Lower electricity tariffs’ll come, power firms tell consumers

Following the announcement by labour unions to stage protests in different parts of the country against the hike in electricity tariffs today (Monday), the power distribution companies have urged consumers to remain calm as the bills will be eventually be reduced as power generation increases.

Last week, the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and other labour groups served the protest notice against the over 45 per cent hike in electricity tariffs approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission for the power distribution firms.

But the firms, in a statement issued by the Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, Mr. Sunday Oduntan, said the grievances against the sector should not be transferred to the operators, who had put their investments at risk.

He explained that the recent increase in power generation to over 5,000 megawatts and a continuous rise in generated electricity would lead to more investments and reduced tariffs, stressing that a revived power sector would hurt some businesses that depended on a moribund industry to thrive.

Oduntan said, “The increase in power generation will help to mitigate the negative cash-flow and revenue shortfalls that have bedevilled the sector since the handover of the assets to private operators, and hindered the ability of the generators to increase supply due to their inability to pay gas suppliers.

“The good news is that with the increased investment that will occur as a result of the ability of the operators to generate a credible cash-flow that will provide them with access to financing for investment in distribution, generation and transmission infrastructure, the cost of electricity supply and distribution will be reduced.

“This reduction, as a result of increased investment and efficiency gains, will result in lower tariffs for electricity customers. This projection is consistent with similar electricity reforms that have taken place all over the world. It is empirically supported.”

Oduntan, however, stated that the increase in power generation had constrained the wheeling capacity of the Transmission Company of Nigeria due to lack of access to revenue for the rehabilitation, replacement and expansion of the country’s grid infrastructure.

We don’t owe AMCON, says Bi-Courtney

The Bi-Courtney Group has faulted its inclusion on the list of debtors published by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria on Friday.

The group faulted its inclusion on the list and described the AMCON’s move as “an act of extreme bad faith.”

In a statement by the counsel for the company and Partner, Babalakin & Co. Legal Practitioners, Tolu Oshobi, the firm said that the Federal High Court had in 2012 ruled that the Federal Government, AMCON’s principal, was indebted to Bi-Courtney to the tune of N132bn.

He said the court, thereafter, directed the Federal Government to set off from the sum any claims agreed with Bi-Courtney to be due to any agency of government, including AMCON.

He noted that the order of the Federal High Court in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/50/2009, Bi-Courtney Limited vs. Attorney General of the Federation, remained subsisting.

Oshobi further observed that the order applied to all the companies that entered into settlement discussions with the AMCON as the “BCRR Group” namely: Bi-Courtney Limited, Chartered Investment Limited, Resort International Limited and Roygate Properties Limited.

Exporters, shipping companies trade blame over rejected cashew

Exporters of cashew have blamed shipping companies for the increasing incidence of rejected cashew abroad while the shipping companies have in turn said the exporters are not entirely blameless.

The issue was raised at a stakeholders’ forum where members of the National Cashew Association of Nigeria met with operators of leading shipping companies in Nigeria to address issues of delays and rejected cashew exports.

Speaking during the forum, the President, NCAN, Mr. Tola Faseru, urged the shipping companies to reduce the transit time for shipping cashew from Nigeria, adding that the time should be set at a maximum of 30 days.

He accused shipping companies of sometimes keeping the product inside containers for as long as 120 days, noting that such length of time could damage cashew given its fragile nature.

Faseru said, “Most of the shipping companies don’t even understand. They just treat cashew as one of those commodities. It is a sensitive commodity that should not stay in a container for too long.

“Shipping companies should help us improve the transit time so that instead of the commodity taking several months to get to its destination, the transit time will be shortened. We want that transit time to be reduced to 30 days.”

He added, “The moment the container stays beyond 30 days, we will send a lawyer and the shipping company involved will pay 100 per cent cost.

FAO offers Nigeria, others €41m to fight desertification

Nigeria and five other African countries are to benefit from the collaboration between the African Union Commission and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation aimed at combating land degradation, desertification and drought.

In an agreement on the implementation of Action Against Desertification, signed on Friday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the AU commission and FAO strengthened their partnership in support of the Great Green Wall initiative, Africa’s flagship initiative against land degradation, desertification and drought.

Aside from Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Niger and Senegal are the other African countries to benefit from a budget of about € 41m set aside to improve the state and health of production landscapes affected by desertification and land degradation.

According to the agreement, the FAO will support the AU commission through a special hub that will provide assistance in coordination, monitoring and evaluation, capacity development, resource mobilisation and knowledge management for the implementation of the AAD.

Nigerian Navy foils ship hijack, rescues 25 foreigners in Rivers State

About twenty five foreigners including Britons, South Africans, Indians, Filipinos and Thais were rescued as the Nigerian Navy foiled an attempt by suspected sea pirates to hijack and abduct them aboard a Maersk merchant ship.

The ship was carrying general cargo to Nigeria at the time of the attack.

Executive Officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder Navy Capt. Olusegun Soyemi, stated that the vessel arrived safely with the rescued crew members yesterday at Onne Port in Rivers State.

Capt. Soyemi revealed that the crew members, including the ship’s captain, were of mixed nationalities consisting of eight Philippines, eight South Africans, five Indians, two Britons and two from Thailand.

As he pointed out, Safmarine Kuramo, a Maersk merchant ship registered in Singapore, was transporting general cargo from Port-Noire, Congo, to Onne Sea Port in Rivers.

“On Jan. 5 at about 08:00 hours; Sufmarine Kuramo was attacked by sea pirates about 60 nautical miles off the coast of Bonny Island (in Rivers) Fairway Bouy.

“We got may-day distress call that the ship was boarded by unconfirmed number of sea pirates after entering the nation’s territorial waters.

Electricity tariff increase: We will resort to self-help – NLC president, Dr. Waba

National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Dr. Abdullahi Waba has described the 45% increase in electricity tariff as outrageous and an exploitation of Nigerians in view of the economic downturn in the country.

Speaking on Monday in a protest to the National Assembly, he explained that the NLC would take to self help if the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, does nothing to reverse itself, noting that the protest was still a long journey to strike.

“We will definitely take to self help if things were taken for granted and that does not mean that it is automatic that we will embark on strike, it is still a long journey to strike so all available opportunities will be exploited by both parties,” Waba noted.

He disclosed that appropriate Committee has been set up to liaise with authorities involved while stressing that they will follow due process in all their actions.

Waba added that portfolio businessmen were behind the tariff. He said they were operating through in-house cronies to exploit Nigerians even in clear breach of due process that should be followed.

“The so called investors were behind the hike who use our own collaborators in breach of due process”, he said.

He noted that consultations were not made with all relevant stakeholders, while also reiterating the union’s stance that it would not accept the tariff for any reason.

Borno: NLC, CLO protest increase in electricity tariff

 The Borno State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Civil Society Organizations (CLO) has declared that the recent increase of 45 per cent electricity tariff by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) was illegal, unjustifiable and meant to further exploit Nigerians.

Addressing the management of Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), in Maiduguri after a peaceful street protest on Monday, the NLC Chairman, Comrade Ali Titus Abana explained that the Nigerian workers are against the increase in electricity tariff for five reasons, including failure to follow due process in implementing the hike.

His words: “Congress therefore, rejects the increase on the following grounds: First, due process in the extant for such increment was not followed in consonance with section 76 of the Power Sector Reforms. There has been no significant improvement in the service deliveries of DISCOS.

“Most consumers are not metered in line with the signed privatization Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of November 1, 2013, which stipulates that within 18 months gestation period; all consumers are to be metered.”

He however noted that there was a subsisting court order of May 28, 2015 by Justice Mohammed Idriss of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos in the case of Toluwani Yemi Adebiyi vs NERC and others.