News
Electricity Tariff Hike Coming At The Wrong Time – Ex-Lawmakers
Two former federal lawmakers, Senator Andrew Uchendu and Honourable Dachung Bagos, have faulted the Federal Government’s reduction of electricity subsidy. They argued that the timing was wrong.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had on Wednesday, announced an increment in electricity tariff for Band A customers. It explained that these are people who enjoy a 20-hour supply of electricity daily.
But the ex-lawmakers who were guests on Channels Thursday’s edition of Television’s Politics Today said with the removal of subsidy on petroleum, the timing of the electricity tariff hike would further compound Nigerians’ hardship.
‘Biting Hard’ On Nigerians
“I have always held this view that any right decision taken at the wrong time will ultimately be wrong,” Senator Uchendu, who represented Rivers East in the National Assembly, said.
“Nigerians have had a fairly bad deal in recent times. It was important that fuel subsidy be removed, and it was removed. Some of us did argue that possibly adequate preparations were not made in anticipation of the obvious implications of subsidy removal.
“And so that very policy decision is biting hard on every Nigerian. To now come back six months down the line to talk about another subsidy removal whether Band A, Band B, or any Band will ordinarily irritate Nigerians.
“It is coming at the wrong time. We would have allowed the negative effect of the fuel subsidy removal to be properly controlled before introducing any other subsidy.”
‘The Planning is Wrong’
Bagos also shared similar sentiments with Senator Uchendu. The ex-lawmaker, who represented Jos South and East Federal Constituency, questioned the timing of the electricity tariff hike. He believes there is a lack of planning in the decision.
“I quite agree with the distinguished Senator. Not just that the time is wrong but even the planning is wrong. Why we supported the fuel subsidy removal is because the monies for fuel subsidy was only enriching a few,” Bagos said.
“And inasmuch as there is a removal, there was no proper planning to cushion the effects [of subsidy removal] on Nigerians. Now you are having the electricity subsidy removed. What are those plans that the Federal Government has put in place to cushion the effect on Nigerians?”
The former House of Representatives member also argued that subsidy is not entirely bad, saying that governments across the world subsidise things for their citizens.
“And one thing we need to understand is, there is no government in the world that does not pay subsidy on something to cushion effects on its citizenry.
“The US or UK we are copying, all of them have subsidies on certain sectors of the economy that will cushion effects on their own citizens,” he said.
News
NECO accredits more foreign schools for SSCE, BECE
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has given accreditation to more foreign schools to write the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The Acting Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani, disclosed this in a statement.
The newly accredited schools are in Niger Republic and Equatorial Guinea.
“NECO Accreditation Team visited the Schools to assess their readiness to write the SSCE and BECE.
“The Accreditation Team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls and sport facilities to determine their adequacy and suitability for NECO Examinations.
“After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and full BECE accreditation status,” the statement said.
The statement added that the accreditation of additional foreign schools is a testament to NECO’s commitment to providing quality education and assessment beyond the shores of Nigeria.
“With its expanding global presence, NECO is poised to become a leading examination body in Africa, offering opportunities for students worldwide to benefits from its expertise, thus contributing to the advancement of education in Africa and beyond.”
In another development, the statement disclosed that candidates are participating in the on-going NECO SSCE External in Diffa, Niger Republic.
“The UNHCR School, Diffa, Niger Republic is the first NECO SSCE External Centre outside Nigeria.”
NECO examinations are now written by candidates in Benin Republic, Togo, Cote’ d’Ivoire, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabia.
News
Guardiola suffers worst defeat of career as Tottenham hammer Man City 4-0
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, suffered the worst defeat of his managerial career as they lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night.
The Premier League champions were already on a run of four consecutive defeats ahead of the visit of the North London side.
James Maddison scored twice in the first half to set Spurs on their way to a sensational win.
Pedro Porro drilled in a third, before Brennan Johnson got on the scoresheet late in the game.
The result leaves City in second place with 23 points. They could go eight points behind Liverpool by the end of this Game Week.
Guardiola takes his men to Anfield next weekend.
News
FUOYE Re-Marks Exam Papers of Student Failed By Lecturer Over Sex-for-Grade Scandal, Secures Justice
The Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, has cleared a female student, Ramota Olahanloye, to graduate following the re-marking of her final-year examination scripts.
Olahanloye had alleged that a lecturer, Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia, demanded sexual favours from her, and when she declined, he deliberately failed her in two final-year courses.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Wole Balogun, the university confirmed that Olahanloye’s allegations were investigated, and her scripts were re-marked.
“The young lady’s scripts were re-marked, and she performed fairly better than the scores initially awarded by Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia,” the statement read.
According to Balogun, the university management approved Olahanloye’s revised results, which qualified her for graduation.
“The university management has given executive approval for her results to be processed. She has since commenced her final clearance from relevant units of the university,” the statement added.
Balogun also disclosed that Agbegbedia had been sanctioned by the institution for his misconduct.
Olahanloye expressed her joy over the resolution of the case, saying, “I am happy that I have gotten justice, and I really appreciate the university Vice-Chancellor for setting up the committee that investigated the matter.
“I was shown my entire results, including the graduation list with my name on it. I have started my clearance as a graduating student of the university, and I am truly happy.”
Her father, Rasaki Olahanloye, also lauded the university for its commitment to justice.
“I can confirm to the world that FUOYE has served justice to my daughter. I was shown her upgraded results after her scripts were re-marked, and it is clear that she passed.
“The university fulfilled its promise to ensure fairness, and I appreciate the VC, Prof. Sunday Fasina, and the committee members for ensuring my daughter gets justice,” he said.
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