The NERC’s decision to adjust tariffs underscores the complex challenges facing Nigeria’s energy sector. With ongoing discussions and debates surrounding the issue, the path forward remains uncertain, as stakeholders continue to advocate for a fair and sustainable solution to the country’s electricity woes.
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Fake CSP, cleric among alleged invaders of Odili’s home
Fourteen suspects, including a fake Chief Superintendent of Police(CSP), Lawrence Ajodo, who laid siege to the Abuja home of Supreme Court Justice Mary Odili were yesterday paraded by the Police.
Ajodo described himself as a consultant on recoveries to the Attorney-General of Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. He was found with Police and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) identity cards.
Malami has, however, distanced himself from the fake police officer and alleged mastermind of the October 29 siege.
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike condemned the invasion, alleging that the Federal Government is intimidating the judiciary ahead of 2023 elections.
Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) Frank Mba, who paraded the suspects at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Headquarters, Area 10, Abuja, said seven other suspects, including two soldiers, are still at large.
Mba said the suspects with different professional backgrounds were members of a criminal syndicate that operated as law enforcement officers. One of them is a herbalist and an Islamic prayer warrior, Ali Ibrahim. A journalist, Stanley Nkwaezema, was also among those paraded.
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The FPRO, who described the suspects as “loose cannons and document forgers”, said they conspired to raid Odili’s residence on learning that the jurist had foreign currencies.
He commended the resistance by the security personnel deployed in Odili’s home for not allowing the suspects access to the premises.
Mba said it would have been a huge embarrassment to the country if the suspects had succeeded.
Ajodo confessed that he was not a policeman, does not work with the EFCC, and was not detailed by anyone for the botched task.
He also admitted to having forged Malami’s signature on the EFCC identity card found on him.
His words: ”I work for Malami as a consultant on recoveries. There are five of us. I was given 18 accounts to recover, though Malami did not send me to this mission. I am a banking expert with a specialty in finance and forensic.”
Ajodo also claimed that there was a mix-up during the siege, adding that the search warrant they obtained from a chief magistrate’s court was “supposed to be for No 9 but it read No 7.”
The herbalist, who served as the syndicate’s whistleblower, said he was contracted by Justice Odili’s godson, whose name he did not give.
Ibrahim confessed that after he conducted prayers and got a revelation that there was money in Odili’s residence, he proceeded to swear an affidavit to that effect at the office of the EFCC.
He claimed that Ajodo diverted the affidavit to the Ministry of Justice and later led a team on a surveillance mission to Odili’s residence before the siege.
Ibrahim said: ”I am the whistleblower and I swore an affidavit that millions of money were stashed in that house. I was introduced as an Islamic prayer warrior to the godson of Justice Odili and I prayed there on October 13. I prayed to know if the story that there was money in the house was true.
“So, after the prayers, I decided to go through the EFCC as a formal channel and I was interviewed and interrogated.
“However, I ended up in the Ministry of Justice because Ajodo told me it was the same thing; that the EFCC is under the ministry.
“We went for surveillance before the raid. I took him (Ajodo) to the address and directed them to Justice Odili’s house.”
Nkwazema, who described himself as a Contributing Editor with ThisDay, said he was following a lead on recovery of assets brought to him by one of the suspects, Alex Onyekwere, a lawyer.
He said he followed the lead for three days before joining the team for the raid. However, he claimed he did not enter the premises.
In a statement shortly after the parade, Malami described Ajodo claim as “an orchestrated attempt to stir unnecessary controversies and public apprehension.”
He urged the Police and other relevant security agencies to get to the root of the siege to Odili’s home.
“This is a case of a drowning man scavenging for a dying partner. We are happy to note that investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances and personalities behind the invasion and sponsored,” he said in a statement by his spokesman, Umar Gwandu.
The statement added: ”It only takes the imagination of evil minds to assume or think that the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice will descend so low to engage a quack or fake police officer to serve as his consultant.
“This is a case of a drowning man scavenging for a dying partner. We are happy to note that investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances and personalities behind the invasion and sponsored campaign of calumny against the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
“We ask the suspect to present documents of engagements where he worked as a consultant to the Attorney- General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, whether in past or now.
Also, THISDAY said in a statement by its Managing Editor, Bolaji Adebiyi, that Nkwazema was neither its staff member nor a contributing editor.
It added that Nkwazema resigned more than 15 years ago after serving as one its Sports correspondents.
The statement reads: “The attention of the management of THISDAY Newspapers has been drawn to the news making the rounds that Mr. Stanley Nkwazema, one of those suspected to have invaded the home of Justice Mary Odili claimed to be a staff and Contributing Editor of THISDAY.
“Contrary to his claim, Mr. Nkwazema is neither a staff member of THISDAY nor a contributing editor. He was a Sports correspondent and resigned more than 15 years ago.
“However, occasionally, he, like hundreds of other readers of the newspaper, sends for publication articles and analyses and is usually obliged, a privilege ThisDay gives to some of its ex-staff members. That does not in any way make him a staff member and Contributing Editor of THISDAY.
“Since his resignation, THISDAY had at no time contracted Mr. Nkwazema to investigate any story, and we know nothing of his alleged investigation of a story leading to the raid of the residence of Hon. Justice Odili.
“The police authorities and the general public should therefore note that Mr. Nkwazema, whatever may be his involvement in this matter, was not on any reportorial assignment in any shape or form on behalf of THISDAY.”
The Nation
News
Why Atiku is afraid of the coastal highway project success – Presidency
Why Atiku is afraid of the coastal highway project success – Presidency
The presidency announced yesterday that Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate in the last election, is opposed to the proposed Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway because it will end his presidential campaign in 2027.
According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, “If not blinded by political ill-will, Atiku knows that the right thing for him to do is to applaud President Bola Tinubu for the ambitious and audacious Lagos-Calabar Highway, which the Federal Executive Council authorised.”
In a statement released on Sunday, Atiku accused President Tinubu of a conflict of interest in awarding the project to Hitech, a company owned by his business partner, the Chagoury family.
The former vice president also revealed that Seyi Tinubu is a board member of one of the companies owned by Chagoury family, saying that demolishing structures to give way for the coastal highway will impede foreign direct investment into the country.
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But reacting to Atiku’s statement, Onanuga said there was no conflict of interest anywhere. Seyi Tinubu is an adult and can conduct his lawful business anywhere in the country or elsewhere.
The special adviser also explained that the statement credited to Atiku that Nigeria is now the fourth economy in Africa was no longer news but added quickly that the country would soon bounce back to become the first economy in the continent.
He said: “Atiku has been waging an unrelenting war against this all-important and transformative project for no justifiable reasons other than bad politics.
“Atiku knows that its grand success and other projects to be unfurled, such as the Badagry-Sokoto superhighway, will be a major boost for President Tinubu and finally upend his perennial presidential ambition.”
He also said that the IMF’s reclassification of the Nigerian economy as the fourth largest in Africa is stale news. This happened because of the devaluation of the naira and President Tinubu’s determined effort to set the economy on sustainable growth.
“Under President Tinubu’s progressive, bold, inventive, and innovative leadership, Nigeria will bounce back to where it rightfully belongs as Africa’s largest market and biggest economy.”
Why Atiku is afraid of the coastal highway project success – Presidency
News
Electricity customers insist on reversal of tariff increase, scorn reduction
Electricity customers insist on reversal of tariff increase, scorn reduction
Nigerians across various sectors have voiced their dissatisfaction with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (NERC) decision to reduce the tariff payable by Band A customers. Despite the reduction from N225/kWh to N206.8/kWh, stakeholders including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, electricity consumers, and civil society organizations are calling for a complete reversal to the subsidy era tariff.
The initial tariff hike, implemented just 33 days prior, saw a staggering 240 per cent increase in electricity tariffs for Band A customers. This move, which withdrew subsidies completely from Band A consumers, was met with widespread criticism and opposition from various quarters.
While the Federal Government cited potential savings of N1.5tn as justification for the tariff adjustment, concerns have been raised about the impact on consumers, particularly the financially vulnerable. The House of Representatives, organized labor, and the Nigerian Bar Association have all condemned the hike, with calls for its suspension and reversal.
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Defending the increase, Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu warned of a nationwide blackout within three months if the tariff hike was not implemented. Despite opposition, government spokesperson Florence Eke asserted that the tariff adjustment would remain in place.
However, in a surprising turn of events, the NERC announced an eight per cent reduction in tariffs for Band A customers, attributing the decision to changes in macroeconomic indices, particularly the appreciation of the naira against the dollar. Following the NERC’s directive, several electricity distribution companies (Discos), including Abuja, Ikeja, and Ibadan, promptly announced the implementation of the tariff reduction.
While the reduction may provide some relief to consumers, stakeholders remain skeptical, emphasizing the need for broader reforms in the energy sector. Critics argue that mere tariff reductions do not address fundamental issues such as inadequate fuel supply and the overall inefficiency of the electricity supply system.
News
Nigerian varsity VC suspended over alleged gross misconduct
Nigerian varsity VC suspended over alleged gross misconduct
In an unexpected turn of events, the Governing Council of the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) has suspended Vice-Chancellor Augustine Angba on allegations of severe misconduct.
The decision was reached at a meeting of the Governing Council on Monday, May 6, 2024, where they resolved to release Angba of his duties with immediate effect.
The council has nominated Professor Stephen Oshang of the Faculty of Agriculture to serve as the interim Vice-Chancellor until further notice.
The suspension comes on the heels of a vote-of-no-confidence passed by some staff members of the university on January 17, 2024.
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The staff, who were protesting the non-payment of five months’ salary arrears, had carried placards with slogans like “This Management and the VC must go” and “We don’t want them any longer.”
Angba had previously criticized the staff unions, claiming that four members had hijacked the union and incited others to protest on the streets.
However, the Governing Council’s decision suggests that they found merit in the allegations against the embattled Vice-Chancellor.
Despite several attempts, Vanguard efforts to reach the university’s spokesperson, Mr. Onen Onen, for comments on the matter were unsuccessful, as his phone line was not answered at the time of filing this report.
Similarly, Professor Angba’s phone line was busy when contacted.
Nigerian varsity VC suspended over alleged gross misconduct
(Vanguard)
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Nigerian varsity VC suspended over alleged gross misconduct