. Consequently, the study recommends that there is need for the government to ensure that the policy adopted should be of optimum form to achieve the desired results.

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A RESIDENTIAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

This paper proposes an optimization-based Residential Energy Management System (REMS) to minimize not only the customer's energy cost but also customer dissatisfaction with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). REMS is designed in such a way that when there is a person in a particular room, electrical power is supplied to that room from its main source, and once the person leaves and the room, the power supply is cut off, shutting off all appliances and devices in that room. This is achieved by the usage of a passive infrared sensor (PIR) to detect motion and an ArduinoMicrocontrollerATMEGA-328Pto process input data from the PIR sensors to determine if electrical power is needed in a room or not. A Microcontroller PIC16F877A is also used to carry out all processing activities whose result would be effected through the aid of five output devices with a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) used to display the PIR and the microprocessor status. The current state of the prototype design is described and a brief introduction to the control approach is made.