News

Tariff Hike: TCN, DISCOs bicker over failing 20-hrs supply

Published

5 months ago

April 15, 2024

With Band A customers expressing anger over the failure of electricity Distribution Companies, DisCos, to meet the 20-hour minimum supply, some communities have approached their respective DisCos, requesting to be downgraded to Band B.

The communities, Vanguard gathered, are insisting that since they were not getting the promised 20 hours per day, they should not be forced to pay the N225 per kilowatt hour tariff increase ordered by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC.

However, findings by Vanguard indicated it was not entirely the fault of DISCOs as the power allocation from the upstream value chain has declined significantly, making it difficult for the DisCos to meet up with the minimum supply benchmark.

Data supplied by Independent System Operator, at the weekend, showed that load allocation to the eleven DisCos stood at 2,989 Megawatts, a significant drop from the 4,200MW average needed to meet the tariff requirement.

The data indicated that Abuja Disco got the highest allocation of 461 MW, down from 611MW recorded a few days ago. It was followed by Ikeja Electric at 455MW, Eko DisCo at 387MW, Ibadan DisCo at 360MW, Benin DisCo at 245MW, and Enugu DisCo at 216MW.

Others were Port Harcourt DisCo 213MW, Kano DisCo 202MW, Kaduna Electric 195MW, Jos DisCo 170MW and Yola DisCo 85MW.

Meanwhile, a source in Eko DisCo said the company was meeting up with the prescribed minimum of 20 hours but explained that what they do is that on some days they supply more than the minimum, and they cut back the excess supply from the minimum supply the following day, a situation which may have left the consumers with the impression of under-supply.

He advised that the consumers should track average supply over a period of time.

TCN, DisCos trade blames

Meanwhile, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, has publicly disagreed with the DisCos over failure to meet the 20-hour minimum electricity supply demand. Benin, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt DisCos had in a notice to consumers attributed the failure to challenges faced by TCN.

Benin DisCo disclosed that problems at the Amukpe transmission station led to over seven hours of outage while faults at the Effurun transmission station also led to over eight hours of outage.

But TCN in a statement said that was not the true picture.

According to TCN General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, “the incorrect attribution of these faults to TCN is clearly shown in the table on the release by IBEDC.

“For clarity, we note that on the 11th of April 2024, the Amukpe 33KV feeder tripped at 2:31 pm and was restored by 4.08 pm, within one hour and 54 minutes. The cause of the outage, which was clearly under BEDC purview, was an instantaneous earth fault caused by stormy weather, which was restored on trial reclosure after the rain had subsided.

“Still, on the 11th of April 2024, Effurun 33KV feeder tripped at 12:25 p.m., and it is still out. The cause of the tripping was an earth fault on the outgoing feeder upriser, also from the BEDC DISCO end”.

On Ibadan DisCo claims that TCN is responsible for its failure to deliver estimated hours of supply to Band A customers due to system outages and tripping on TCN’s feeders, Mbah said after investigation it was established that the feeders mentioned “are not within the TCN network. This means that most of the listed feeders in the publication are 11kV operated by IBEDC and completely outside TCN’s Operational Control and in IBEDC’s network.

“That the reasons given for the outage on IBEDC 11kV and 33kV are earth/over current faults, which have no bearing on TCN’s frequency control operations.

“That the statement by IBEDC has been verified by TCN’s regional management in Osogbo in conjunction with IBEDC Officials themselves and has been proven to be false, necessitating necessary corrections being made.

“While TCN sees this misinformation of IBEDC as a ploy to undermine and mislead the public against regular power supply, we remain focused on supporting the government’s move towards a more robust and efficient power supply”, she added.

Total supply remains insufficient — Consumer Network

In an interview with Financial Vanguard, weekend, the President, Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, Mr. Kunle Olubiyo, said: “What we are currently is a service-based tariff. Consumers should pay based on the value they derive. But even at the estimated peak supply of 5,800MW, it would still be difficult to meet the demand of 20 million – 30 million electricity consumers in Nigeria.

“Currently, some consumers in Band A have enough while others do not. For instance, in my area in Garki, Abuja, the Abuja DisCo has been able to provide us with not less than 22 hours of power supply daily. The level of outages is very minimal. But we cannot generalize because the people of Mararaba, still in Abuja may have less than 10 hours.

“However, I am pleased with the response of NERC. The regulator has been proactive in tackling issues, especially listening to consumers and sanctioning the DisCos, where necessary.

“But NERC should do more. It should compel the DisCos to provide details, including the Bands of consumers in receipts paid by consumers. This will enable them to know their bands because many people do not even know their bands. Many people started showing interest because of the removal of subsidy, which now makes electricity expensive for Band A consumers. Many consumers did not care before because power was relatively cheap.”

Band A, others were proposed in 2020 — PowerUp Nigeria

Similarly, in another interview with Financial Vanguard, the Executive Director, PowerUp Nigeria, Adetayo Adegbemle, who harped on the need to invest in infrastructure to deliver more power to consumers, said: “The Bands are already four years old.

They were introduced in 2020 along with the Service Based Tariffs, which says locations with advanced infrastructure and that can deliver more energy to consumers should be allowed to do, and the consumers pay a tariff that reflects the hours, or bands, they receive and enjoy.

“So, Band A with a minimum of 20 hours daily power supplies was introduced as the Premium band. Other locations within the country cannot enjoy as much energy because of weaker and inadequate infrastructure. They are also divided into Bands.

“So we have Band A which enjoys between 20 and 24 hours per day, Band B gets between 16 and 19 hours per day, Band C gets between 12 and 15 hours, Band D which gets 8 and 12 hours, and Band E gets a minimum of 4hours per day.

There is Band E in some locations as well, depending on the ability to get power to these places. When you look at it the kind of infrastructure in places like Maitama, Ikoyi, Surulere, Jos, and Asokoro cannot be compared with infrastructure in places like Mowe, Ibafo, Ologuneru, and a lot of newly developed sites.

“So, what the new tariff implies is that subsidy has now been withdrawn from Band A Customers, accounting for 15% of total customers on the grid. Let me also say that this subsidy removal affects only those in Band A. So, if you are not on Band A, you are not affected by the new tariff.

“As I said earlier, one of the major factors that determine these bands is the quality of infrastructure in these areas; another is the volume high of consumption of energy in these areas.

“One thing that is also common with these locations is that they are mostly affluent and high-income areas of society and they represent a disproportionately high share of energy consumed relative to their share of the customer population

“We have major industries also covered. Many of the maximum demand users (industries and productive users of electricity) are covered under Band A feeders, thereby catalyzing industry as a vehicle for economic development.

“This increased energy supply to these feeders will reduce their net energy spend because otherwise, they would have to depend on diesel generating sets, which cost more than two times that of grid energy per kWh.”

DisCos to set up response teams

He said: “DisCos are mandated to set up a rapid response team to ensure effective service delivery on the committed minimum hours of supply to each service Band commencing with Band A feeders.

Where a DisCo fails to meet the committed service level of a feeder for consecutive seven (7) days, the feeder shall be automatically downgraded to the recorded level of quality of supply.

“We still have a huge metering gap unfilled, and this is one of the reasons many Nigerians are kicking against the removal of this subsidy. But I understand that the Commission is working on the liberalization of Metering. I would have recommended what I called Meter Franchising.

It is more like the present Meter Assets Providers, but in this case, investors can take up a Feeder on a Franchise, and install Meters to every Customer on the Feeder. They can recoup their money via recharge. The Commission can also chart a cost recovery for such investment.”

Reverse hike to avert further misery, suffering — Electricity workers

Meanwhile, workers in the nation’s power sector have asked the Federal Government to stop deceiving Nigerians over the 300 percent hike in electricity tariff, and called for it reversal to avoid further socioeconomic woes.

“While advising the government to come clean on the hike and not being economical with the truth, they described the hike as nothing but another anti-people policy.“Under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, the workers warned that if any of their colleague is attacked in the line of duty over the tariff hike, they would shut down power supply nationwide without notice.

“In a statement titled “Hike in electricity tariff I – Danger looms”Acting General Secretary of the Union, Dominic Igwebike, stated: “NUEE is one of the critical stakeholders in the electricity sector and it has been our major concern to see the delivery of constant, sustainable, clean, and affordable Electric Power to our dear Nation.

“There has not been any meaningful improvement since after the privatization of the Power Sector. The country has an installed capacity of about 14,000MW but generates about 4,803MW. But , Nigeria needs at least 30,000MW to reach sufficiency.“

“The recent hike in electricity tariff from N68 /kwh to N225 /kwh is absurd in a country where the majority of the masses are grappling with basic survival and an electricity access rate of about 55 percent.“

“The justification given by NERC, is that the hike is attributed to only Band A consumers who make up only 15 percent of electricity consumers and utilize 40 percent of the nation’s electricity consumption.

Vanguard News

News

SEE 20 billionaires supporting Trump and Kamala in the race for The White House

Published

2 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

The race for the United States Presidency has reached a fever pitch. As the US presidential election draws close, the financial backing of billionaires has become a defining factor in the campaigns of leading candidates.

Donald Trump, the Republican party candidate and Kamala Harris, who took the baton from President Biden for the Democratic party, continue to rally the support of some of America’s wealthiest, drawing powerful endorsements from influential figures in the country seeking to shape its future.

Elections are run with money, and political parties and their candidates require a lot of it to run successful campaigns. This process is supported by the high and mighty who donate good money towards the government they wish to see in power. These funds cover a range of expenses, including advertising, staffing, travel, and organising events.

From business partners to friends, acquaintances and wealthy individuals who want to see the tide turn in their favour, here are 20 billionaires supporting Trump and Kamala as the next US President.

Billionaires supporting Donald Trump
1. Elon Musk
Perhaps being Donald Trump’s biggest fan on X, which he now owns, the world’s richest man Elon Musk could also be Trump’s loudest supporter. In July, the founder worth, $250.8 billion announced plans to commit around $45 million a month to a new super political-action committee, called America PAC, backing former President Donald Trump’s presidential run.

2. Linda McMahon
Linda McMahon is the wife of Vince McMahon, the former CEO of WWE. McMahon, who is currently worth $3.1 billion had made up to $16 million in donations to Trump groups to support his election campaign. She chairs the pro-Trump nonprofit America First Policy Institute, serving on the board of Truth Social’s parent company, Trump Media and Technology Group.

3. Diane Hendricks
“I know how hard it is to build a company from nothing,” she said. “And we need a president who understands that too,” Diane Hendricks, called America’s richest self-made woman, said on stage at the Republican National Convention in her home state of Wisconsin last month. Forbes says that the $20.9 billion-worth entrepreneur has already pumped $6 million into groups that support him.

4. Andrew Beal
American banker and businessman, Andrew Beal gave more than $4 million to Trump committees and other GOP groups in 2020. The $12.2 billion- valued investor is now betting on Trump again, putting $1.8 million behind Trump’s 2024 ticket.

5. Kelcy Warren
Kelcy Warren, the billionaire in energy has been fond of Trump. Warren had given $100,000 to help elect him in 2016, then dropped more than $11 million in 2020. This time around, he has given about $6 million to support Trump’s campaign. Warren’s Energy Transfer is best known for the Dakota Access Pipeline, which Trump helped expedite in one of his first acts in office.

6. Elizabeth Uihlein & Richard Uihlein
Liz and Dick Uihlein are among the Republican party’s most generous donors, giving tens of millions per cycle. The couple have donated $5 million to trump groups according to Forbes. In 2021, the duo celebrated Trump’s “America First” trade policies and called out publicly-held companies for being “too concerned about their stock share price.”

7. Phil Ruffin
Ruffin is a significant Donald Trump donor, as well as his business partner and close friend. His donations to Trump’s PACs and committees have reached $3.3 million so far this cycle, surpassing his combined donations from the last two elections.

8. Geoffrey Palmer
Geoffrey Palmer is one of the largest apartment developers in Los Angeles, with nearly 13,000 units in the greater L.A. metro area. Palmer is a major financial backer of former president Donald Trump, donating some $16 million to his campaigns and PACs from 2016 to 2022. This year, he’s up to $3 million. The developer is worth $3.1 billion.

9. J.Joe.Ricketts
Ricketts, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs, poured $3 million into a Republican anti-Trump group back in 2016 with his wife. They have given a combined $2 million to Trump groups so far this time around, betting against Kamala.

10. Jimmy John Liautaud
Since Jimmy John sold the majority of his business to a private equity firm, he has gotten more involved in politics, as has his wife Leslie. She backed Trump in 2016 and 2020 and John joined her this year, giving $2.8 million to Trump groups so far.

Billionaires supporting Kamala Harris
1. Mark Cuban
The billionaire Shark Tank star and former principal owner of the Dallas Mavericks is one of the Democrats’ most valuable supporters. Valued at US$5.4 billion according to Forbes, Cuban, who is known to have attended a Joe Biden fundraiser, has retweeted various posts about Harris’ campaign, and signed the “VCs for Kamala” pledge.

2. Reid Hoffman
LinkedIn co-founder, Reid Hoffman has been a long-time Democratic donor and wasted no time backing Harris after Biden dropped. In January, he poured $2 million into a super political action committee (PAC) for Biden’s campaign. The former CEO, worth $2.5 billion plans to open a fundraiser for Harris and has been reported to push Netflix chairman Reed Hastings to donate US$7 million to a PAC supporting the current Vice President.

3. Vinod Khosla
Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, and OpenAI investor has backed Harris to win the elections in November following the withdrawal of President Biden, who he hosted a fundraiser for in May. Worth $7.2 billion per Forbes, the entrepreneur has donated to Super PACs in support of Harris.

4. Chris Sacca
Chris Sacca made early bets investing in Twitter and Uber through his venture capital firm Lowercase Capital. Now he’s making bets of Kamala Harris to be the next US president after donating to Biden’s campaign before he dropped out. Sacca noted that he and his partner Clay Dumas have “invested millions of dollars and countless hours helping build organisations and companies that we think have the best shot at giving blue candidates an edge in a game that is rigged against them.”

5. Eric Schmidt
Worth $22.5 billion per Forbes, the former CEO of Alphabet has given $1.6 million to Future Forward PAC, a Democratic super PAC, and $1.16 million to the Biden Victory Fund.

6. Dustin Moskovitz
Moskovitz, who helped to launch Facebook (now Meta Platforms) in 2004, gave up to $929,600 to the Biden Victory Fund before he dropped out of the race. Now, he has directed his attention to Kamala who goes against the same opponent, Trump.

News

IG Orders Redeployment Of FCT, Rivers, Delta CPs

Published

2 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has directed the redeployment of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Tunji Disu, to FCT command.

The shake-up also affects the Delta State Police Command, with CP Abaniwonda Olufemi being reassigned to the Rivers State Command.

In his place, CP Peter Opara who was recently posted to the FCT command, has been appointed as the new Commissioner of Police for Delta State.

The Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Thursday, said the redeployment was to ensure effective policing in the affected states.

He said, “The Inspector-General of Police in an effort to strategically emplace a Police Force well efficient for effective policing, has ordered the immediate redeployment of the Commissioners of Police of Rivers State Command, Delta State Command, and the Federal Capital territory.

“The order covers the redeployment of the CP Rivers State Command, CP Olatunji Disu as the new CP FCT; CP Delta State Command, CP Abaniwonda Olufemi as the new CP Rivers State Command and CP FCT, CP Peter Opara as the new CP Delta State.”

Adejobi also said the IG, in accordance with the approval of the Police Service Commission, has deployed four CPs to Lagos, Abia, Ebonyi, and Akwa-Ibom States.

He said, “In addition, following the approval of the Police Service Commission, the Inspector-General of Police has also deployed four CPs as Commissioners of Police for Abia, Lagos, Ebonyi, and Akwa-Ibom State Commands.

“The deployment includes the posting of CP Danladi Nda to Abia State Command, CP Olanrewaju Ishola Olawale to Lagos State Command, CP Anthonia Adaku Uche-Anya, FDC to Ebonyi State Command and CP Festus Eribo to Akwa-Ibom State Command.

“The posting of these strategic managers reflects the mission of the Inspector-General of Police to strategically reposition the Police Force and ensure maximum utilization of human resources available to the Force. “

He stated that the IG urged the CPs to be innovative and ensure personnel are diligent in their duties.

Adejobi said, “The IGP has, however, urged the new CPs of State Commands to ensure diligence in the discharge of their lawful duties and adopt innovations that could mitigate security challenges in their respective areas of responsibility. He further encouraged them to key into the police reform plans, which will help the progress of the Nigeria Police Force and the growth of the country in general.”

News

Credible Intel Indicates Tinubu’s Defence Minister Matawalle Involved in Banditry – Zamfara Gov Alleges

Published

3 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has made a startling disclosure, alleging Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Bello Matawalle, of involvement in banditry in the North-West region.

Speaking during an interview on TVC’s Politics Tonight on Wednesday night, Lawal cited credible information suggesting that his predecessor, Matawalle, played a significant role in the ongoing security crisis.

From all the information we’re getting, my predecessor was fully involved in some of this banditry issue,” Lawal stated. His comments come as northern Nigeria continues to grapple with relentless bandit attacks, particularly in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina states. This is not the first time such allegations have been raised against Matawalle. In July, notorious bandit leader Kachallah Bello Turji had made similar accusations, claiming that the former Zamfara governor had been supporting terrorism in the region. Turji, in a video statement, maintained that Matawalle was involved in the rising wave of violence, an allegation that stirred significant controversy. However, Matawalle has consistently denied these claims. His media consultant, Deyemi Saka, labelled the accusations as unfounded and baseless, dismissing them as attempts to tarnish the minister’s reputation. Despite this, Turji and now Governor Lawal remain firm in their assertions, keeping the spotlight on Matawalle’s alleged connection to the banditry crisis.

The accusation against a high-ranking government official comes at a time when northern Nigeria is plagued by severe security challenges, with banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism escalating in various states. The federal government’s response to these claims and the overall situation remains to be seen.