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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UNILAG waterfront needs shoreline protection – VC cries out as fence collapses
The University of Lagos’s waterfront is in need of urgent adequate shoreline protection as its ageing perimeter fence has collapsed, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said on Wednesday,
Ogundipe made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
“The rains that Lagos and its environs have experienced possibly due to the impact of climate change and subsequent higher-than-normal discharge of the rivers emptying into the lagoon, possibly led to the collapse of the already aging perimeter fence and embankment with imminent security issues and attendant ecological pertubations.
“In the morning of yesterday, Oct. 19, the chief security officer of the university called my attention to the sad development.
“We quickly rushed there to carry out an on-the-spot assessment of the collapsed perimeter fence on the waterfront.
Ogundipe appealed to the Federal Government to urgently come to the aid of the university in that regard.
“We need reconstruction of the embankment,” he pleaded,” he told NAN.
According to the vice-chancellor, the waterfront of the university is subjected to wave actions and coastal erosion which are associated with risks of land loss, damage to coastal infrastructure and flooding.
He said that the university had maintained an embankment on the shoreline and waterfront serving as perimeter fencing and ensuring that coastal erosion and occasional flooding were addressed.
“The Lagos lagoon is part of the lagoon complex which comprises a network of nine lagoons namely: Yewa, Ologe, Badagry, Iyagbe, Lagos, Kuramo, Epe, Lekki, and Mahin, stretching from the Republic of Benin.
“It lies behind the barrier beach and extends for 210km along the coast.
“The Lagos Lagoon is, on the average, about two to four metres in depth, but it is 10 metres deep at the entrance at the Commodore Channel around the Lagos Harbor, which empties the lagoon into the Atlantic Ocean,” he noted.
He added that the Lagos lagoon was bound in the south by the five cowrie creeks, in the Eastern flank by the Palavar Islands, the northern end by Ikorodu, and on the western border, by mainland communities.
Ogundipe said that the Lagos lagoon waterfront with usefulness as a tourism resource is considered a major artery in the water transportation architecture of Lagos metropolis.
“In this light, the university of Lagos waterfront has already been earmarked for construction of a jetty by the Lagos State Government under the leadership of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“The lagoon is flanked by tidal wetlands and swamps.
“This comprises of the waterfront, known as university of Lagos Waterfront, shorelines of Ilaje-Bariga and shorelines of Makoko community,” Ogundipe said.
He added water from the Atlantic Ocean moved into the lagoon during high tides and receded during low tides.
According to him, it is affected by a powerful longshore drift and also fed by several rivers such as Ogun,Ona/Ibu, Oshun, Shasha and Oni.
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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
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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.
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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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