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A former Vice Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in the north-west, Salihu Lukman, has begged President Bola Tinubu to be responsive to the sufferings of Nigerians.
Lukman, who made this appeal in a statement, said Nigerians are becoming impoverished and can no longer afford basic medication.
The APC chieftain said he is heartbroken because the performance of Tinubu in the last 10 months betrays all the expectations “we had.”
“President Asiwaju Tinubu, APC leaders and Nigerian politicians can do better.
“How can anyone with the faintest of conscience live a normal life with a reality whereby the same citizens who elected them as leaders are impoverished by decisions we took as a ruling party?
“Is President Asiwaju Tinubu at all aware that the majority of our citizens, including relatively high-income earners cannot afford medication when they are sick?
“The belief of many of us, and indeed most Nigerians, is that President Asiwaju Tinubu is a responsive politician who will not recklessly take any decision without weighing its consequences on the lives of citizens.
“Being human, our expectation is that, if decisions are taken with grave consequences such as withdrawal of subsidy and floating the exchange rate, being the responsive leader he is.
“It is our expectation he will quickly review and recalibrate such decisions with the overall objective of protecting the welfare of citizens. That is what progressive politics is all about.
“May God Almighty touch the heart of President Asiwaju Tinubu and all APC leaders, and indeed all Nigerian politicians, to understand that millions of Nigerians are confronted with life threatening reality today.
“Just like we asked for the votes of citizens during elections, citizens are asking leaders, especially President Asiwaju Tinubu, to be responsive to today’s reality.”
Lukman added that it is difficult to predict where the country is headed under Tinubu.
A fresh crisis has hit the Labour Party as its National Treasurer, Mrs. Oluchi Oparah, has demanded that the National Chairman, Julius Abure render an account of party funds over N3.5bn being proceeds of sale of forms and sundry fundraisers for the 2023 general elections.
Oparah made the demand at a press conference in Abuja, on Monday.
According to the treasurer, the National Chairman has prevented her from exercising her constitutionally assigned role of handling the party’s accounts.
She equally alleged that the chairman has shunned all entireties to open the party’s books for scrutiny since the sale of expression of interest and nomination forms closed before the 2023 general elections.
Oparah said, “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the press. I stand before you today with a heavy heart and a sense of duty to the principles of transparency, accountability, and justice. With great reluctance and deep concern, I am compelled to publicly address the media regarding the egregious financial mismanagement and corruption that have plagued our beloved party under the leadership of Mr Julius Abure, the current National Chairman.
“As National Treasurer, I am constrained to come before you and the public today because the internal mechanisms of our party have failed woefully to bring Mr Abure to account for his brazen abuse of office and misappropriation of party funds.
“ His appetite for power has grown unchecked, and he has deliberately undermined my duties and authority as stipulated in the party’s constitution.”
Super Eagles midfielder, Alex Iwobi has removed all photos on his official Instagram page.
A check by VANGUARD on Monday afternoon confirmed that only one video remains on the account.
The video was shared ten weeks ago, and the comment section remains locked.
Iwobi is one of the players that faced criticisms after Nigeria’s 2-1 loss to Ivory Coast in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday.
The Fulham midfielder featured for 79 minutes as the Eagles failed to add to their three AFCON championships.
Iwobi was replaced by Alhassan Yusuf for the last 10 minutes of the game.
Hardship: They were silent during Buhari’s 8 years – Adeyanju tackles northern religious, traditional leaders
AdminAmid the hardship in Nigeria, Deji Adeyanju, a sociopolitical activist, has slammed the religious leaders in northern Nigeria over their silence during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He was reacting to the remark by the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, that First Lady Remi Tinubu should tell the president that Nigerians are hungry.
Bayero spoke during the opening of the Faculty of Law at a private university on Monday in Kano State.
According to Bayero: “The hunger and starvation didn’t start with this government, but the situation has become more alarming and needs urgent attention.”
Reacting, Adeyanju posted on X: “Emir of Kano to Remi Tinubu: ‘Tell your husband Nigerians are hungry’. May God bless Sarkin Kano. But why did all the religious and traditional leaders in the North refuse to speak truth to power like this during Buhari’s eight-year disastrous regime? Not once did they speak truth to power. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi that tried, he was removed as king.”
The International Monetary Fund, IMF, says Nigeria’s foreign reserves dropped to a record low of $24 billion in 2024 from $33 billion last year.
The IMF’s latest country report for Nigeria disclosed this, signalling potential challenges for Africa’s largest economy.
It noted that the first half of 2023 witnessed a surplus in the current account, yet there was a notable decline in reserves.
“Through 2024–25, the financial account will likely deteriorate, with no projected issuance of Eurobonds, large Fund and Eurobond repayments of $3.5 billion, and portfolio outflows.
“Hence, despite a current account surplus, officially reported reserves are projected to decline to $24 billion in 2024 before increasing again to $38 billion in 2028 as portfolio inflows resume,” the report stated.
However, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, data showed Nigeria’s foreign reserves stood at $33.12 billion as of February 8, 2024.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) is partnering with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to probe the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Herbert Wigwe, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Access Holdings Plc, and five others.
The passengers included the GCEO’s wife, son, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former Group Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group). All six individuals on board have been confirmed dead.
NSIB’s statement on Monday, as conveyed by Bimbo Oladeji, NSIB’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, highlighted the collaboration’s alignment with international aviation protocols under ICAO Annex 13.
Regrettably, the United States authorities have now confirmed that everyone onboard the aircraft lost their lives in the crash,” the director said.
“The deceased are two crew members comprising a pilot in command and a “safety pilot” and four passengers namely Dr Herbert Wigwe, his wife, son, and Mr Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, (NGX Group).
“In the aftermath of the accident, the Director-General, NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh, established contact with NTSB, in accordance with Chapter 5 subsection 27 of ICAO’s Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation-Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation, which grants a State (nation) special interest in an accident involving its citizens.
“This participation ensures access to relevant information and facilitates cooperation with the investigating authorities, towards ensuring the investigation reaches a conclusive outcome.
“The ongoing discussion between the NSIB and NTSB has highlighted the diligent investigation efforts of the NTSB.
“NTSB investigators were present at the crash scene in Halloran Springs, California, on Saturday to collect evidence and conduct initial on-scene documentation.
“The documentation process included aerial mapping of the wreckage with a drone, and site measurements.
“Correspondence between the NSIB and NTSB further revealed that the NTSB investigation into the crash is being led by Aaron Sauer as the investigator in charge, supported by Mark Ward as the deputy investigator in charge.
“Several other NTSB investigators will also be examining various aspects of the accident, including airworthiness and maintenance structures, operations, meteorology and air traffic control.”
Oladeji said the NTSB is already moving the wreckage to a secure location for in-depth examination and analysis.
Access Holdings has announced that its board will soon make public the replacement for the late Group Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Wigwe, who died alongside his wife and son in a chopper crash in California, United States, on Friday.
Abubakar Jimoh, Chairman of Access Holding, disclosed this on Sunday in a statement signed by the company’s secretary, Sunday Ekwochi, while confirming the deaths of Wigwe, his wife, and his son in the unfortunate crash.
“In line with the company’s policy, the board will soon announce the appointment of an acting Group Chief Executive Officer even as we remain confident that the Access Group will build further on Dr Wigwe’s legacy of growth and operational excellence,” the statement reads in part.
The company said Wigwe was a driving force with a larger-than-life personality.
DAILY POST reports that Wigwe, his wife and son, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo died on Friday in a chopper crash in the US.
Wigwe’s death attracted tributes from all quarters, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The International Monetary Fund, IMF, has warned that Nigeria is experiencing a deepening economic crisis.
IMF expressed concern that the stagnant per-capita growth, widespread poverty, and severe food insecurity have further intensified the persistent cost-of-living crisis in Nigeria.
This was contained in its recently published report titled ‘Review of Nigeria’s Post Financing Assessment by the IMF Executive Board.’
In line with the report, the inadequate collection of revenue has impeded the delivery of services and the allocation of resources towards public investment.
According to the report, the observed inflation rate for October stood at 27 percent compared to the same period last year (with food inflation at 32 percent).
The growth was attributed to the removal of fuel subsidies, the depreciation of the exchange rate, and the negative impact on agricultural production in the country.
The report read in part, “Nigeria faces a difficult external environment and wide-ranging domestic challenges. External financing (market and official) is scarce, and global food prices have surged, reflecting the repercussions of conflict and geo-economic fragmentation.
“Per-capita growth in Nigeria has stalled, poverty and food insecurity are high, exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis. Low reserves and very limited fiscal space constrain the authorities’ option space. Against this backdrop, the authorities’ focus on restoring macroeconomic stability and creating conditions for sustained, high and inclusive growth is appropriate.”
In the midst of Nigeria’s ongoing economic challenges, the report highlighted that on January 12, 2024, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund completed an evaluation of post financing and approved the Staff Appraisal without delay.
Additionally, it emphasized that Nigeria possesses sufficient capability to repay its debts to the IMF.
[DailyPost]
Federal civil servants in about 90 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are yet to receive their January salaries, Daily Trust can report.
The affected MDAs include the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHoCSF), the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Education, the National Population Commission, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Voice of Nigeria, among others.
In separate interviews with Daily Trust and Premium Times, the workers lamented and said their December 2023 salary delay experience ought not to have been repeated.
“As I am talking to you, myself and three of my colleagues have not been paid. The situation is not fair not with the current situation of the daily increment of prices of food items and other things in the country,” one of the workers said.
Others alleged that the delay in the payment of their salaries was an indication that the government was insensitive to the sufferings of the masses.
The delay in the December salary payment had been attributed to technical issues relating to upload and harmonization of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
The delay in the payment of January salaries was blamed on the technical glitch on the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS) platform by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF).
GIFMIS is an IT-based system for budget management and accounting put in place by the federal government to improve public expenditure management processes and enhance greater accountability and transparency across ministries and agencies.
A January 31 memo titled, ‘Delay in the Payment of January 2024 Salary’, from the bursary department of the National Mathematics Centre, Abuja, to all its staff, signed by the acting bursar, Pius Ukwah, said, “We wish to inform you that January 2024 salaries will be delayed beyond normal.
“As of today, the OAGF is still working on finalising the 2024 appropriation on the GIFMIS platform and as a result, the personnel warrant for January is yet to be released”.
The memo, which copied the Director/CE, the Registrar and pasted on all notice boards, stated further, “The same situation applies to all MDAs and not just the centre. We regret the inconvenience caused by this delay.”
In Ekiti State, some of the workers who spoke with Premium Times included staff of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti; Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN); National Orientation Agency (NOA), and Federal Ministry of Information, among others.
An official of FUOYE, Wole Balogun, said with the hardship being faced by the people, it was inconceivable that salaries could be delayed longer than necessary.
Balogun, who blamed the delay on an unnecessary bureaucratic bottleneck associated with the payment platforms, urged the federal government to expedite action on the payment, “because the situation is becoming unbearable.”
A staffer of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Folashade Daramola, also lamented the delay. She noted that many members of staff have loan obligations that they ought to have paid as at when due, which have remained pending.
Also, Owoeye Ilesanmi, who is a staffer of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), said that in addition to delay in the payment of January salary, the federal government has reneged on the payment of the wage award.
In Katsina State, many federal workers spoken to also said they had not been paid their salary and palliatives support from the government.
Some of the affected workers told Premium Time that the delay was affecting their work schedule, as they now find it difficult to go to work, especially those living in areas far from their offices.
“I work in a department that requires me to go to the office every day, but I’ve finished my savings and I’m finding it difficult to travel to Dutsin Ma to undertake my responsibility,” Faruk (surname withheld), who is an engineer with the department of Physical Planning and Works at the Federal University, Dutsin Ma, said.
Another non-academic worker of the Federal Polytechnic, Daura, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, said the delay in salary payment was affecting her activities, especially because she travelled daily from Katsina to Daura.
An official of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in Edo State, Jude Abugu, described the delay in payment of salaries as commonplace in recent months.
A memo from the Accountant-General’s Office said work was ongoing towards finalising the 2024 budget on the GIFMIS platform.
When contacted last night, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, told Daily Trust that about 90 offices across the MDAs were affected, including some universities and polytechnics.
He, however, said many of the workers had started receiving their salaries on Thursday; while others did on Friday and at the weekend.
“The issue was attributed to issue of uploading the 2024 budget and making it current because the salary was paid from the 2024 budget instead of the tradition where they overlap the budget,” he explained.
“All has been finalized on Friday. They are supposed to have started getting since yesterday (Saturday). If they don’t get, maybe it is from the banks, from tomorrow (Monday) morning, definitely they will get it”.
A top official in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, who insisted on not being named, said the delay in salary payment was not a punishment for workers.
He confirmed receiving his salary, but said he was aware that some of his “superior officers and some junior workers are yet to receive theirs.”
[DailyTrust]
Going by the latest report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAuGF), many Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDA) violated extant laws and spent billions of naira that were not appropriated in 2020.
The OAuGF gave the detailed account of the infractions two years after its last report.
Section 80 (2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended States that “No moneys shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation except to meet expenditure that is charged upon the fund by this Constitution or where the issue of those moneys has been authorised by an Appropriation Act, Supplementary Appropriation Act or an Act passed in pursuance of section 81 of this Constitution”.
Also, Section 80(3) states that “No moneys shall be withdrawn from any public fund of the Federation, other than the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, unless the issue of those moneys has been authorised by an Act of the National Assembly”.
The 2020 Audited Report of government finances dated November 30, 2023, submitted to the National Assembly contained revelations of unbudgeted expenditure and unremitted revenue to government coffers in the 2020 financial year.
Constitutionally, the 2020 Auditor-General’s report ought to have been submitted to the National Assembly in 2021. It was submitted via a letter referenced AuGF/AR.2020/01 dated November 30, 2023.
The report contained 26 audit queries issued to the OAuGF detailing different infractions and abuse of the financial regulations and treasury circulars; 27 queries against the Security and Exchange Commission and 31 audit queries against the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
Last year, The Nation reported that the delay in the appointment of a substantive Auditor-General of the Federation was delaying the submission of an audited report of government finances to the National Assembly as the director over-seeing the office cannot sign any final audit report.
On October 21, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Shaakaa Chira as the substantive Auditor-General
In its Report, the said that 28 MDAs, including some Federal Pay Offices, Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, Airforce Institute of a technology among others had negative balances of cash and cash equivalents amounting to N13,955,069,757,335.20.
The report said: “The amount was presented in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position as Current Portion of Borrowings/Cash & Cash Equivalent under Current Liabilities.
“There was no further information in the notes to the FGN CFS on what gave rise to the negative cash and cash equivalents recognised by the twenty eight MDA.
“The above anomalies could be attributed to weaknesses in the internal control system surrounding the consolidation process at the OAuGF.”
The report also indicted about 256 MDAs for engaging in extra budgetary expenditure amounting to N284, 316,170,124.34 in 2020, saying “the total expenditure disclosed for the affected MDA was N361,273,553,365.49, against the approved budget of N76,957,383,241.15, hence the extra budgetary expenditure.
According to the report, the sources of the extra spending were neither disclosed, nor the evidence of supplementary appropriation or approved virement provided, attributing it to failure of the accounting officers of the affected MDA to ensure that proper budgetary and accounting systems are established and maintained to enhance internal control, accountability and transparency.
It also attribute it to lack of due diligence from the Accountant-General of the Federation in ensuring that the release of the overhead costs was limited to approved estimates.
The accountant-general said in his management response to the issue that “GIFMIS is budget based software; it could not allow payments without a budget. The MDAs with waivers to spend 75 per cent of their revenue were allowed to add whatever they spent as a supplementary budget. Several of the affected MDAs have grants or aid, these is to be classified as supplementary budget. Those, with AIE, revenue & grants sources have had their budgets adjusted as supplementary budgets.
Another 18 MDAs incurred an overhead expenditure of N129,348,691,232.01 which were not supportes by budgetary provision as required by extant regulations, but the accountant-general, in a management response contained in the report said the MDAs involve ate “mostly those that had waivers to spend a percentage of their revenue to sustain themselves”.
The report said that 34 MDAs reported zero overhead expenditure despite having a total budget of N6,965, 100,151.00, adding that “no additional information was disclosed to enable users understand how the MDA operated without overhead costs”.
The AuGF report reported an extra budgetary expenditure of N342.916 billion on employee benefits and subsidiaries above the appropriated amounts, adding that while N7.027.nillion was budgeted for Employees Benefit the total expenditure was N335.657 billion was spent.
It also said that the sum of N14, 284,446,488.75 was spent on subsidies without budgetary provisions.
The report said that 72 MDAs exceeded their Employee benefits budget by N328,631,067,959.54 saying “the total expenditures of the 72 MDA were N335,657,780,939.50 while the total budget was 8’7,026,712,979.96, hence the reported extra budgetary expenditure.
The auditor-general reported that 106 MDAs exceeded their personnel costs budget by N78,761,272,804.54, saying “the total expenditures of the 106 MDA was N882.90 billion, while the total budget was N804.14 billion
“No information was disclosed thereon in respect to the authorisation of the expenditure by way of either supplementary appropriation or virement upon which the personnel budget was exceeded.”
About N1.23 trillion was recognised as Intangible Assets for 659 MDAs without the schedule showing the classification and nature of the Intangible assets contrary to the provision of IPSAS 31 and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, while there was no disclosure to enable the audit confirm which category of the intangible assets has finite or infinite life.
According to the report, a review of the consolidated statement of financial performance shows that the gain of N244 ,326,407.50 from disposal of assets was disclosed in both Note 24 and Consolidated Statement of Financial Performance as Gain or Loss on Disposal of PPE.
The AuGF stressed that out of a total of One hundred and ten (110) MDA that were circularised, only twenty did not respond, adding that the balances recognised in the FGN CFS against the unresponsive MDA amounted to N1.721 trillion.
The Consolidated Statement of Financial Position showed a negative Net Assets of N33.34 trillions as at December 31, 2020, adding that the accountant-general should provide justification for the negative net assets balance reported in the FGN CFS to the Public Accounts Committees (PAC) of the National Assembly.
[TheNation]
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The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, on Sunday, said that the socio-economic as well as security challenges confronting the country require spiritual solutions.
The spiritual leader noted that the nation’s political leaders appeared to have tried their best to seek solutions but that Nigeria urgently needed divine intervention.
Adeboye stated these when he met the Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna, the state capital.
He said, “I am delighted to be here again. I was here about two years ago with the former governor. At that time I came to pray for some of my members who were kidnapped and were miraculously rescued. I came to encourage their families to let them know that all will be well.
“I have come again this time around because it has become clearer to us that the problems our nation is facing is more than political. Our problems will require quite a bit of spiritual solution.
“We, as a country, are blessed. We are blessed with people with great intelligence. We are blessed with all manner of resources and yet we have so many problems.
“It is not as if people in authority are not trying their best. They are doing as much as humanly possible and then we found out that when you have problems that are beyond human ability to solve them, you call on the Almighty. The reason we call Him the Almighty is because He has the power to solve all problems.
“So, we have been going round in our own little ways to support the efforts of all the various governments and parastatals to call on the Almighty to come to our aid because we need help. We need help and we need it urgently.”
In his response, Governor Sani said President Bola Tinubu needed the prayers and support of clerics like Adeboye to put the nation on the path of greatness.
He said,“We also believe that from the remarks you made just now, our country, at this critical time, requires the intervention from people like you who are tested and who have in the past intervened and helped us to find solutions to our problems. We believe you won’t be tired. We also need an intervention at this critical time.
“Many Nigerians are losing hope and they have been very cautious about the future but like I said, we are going through difficulties because of what happened in the past and right now we have a President who is determined and focused and ready to take the country to a greater height and I have no doubt, with your intervention and prayers, that our President will certainly get it right.
“So far, Mr President has taken some very important steps towards moving our country forward but most of these steps are things that might be difficult at this critical time because they are major reforms we need; both economic reforms, as well as social reforms.
“And looking at some of the things that happened in the past hoping to connect them, we need some reforms that might be painful at this critical time but I have no doubt that in the near future, Nigeria will be better for all of us by the grace of God.
“So, we will continue to seek your advice, your wisdom, your support and most importantly, your prayers. We thank you for coming to Kaduna and we will continue to consult you for advice and wisdom, thank you.”
[Punch]
Power distribution companies overbilled about 7.1 million unmetered electricity consumers between January and September 2023, an analysis of the latest monthly number of overbilled customers showed.
In the various Regulatory Interventions for Non-Compliance with the Order on Capping of Estimated Billing to Unmetered Customers, issued to the 11 Discos by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, an agency of the Federal Government, it was established that the power distributors raked over N105bn as a result of over-billing.
Figures computed by our correspondent indicated that Yola Disco overbilled about 42,902 customers to the tune of N541.9m during the review period, while Abuja Disco overbilled 1,823,218 customers by N17.9bn.
Benin Disco overbilled 754,849 customers underestimated billing by N10.5bn, as Enugu Disco overbilled a total of 1,011,402 customers to the tune of N11.9bn during the nine-month period.
Eko Disco overbilled 371,828 customers under the estimated billing category between January and June 2023, as the months of July, August and September were not captured in the report released by NERC. It overbilled these customers to the tune of N14.13bn.
Ibadan Disco made N333.68m from the overbilling of 143,465 customers underestimated billing between January and September last year, while Jos Disco overbilled 1,264,537 customers to the tune of N13.3bn.
Ikeja Disco overbilled 934,438 customers by N20.9bn, as Kaduna raked in N1.14bn from the overbilling of 126,071 power users under its franchise area during the review period.
Kano Discos overbilled 71,120 customers by N196.97m during the nine month period, while Port Harcourt Disco overbilled 605,621 customers to the tune of N14.2bn between January and June, as the number of overbilled customers in July, August and September were not captured.
It was reported on Saturday that the power sector regulator declared that it would deduct N10,505,286,072 from the annual allowed revenues of the 11 power distribution companies during the next tariff review as part of sanctions over their non-compliance with the capping of estimated bills for unmetered customers.
NERC stressed that the billing of unmetered customers by the power firms in their various franchise areas for 2023 revealed non-compliance with the monthly energy caps issued by the commission.
The regulator often issues orders stipulating the maximum amount that any unmetered customer is meant to pay to the distribution company that provides him or her electricity services.
The amount is continued until the customer is metered by the distribution company, according to NERC’s order to the power firms.
In its order, as reported on Saturday, the regulator said, “The public may recall that in 2020, the commission issued the order on Capping of Estimated Bills (Order No: NERC/197/2020) and subsequently issued monthly energy caps which aimed to align the estimated bills for unmetered customers with the measured consumption of metered customers on the same supply feeder.
“A review of the electricity distribution companies’ billing of unmetered customers for 2023 has revealed non-compliance with the monthly energy caps issued by the commission.”
In response to this and in a bid to safeguard unmetered customers from arbitrary billing by Discos, the commission stated that pursuant to Section 34(1)(d) of the Electricity Act 2023, it had issued the order on Non-Compliance with Capping of Estimated Bills (Order No: NERC/2024/004-01 4).
It said the order stipulates the following: “i. Credit adjustment to customers: Discos are to issue credit adjustments to all over-billed unmetered customers for the period January to September 2023 by the March 2024 billing cycle.
“ii. Public notice: Discos have been directed to publish the list of credit adjustment beneficiaries in two national dailies and on their website no later than March 31, 2024.
“iii, Regulatory sanctions: The commission shall deduct a sum of N10,505,286,072 from the annual allowed revenues of the 11 Discos during the next tariff review, to deter future non-compliance with the energy caps approved by the commission.”
Electricity consumers nationwide have continued to lodge complaints against excessive estimated bills by power distribution companies in Nigeria.
The PUNCH, for instance, exclusively reported on December 31, 2023, that power consumers lodged a total of 333,947 complaints bordering on metering, billing and service interruption to their various distribution companies within a period of three months.
According to the report, this was disclosed in the 2023 third quarter report of NERC, stating that the complaints were lodged in the months of July, August and September 2023.
The report stated that the customer complaints in the third quarter was higher than what was recorded in the preceding quarter by 8,049 cases.
It quoted the NERC report as saying that “the total number of complaints received across all Discos (distribution companies) in 2023/Q3 was 333,947; Ibadan Disco received the highest number of complaints (59,901), representing 17.93 percent of the total complaints received. Abuja Disco received the least number of complaints (1,919), representing 0.57 percent of the total complaints received.
“Compared to 2023/Q2, the number of complaints received, number of cases resolved, and average resolution rate changed by +2.47 percent (333,947 in 2023/Q3 vs. 325,898 in 2023/Q2), +1.19 percent (317,179 in 2023/Q3 vs. 313,442 in 2023/Q2), and -1.2 per cent (94.98 in 2023/Q3 vs. 96.18 in 2023/Q2) respectively.
“Benin (-47.85 percent), Jos (-26.21 percent) and Ikeja (-1.84 percent) Discos recorded decreases in the number of customer complaints received compared to 2023/Q2.
“Conversely, eight Discos recorded increases in the number of customer complaints with significant increases being recorded by Yola (+43.28 percent), Kano (+17.46 percent) and Port Harcourt (+16.05 percent).”
On the type of complaints, the report stated that “the most frequently reported issues among the 333,947 complaints received by Discos in 2023/Q3 were metering (57.31 percent), billing (12.88 per cent), and service interruption (8.07 percent).
“These three complaints categories cumulatively accounted for over 78 percent of the total complaints in the quarter. Out of the 333,947 complaints received in 2023/Q3, 317,179 were resolved, translating to a resolution rate of 94.98 percent.”
Meanwhile, the commission has reaffirmed its commitment to regulatory compliance and consumer protection within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
Consumers expressed optimism that the power sector regulator would ensure the enforcement of this latest sanction on Discos, with the hope that it would deter the power firms from overbilling electricity users on estimated billing.
[STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE] President Tinubu Hails the Super Eagles, Says Team Demonstrated the Great Resilience and Talent of The Nigerian People
AdminPresident Bola Tinubu salutes the Super Eagles of Nigeria for their tenacious performance in the final of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d'Ivoire.
President Tinubu commends the team, the coach, the crew, and the entire management team for their hard work, assiduity, and sacrifice to come this far in the tournament, acknowledging the hurdles they consistently surpassed with steadily improving performance as they pulled through to the finals.
The President urges Nigerians to be of good cheer, emphasizing that we won a great victory in the hearts of Africa and the world by our grit, rigour, and determination in the field of play.
"Let this passing event not dispirit us, but bring us together to work harder. We are a great nation bound as one by the green-white-green banner of resilience, joy, hope, duty, and untiring love. To those cherished Nigerian youths expressing their gifts in communities, drawing lines in the sand as they play football in their humble rectangles of play, you can be our heroes tomorrow, do not relent in your pursuit. My administration is here to make dreams come true," the President says.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Mohammed Sanusi, has said rather than blaming President Bola Tinubu for the present hardship in the country, accusatory fingers should be pointed at his immediate predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, over the way he handled the economy.
The former emir of Kano, who spoke virtually on Sunday at a religious event in Abuja, maintained that the immediate past administration failed to properly manage its economic policies.
According to him, Buhari turned a deaf ear to reasonable advice on how to take Nigeria out of its economic woes.
He said he would, therefore, not be able to meet the expectations of a section of Nigerians who wanted him to criticize President Tinubu over the current economic difficulties in the country.
The former royal father stated: “I have been, over the years, talking about the pending crisis ahead of the current economic hardship. Any economist who has studied monetary policy in the last eight years knows that Nigerians will fall into this difficult situation.
“The difficult situation Nigerians are facing is just the beginning (if the right decision is not put in place) because Nigeria is not exceptional; such situations happened in Germany, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Venezuela.
“The previous administration turned adamant about our appeal for corrective measures (on the economic policy). I have said in the presence of the now sitting president in Kaduna state, any politician who tells you that things will be easy, don’t vote for him because he is lying. People merely dismissed my advisory as a political statement.
“If I am to be fair and just to President Bola Tinubu, he is not to blame for the current hardship; for eight years, we were living a fake lifestyle with huge debt from foreign and domestic debts. The Central Bank of Nigeria owes over N30 trillion, which resulted in debt service surpassing 100 per cent.
“I can’t join other Nigerians criticising Tinubu on the current economic hardship, and I am not saying he is a saint free from wrongdoing, but in this current economic situation, President Tinubu is not to be blamed. I will also speak if I see any wrong economic policy of the Tinubu administration in the future
“It’s injustice for anyone to blame the Tinubu administration for the current economic hardship because there is no other alternative than the removal of the fuel subsidy. After all, Nigeria cannot even afford to pay the subsidy. In the last eight years, the Central Bank continued to print more money, and the Naira continued to depreciate. There is too much naira in circulation because the CBN is printing the currency without restraint.
“The economy was poorly managed, and they are not willing to take advice; in the last eight years, apart from sycophancy, nothing has been done; those sycophants are those buying the dollar at the rate of N400 and selling it at the rate of N600 to N700.
“A boy who has no record of service has a private jet and owns houses in Dubai and England just because he is buying dollars at so a rate and selling them.
“I can only plead with the people to endure the hardship, and those who have the means to help the downtrodden should do so.
“I am also pleading with commoners to live according to their earnings; we must not peg our lives above our earnings in this difficult situation where people are looking for what to eat.