HeadNigga:
Educate me nairalanders. How do I know the band I am on. I am obviously not on band A because we hardly have light for 2 hours daily here. Is there a code or website for checking one's band category?

Nigeria’s electricity grid has collapsed again, Daily Trust reports.

The grid collapsed around 2:42 am on Monday, with generation dropping to 64.70megawatt.

Only one generation company, Ibom Power, was active according to data from the Independent System Operator (ISO), a branch of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, has shown.

This is the sixth collapse in 2024.

Daily Trust reports that as of 8am on Monday, the latest data from the ISO showed that the grid is currently generating 266.50mw of electricity from Okpai, Geregu and Ibom power.

Confirming the collapse in a statement, Jos DisCo said: “The current outage being experienced within our franchise States is a result of loss of power supply from the national grid. The loss of power supply from the national grid occurred in the early hours at about 0242Hours of today, Monday, 15th April 2024, hence the loss of power supply on all our feeders.”

The company’s head of Corporate Affairs, Dr Friday Adakole Elijah, expressed hope that the grid is restored for normal power supply to its esteemed customers.

Due to a gas shortage that has hindered generation since January, many electricity distribution companies have been finding it difficult to provide Band A customers with 20 hours of electricity.

Sunday PUNCH’s findings revealed that while DisCos strive to meet the required supply hours for Band A customers, their counterparts on Bands B, C, D, and E have been left without power.

Our correspondent learned that the distribution companies were concentrating more on the Band A customers to keep their Band A feeders from being downgraded.

Band A customers enjoy a minimum of 20 hours of electricity daily.

On April 3, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission announced that subsidies would no longer be paid for the electricity consumed by Band A customers.

The electricity tariff for Band A customers was revised upward from N68 per kilowatt-hour to N255/KWh.

1 kWh is the amount of energy that could be used if a 1,000-watt appliance is kept running for an hour. For example, a 100-watt light bulb operating for 10 hours would use 1 kWh.

After the power subsidy was removed, the NERC directed the 11 DisCos to release their lists of Band A customers, who must get at least a 20-hour supply daily.

The regulator and the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, emphasised that there would be sanctions should the distribution companies fail to supply Band A customers with 20 hours of electricity.

The DisCos were also mandated to inform customers whenever they failed to meet the required minimum service level.

NERC said that where a DisCo failed to deliver on the committed level of service on a Band A feeder for two consecutive days, the DisCo should, by 10 am the next day, publish on its website an explanation of the reasons for the failure and update the affected customers on the timeline for restoration of service to the committed level.

It stated that if a customer’s service level improves to at least 20 hours, they should be upgraded from lower service bands to Band A, adding that if the DisCo fails to meet the committed service level to a Band A feeder for seven consecutive days, the feeder will be downgraded to the recorded level of supply by the applicable framework.

In their efforts to meet up with the service level, our correspondent gathered that some of the DisCos were gradually resorting to diverting the little allocation they get to the Band A customers.

This is even though the gas constraints that have hindered power generation since the beginning of the year have yet to be addressed.

Many communities said they could not boast 30 hours of power supply since January, a development the government blamed on the refusal of gas companies to supply gas to power-generating companies due to heavy debt.

“One of the primary factors is the low supply of gas to generating companies, which has led to a gradual decrease in available generation on the grid. This has significantly reduced the power available on the transmission grid for onward supply to IBEDC and, in turn, greatly hindered our ability to provide power to customers within our franchise, namely Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara, and partly in Kogi, Niger and Ekiti States,” the IBEDC spokesperson, Busolami Tunwase, said recently.

Our correspondent observed that electricity consumers had continued to complain of prolonged power outages in their areas, even during the Easter and Eid-el-Fitri festivities.

A social media user identified as Oluwagbenga complained to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company about power outages in his area, saying, “At Lugbe FHA (Kapwa), we didn’t have electricity for over two days until the early hours of yesterday (Wednesday). Now we have been in darkness for a little more than 22 hours. We are back to the dark days when we were denied power supply but are expected to pay tariffs for Band B.”

A customer in Lokoja, Kogi State, @Alafinnuhu said: “Why is AEDC so insensitive towards her customer’s pains and complaints? You can’t imagine that we can’t enjoy supply during the day or night as they give us supply for just two hours around Lokongoma here in Lokoja, where most consumers use prepaid.”

A consumer in Niger State, identified as Mr Mojosas, complained to the AEDC that some parts of Minna, including Broadcasting Road, had been without power supply for over 24 hours as of Thursday.

In Ogun State, residents of Sagamu, Ibafo, Mowe, Abeokuta, Ipokia, Ota, and many others said they had been in darkness since January and had no improvement yet.

In compliance with the order of the NERC, the power distribution companies daily declared their inability to meet the service level, blaming the TCN and technical glitches.

The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company on Thursday announced that 10 feeders did not meet the required 20-hour service on April 7 and 8.

“We have taken cognisance of the gaps that informed our inability to meet the minimum daily supply to the above feeders and taken necessary steps to ensure that there won’t be a repeat,” the EEDC said.

The Kaduna DisCo also disclosed that it could only supply 13 hours of electricity to customers under the 33Kv Airport Road Feeder on Wednesday.

Also, the Port Harcourt DisCo announced service shortfalls in three Band A feeders, Amika, Oyigbo, and Bristol, saying it was working with the TCN to restore regular supply.

The Ibadan, Yola, and Benin distribution companies had all declared service shortfalls, apologising to their affected Band A customers.

As the DisCos apologised to Band A customers, others in Band B to E said they were being ignored.

The exchange rate between the Naira and the Dollar at the official window rose by 7.7% on Friday to close the week at N1,142/$1.

This marks the highest closing rate between the Naira and the Dollar in over 10 weeks, as Central Bank policies continue to have a positive impact on the local currency.

The exchange rate seems to be nearing the sub-N1,000 target, which many believe is the preferred rate for the Central Bank.

Several reports reaching Nairametrics also suggest that the apex bank is targeting an exchange rate below N1,000/$1, indicating that it believes the local currency remains undervalued in the short to medium term.

Last week, Nairametrics reported that the Central Bank issued a circular to Bureau De Change operators (BDCs), informing them of the sale of $10,000 to each BDC at a rate of N1,101/$1.

What the data is saying
Data tracked from FMDQ, where the exchange rate is officially traded, indicates that the official rate closed at N1,142/$1, representing a 7.7% gain against the previous exchange rate of N1,230.61/$1.

The intra-day high and low recorded during the day were N1,265/$1 and N1,100/$1, respectively, marking some of the best figures in the last three months.

The daily turnover recorded during the day was $281.3 million, the highest in about a week, as Central Bank interventions continue to spur market activities.

The benchmark NAFEX rate was referenced at N1,239.88/$1 and is expected to reflect the closing rates in the next few days.

Nairametrics findings also suggest the black market exchange rate was quoted at around N1,150/$1 as Nigerians returned to work from the Sallah break.

Nairametrics expects other rates, such as customs duties, to strengthen in line with the closing rates.

The significant improvement in the official exchange rate at the FMDQ reflects a robust intervention by the Central Bank, resulting in a healthier positioning of the Naira against the Dollar.

Amidst ongoing dust raised by the new electricity tariff at the backdrop of inadequate power supply, electricity generation nosedived to 2,775 megawatts, MW, yesterday, a 32.3 per cent decline from 4,099.87MW recorded last week.

This was contained in the data released by the Nigeria Electricity System Operator, NESO, a semi-autonomous unit of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN.


Findings by Vanguard indicated that there has been no improvement in the power value chain despite the recent review of Band A power consumers’ billing as there is an inadequate supply of gas to the thermal stations, including the poor state of transmission lines as generation averages 4200 megawatts since this year.

Information supplied by the Independent System Operator, ISO, showed that as of 6 pm yesterday, load allocation to the eleven DisCos which stood at 2,775.00 Megawatts gave Abuja Disco the highest allocation at 428MW, followed by Ikeja Electric at 422MW, Eko Disco at 359MW, Ibadan Disco at 335MW, Benin Disco at 227MW and Enugu Disco at 200MW.

The distribution companies with the lowest allocation were Yola Disco at 79MW, Jos Disco at 158MW, Kaduna Disco at 181MW, Kano Disco at 188MW and Port Harcourt Disco at 198MW.

This showed that generation was inadequate for transmission and distribution to households and organizations in different parts of the nation, a development that pushed the Electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs to embark on load shedding to spread the limited electricity to many at different times.

This shortfall in supply has prompted some Discos to appease their customers through their social media handles, Ibadan Disco issued a public announcement with the title “List of Band A feeders with Unmet hours of service (11th, April 2024) dear customers, we sincerely apologize for our inability to deliver the estimated hours of supply on your feeder. This was due to earth faults on the 33kv lines. We remain committed to supplying the estimated hours of supply.

steeltrust:
Why re Nigerians hypocrites
You want steady light
Good health care
Good road etc and you don’t want to pay for it
Same you people will bash those abroad that they pay too much bills, it same you will complain when the bill is giving to you to pay back home with what you want like steady light etc.

Nigerians are so funny sha😂🤣

GodHimself:
That minister’s head will roll for this.

I’ve been watching him since he started toying with this idea.

It’s obvious to me that someone/some group sold him on this, he doesn’t really understand the consequences.

When ikoyi residents start bypassing meters and beating up Disco staff, your eye will clear.

iwaeda:

May be N500 per KWatthour will be a good start. APC will make hand-out too good to be rejected. Just paste APC card by your metres.

Two days after the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved increase of electricity tariff for customers under the Band A classification, the Federal Government has hinted that a similar measure would be extended to others.


Speaking at a briefing in Abuja on Friday, Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said the recent increase in electricity tariff is a pilot in phasing out of electricity subsidy in the country.


He said the government plans to remove all subsidies in the sector to allow the thriving of investment in the power sector.

The Minister said: “This tariff review is in conformity with our policy thrust of maintaining a subsidized pricing regime in the short run or the short term with a transition plan to achieve a full cost reflective tariff for over a period of, let us say three years. I have mentioned it in a couple of media briefings that it is because of government sensitivity to the pains of our people that we will not make us migrate fully into a cost reflective tariff or to remove subsidy 100 percent in the power sector like it was done in oil and gas sector.”

“We are not ready to aggravate the sufferings any longer which is why we said it must be a journey rather than a destination and the journey starts from now on, that we should do a gradual migration from the subsidy regime to a full cost reflective regime and we must start with some customers.

“This is more like a pilot for us at the Ministry of Power and our agencies. It is like a proof of concept that those that have the infrastructure sufficient enough to deliver stable power of enjoying 20 hours of light to be the ones to get tariff add.”


The Minister added that the N225 kilowatt per hour Band A customers are charged as little in relative to the N500 they pay for alternative energy like diesel and others.

While explaining that Nigeria is experiencing a subsidy pricing regime where the government provides a large portion of the generation, transmission and distribution cost, he said the government was formerly subsidising 67 percent of the cost of electricity.



“The government would have paid N2.9tr for 2024. This is more than 10 percent of the national budget. It will be insensitive on our part to compel the government to pay such subsidy when we have other competing issues the government needs to fund under pau its of funds we have.”

israelmao:


https://punchng.com/breaking-gunmen-invade-kogi-community-many-feared-dead/?amp

The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has condemned the hike in electricity tariffs across the country by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC.

The minority leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja, calling it insensitive, inhuman, and uncalled for.

He said such an abrupt increase placed an unbearable burden on the already strained populace, exacerbating economic hardships and widening the chasm of inequality among the citizenry.

“Such a hike, which is over 200 per cent above the rate of inflation, utterly disregards the plight of ordinary citizens, who are grappling with the adverse effects of the removal of oil subsidy,” he said.

According to him, the citizenry had been faced with galloping inflation, unemployment, and inadequate access to basic amenities.

“We note that in the immediate aftermath of the announcement of the tariff hike, NERC claimed that the hike affects only 12 per cent of electricity consumers who enjoy a minimum of 20 hours of electricity a day.

“The truth has become stark that this is stark lie. The hike, from data put out by the DISCOS, affects all electricity consumers,” he added.

Celebrityblog:


Lol. You will post a breaking news, you will not mention the super mod Nlfpmod immediately but after the story becomes stale, like the next Day, you will then mention him.

Try and be mentioning him after posting not hours when the story is stale. U get?

Pasako:

Back in those days, worship centers are safe place to go in Time of war,

But these days they are the most vunerable to attacks

Scores of tertiary institution students travelling on the East-West road in Ughelli, Delta, have been kidnapped by suspected armed bandits.

It was gathered that the students were returning from a trip in Calabar when the gunmen waylaid and seized their vehicle on the East-West road.

Although details of the abduction were still sketchy, sources revealed that the students were marched into the bush by the gun-wielding men.

The latest development came after several students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) were abducted by armed bandits in Cross River.

Bright Edafe, Police spokesman in Delta confirmed the latest kidnapping in a post on Monday night.

Mr Edafe said the command was aware of the ‘ugly incident’, saying the police were doing everything possible to ensure the abducted students were rescued unhurt.