Staff of Ikeja Electricity, on duty

By Solomon Asowata

Ikeja Electric Plc (IE) says it has commenced implementation of the revised Service Reflective Tariff (SRT), as approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) effective Nov. 1.

The electricity distribution company made the announcement in a public notice posted on its official Twitter account on Sunday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the previous SRT which began on Sept. 1 was suspended on Sept. 28 following a meeting between the Organised Labour and the Federal Government over its implementation.

Ikeja Electric said the revision was further to the consultative review meetings held between the parties concerning the Multi Year Tariff Order 2020 SRT.

The DisCo said : Under the SRT, the tariff classification is based on quality of service and therefore, divided into 5 Bands (A-E).

This is measured by the average availability of power supply over a month, interruptions (frequency and duration), voltage levels and other service parameters.

With the revised tariff regime, Non-MD customers in Band A, with a minimum of 20 hours daily will now pay N51.22/Kwh.

Band B customers with minimum of 16 hours daily will be charged N46.93/Kwh; while Band C customers with a minimum of 12 hours daily will be charged N37.95/Kwh.

However, please note that customers in Bands D and E, with minimum of eight hours and four hours per day, respectively, are not impacted by the tariff revision.

According to the company, the SRT tariffs of the two bands have been frozen, and consequently, they will continue to be charged the old tariff prior to the introduction of the SRT.

It said that prepaid meter customers in Bands A C, who vend from Nov. 1 would be charged the new tariff while same will be implemented for postpaid customers in these bands during the November billing cycle.

We want to use this opportunity to solicit the continued support and understanding of our customers as we move forward with this new tariff regime, which will enable the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry cover cost of their operations and ensure improved service delivery.

Lastly, we further wish to assure our customers of our commitmentto service improvements in customer service delivery, infrastructural upgrade, metering and technological solutions, within the shortest possible time, Ikeja Electric said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

NiMet predicts sunny weather

By Gabriel Agbeja

Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted hazy, sunny weather activities from Monday to Wednesday across the country.

NiMets weather outlook released on Sunday predicted dust haze conditions over the northern region with a moderate visibility range of 2KM to 5KM throughout the forecast period on Monday.

According to it, the North central region is expected to be in sunny and hazy condition throughout the forecast period.

The inland and coastal cities of the South are expected to be in partly cloudy to cloudy condition with slim prospects of thunderstorms over Rivers, Cross River, Eket and Bayelsa in the morning hours.

There are prospects of few thunderstorms over parts of Cross River, Ebonyi, Delta, Awka, Rivers, Delta, Cross River, Benin and Lagos state during the afternoon and evening hours, it said.

The agency forecast dust haze condition over the northern region with visibility range of 2KM to 5KM on Tuesday.

According to NiMet, localised visibility of less than, or equal to, 1000M is expected over parts of Borno.

The North central region is expected to be in sunny and hazy condition throughout the forecast period.

The inland and coastal cities of the South are expected to be cloudy.

Also, sunshine intervals in the morning hours with prospects of few thunderstorms are anticipated over parts of Port Harcourt, Eket, Warri and Calabar in the afternoon and evening hours, it said.

The agency envisaged dust haze condition over the northern region with localised visibility range of less than, or equal to, 1000M throughout the forecast period on Wednesday.

According to it, North central region is expected to be in sunny and hazy condition throughout the forecast period.

The inland cities of the South are expected to be in cloudy condition with sunshine intervals throughout the forecast period.

However, cloudy conditions are expected over the coastal cities with slim chances of few thunderstorms over parts of Warri, Yenagoa and Port- Harcourt in the morning hours.

Later in the day, few thunderstorms are expected over parts of Port-Harcourt, Calabar and Eket, while the other cities are expected to be in cloudy condition,it said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Hajj pilgrims

By Salisu Sani-Idris

Independent Hajj Reporters(IHR), a Civil Society Organisation that reports and monitors Hajj activities, has expressed sadness over the death of the Acting President, Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON), Alhaji Salisu Butu.

National Coordinator of the reporters, Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammed, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja described the news as shocking .

The statement said that Butu, who died in Abuja on Friday, possessed great attributes of a leader who knew and appreciated the role of the media in the Hajj Industry.

It commiserated with the executive members of the association, its members, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), States Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards and all stakeholders in the Muslim pilgrimage industry over the passing of Butu.

Muhammed also condoled with the family of Butu and prayed to Almighty Allah to forgive his short comings and grant him eternal rest. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Group seeks immediate recall of Lagos lawmaker, Mrs Mojisola Alli-Macaulay

By Joan Odafe

A group, Amuwo Odofin Stakeholders Consultative Forum (AOSCF), has called for immediate recall of the lawmaker representing the constituency in Lagos State House of Assembly.

In a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos, the group demanded the recall of Mrs Mojisola Alli-Macaulay over alleged gross mis-representation of her constituency at the assembly.

The statement was jointly signed by Mr Kingsley Nwanze, Convener, Amuwo Odofin Intelligentsia, and Mr Gbenga Akinbinu, National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Amuwo Odofin Chapter.

It said that Alli-Macaulay made unguided statements which were inciting and callously targeted at Nigerian youths during plenary.

The group, therefore, vowed to commence legal proceedings for the recall of Alli-Macaulay over her comments alleging that most Nigerian youths on social media are always high on drugs.

Alli-Macaulay, in a video of her address at an Oct. 26 plenary of the House on the looting and violence that trailed theprotests, had said, We need to begin to orientate our young people. They are high on drugs all the time, most of them.

The group said: It is on record that Amuwo Odofin youths protected all business premises within the local government and they were highly commended by well-meaning Nigerians, including the council chairman.

We would like to state emphatically, that we are not in support of destruction of property by hoodlums.

It is unfortunate that our representative at the LSHA did not have a good grasp of the positive contributions of Amuwo Odofin youths during the crisis that ravaged other parts of Lagos State.

The group listed six reasons as grounds for the commencement of legal proceedings to recall Alli-Macaulay from the assembly.

She does not have functional constituency office as required by law within the constituency for almost two years in office.

She has not prepared any bill aimed at improving the lives of her constituents and by extension, Lagos State.

Her continuous representation is totally against the well-being of her constituents.

It was widely circulated on major social media platforms that she used COVID-19 palliative items as gifts at her last birthday party.

She has refused to give her account of stewardship at the Lagos State House of Assembly since she assumed office.

She has also religiously remained inaccessible since she assumed office.

The lawmaker and her aides did not respond to calls and text messages seeking her reaction to the allegations as at the time of filing this report.

Source: NAN News

AEDC effects revised service tariff on Nov. 1

The Abuja Electricity Distribution(AEDC) says it has effected the revised Service Tariff with effect from Nov.1.

AEDC General Manager, Corporate Communication, Mr Oyebode Fadipe said in a statement in Abuja on Sunday.

This is to inform our customers that with effect from Nov.1, AEDC has effected a revised Service Reflective Tariff as approved by the regulatory agency, he said.

Fadipe said that customers on the pre-paid platform will be the first to experience the revised tariff when they vend as from Sunday, Nov. 1.

While the revised tariff will reflect in the bills for customers on the postpaid platform when they receive their electricity bills.

The tariff is divided into five bands and based on hours of supply to the customers.

While customers on bands D and E have their tariff frozen, those on bands A, B and C will see some level of reduction in their tariff as they vend.

The AEDC assures its customers that it will, in line with the spirit and letter of the service reflective tariff, ensure that all customers receive quality service, he said.

He said that the AEDC was also committed to the improvement of service to customers in all its franchise area.

We, however, appeal to customers to please see this tariff regime as an opportunity for them to join hands with AEDC to speed up the process of improving the quality of service in the Nigerian power sector, he said.

Fadipe said that the table of the payment for the new tariff would soon be released.

Source: NAN News

Lagos pays N1.3bn to another set of retirees

By Rukayat Adeyemi

The Lagos State Government has paid, more than N1 billion into the Retirement Savings Account (RSAs) of 246 retirees in the states public service for October.

Mr Babalola Obilana, Director General, Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC), made the diaclosure in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.

A total of one billion, three million, three hundred and seventy-four thousand, three hundred and seventy-two Naira, sixty-eight kobo was paid, Obilana said.

He explained that the beneficiaries, included employees from the mainstream service, Local Government Service, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) and other parastatals of the state government.

According to him, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has consistently paid the monthly entitlements of retirees and backlog of some unpaid pension inherited from previous administrations.

The director-general congratulated all the retirees for rendering meritorious service to the state.

Obilana said that in spite of the state of the nation and aftermath of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the state government in line with the vision of a greater Lagos and its commitment to financial freedom for the states retirees, ensured the payment of pension entitlements.

This shows the commitment of Gov. Sanwo-Olu to the welfare of the pensioners in the state, he said.

The director-general enlightened the retirees on the two payment options available for accessing their monthly pension entitlements which is the Programme Withdrawal and Life Annuity.

He urged the retirees to understand the details of the two options and choose the most appropriate option suitable for their situation.

Source: NAN News

President Buhari

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has condoled with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, over the reported earthquakes in the two countries, leaving many casualties.

The Nigerian leaders condolence message was contained in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Sunday.

Buhari commiserated with the families in the City of Izmir, Turkey and Greek islands of Samos and Greece who lost their loved ones.

He also expressed sympathy with the government and people of the two countries, as they made efforts to save lives, while recovering from the shock of the earthquakes.

The government and people of Nigeria stand in solidarity with Turkey and Greece in this trying period, as they deal with the unmitigated fallouts of the natural disaster, he added.

The president prayed for the repose of the souls of the departed and quick recovery for the injured.

Source: NAN News

Faiza Heidar, Egyptian woman professional football trainer

Faiza Heidar grew up playing soccer in the streets with the boys and went on to captain Egypts national womens team.

Now she has become the first woman to train one of the countrys professional mens clubs.

Heidar has been signed up by the fourth division side Ideal Goldi, based in Giza.

There is usually some mockery at the beginning, the 36-year-old told Reuters.

But then they realise that they will learn something, that they will develop their skills.

ICYMI: Soccer star becomes the first woman to coach a mens pro team in Egypt

Reuters (@Reuters)

She said she was the first Egyptian coach male or female to gain the Premier Skills Coach Educator status, certified by Englands Premier League.

Soccer remains an overwhelmingly male sport in Egypt.

I would tell her not to go. She would say: No, I will go. She loved the sport, said Heidars mother, Khodra Abdelrahman.

I let her go and prayed that God help her. And she did go, and she has done so well. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Traffoc on Abuja road

By Salisu Sani-Idris

Following renewed traffic gridlocks on Abuja roads, road users have appealed to all officers handling traffic management in the territory to return to the roads to ensure seamless movement.

The President, Road Users Development Network of Nigeria, Dr John Uket, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of one-day national dialogue on traffic management held in Abuja.

He observed that the renewed bad traffic situations in Abuja and Lagos followed the absence of road traffic personnel from agencies such as the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigeria Police Force, Department of Road Traffic Services (VIO) and others.

According to him, the roads are not manned by traffic and other personnel for fear they could be attacked following the recent EndSars protests.

He tendered an unreserved apology and reassured the personnel of their safety.

We have taken into cognizance the need to reassure you of the public support that you have always enjoyed before the protest.

In the spirit of nationhood and patriotism, we want to kindly appeal to you all to forge a new page in our nations history.

For all the traffic officers who are still feeling hurt, the road users, both motorists and commuters, say sorry for the actions of the hoodlums as we hope that such hoodlums will be brought to justice soon.

He therefore condemned the burning of public facilities by the hoodlums, particularly mass transit buses.

He called for investigation into the matter and advised members of the public to rather safeguard public facilities.

Also speaking to NAN, the Chairman, Federal Capital Territory Administration Traffic Management Team, Mr Ikharo Attah, revealed that his men remained on the road, doing their routine job during the EndSARS protest until it was highjacked by hoodlums.

This, made the officers to seek their safety, leaving the roads blocked and unsafe for the public.

Ikharo bemoaned a situation where traffic personnel were attacked by hoodlums and the people were cheering them, instead of appealing to them to stop the act.

We want to be on the road and do our routine job. We dont want to die. When people are stirred up against us, we get scared. The public should support us. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

Minister of F Zainab Ahmed

By Hussaina Yakubu

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, has urged parents to instill family values in their children as a way to save the country from degeneration.

The minister made the call in Kaduna during a stakeholders engagement with 77 district heads, religious and community leaders from the 23 Local Government Areas of Kaduna State.

We arecallingthe attention of parents that we have failed our children in the sense that the kind of values we use to have is no more.

We need to remind ourselves that our children need to be upright and that this criminality going on, on daily basis, is not for their benefits and the benefit of the state and country.

The minister appreciated efforts by the Kaduna state government in managing security issues in the state.

Ahmed told the stakeholders that the Federal Government had created a N75 billion entrepreneurship support fund, to enable youths in the country grow their businesses and be economically independent.

The minister explained that the fund would support the youth to actualize their innovative and enterprenueral ideas, be productive and employers of labour.

Also speaking, the Minister of Environment, Dr. Muhammad Mahmud, called for collective efforts to tackle the security challenges in the country.

He urged the stakeholders to support government in addressing the security challenges and unemployment in the country.

The minister advised the youths to be self reliant, by focusing onskills acquisition and not depending on government.

Mahmud urged theleaders to be advocates of peace in their respective communities in order to bring about meaningful development.

Earlier, the Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, appealed to the stakeholders to sensitise their communities on the need to always uphold the law in all their conducts.

According to her,the state government will remain resolutein dealing with any lawlessness and criminal acts.

She also condemned the recent spate of looting and destruction of public and private properties.

These mob actions are unreasonable and intolerable, the deputy governor said.

She expressed the hope that the interactions would lead to understanding and collective efforts to develop the state.

As good citizens, it is part of our civic duty to support government in the development of the state.

So, we need this interactions between the government, traditional and religious institutions that allow us to reason together.

It isagreed that there are problems, but government is doing all it can to address them. I urge all onthe need to join forces to save thesociety from those seeking to destroy it.

This is a responsive government and we have listened to the demands of our people and are doing our best to address them, the deputy governor added.

The stakeholders tasked the government to do more in securing the lives and property of the people.

They appreciated the government for its efforts so far in managing the security situation across the state, and requested that such interface be held quarterly, to address emerging challenges.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, Dr Fayemi Kayode, and Governors of Sokoto and Jigawa, Aminu Tambuwal and Badaru Abubakar, respectively, attended the event. (NAN)

Source: NAN News