The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu Monday warned that there would be total blackout in the country in the next three months if the proposed electricity tariff hike is not implemented.

The minister disclosed this yesterday in Abuja when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Power at an investigative hearing over the recent electricity tariff hike by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

This followed the rejection of the new tariff regime by the Senate committee, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.

Adelabu said, “The entire sector will be grounded if we don’t increase the tariff. With what we have now in the next three months, the entire country will be in darkness if we don’t increase tariffs.

“The increment will catapult us to the next level. We are also Nigerians, we are also feeling the impact.”

He said the sum of $10 billion is needed yearly for the next ten years to revive the nation’s power sector and nip in the bud the challenges bedeviling it.

“For this sector to be revived, the government needs to spend nothing less than 10 billion dollars annually in the next 10 years.

“This is because of the infrastructure requirement for the stability of the sector. But the government cannot afford that. And so we must make this sector attractive to investors and to lenders.

 

“So, for us to attract investors and investment, we must make the sector attractive, and the only way it can be made attractive is that there must be commercial pricing.

“If the value is still at N66 and the government is not paying subsidy, the investors will not come. But now that we have increased the tariff for A Band, there are interests being shown by investors,” he said.

Adelabu said the inability of the government to pay outstanding N2.9 trillion subsidy was due to limited resources, hence the need to evolve measures to sustain the sector.

He appealed to the lawmakers to support the process of paying the debt owed operators across the value chain of generation, transmission and distribution.

But the Senate Committee on Power, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, expressed concerns over the suffering of Nigerians, and asked the minister and other key players in the sector to explore other options.

Senators Simon Lalong (Plateau South) and Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), said consultations were not made before the tariff increase, stressing palliative would have been provided in the process.

Abaribe, who is Chairman of the Committee said, “What Nigerians wanted was a solution to the issues and ways to ensure liquidity in the sector.”

He also decried the nonappearance of a company “ZIGLAKS” over the failed agreement to provide prepaid meters for Nigerians, alleging that the company had received N32 billion in 20 years to meter Nigerian electricity consumers.

 Other stakeholders who made presentations at the investigative hearing were the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (NAN), Association of Power Generation (Gencos), Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) among others.

[DailyTrust]

 

A former Director of Information Technology of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, John Ayoh, has explained how he collected $600,000 allegedly for contract gratification for the embattled ex-apex bank governor, Godwin Emefiele.

Ayoh, while being led in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), on Monday, told an Ikeja Special Offences Court that he spent eight years in the apex bank.

He told the court that he received a letter from the agency concerning two transactions he facilitated through Emefiele.

Ayoh, Head of Procurement and Support Services, PSS Department, told the court that the first envelope containing $400,000 was brought to his house in Lekki.

In contrast, he received the second envelope containing $200,000 at the Tinubu Head Office of the CBN.

Ayoh said he was vested with powers to receive applications for the award of contracts to select successful bidders.

According to him, the first leg of the transaction was at his residence in Lekki Phase One, while the second envelope money he received occurred at the Tinubu Head Office of the CBN.

“The man to deliver the second transaction came to our office in Lagos, and I informed the governor, but he said he did not want to see a third party and that I should bring the envelope myself.

“I complied with the instruction and delivered it to his office. Mr John Adeola was the one I sent my address to, and he came to my house. He is the governor’s assistant, and the total money I received on his behalf was $400,000 and $200,000,” he alleged.

The witness informed the court that the vendors who allegedly brought the envelopes with money were in charge of implementing Netapp Storage Architectural and Infrastructural Services.

While under cross-examination by the first defence counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo (SAN), he told the court that his schedule of duties did not include running errands for Emefiele, but he directly worked under him.

Ayoh confirmed to the court that Emefiele was not a member of the PSS but a member of the Major Contract Tender Committee (MCTC).

He added that he had never facilitated the commission of any crime.

Ojo asked if the witness wrote in his statement that he was forced to aid or abet the commission of accepting gratification.

“I do not remember the exact word that I used, and I did not write in my statement that I opened the two envelopes on the two occasions to check the total sum of money.

“I wrote a statement, which implied that the money in the envelopes was given to me to influence the contract award. I did not take part in the decision of the MCTC, but I recommended that the prize be given, and I was not bribed.

“The EFCC invited me on February 17. I was not arrested, but I returned home on administrative bail”, the witness said.

The witness told the court that he operated under duress while he received the two envelopes from the contractors.

“On your honour, did you indicate in your statement that you were acting under duress while running errands for the first defendant,” the learned silk asked.

The prosecution, however, objected to the question and argued that the witness’s statement was not before the court.

The first defence counsel sought to admit the defendant’s statement into evidence.

After that, Justice Rahman Oshodi admitted the witness’s statement (three pages) into evidence, following the arguments and counterarguments of the counsel.

The witness told the court that the instructions from Emefiele indicated that he bent the rules.

The judge, after that, adjourned the case until May 3 for continuation of cross-examination.

Emefiele’s counsel also pleaded with the court to release the defendant to him on self-recognition because he had not met with his bail application.

The learned silk, however, prayed to the court that the defendant would meet up before May 17.

There were no objections from the second defence counsel, and the prosecution left the decision at the court’s discretion.

Recall that a dispatch rider had allegedly collected $3 million in cash for the embattled ex-CBN governor.

Emefiele has been under investigation since his removal as CBN boss last June by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

[DailyPost]

•Court okays freezing of accounts for unauthorised forex dealings, terror financing

The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an interim order empowering the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to freeze 1,146 bank accounts belonging to individuals and companies.
The agency claimed it was investigating them for unauthorised dealing in foreign exchange, money laundering and terrorism financing.
Justice Emeka Nwite issued the order in a ruling on an ex-parte motion by EFCC lawyer Ekele Iheanacho.
The judge ordered the commission to ensure that its investigation is concluded within 90 days.
Justice Nwite, after listening to Iheanacho, held: “It is hereby ordered as follows: that the applicant’s application is hereby granted as prayed.
“That an order of this honourable court is hereby made freezing the bank accounts stated in the schedule below which accounts are owned by various individuals who are currently being investigated in a case involving the offences of unauthorised dealing in foreign exchange, money laundering and terrorism financing to the extant that the investigation will be for a period of 90 days.”
He adjourned till July 23 for a report on the findings.
A copy of the enrolled order, made last Wednesday, was obtained yesterday.
The EFCC, in the motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/543/2024 said: “The bank accounts in respect of which the reliefs are sought are subject of investigation by the EFCC in relation to money laundering and terrorism financing.

[TheNation]

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on Monday began offloading 240 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise called petrol, as it stepped up efforts to tackle the worsening nationwide petrol scarcity.

As the NNPCL began offloading petrol, filling stations sold the product at an average price of N800 per litre in various locations.

One of our correspondents gathered that the 240 million litres of petrol imported into the country came in through five vessels, which were offloaded into five depots on Monday.

The South-West Regional Coordinator of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Ayo Cardoso, confirmed this in an interview with The PUNCH on Monday.

The PUNCH reported on Monday that despite claims by the NNPC that the logistic issues causing fuel scarcity had been addressed, Nigerians in Lagos and other parts of the country still struggled to get fuel as many filling stations remained shut.

The PUNCH independently gathered that the situation might worsen in Lagos and other parts of the South-West because there was a directive by the NNPC that fuel trucks must first service the Federal Capital Territory before any other places.

According to oil sector sources, hundreds of trucks loaded were sent to Abuja on Sunday based on the NNPC directive.

Our correspondents who visited filling stations across the country on Monday observed that many outlets hiked their pump prices, selling a litre of petrol between N650 and over N1,000.

As the stations increased the pump prices of fuel, it was learnt that black marketers also used the opportunity to make brisk business, selling a litre of petrol at prices of over N1,200/litre, depending on the location and the bargaining strength of the buyer.

It was also observed that the hardship being encountered as a result of fuel scarcity worsened on Monday. The queues in filling stations became longer as work resumed across the nation for the new week.

The fuel scarcity also coincided with the resumption of public schools in some states, adding to the burden on parents, teachers and school owners.

Speaking with The PUNCH, the NMDPRA regional coordinator said the agency was doing its best to ensure Nigerians were not exploited by filling stations.

“We are doing something about the fuel crisis; very soon it will be over. Vessels are discharging as I am talking to you. What we are concentrating on is to push the NNPC, which is the supplier of last resort, to make sure they wet the entire populace.

“So, we have about five vessels already discharging the product, about 240 million litres are being discharged as I am talking to you right now. We are working round the clock.

“But then, once you have a problem, it takes like one or two weeks to (normalise), but people will keep on panicking, which is not supposed to be. All these kinds of things disrupt the normal way of operations. But with 240 million litres coming in from five vessels discharging to five depots already today, things will get back to normal,” Cardoso assured Nigerians.

Scarcity spreads

Our correspondents noted that the few filling stations dispensing fuel on Monday were crowded by private and commercial drivers, motorcyclists as well as individuals with jerry cans.

The queues were seen in Abuja as well as Lagos, Ogun, Niger, Nasarawa, Gombe and other states.

The Heyden filling station in Iperu Remo, Ogun State sold petrol at N650 per litre on Monday amid fights among buyers who thronged the station from places like Isara, Ode, Ilishan and others.

A motorist, who spoke to one of our correspondents, said he had been in the queue since 5am, yet he was unable to buy petrol as at noon.

“Look at me, I have been here since 5am, yet I couldn’t get fuel up till noon. I came here from Isara. There is no fuel in other places. This station belongs to the governor, maybe that’s why it is selling at the rate of N650 per litre. A few others around us sell petrol for N800 or more,” the motorist, who identified himself as Ismail, told The PUNCH.

A young man dressed in TotalEnergies uniform was sighted at the Heyden filling stations with two jerry cans filled with PMS.

The man, who did not reveal his name, stated, “I came here to buy fuel because we don’t have fuel in our station. I spent hours in the queue despite being an attendant myself. We don’t know why there is no fuel, but we heard that everybody is waiting for May 1 to know if the president would say something about fuel price reduction or not”.

At WB One Oil & Gas in Ogere, the crowd was not much as a result of the price differential between it and Heyden. The filling station sold a litre of petrol at N900 as of Monday morning.

“I can’t buy at WB One. N900 is too much for a litre. That is why the people there are not many. I would rather join the queue instead of paying N900 for a litre,” Adamu, an okada rider said.

The NNPC retail outlet along the Sagamu-Interchange axis was occupied by buyers who wanted to get the product at N580/litre.

Selling at N670, the As-Sallam filling station near the NNPC also had a long queue. The NIPCO and AP stations near the RCCG Bus Stop did not open for business.

Commuters heading to work, schools, and various destinations in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Monday found themselves stranded due to the effect of the lingering fuel scarcity.

Many bus stops were filled with passengers trying to board vehicles to schools and places of work.

Our correspondents learned that some filling stations around Rounda and Lafenwa were selling the product for N1,000/litre.

A cab driver, Mr Banji Alaba, said “The fuel problem has continued to worsen, some filling stations in Rounda and Lafenwa area are selling a litre for N1,000. Though we have a few selling for between N750 to N800 the queue is killing. The NNPC filling stations are selling for N580 but my friend who has been at one of the stations since 9 am is yet to buy fuel as of 4 pm when I called him.

“The queue is so much and overwhelming. The cabs outside are few because many drivers are at the filling stations and some who don’t have the strength to spend hours at filling stations have parked their cars. How do we feed our families?

“The schools have just resumed and a lot of us want to pay our children’s school fees, how do we do that if we don’t work? It is really frustrating and sad.”

Some students were also sighted trekking home because they could not get cabs on time while those who offered to carry them increased the fare by 70 per cent.

The Total filling station at Toll Gate, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, in Ogere sold petrol for N1,200/litre on Monday.

Also, Danco filling station and NNPC at Magboro, Ogun State, sold for N610 and N580 respectively. While others like TAS, Mobil, Osadol, Heyden, Amuf oil, Rainoil, and NIPCO among others were under lock and key.

Black marketers took advantage of the situation to sell the product at exorbitant prices ranging from N1,300 to N1,800/litre.

Our correspondents, who went around major cities, saw miscreants threatening to burn down some filling stations perceived to be hoarding the product.

Motorists described the situation as pathetic, calling on the government for an urgent intervention to avoid possible implosion.

The PUNCH reports that a motorist at a Mobil fuel station in Ikotun, Lagos, who gave his name as Mr Valentine, said, “Though none of the fuel stations have started selling, I heard they sold for N1,050 per litre earlier”.

A resident at Egbeda, Lagos, who simply gave her name as Peace Adeola, said commercial vehicle operators started raising their fares on Sunday.

According to the resident, moving from Ikotun to Egbeda on Sunday went for N600 as against N300 before now.

“The bus drivers and conductors were complaining, saying they bought the fuel at an expensive rate of N900. We trekked home from Egbeda,” Adeola recounted.

Also speaking, another resident of Egbeda, Ignatius Uzonna, told one of our correspondents on Monday that the government-owned BRT buses now recorded a high number of passengers due to the scarcity of private commercial buses.

Our correspondents observed that a litre of fuel at the black market was sold for N900/litre in Apapa, while an outlet belonging to Saddeh at Egbe Bus Stop along Ikotun-Ejigbo road, sold for N1,000/litre.

The God’s Decision outlet along Governor’s Road in Ikotun Lagos also sold petrol for N900/litre on Monday.

In Gombe State, residents frowned at the incessant increment in petroleum prices as fuel sold across the state at N900/litre in a few operating filling stations, and N1,400 at the black market.

An okada rider, Mohammed, said, “We are suffering and it’s unfortunate we buy fuel at N1,400 because we can’t stay in long queues at the filling station.”

In Makurdi, the Benue State capital, one of our correspondents reports that the few filling stations that opened for business sold petrol between N750 and N850/litre on Monday. Though, there were no long queues at the filling stations.

It was a similar development in Otukpo and Gboko, the two major urban centres in the state, where the cost of transportation had gone up.

The petrol scarcity in Ondo State affected business activities across the state with commercial drivers slightly increasing their fares by 50 per cent. Commuters who could not afford the fares were observed to be trekking a long distance to their various destinations.

While some stations sold petrol for N750/litre, others sold at N650.

It was gathered that the fuel stations in Akwa Ibom State dispensed fuel between N700 and N740/litre across the state as of Monday.

One of our correspondents who monitored the NNPC and Fonnex filling stations in Uyo reports that, though there was no scarcity of the product, stations hiked prices.

A petrol attendant in one of the filling stations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue said, “There is no fuel scarcity anywhere in the state as you can see, but we are still selling at N700.”

In Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, few petrol stations with long queues of vehicles dispensed fuel for as high as N1,000/litre on Monday, while the black marketers sold a litre for as high as N1,500. The stations included Shafa, NNPC, NIPCO, and Rainoil.

However, commuters decided to trek to their destinations as okada riders charged between N500 and N2,000, depending on the distance.

Similarly, in Ekiti State, the fuel crisis bit harder on Monday as many car owners resorted to parking their vehicles at home and patronised either commercial cars or bikes.

The queue was long at the NNPC filling station along Iworoko Road which dispensed petrol at N580/litre.

A driver, simply identified as Wale, said, “It took me over two hours before I could get to the pump at NNPC along Iworoko Road. But I was disappointed the attendants were rationing the fuel and did not dispense above N10,000 worth of fuel for any vehicle.”

A car wash operator along Ado Federal Polytechnic Road said he bought five litres for N8,000.

Tunde Olomu, an okada rider, lamented, “The black-market operators are cruel. They sell at N1,000 per litre at Nova Junction and N1,200 per litre at Atikankan”.

Olomu, who said the present situation had occasioned an increase in transport fares, said, “We now charge about N400 for distances that used to be N200, and N300 for those that used to be N100 and N150. I can tell you that taxi fares have been raised as well”.

The Ekiti State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, at their monthly congress, called on the state government to urgently intervene.

The NUJ, in a communiqué issued at the end of the congress, called for an investigation of the cause of the scarcity, queues and high prices “with a view to punishing those engaging in sharp practices to the detriment of the citizens.”

In the same vein, fuel stations in Niger State hiked the pump price of the product following the scarcity of fuel.

The price of fuel, PUNCH learnt, was stable and there were no queues at the filling stations until Sunday when retailers got information that the price of the product in neighbouring FCT was high and motorists could not get fuel.

The stations were said to have created an artificial scarcity and also hiked the price of petrol.

PUNCH investigation on Monday showed that most of the stations in the state were selling a litre of fuel for N900 and above.

The black marketers were also sighted hawking the product for N1,100 and above.

NMDPRA reacts

Meanwhile, the NMDPRA regional coordinator, Cardoso told one of our correspondents that the agency could no longer regulate prices, saying PMS was deregulated following the removal of subsidy by President Bola Tinubu on May 29, 2023.

“For now, the price is based on supply and demand, but we are still going out to make sure that people are not exploiting consumers.

“My people are on the field; they are going round. So, if you see any specific one you think we should handle, you can let us know. But since morning, we’ve been on the field, including myself, making sure nobody is hoarding. You know once there is enough supply, all those things will be a thing of the past.

“We don’t handle price anymore; it is deregulated since the subsidy has been removed. What we do is that there is a price bound that we are monitoring. The person who can determine the price is the person who is supplying marketers, and that is the NNPCL. Once the NNPCL says this is what they are selling, we just expect that there will be some margin around the NNPCL figure and it should not be too excessive,” Cardoso said.

He further said, “If the NNPCL is selling at N580, we don’t expect anybody to sell more than N630 or N650 at worst. If you let us know those selling at N700 or N800, we will take action. But you have to know that this is happening because there is scarcity. Outside scarcity, those things will come down. We can’t use the current prices to judge what the normal price should be.

“Any station we get to, and we see hoarding, we will ask them to start selling and they have to sell at the official NNPC price.”

‘Don’t store fuel’

Meanwhile, Nigerians have been warned to stop hoarding fuel in their houses to avoid a fire outbreak.

“We want to tell everybody that they should be patient, things will get cleared very soon. We have quite enough fuel being discharged. We want to enjoin people not to store fuel at home because of the safety issues around it.

“This is a flammable product, and you cannot guarantee how to handle it if you store it in your house. People should not store petroleum products at home. There will be enough fuel very soon,” Cardoso stated.

Also, the Commissioner for Environment in Ogun State, Ola Oresanya, warned against storing fuel at home.

Oresanya advised, “It is all about safety matters. We should not be tempted to store fuel. PMS is a very volatile material and there is no second chance when it comes to the safety of lives and properties.

“So, it is better for us to endure the pains of the discomfort at the moment. Discomfort is better than loss of lives. We just want to implore our people to make sure that they don’t store fuel in the house. We should please avoid hoarding fuel to avoid any form of domestic or industrial accident”.

Kwara task force

The Kwara State Government Task Force on Monday raided some filling stations within the Ilorin metropolis, cautioning them against hoarding of fuel.

The government said the raid was part of the government’s measures to address fuel scarcity in the state.

In a statement, the Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Government House Ilorin, Mashood Agboola, noted that the committee was set up by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to see to the problem of fuel shortage.

“As a responsible and responsive government, we cannot be folding our hands watching. We have to see that the majority of our people enjoy the dividends of democracy,” the leader of the task force and Chief of Staff at Government House, Mahe Abdulkadir, told reporters during the exercise.

Abdulkadir called on the people of the state to be patient and avoid panic-buying.

“We want to call on the people of the state to be patient and avoid panic buying. The Federal Government is not trying to increase the prices of fuel. We will make sure our people are not shortchanged,” he added.

This came as the National Association of Nigerian Students threatened to embark on mass action if the Federal Government failed to take immediate steps to address the current fuel crisis in the country.

The students’ body also asked the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mr Mele Kyari, to resign if he could not take decisive actions to resolve the fuel crisis.

The association’s Senate President, Babatunde Akinteye, in a statement on Monday, lamented that the fuel scarcity has left many citizens, including students, frustrated and helpless.

The NANS senate president lamented that students are now facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the increase in petrol pump prices and the scarcity of the product.

While demanding immediate action from the NNPCL to resolve the fuel crisis and restore stability, Babatunde said the students would hit the streets in protest if the situation persisted.

[Punch]

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, said the Federal Government is working in the interest of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank following a hike in electricity tariff. 

Falana stated this in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.

He said, “The Honourable Minister of Power is acting the script of the IMF and the World Bank.

“Those two agencies insisted and they continue to insist that the government of Nigeria must remove all subsidies. Fuel subsidy, electricity subsidy and what have you; all social services must be commercialised and priced beyond the reach of the majority of Nigerians.

“So, the government cannot afford to protect the interest of Nigerians where you are implementing the neoliberal policies of the Bretton Wood institutions.”

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria accused Western countries led by the United States of America of double standards.

According to Falana, they subsidize agriculture, energy, and fuel and offer grants and loans to indigent students while they advise the Nigerian government against doing the same for its citizens.

Recall that the announcement of the tariff increase by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu was greeted by public outrage.

But, Adelabu said the action would not affect everyone using electricity as only Band A customers who get about 20 hours of electricity are affected by the hike.

Falana, however, said neither the minister nor the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has justified the tariff increase.

The senior lawyer said that Nigerian law gives no room for discrimination against customers by grading them in different bands.

According to Falana, the government cannot ask Nigerians to pay differently for the same product even when what has been consistently served to them is darkness.

Falana, however, said that nothing will come out of the probe by the Senate, adding that the matter has to be taken to court so that the minister and the Attorney General of the Federation can defend the move.

[Vanguard]

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has announced the deregulation of meter prices under the meter asset provider (MAP) scheme for end-user customers.

This is contained in a circular issued by the commission on Monday.

In September 2023, NERC approved an increase in the prices of single-phase electricity meters to N81,975.16 and three-phase meters was increased to N143,836.10. 

According to the circular, from May 1, all prices of meters under the MAP scheme will be determined through a competitive bidding process with customers provided with a choice of authorised vendors.

According to the commission, the review is based on the need for the efficient pricing of meters “to respond more quickly to changes in macroeconomic parameters, particularly exchange rates”. 

“The cost of prices of meters deployed under the MAP scheme is thereby to enable end-use customers acquire meters from MAPS of their choice based on competitive open market prices determined from transparent bidding frameworks,” NERC said. 

“All MAP permits holders are henceforth eligible to provide services and transact for the provision of meters and metering services with any Disco in the Federal Republic of Nigeria with their existing permit. 

“The lifting of the restriction on permitting to operate in all DisCos is subject to the mandatory requirement for MAPS to comply with the associated DisCo specific requirements/specifications.”

NERC said all electricity distribution companies (DisCos) would ensure the effective and seamless integration of smart meters deployed by MAPS with DisCo’s head-end systems and metre data management systems.

[TheCable]

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially announced the release of the results for the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Naija News reports that the announcement was made by JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during a press conference on Monday at the board’s headquarters in Bwari, Abuja.

The examination body disclosed that the 2024 examination saw a record participation of over 1.94 million candidates, spreading across 118 towns and more than 700 centres throughout the country.

“The 2024 UTME has been successfully conducted, and we are pleased to announce the timely release of the results. Candidates can now check their scores via the official JAMB portal,” stated Prof. Oloyede.

The UTME, which began on Friday, April 19, and concluded on Monday, April 29, 2024, is a pivotal exam that determines eligibility for tertiary education in Nigeria.

The press conference highlighted the logistical efforts undertaken by JAMB to ensure a smooth and fair examination process.

“This year, we enhanced our monitoring and surveillance of the examination centres to curtail malpractices and ensure compliance with our strict testing standards,” added Oloyede.

More to follow…

[NaijaNews]

One year has elapsed since former President Mohammadu Buhari approved the postponement of the 2023 population and housing census.

The suspension was disclosed in a press statement signed by the former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed. The minister noted that the president approved it following a meeting with Nasir Isa-Kwarra, the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), and the Accountant General of the Federation, the Finance Minister and some other members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

In 2022, the NPC declared that N532.7 billion would be needed to conduct the national census in Nigeria.

However, the former Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, said that a total of N869 billion was needed for the census, noting that the government committed N291.5 billion with the need for an additional N327.2 billion from the private sector.

The census was slated for May 3-7, 2023, but was postponed indefinitely by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Despite the postponement, the NPC admitted having spent N200 billion for the planning mid-execution of the census.

How the money was spent

A Federal High Court in Abuja recently ordered the NPC to disclose expenditure details related to the suspended 2023 Population Census within seven days.

Justifying the amount spent, the former commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr Isiaka Yahaya, earlier said:

He said:

• “Consistent with global practice and inspired by an unswerving commitment to positively rewrite the history of the census in Nigeria, the Commission opted to conduct a digital census deploying the technology on a massive scale.
• “In a country struggling with an acute infrastructural deficit, this massive undertaking cannot come cheap but at a huge cost. Yes, it is true that N200bn has been spent on preparations for the 2023 census so far. However, this fund was not expended in the last few weeks, months, or years but rather since 2014 when preparations for the 2023 census actually began. Indeed, part of the N200bn was expended before the coming of the present Commission, which was inaugurated twice between 2018 and 2020 and even before the inception of the Buhari administration.”

The former director also disclosed that several items have been procured in preparation for the census, such as the procurement of computers, laptops, desktops, printers, software, and solar power systems for the census, among others.

He added that about 810,000 personal digital assistant devices were acquired for the 2023 census and were stored in all the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) offices across the country.

Yahaya also identified other expenses, noting:

• “The Commission procured vehicles, motorcycles, and boats for the movement of personnel and equipment across the length and breadth of the country. This was done along with renovation and equipping of all the 37 state and 774 Local Government offices for effective operational activities and storage for the 2023 Census.
• “Conducting a digital census requires a constant supply of electricity not only in the cities but also in the hinterland and hard-to-reach areas of the country for charging of PDAs and other equipment. Given the epileptic nature of power supply across the country, the Commission procured generators, power banks and installed solar power systems across the country.”

The House of Representatives plans to probe the N200 billion spent on the suspended 2023 Population and Housing Census.

Also, during the Commission’s 2024 budget defence at the National Assembly (NASS), the House of Representatives Committee on Population urged the Federal Government to complete the census preparation process. This was even as the committee maintained that with the preparation process currently at 80%, nothing should stop the national census from holding.

What You Should Know

Nairametrics earlier reported that the NPC requested for N693.3 million in the 2024 budget to conduct the postponed national population and housing census. This is higher than the N10.52 million requested for the same fiscal item in the approved 2023 budget.

However, it was observed that there was another allocation of N30 billion for outstanding activities for the postponed 2023 census in the approved budget for this year. Also, it was observed that there are other census-related allocations of about N122.2 million in the proposed 2024 budget.

It has been reported that the postponed census may be held in November 2024.

Speaking with Nairametrics, a development economist, Dr Aliyu Ilias, said that conducting the census is necessary for economic development.

He said:

• “Majority of decisions to develop and provide facilities for a country, states, local government are based on the number of people using it. Census has direct relationships with economic development. A good example is the provision of schools, health facilities, and roads, among others.
• “If we don’t have a census, we will be providing facilities where it is not needed, while people that need it, suffer.”

Also, a Professor of Demography at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, John Laah, stressed the importance of the census in the country, urging the administration of Bola Tinubu to conduct the census as soon as possible.

• “This government needs census more than any other government. We don’t have the statistics to plan… If we conduct a census, it will help the government in making necessary plans. The absence of a complete census is a problem for Nigeria….
• “Census must be regular to make it useful and appropriate for government to plan for the deliveries of dividends of democracy. This government more than any other government needs to conduct census immediately so that it can kick-start the process of making genuine plans for the people.”

He further noted that the census is possible this year, adding that there is a need for refresher training for those earlier trained in 2022 and 2023, and that the census can be done within three to four months.

The Acting Director of the Public Affairs Department of the NPC, Mrs. Nkoyo Nwakusor, did not respond to calls and WhatsApp messages sent to her as of the time of filing this story.

[Nairametrics]

A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the stoppage of the planned increase in DStv and GOtv subscription prices by Multichoice Nigeria Limited.

LEADERSHIP reports that the Pay-TV operator, Multichoice Nigeria Limited, had last week announced another price increment across its DStv and GOtv packages effective May 1, 2024.

The company attributed the price increases to “rise in the cost of business operations” in Nigeria.

According to the notice signed by Multichoice CEO, John Ugbe, and sent to its subscribers and customers via email last week Wednesday, a copy of which was sighted by our Correspondent, the new prices for DStv packages are Premium package will now cost N37,000 monthly as against the current N29,500 subscription fee.

The price of the Compact+ bouquet has also increased to N25,000 from 19,800 monthly.

DStv said subscribers on its Compact bouquet will now pay N15,700 as against N12,500 they are currently paying, while those on the Confam package are to pay N9,300, compared to N7,400 currently being paid.

Under the new price regime, viewers on DStv Yanga bouquet will now be paying N5,100 for the monthly subscription, instead of the N4,200 currently being paid.

Padi subscribers will, from May 1, 2024, be paying N3,600 instead of the current N2,950 price.

HDPVR Access subscribers will pay N5,000 as against the N4,000 being paid now.

For GOtv users, Multichoice said customers on its Supa Plus package will now be paying N15,700, from the current price of N12,500. Its Supa bouquet will now go for N9,600 as opposed to the current N7,600 being charged.

GOtv Max subscription has also increased to N7,200 from N5,700 while its Jolli package will go for N4,850 from N3,950. Multichoice said its customers on the lowest GOtv package, Jinja, will be paying N3,300 monthly, as opposed to N2,700 they are currently paying.

Users of Smallie will now be paying N1,575 as against N1,300

LEADERSHIP recalls that Multichoice had increased its subscription fees twice in the past year.

[Leadership]