₦airaland Forum

The Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Mr Sanusi Garba, has said the agency has not approved tariff rate review in the power sector in recent times.

Garba told journalists in Abuja on Friday that the last tariff review was approved on December 31, 2021, and became effective in February this year.

He stated, “I want to, on behalf of the management of NERC, clearly state that as of today (Friday), we have not approved any rate review and there is no indication that any electricity distribution company is increasing its tariff.

“If you notice that the rate you buy electricity has changed within the last one to three weeks, we want evidence. The information posted on the NERC website was the last tariff rate review in December 2021.

“Our function is to approve applications for tariffs for the distribution companies, and we have not received any.

“We have clearly said that we have an obligation by law to do minor review every six months to take care of inflation, forex and so on.”

On the issue of Eligible Customers Regulations, the Commissioner, Market Competition and Rates, NERC, Mr Musiliu Oseni, said it was still in place.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the eligible customer regulation permits electricity generation companies to sell power directly to customers whose consumption is more than two megawatts/hour over the course of one month.

Oseni said the regulation and the framework were in place, adding that the commission issued a letter to the market operators to stop the recognition of certain potential customers.

He said the customers were stopped because at the time, they had not secured the approval of the commission.

He stated, “As of today, we have a few customers that have been approved as eligible customers pending the review of the necessary documentation of other customers.

“Some of the customers that are yet to secure approval have some challenges, which include the inability of their potential generators to sell additional capacity to them.

“Under that framework, many of the generators had a contract with the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company, and you cannot contract the same capacity twice.”

Oseni added that such generators were already making moves to renegotiate the contracted capacity made with NBET to free some capacity to sell to eligible customers.

Owootori:
Hi all,

Please I need pointers on how expensive it is to live comfortably in Oshogbo for a family of 3 (Man, woman and a 10 yrs old child).

Planning relocating from Kaduna to Oshogo but I want to know how expensive the city is so I can make adequate preparations.

Thank for the anticipated responses.

Wives of Vice Chancellors of public universities are set to travel to Istanbul, Turkey for a five-day conference, The PUNCH has learnt.

This is as the ongoing strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities since February 14, 2022, entered its third month.

According to a letter by the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, the programme is scheduled to hold from 18 to 23 July 2022, in Istanbul.

The letter which was dated May 5, 2022, and sighted by our correspondent, was signed by the Committee’s Secretary-General, Yakubu Ochefu.

Ochefu noted that each of the VC wives would pay a sum of N1.5m as course form to attend the programme.

The letter addressed to vice chancellors was titled, ‘Invitation to the Istanbul 5-Day Leadership & Management Masterclass, Fellowship Induction for Spouses of Vice Chancellors, Women in Academics and Higher Education Leadership’.

It partly read, “We understand the vital role spouses play in supporting Vice Chancellors as they execute their day- to day administration of universities. It is therefore imperative, that capacity building exercises be put in place for the Women in Academics and spouses of Vice Chancellors in Nigerian Universities.


“In this regard, the Committee’s Secretariat, In Partnership with Win Institute for Gender Studies, Nigeria in collaboration with her Turkey-based learning partner, Istanbul Egitimler, have put together a 5-day Leadership & Management Masterclass, and Fellowship Induction for spouses of Vice Chancellors, women academics and higher education leadership in Africa.”

Similarly, the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities Spouses is set to hold a two-day conference at the Tayo Aderinokun Memorial Hall at the University of Lagos.

The conference slated for May 9, 2022, has UNILAG VC, Prof O.T. Ogundipe, and his wife as hosts while former Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria, Dr Ibukun Awosika, is pencilled as one of the speakers.

ASUU had on February 14 embarked on industrial action.

The union led by Prof Emmanuel Osodeke said it made the decision for the Federal Government and its agencies to meet the lingering demands of the union.

The National Association of Nigerian Students has since threatened fire and brimstone, censuring the Federal Government for abandoning students of public universities but politicians including current ministers have shunned the striking lecturers and protesting students.

Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; as well as Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; both of the ruling All Progressives Congress recently picked up the party’s N100m presidential nomination and expression of interest forms each while lecture rooms remained shut for about three months this year.

Students of public universities had also been at home for nine straight months in 2020 when ASUU and the Federal Government had a face-off over unpaid areas, choice of payment platforms, amongst other contentious issues

DukeOfNigeria:
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Flight90:
Hello Nairalanders,

Please I need your help in sorting out a transaction I did. On the 25th of April, 2022 I did a transfer to a first bank account which didn't go as a result of bad network from the bank. Later that day, I tried the transaction a second time and it was now successful.

When it was time for me to go home, I did my balancing and discovered that I was having shortage. So I did a review of my days transaction and I discovered that the initial transaction later went. Meaning that the customer got credited twice.

I called my bank to confirm the transaction and I was told that both transaction were successful. I then called the customer who now claimed that he only got credited for once.

I told him to check his app, he replied that he doesn't use an android phone. I then told him to go to his bank to get his bank statement, his reply was that he doesn't have time to go to his bank.

Please guys, how do I solve this case? Is there a way I can go to first bank to get evidence that the money is in the customers account? And is it possible for me to get a police report in other to go to first bank to get evidence?

Kindly advice as your suggestions will go a long way in solving this case.

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council on Monday said it has endorsed the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, for president in the 2023 general elections.

Addressing journalists after its meeting in Enugu, the leader of Council, Miracle Nwosu, said his members were delighted to identify with the APC chieftain as the foremost national political leader in contemporary Nigeria and political dispensation, “who is in the forefront of providing good governance and dividends of democracy in our developing society.”

Nwosu stated that having carefully extolled Tinubu’s visionary leadership qualities, forthrightness, and uncommon courage, he would surely lead Nigerian youth and the nation to greater heights and out of economic peril.

He said, “It is in the light of this, we call all his party delegates in their party upcoming 2022 APC presidential primaries, especially southeast delegates to vote and ensure His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Tinubu emerges as the presidential flag bearer of APC.

“If he becomes President, Igbo nation and her youth will benefit more, which he demonstrated when he was the former Governor of Lagos state. So I urge our Igbo brothers from South East to support his candidature because he has impacted more in the lives of our people who are doing businesses in Lagos State.”


Nwosu commended Tinubu for being an exceptional politician and a distinguished leader, who has effected monumental democratic change in the country’s political evolution.

“It is our sincere desire that Almighty God will grant him the enabling grace, wisdom, and protection in this strategic endeavour,” he said.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has filed a lawsuit against the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), over what it described as “the failure to protect the rights to life, security, and dignity of the victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack, and the failure to secure the safe release of those held captive by the terrorists.”

Terrorists had on March 28 attacked the AK9 Abuja–Kaduna train, killing at least nine people, wounding several others, and abducting an unknown number of passengers. The victims have remained with the terrorists for a month, despite repeated appeals for the government to free them from captivity.

SERAP said the suit filed by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Opeyemi Owolabi followed reports that the Federal Executive Council failed to approve funds for surveillance equipment that could have helped to prevent the train attack.

In the suit No ECW/CCJ/APP/20/22 filed last week before the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja, SERAP is seeking “a declaration that the train attack, abductions and killings of passengers by terrorists amount to a failure by the government to protect Nigerians, and to prevent these grave human rights violations.”

SERAP is also seeking “an order directing the Buhari government to protect, promote, and fulfil the human rights of Nigerians, including travellers across the country, by ensuring adequate security and taking measures to prevent attacks.”

SERAP is seeking “an order directing the Buhari government to urgently find and identify all the passengers, victims and their families, and to pay adequate monetary compensation of N50 million to each of the passengers and victims and their families.”

In the suit filed together with an application for an expedited hearing, SERAP is arguing that “The Buhari government has a legal duty to protect individuals from real and immediate risks to their lives and security caused by actions of third-parties such as terrorists.”


SERAP is also arguing that “A fundamental notion of contemporary human rights law is that victims of violations such as the victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack enjoy an independent right to effective remedies. Rights without remedies are ineffectual, rendering illusory the government’s duty to protect such rights.

“The Buhari government has failed to protect the constitutionally and internationally guaranteed rights of the victims of the train attack to life, dignity, and security, and their right to an effective remedy.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the application for an expedited hearing, and the substantive suit.

officialwdhtv:
Kemi Olunloyo Exposes The Reason Behind the recent "Dog" saga

Former Governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, and his counterpart, Jolly Nyame of Taraba State are yet to be released from Kuje Correctional Centre, The Nation learnt yesterday. This is about two weeks after they were pardoned by the National Council of States alongside 157 others.

Dariye was said to have shed tears of joy on learning about his pardon. But the Federal Government is yet to send documents regarding their pardon to the Correctional authorities to enable them perfect the process for their release.

On breaking the news of their pardon, the ex-governors were said to have been thrown into excitement and appreciated the gesture of the Council.

However, it was learnt that their high spirits were waning following the criticism that trailed their release from a cross-section of Nigerians and the slow pace of the process to perfect their release.

Findings showed that the duo of Dariye and Nyame are still awaiting their release from the Kuje facility located at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, at the time of filing this report.

Officials of the facility who confided in our Correspondent said only the lawyers of those pardoned would know details of the process for their pardon and release from the prison facility.

Dariye and Nyame were jailed for corruption charges by the Federal Government.

They would be released from prison with 157 others who were pardoned by the Council of States following the acceptance of the government proposal.

Speaking with The Nation on the matter, the Public Relations Officer of the FCT Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Humphrey Chukwuendo confirmed that ex-governors Dariye and Nyame are still in their custody.

He said: “As of today we are yet to get letters to release them. It’s the Federal Government that will bring the letters. And once we receive the letters, they will be set free. The holidays may not affect their release because it is from the Federal Government.

Group expresses disappointment over continued detention

Meanwhile, a group, ‘Renaissance Group for Better Nigeria’ has expressed surprise and disappointment that weeks after the pardon, nothing has been done to effect their release.

The group in a statement signed by its Chairman, Jonathan Ibrahim, said there should be no need for the delay since the pardon was granted by the highest decision making body in the country pointing out that the decision of the body is supposed to be acted on without much ado to avoid negative impression.

“We are surprised that they are still being held and many Nigerians, especially their loved ones, are beginning to have the impression that they are still being held for certain political reasons which are not clear to many.

“We are therefore calling on all relevant authorities, especially, the Ministry of Justice to do all that is required and necessary to facilitate their release to avoid unnecessary insinuation. More so their political associates and families are eager and anxiously waiting for their arrival.

No fewer than 59 suspects are on the Wanted List of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for various fraudulent activities amounting to about N435bn and $397,758,000 (about N165bn).

The offences range from money laundering to obtaining money by false pretence, fraud, internet-related offences and issuance of dud cheque.

The commission, in the notice signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, displayed the pictures of the wanted persons and the details of their alleged crimes on its website.

It called on anyone with useful information as to the whereabouts of the said persons to contact any of the commission’s offices or the nearest police station or other security agencies.

The single biggest crime on the list was that of one Maxwell, wanted by the EFCC in an alleged case of conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence and money laundering to the tune of N213bn.

He ran a trading and capital company, in which many investors’ funds got trapped.

Meanwhile on his Facebook page, where he posed with different celebrities, several commenters, believed to have invested in his forex trading business, asked him to refund their money, while some cursed him.

One of the commenters, Madu Prince, wrote, “Oga, please, we are dying. Please pay us back our capital.”

Also, a former personal assistant to a former governor of Kwara State, was said to have signed for and laundered about N12bn belonging to the state government. The suspect was said to have jumped bail granted to him by the commission and had remained incommunicado.

A Nigerien, identified as Hima, was declared wanted by the commission over alleged criminal conspiracy, contract scam, misappropriation of public funds, money laundering and fraud to the tune of $394m, €9.9m and N369m.

He was alleged to have received the sum for the purchase of equipment for the Nigerian military. It was later discovered that there were discrepancies in the supply of the equipment.

Similarly, four Rivers State Government officials, comprising three men and one woman, were declared wanted by the commission over suspected N117bn fraud, alleged criminal conspiracy, money laundering, and misappropriation of public funds and abuse of office.

Also, a native of Plateau State, identified as Noel, was declared wanted in a case bordering on conspiracy, theft and money laundering to the tune of N131m. He was said to be a former staff of First City Monument Bank in Birni Kebbi, Kebbi State.

A certain Oluwole is on the list for allegedly receiving fraudulently imported apples worth $158,000 from a South African company. He was said to have refused to remit the payment for products.

In a related development, a female banker from Ondo State allegedly forged a customer’s documents and fraudulently obtained N27m loan facility using the customer’s fixed deposit as collateral for the loan. Also, another female banker from Ogun State allegedly forged treasury bills certificate worth N27m and gave them to a customer in exchange for the money.

An Israeli, identified as Doron, was also declared wanted for obtaining money under false pretence, stealing and forgery. A woman is also on the list for collecting aircraft parts worth $1.4m from a Russian company and evading payment. She was said to have been involved in another N1bn fraud.

Some of the cases are already in court while some jumped the administrative bail granted to them by the EFCC.

Meanwhile, in the March edition of EFCC Alert, the monthly e-magazine published by the Media Unit of the commission, obtained by our correspondent, the chairman of the commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, said the commission was not being teleguided by anyone.

He noted that the EFCC was deploying intelligence in its operations, and that all its cases were bailable offences.

He described as worrying the prevalence of cybercrime among the youths.


“I think it is a huge problem that Nigerians should understand and come to terms with; that we need to do something about it. We need to work together,” he added.

Niece:
Football legend, Cristiano Ronaldo has shown off his cute newborn baby on IG, WonderTV Media reports.

The football star posted the photo with the caption, "Forever Love".

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc-IQ6OrDHL/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=