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Electricity tariff hike: FG panics convenes meeting as Labour threatens indefinite protest

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Federal Government will next week hold a crucial meeting to address the demands by organised labour for the restoration of the power subsidy and the reversal of the hike in electricity tariff.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Power, Mrs Florence Eke, disclosed this to newsmen, hours after the labour unions disrupted activities at the ministry in Abuja, on Monday.

However, organised labour has threatened to continue with the protest indefinitely, stressing that it might take drastic action should the government fail to reverse the tariff hike.

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The protests paralysed activities at the Federal Ministry of Power, and the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission and also disrupted the operations of the distribution companies across the country.

The nationwide protests were triggered by the Federal Government’s decision to raise electricity tariffs and remove the subsidy from the power sector.

The NERC announced the hike in the electricity tariff for Band A customers at a press briefing in Abuja on April 3, revealing that those affected would pay N225 per kilowatt-hour, up from the previous rate of N68/kWh.

The hike represented a 240 per cent increase.

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The development marked the removal of subsidy from the tariff of customers in the Band A category, who constituted about 15 per cent of the total 12.82 million power consumers across the country.

Based on the tariff hike, the Federal Government said it would save N1.5tn.

The government stated that the decision took effect on April 3, 2024, adding that Band A customers would enjoy up to 20 hours of power supply daily.

The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria had earlier given the NERC until May 12, to reverse the hike or face labour action.

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Speaking to newsmen on the moves to contain the protests, the spokesperson for the power ministry, Eke, said that the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Mamman Mahmuda, acknowledged the National Union of Electricity Employees’ concerns regarding the lack of sufficient consultation before the implementation of the new tariffs.

She said the ministry was committed to transparency and would engage in a comprehensive dialogue with all relevant parties to discuss the issues raised.

“The union was at the Power House today and they were addressed by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Power. He assured that the ministry would call for a stakeholder meeting by next week where all issues will be addressed because one of the points they raised was that there was not enough consultation before the tariff was increased. The permanent secretary said as policymakers, the ministry would invite the stakeholders by next week,’’ she said.

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Galatasaray technical director opens up on nature of Osimhen’s contract

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Galatasaray technical director Okan Buruk has confirmed the presence of a clause in Napoli’s Victor Osimhen loan deal.
Buruk explains that the January clause in Victor Osimhen’s contract allows the player to explore opportunities with various interested clubs during the January transfer window.

This statement came during an interview on the official website of the Turkish champions, where Buruk discussed various topics related to the team.

During the interview, Buruk explained that Osimhen would like to stay at Galatasaray until the end of the season.

He noted that although there is a transfer clause in force, the player has expressed his intention to stay at the club, which he reiterated from the beginning of his arrival.

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He stated, “Osimhen wants to stay here until the season is over and he has said this consistently. Although there is a clause regarding January transfers, ultimately it is the player’s decision and he feels committed to staying.”

Reflecting on how the club secured Osimhen’s services, Buruk shared: “I traveled to Milan when I had the chance. Because I lived there for three years, I feel comfortable there. We didn’t talk about football during my visit; instead, we enjoyed dinner together for two days, which helped foster a good relationship. After a match against Adana Demirspor, we had a video call at the airport to discuss the options, and after careful consultation with our transfer committee and the president, we completed the transfer.”

Osimhen joined Galatasaray on the final day of the summer transfer window after negotiations with Chelsea and Al Ahly failed to materialize. He quickly adapted to his new surroundings and made significant contributions with eight goals and four assists in just nine appearances in all competitions.

Eaglespath

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Ondo: Gov Aiyedatiwa says he’s not aware of vote buying on his behalf

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Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has stated that he was not aware that his political associates bought votes on his behalf.

This is coming a few hours after he emerged victorious in all the 18 local government areas of the state.

According to report, the incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was accused of vote-buying after his victory in the November 16 election.

However, speaking in an interview with Channel TV on Sunday night, the governor noted that the oppositions are using the vote-buying allegation as an excuse for their loss.

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“I’m not aware of such. The opposition will want to say that to make excuses for their failure, but for us, it is what we worked for; the people have spoken through their votes.

” There won’t be any reason to buy votes because Ondo people know what they want. I’m not aware of people buying votes on my behalf.”

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Uncovered! World Bank exposes $32m missing funds in Nigeria’s water project

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In Nigeria’s water project, the World Bank has discovered $32 million in undeclared payments.

The banks recently released their FY2024 Sanctions System Annual Report, which included this information.

According to the study, the lost monies were meant to improve Nigeria’s water infrastructure but were not properly accounted for, which led to an intervention to protect the project’s integrity.

“INT followed up on risks identified regarding a project in Nigeria’s water sector and flagged to operations the risk, which was associated with $32 million of unaccounted funds.”

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The World Bank worked with the project team, which included the operations manager, financial management expert, and task team leader for Nigeria, in an effort to retrieve the money.

While $6 million is still in the project account to cover expected operating costs, the Central Bank of Nigeria has requested reimbursement of $22 million.

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