News
FG tackles Falana on tariff increase *We’re still paying subsidy – Adelabu
Despite the sharp increase in cost of energy it announced last week for certain category of users, the Federal Government insisted on Thursday that it is still bearing the brunt of cushioning the effects of the true market price, through subsidy, saying the recent measure was simply to reduce the burden and not the totality of what those affected ought to pay in real terms.
Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Power, who gave the update, who was particularly referring to the recent hike in tariff paid by Band A customers said to be about 1.5 million of the total 12 million consumers in the sector, maintained that at no time did the government shirk its responsibility in responding to the pains of Nigerians in respect of cost of power.
A guest on Politics Today a current affairs programme on Channels Television, told his host on Thursday, that the government had about N1.8trn to pay in electricity subsidy for 2024, adding that the Electricity Act, 2023 made provisions for the review of tariff twice a year.
It was also a day the Minister pointedly joined issues with Femi Falana (SAN), who declared the announcement of the new tariff illegal, saying that contrary to his claim that the increase in tariff paid by Band A consumers was illegal, saying: “Review of tariff is actually legal once it is within the exclusive responsibility of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). The Act actually provides for review twice in a year, every six months.”
Debunking that the Federal Government had removed subsidy on electricity since 2022, Adelabu, who cited rising dollar, soaring gas price, the cost of power plant, transmission and distribution infrastructure, amongst others in the last two years, said: “If we have been paying the tariff at the same level in the last two years, it logically means that someone has been paying the burden of all these increases.
“As it is today, looking at a total production, transmission and distribution cost, the Nigerian Government is bearing 67% percent of that cost before the increase in tariff for Band A customers. But when you look at generation cost, the Nigerian Government is paying 90% but in terms of total subsidy, it is about 67% of subsidy on the tariff.
“Last year, it was about N720bn which was not fully funded, we have about N305bn carried into this year. If we retain tariff at the current level, the Nigerian Government will be needing about N2.9trn to subsidise electricity but with the increase for Band A customers, we are going to have a reduction of about N1.1trn. So, we are looking at about N1.8trn in subsidy,” he further explained.
On April 3, 2024, NERC raised electricity tariff for customers enjoying 20 hours power supply daily. Customers in this category are said to be under the Band A classification. The increase will see the customers paying N225 kilowatt per hour from the current N66, a development that has been heavily criticised by many Nigerians, considering the immediacy of the tariff hike and the current hardship in the land.
However, Adelabu said, “The fact that the tariff for Band A, which is 15% of the total consumers will increase by over 200%, does not necessarily translate into 200% increase in their electricity bill if power is properly managed in terms of consumption.”
The minister assured Band A customers of value for their money. He also assured Nigerians that consumers on other bands won’t be shortchanged by distribution companies as the regulators won’t hesitate to wield their big stick on any of such discos.
He also said the government has shifted its attention on discos inefficiently ran and won’t hold back in taking the appropriate steps in the interest of consumers.
Afrobeat music giant, Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, on Monday, set microblogging site, X.com, on fire when he took swipes at Davido and Mavin Records boss, Michael Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy.
As a result of the controversial tweet, Wizkid is now trending on X. He is number 4 on Nigeria’s X trends.
During exchanges with his followers, Wizkid dismissed the very successful music producer and label owner, Don Jazzy, as an ‘influencer’, and mocked Davido for his recently leaked viral video where he was seen on his knees crying and begging someone believed to be a female associate.
The Jaiye Jaiye crooner who hardly tweets but has a penchant for posting controversial tweets set X on fire when he tweeted, “Every day I get things to say but my mouth no good”, at exactly 4:28 am on Monday, to which a fan who tweets as @demigadd responded, “Sha release song”, prompting Wizkid to respond with “Na by force.”
This singular tweet set the pace for an avalanche of conversations, resulting in Wizkid eventually taking a sarcastic swipe at Davido and Don Jazzy.
It was like the ‘On Top Your Matter’ hitmaker’s fans had been anticipating his tweet, the comment section came alive with a barrage of comments, retweets, likes and views.
As of the time of this report, his first tweet (Every day I get things to say but my mouth no good), had garnered a whopping 3.5k comments, 8.8k retweets, 36k likes and 1.3m views, and also generated a series of conversations.
At 4:42 am, a fan who tweets as @iretomiwa03 asked if Wizkid could revert to when he used to be very active and interactive on X. The fan wrote, “Can you just go back to old Twitter wiz”, to which the ‘Holla at your Boy’ singer responded by saying “That’s a bully! Let’s leave him for now.”
When another fan who tweets as @patdafenet also pleaded with him to release a new song, Wizkid responded with a viral video of Davido on his knees begging an unseen person, with the caption “Beg me like this. Send video.”
Recall that on April 15, 2024, a leaked video of the ‘Unavailable’ crooner went viral on social media. In the video, he was seen on his knees crying and begging someone.
While speculations went viral that he was probably begging his wife, Chioma, for an offence he might have committed, some Netizens speculated that he might have been begging American model, Bonita Maria for an undisclosed offence.
“With Afrobeats to the world, he simply stopped talking and interacting, leading everyone to ascribe maturity to a mischievous machine on hiatus. The moment he’s started talking again, it’s back to familiar ways. “Una Papa.” “I go do giveaway.” “I make Bollywood.” “…signed to an influencer.” Just like he never left. Same old Wizkid. Same old troll.”
Culled from The PUNCH
Nothing outside the immediate sack of Mele Kolo Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), would assuage the anger of the Tinubu/Shettima Mandate Actualisation Group (TSMAG), as they are holding him fully responsible for the current fuel scarcity.
The group, which argued that the scarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at a time Nigerians were still struggling to adjust to the removal of the fuel subsidy, was a plan to set the citizens against the President, said in a statement on Monday, that the NNPCL ought to have preempted the current situation and stocked a large volume of fuel that will sustain Nigerians throughout this dark period.
The statement, jointly signed by the President and Secretary of the group; Abiodun Abdulrazaq and Aliyu Muhammad respectively, said that, the Kyari led-NNPCL was fully notified of the ongoing turnaround maintenance of the refineries in Europe, which it said is responsible for the scarcity currently experienced.
Part of the statement, read: “The Tinubu/Shettima Mandate Actualisation Group has noted with grave concern the unjustifiable fuel scarcity that is biting hard in most parts of Nigeria, which has continued to generate anti-Tinubu and APC commentaries, thereby putting our party in an extremely bad light.
“The ongoing Scarcity is attributed to the ongoing turnaround maintenance of refineries across Europe. This didn’t come without notice. A serious regulator or business ought to have stocked a large volume of products that will sustain Nigerians throughout this dark period. This, like other incidents, has proven the administrative weakness of Mr Kyari-led NNPCL.
“We need to remind President Tinubu that Naira confiscation wasn’t the only strategy deployed by his adversaries in the last administration to frustrate his ambition, fuel scarcity was also a veritable tool deployed. For the significant part of 2022 through early 2023, Nigerians lived with the scourge of Scarcity, yet, we were convinced to mobilize our people to vote for you.
“While Emefiele is facing the music of his actions and evil against Nigerians, we are sad that Mr President decided to reward Mele Kyari with an extended appointment. How can one man cause your ambassadors, your compatriots who love, trust and respect you to want to go against you?
“Given these circumstances, one is compelled to ask if Mr President believes Nigerians are second fiddle to Mele Kyari. It is on the strength of the above that we wish to call on Mr President to urgently sack and investigate the activities of Mr Kyari-led NNPCL to build Nigeria’s trust in government.
“If this problem is not resolved in 7 days, we will have no option but to call Nigerians out to peacefully occupy our streets until normalcy and enduring solutions are preferred in the oil and gas sector and continue to call for sack, arrest and investigation of Kyari for subjecting millions of Nigerians to undeserving sufferings.”
The Board of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday settled for Finidi George, former Nigerian international as the new Head Coach for the Super Eagles, replacing José Santos Peseiro the Portuguese who left the job after leading Nigeria to the silver medal in the just concluded African Nations Cup (AFCON) in Cote D’Ivoire.
The choice of the former Super Eagles’ ace winger, who helped Ajax Amsterdam to win its first Champions League trophy, during the 1994-1995 season, was announced in a statement on Monday, following what the NFF Board said was the approval of the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee.
Finidi, 52, who also played for Real Betis, had taken full charge after of the Super Eagles after the voluntary exit of Peseiro with whom he spent 20 months as an assistant before the voluntary exit of the Portuguese, during which he took the team to the two friendly matches in Morocco last month, where he beat Ghana 2-1 in the first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game.
George, a member of the so-styled ‘Golden Generation’ that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and emerged the second most entertaining team in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup finals in USA the same year, won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals. He also won gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.
The 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Real Betis (Spain) forward, who made a scoring debut for fatherland in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Burkina Faso at the National Stadium, Lagos on 27th July 1991, also featured for Calabar Rovers and Sharks FC in the domestic scene before heading to Europe. He assisted Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19th June 1994.
George had actually scored the goal that took Nigeria to that FIFA World Cup debut, when he put Nigeria ahead against hosts Algeria in a crucial qualifier in Algiers on 8th October 1993. The match eventually ended 1-1 and earned Nigeria a ticket to the finals in America.
George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively, in a little over five weeks. The matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging behind in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.
Before the football house announced the choice, there had been high speculations that Emmanuel Amuneke, Barcelona FC winger and Finidi’s team-mate was highly speculated as replacement for the Portuguese.
Wizkid slams Don Jazzy, mocks Davido for kneeling down to beg woman
Fuel scarcity: Sack Kyari now! *Group insists NNPCL boss setting up Tinubu
BREAKING: Finidi is S’Eagles new manager! *NFF snubs Amuneke
BREAKING: Supreme Court on fire! Judges’ offices razed days after Atiku, Obi’s appeal!
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In the military, INEC boss and his team would be executed – Bode George *Why put Tinubu’s boy in charge of IT?
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