The Republics of Togo, Niger and Benin owe Nigeria a total of N29.97bn for the electricity supplied to them from January to September last year, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Nigeria, through its electricity transmission company, supplies power to these countries, which are classified as international customers in the Nigerian power sector.

Niger’s power firm, Societe Nigerienne d’electricite, failed to pay a total invoice of N3.01bn it received in the first quarter of 2019; N3.69bn in Q2; and N4.1bn in Q3.

Communaute Electrique du Benin, a power firm owned by Togo and Benin, did not pay N9.74bn for the power supplied to it in Q1; N7.16bn in Q2; and N2.27bn in Q3.

NERC said in its latest quarterly report released on Friday that the international customers made no payment for the total outstanding debt in Q3.

“The Nigerian government has continued to engage the governments of neighbouring countries benefitting from the export supply to ensure timely payments for the electricity purchased from Nigeria,” it said.

The regulator said the financial viability and commercial performance of the Nigerian electricity supply industry continued to be a major challenge.

According to the report, a total invoice of N179.66bn was issued to the power distribution companies for energy received from the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc and for service charge by the Market Operator in Q3, but only a sum of N58.81bn was settled.

The government-owned NBET buys electricity in bulk from generation companies through Power Purchase Agreements and sells through vesting contracts to the Discos, which then supply it to the consumers, while the MO is an arm of the Transmission Company of Nigeria.

NERC said, “Although the Discos fully met the minimum remittance for MO, the average aggregate remittance performance to NBET was 32.73 per cent, with performance level ranging from 19.43 per cent (Jos) to 50.03 per cent (Eko).

“This is slightly lower than the minimum remittance threshold prescribed in the orders on minimum remittance issued to all Discos in July 2019 with Enugu and Ikeja failing to meet their remittance obligation during the period.”

The regulator added that following the commencement of enforcement of the minimum remittance order, all Discos had since fully complied with their respective minimum remittance thresholds.

“Notwithstanding the slight progress recorded in the third quarter of 2019, the financial viability of the Nigerian electricity supply industry is still a major challenge threatening its sustainability,” it added.

Last month, the West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited said it was resuming its supply of natural gas from Nigeria to its customers in Republic of Benin, Togo and Ghana.

WAPCo disclosed this while announcing the successful completion of the cleaning and inspection of its 20’’ offshore pipeline from Badagry in Nigeria to Takoradi in Ghana.

WAPCo is the operator of the West African Gas Pipeline, which was built to supply natural gas from Nigeria to customers in Republics of Benin, Togo and Ghana.

The US National Institutes of Health has joined with biotech firm Moderna to run the first trials of a vaccine for coronavirus on 45 people, who will receive a second jab in 28 days times.

The first human trials of a new vaccine scientists hope will protect against Covid-19 have been carried out.

The US National Institutes of Health, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, has been working with biotech company Moderna to produce the preventative medication.

Yesterday, it was tested on humans for the first time, US health officials confirmed.

A 43-year-old mother-of-two was the first person to receive the vaccine.

Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the trials were an important first step.

The first stage of the trial will test the vaccine on 45 males and non-pregnant females between the ages of 18 and 55, with them receiving a second dose 28 days after the first.

The vaccine is unlikely to be available to the public anytime soon however, CNBC reported.

Last week Dr Fauci suggested it would not be fit for mass use for another 12 to 18 months.

The vaccine cannot cause Covid-19 – the disease triggered by the coronavirus – but contains a harmless genetic code copied from the virus.

This is unlike typical vaccines for viruses, which are made from weakened or killed viruses.

In a bid to get the medical technology ready for mass use as quickly as possible, part of the typical development process has been sidestepped.

Unlike in usual medical trials, this vaccine will not be tested to see whether it triggers an immune response in animals.

Infectious disease expert Dr John Tregoning praised the pace of the vaccine’s development.

“This vaccine uses pre-existing technology,” he told the BBC.

“It’s been made to a very high standard, using things that we know are safe to use in people and those taking part in the trial will be very closely monitored.

“Yes, this is very fast – but it is a race against the virus, not against each other as scientists, and it’s being done for the benefit of humanity.”

Yesterday the UK government updated its list of people who are most at risk of Covid-19.

Severely obese are now included in the category.

Anyone with a body mass index (BMI) score over 40 could be especially vulnerable to the killer infection which is wreaking havoc in the UK.

Boris Johnson warned Brits to expect months of lockdown and isolations as the country seeks to limit the spread of coronavirus.

So far 55 people in the UK have died having suffered from Covid-19 that number is expected to increase in the coming days, weeks and months.