By Oluwakemi Ishola 

The Federal Governmenthas reached an agreement with Labour unions in Nigeria over a nationwide strike proposed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The Pacesetter News reports that the Federal Government and the Labour Unions reached an agreement at exactly 2:53 am on Monday, September 28, a tweet on the micro-blogging site, Twitter by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN)revealed.

According to the Minister, the agreement reached between the Federal Government and the Labour Unions means that deregulation will stay with the Federal Government rolling out palliatives for labour. The details of these palliatives, the minister said would be made known in the next two weeks.

Keyamo also revealed the electricity tariffs has been suspended by government for 2 weeks with a joint Committee headed him (Keyamo) to examine the justification for the new policy.

According to a communique released after the meeting, “The parties agreed to set up a Technical Committee comprising Ministries, Departments, Agencies, NLC and TUC, which will work for two weeks, effective Monday, September 28.

“The committee will examine the justifications for the new policy, metering deployment, challenges and timeline for massive roll  out.

“The Technical Committee membership is as follows: Mr Festus Keyamo(SAN), Minister of State Labour & Employment, Chairman; Mr Godwin Jedy-Agba, Minister of State Power, member; Prof. James Momoh, Chairman, National Electricity Regulatory Commission, member; Engr. Ahmad Rufai Zakari, SA to Mr. President on Infrastructure  member/Secretary; Dr. OnohoOmhen Ebhohimhen, member (NLC); Comrade Joe Ajaero, member (NLC); Comrade Chris Okonkwo, member (TUC), and a representative of DISCOs, member.

Terms of reference

“The Terms of Reference (ToR) are as follows: To examine the justification for the new policy on cost – reflective Electricity Tariff adjustments.

To look at the different Electricity Distribution Company (DISCOs) and their different electricity tariff vis-à-vis NERC order and mandate.

“Examine and advise government on the issues that have hindered the deployment of the six million meters.

“To look into the NERC Act under review with a view to expanding its representation to include organized labour.

“The Technical sub-committee is to submit its report within two weeks.

During the two weeks, the DISCOs shall suspend the application of the cost-reflective electricity tariff adjustments.

“The meeting also resolved that the following issues of concern to Labour should be treated as stand  alone items:

“The 40% stake of government in the DISCO and the stake of workers to be reflected in the composition of the DISCOs Boards.

“An all-inclusive and independent review of the power sector operations as provided in the privatization MOU to be undertaken before the end of the year 2020, with Labour represented.

That going forward, the moribund National Labour Advisory Council, NLAC, be inaugurated before the end of the year 2020 to institutionalize the process of tripartism and socio dialogue on socio-economic and major labour matters to forestall crisis.” 

Fuel pump price

On the increase in petrol, the government made available some palliatives to the labour.

The communique stated: “To cushion the impacts of the downstream sector deregulation and tariffs adjustment in the power sector, the Federal Government will implement the following:

A specific amount to be unveiled by the government in two weeks; time will be isolated from the Economic Sustainability Programme Intervention Fund and be accessed by Nigerian Workers with subsequent provision for 240,000 under the auspices of NLC and TUC for participation in agricultural ventures through the CBN and the Ministry of Agriculture.

“The timeline will be fixed at the next meeting.

“Federal Government will facilitate the removal of tax on minimum wage as a way of cushioning the impacts of the policy on the lowest vulnerable.

Federal Government will make available to organized labour 133 CNG/LPG driven mass transit buses immediately and provide to the major cities across the Country on a scale up basis, thereafter to all state and local governments before December 2021.

“Housing: 10% be allocated to Nigerian workers under the ongoing Ministry of Housing and Finance initiative through the NLC and TUC.

“Consequently, the NLC and TUC agreed to suspend the planned industrial action.”

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

The Oyo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Sunday directed members to comply with the directives of the national Secretariat of the Union on the stand of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The NLC had declared a three-day warning strike over hike in electricity tariff and the pump price of fuel which commence on Monday.

A statement by the Secretary of Oyo NUJ, Comrade Sola Oladapo stated that the Union’s Chairman, Comrade Ademola Babalola has directed full compliance with the strike.

He further quoted the Chairman as directing all Chapel leaders to mobilise their members for the strike and ensure full compliance.

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

The convoy of Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum again came under attack earlier on Sunday in his way out of Baga.

Zulum had departed Baga at about 10:30 after a two-day visit to receive indigenes of the town back home after 21 months of exile.

Few kilometres away from Baga, unknown assailants believed to be Boko Haram opened fire on the escort of the governor.

The convoy was being escorted out of Baga by the military who replied the gunshots and cleared the way for the governor.

The attack happened barely 48 hours after Borno State government officials were ambushed on the same route while travelling to Baga to join the governor who had flown in via an Airforce chopper.

Reporters on the ill-fated convoy say sixteen persons were confirmed dead while the whereabouts of an unspecified number of people can still not be accounted for.

Members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) working with the state government’s resettlement committee to clear shrubs from the road for clearer vision, also reportedly disappeared after the attack.

Zulum said in an interview in Baga before taking his leave, that he is saddened by the lives lost in the Friday attack, and pledged to support their bereaved families.

The governor has since arrived Maiduguri, the capital city after successfully performing the resettlement issue that took him to Baga.

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

The opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  National Campaign Council for the Ondo State governorship election has challenged Rotimi Akeredolu, the incumbent governor of Ondo State and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to investigate the alleged missing N700 million COVID-19 fund.

Kola Ologbondiyan, the Chairman, Publicity Sub-Committee of the Campaign Council said in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja that the party’s demand followed an alleged diversion of COVID-19 palliative funds by certain officials of the Akeredolu-led administration.

“We challenge Governor Akeredolu to within three days, set up an independent inquiry into these allegations if his administration has no skeleton in its cupboard,” Ologbondiyan said in the statement.

“This is especially given the conflicting denials by members of the Ondo COVID-19 Response Team over the whereabouts of over N700 million intervention fund.”

He stated that if the hands of the administration were clean, Akeredolu would have ordered an investigation into the alleged missing fund.
“Indeed any clean, transparent and upright administration that had not soiled its hand and which has the interest of the people at heart, would have ordered an open investigation, secure and channel the resources to the wellbeing of the people.

“Given its penchant for condoning corruption and wicked embezzlement of public funds, the APC administration in Ondo state had remained less forthcoming, while officials continue with conflicting denials and endless buck-passing,” he added.

According to him, Akeredolu should have ordered an investigation into the allegations amid the Ondo State’s failure to pay some health workers in the state.

“This is in addition to the circumstances surrounding the failure of the state to pay certain health workers in the past 15 months, despite their participation in the fight against COVID-19 in the state.

The opposition party further challenged the governor to account for the funds from ‘various levies and taxes’ collected from the residents and business owners in the state

Furthermore, our campaign challenges Governor Akeredolu to account for the proceeds of various levies and taxes collected by his administration, using numerous platforms to fleece the poor masses, including market women, transporters, artisans, small business owners among others in the state,” Ologbondiyan said.

“It is therefore not surprising that the Ondo people abandoned Governor Akeredolu and pitched their tent with our candidate, Eyitayo Jegede SAN, in their collective quest to end the misrule which the Akeredolu administration represents, and no amount of blackmail, threats, and violence by the APC will deter the Ondo people in this resolve.”

On October 10, Akeredolu, candidate of the APC, Jegede of the PDP and others  would face off in an election to decide the winner of the state gubernatorial election.

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Sunday, congratulated a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, on the occasion of his 50th birthday anniversary.

Makinde, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, expressed gratitude to God for granting Adelabu, his opponent in the 2019 election, the grace to witness the golden jubilee of his birth.

He noted that achieving such a landmark age can only be a privilege from God.

The governor admonished the businessman, who flew the governorship flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 election, to see the new age as a great responsibility and a challenge to put in more efforts into serving humanity and making meaningful impact on the society.

He further admonished him to imbibe politics without bitterness by freely contributing his quota to the development of the state without any hint of political consideration.

According to Makinde, anyone who reaches the 50th birthday landmark is on his way to becoming an elder statesman and, as such, bears more responsibilities on his shoulders.

He said: “I celebrate my brother, Oloye Adebayo Adelabu, the governorship candidate of the APC in the March 9, 2019, governorship election, in our dear state, on the occasion of his 50th birthday.

“Anyone who lives to celebrate the golden jubilee must see it as a great privilege from God and one should be grateful. It is on this note that I give gratitude to God on behalf of Chief Adelabu.

“Also, a 50th birthday is always celebrated with fanfare, because it is considered a landmark; it is the invitation to becoming a statesman and it confers on one a great respect as well as responsibility.

“I encourage Chief Adelabu to note that this is the time for politicians across all divides in the state to eschew politics of bitterness by freely contributing their quota positively to the developmental efforts of the incumbent administration, since the saying is always right: government comes and government goes but the people always remain.

“I will admonish my brother to, in the spirit of this new age, freely discharge his responsibility to the people by committing himself more to serving humanity and making meaningful impact on the society.

“It is my expectation that as he clocks 50 and with the responsibilities that come with it, Chief Adelabu will attune his mind to collaborating with the Oyo State Government to return the State to the Pacesetter status it occupied especially in the First and Second Republics.
“As he celebrates his golden jubilee, I pray to God to continue to grant him good health.
“I wish him a very Happy birthday and many happy returns.”

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

The Defence Headquarters says 18 persons were killed in the Book Haram ambush on the Borno State Government’s convoy on Friday.

Disclosing this in a communique, the Coordinator Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, said only 10 policemen, four soldiers and four civilians were killed in the ambush at Barwati village.

According to the military spokesman, the victims were killed by an explosion from the multiple Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted on the road by the terrorists.

He further revealed that two police vehicles were carted away, but adds that Troops on hot pursuit of the insurgents successfully recovered the vehicles and captured a Boko Haram gun truck.

According to General Enenche, the Nigerian Army has since deployed bomb and IED disposal teams to ensure effective route scanning and clearance to forestall future occurrence.

Below is the full statement as sent out by the military spokesman.

The convoy of the Borno State Civilians Relocation Committee comprising Armed Forces of Nigeria, Nigeria Police Force and Civilian Joint Task Force was ambushed by members of the BHT/ISWAP at Barwati village on 25 of September 2020.

The attack/ambush was however successfully repelled by the gallant troops. Sadly, a total of 18 lives including 4 soldiers, 10 Policemen and 4 civilians were lost during the sad incident.

Troops on hot pursuit of the insurgents successfully recovered 3 vehicles.

Two of the vehicles belonging to the Nigeria Police that were earlier carted away by the terrorists during the attack. Similarly, one BHT gun truck was also captured.

The casualties recorded were as a result of the explosion from the multiple Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted on the road by the terrorists.

The Nigerian Army has since deployed bomb and IED disposal teams to ensure effective route scanning and clearance to forestall future occurrence.

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has insisted that it will carry on with its proposed strike action with regards to the recent increase in electricity tariff and the removal of petrol subsidy.

This resolve was taken following a closed-door meeting between the NLC and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila.

Mr Gbajabiamila had on Sunday met with representatives of NLC, at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, in an attempt to mediate and broker an amicable solution to the impasse between Organised Labour and the Federal Government (FG).

Briefing journalists after the meeting, NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba said the proposed strike by the union will proceed unless the FG addresses the issues.

Reacting to the court order restraining the NLC from downing tools, Mr Wabba said the organization has not been served with the order and cannot speak on it.

He, however, noted that there is a judgement of a Federal High court stopping the increase of electricity tariff which the FG has refused to obey.

According to the NLC President, the proposed strike will only fail to hold if the govt makes a u-turn before 12 midnight today.

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

General Court Martial sitting at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base in Makurdi has sentenced an Air Force officer, Michael Oyebanji, to 21 years in prison.

Oyebanji was sentenced alongside three others for misappropriation of funds of the 151 Base Services Group Multipurpose Cooperative Society funds, a statement released on Saturday by the Air Force spokesman, Ibikunle Daramola, said.

Others sentenced with Oyebanji, who is a Master Warrant Officer (MWO), include Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Sherifi Olawoore, Flying Officer (Fg Offr) Ademola Adekoya, and Warrant Officer (WO) Paul Atteh.

The personnel were sentenced based on their levels of involvement in the fraudulent operation.

Delivering his judgement, the President of the GCM, Air Commodore Nazib Aliyu, pronounced the four accused personnel guilty of various charges.

Flt Lt Olawoore was tried for negligently performing his duty as the President of the Cooperative, found guilty, and awarded a six-month loss of seniority.

Fg Offr Adekoya was also tried for negligently performing his duty as Secretary of the Cooperative. He was found guilty and awarded a one-year loss of seniority.

Oyebanji, who was the Vice President of the Cooperative, was tried on a 46 count charge, including; Criminal Breach of Trust, Theft, Criminal Conspiracy, Criminal Misappropriation, Making of False Documents and Conduct to the Prejudice of Service Discipline, contrary to Sections 114 and 103 (d) of the Armed Forces Act Cap A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Sections 312, 287, 96 and 309 of the Penal Code Cap P3 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

He was found guilty on all 46 counts and subsequently sentenced to serve 21 years imprisonment, cumulatively, as well as a reduction in rank to Corporal and ordered to refund all monies misappropriated.

WO Paul Atteh, who was tried for negligently performing his duty as the Treasurer of the Cooperative as well as for the Making of False Documents and Criminal Breach of Trust, was found guilty of all 3 charges.

Atteh was punished with a reduction in rank from WO to Sergeant, in the first instance, and then eventually reduced to the rank of Corporal. He is also required to pay a fine of N1,000,000.00.

Meanwhile, the GCM has ordered the release of WO Atteh from detention, the Air Force statement said.

While pleading in mitigation, the Defence Counsel urged the Court to show leniency, describing the Accused Persons as first-time offenders.

The sentences were announced as being subject to confirmation by the Appropriate Superior Authority.

However, it is within the rights of the Accused Personnel to appeal the judgment of the GCM, if they are dissatisfied.

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

With the coronavirus crisis putting a chill on travel, European airlines are reducing fares to attract passengers and fill the planes that are still flying.

Travel restrictions adopted by many countries to stem the spread of the disease have clobbered airlines, bringing air traffic to a near halt in the spring. And while traffic picked up during the summer, it is now falling off again.

According to Eurocontrol, which coordinates air traffic in Europe, traffic has been slowing over the past couple of weeks, and is now 54 percent below its comparable level last year.

A European airline trade association has put August traffic even lower, at just 30 percent of 2019 levels.

Eurocontrol is now more pessimistic about a recovery for the sector.

In the spring it had expected traffic to be 30 percent below 2019 levels in October, but it now sees a 57-percent drop.

While the pandemic has left airlines starved for cash, they have begun to cut fare prices.

According to ForwardKeys, a company which analyses the tourism market, airlines trimmed fares from Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands to destinations in southern Europe by 15 percent in August compared with the same period last year.

In a study released Thursday it found that prices on some routes were down by more than one third.

– ‘Entice travellers’ –

“You have to entice travellers to return to flying and price is a factor,” said Reginald Otten, deputy managing director for France at budget airline easyJet.

He said the airline had managed to reopen some routes during the summer and the planes it flew were nearly full.

“But we are nevertheless around 30 percent of capacity, which is a very, very low figure, and the summer is the most important, most popular (time) for people to travel,” he told AFP.

Lower prices also stimulate traffic, according to Eddie Wilson, head of Ryanair DAC, one of the two firms which operate flights under the Ryanair brand.

Ryanair, which has used a low-cost model to become one of Europe’s biggest airlines, this week launched a brief buy-one-get-one-free promotion.

“At some stage you can’t sit there and look out of the window and hope that things will be alright and wait for the politicians to do something,” he said.

Beyond cutting prices, airlines can and are focusing on their most profitable routes.

But the reimposition of travel restrictions and tighter quarantine and testing measures could quickly undo their planning and efforts.

European airlines earlier this month urged national capitals to coordinate measures to limit the spread of the virus, saying the current patchwork of restrictions is hobbling a return to regular travel around the EU.

Airlines are responding to the drop in demand for travel “with the tools they have in hand: reducing capacity and promotional offers, but they have no control over the evolution of the pandemic and policies on restricting travel,” said Oliver Ponti, vice president of ForwardKeys.

“The effect of low prices will thus be limited, especially as consumers remain worried about their plans being disrupted and rapid reimbursement of their tickets in case of cancellation,” he added.

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed on Saturday said the recent increase in electricity and fuel prices will benefit ordinary Nigerians in the long-run.

Mr Mohammed made the remarks while meeting with online publishers in Lagos.

He also appealed to the Nigeria Labour Congress to shelve its industrial action planned for Monday.

The planned action, which is being organised as a protest against the increases, can only bring more hardship to ordinary Nigerians, Mr Mohammed argued.

“Ordinary citizens are not the beneficiaries of the subsidy on petroleum products that has lasted for years,” the Minister said, adding that the government can no longer afford the cost of the subsidy.

The Minister also argued that despite the increase, Nigerians still pay less for fuel, compared to neighbouring countries.

On electricity, Mr Mohammed said the hike will lead to increased quality in the supply of power, noting that the government cannot sustain its subsidy to the sector.

Again, he stressed that Nigerians still pay less for electricity, compared to people in neighbouring countries.

“We thank Nigerians for their understanding, and wish to appeal to
them to please bear with the government,” he said.

READ FULL TEXT OF THE MINISTER’S SATURDAY BRIEFING

TEXT OF THE BRIEFING BY THE HON. MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE, ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED, DURING MEETING WITH ONLINE PUBLISHERS IN LAGOS ON SATURDAY, 26 SEPT 2020 ON THE RECENT INCREASES IN PETROL AND ELECTRICITY PRICES.

Good morning gentlemen, and thank you most sincerely for honouring our
invitation to this briefing.

2. As you are aware, the hike in the cost of fuel as a consequence of deregulation and the higher prices occasioned by service-based electricity tariff adjustment have led to various reactions, especially from organized labour which has threatened a nationwide strike. It has also led to accusation of insensitivity on the part of government.

3. I want to assure Nigerians, through you – gentlemen of the press – that the government is not insensitive to their plight. As a matter of fact, the full deregulation of the petroleum sector and the service-based electricity tariff adjustment will in the long run benefit the ordinary people

4. Let’s start with deregulation. Ordinary citizens are not the beneficiaries of the subsidy on petroleum products that has lasted for years. Between 2006 and 2019, a total of 10.4 trillion Naira was spent on fuel subsidy, most of which went to fat cats who either collected subsidy for products they didn’t import or diverted the products to neighbouring countries, where prices are much higher. Instead of subsidy, ordinary Nigerians were subjected to scarcity of petroleum products. They endured incessant long queues and paid higher to get the products, thus making the subsidy ineffectual.

5. Apart from that, the truth is that the government can no longer afford the cost of subsidy, especially under the prevailing economic conditions. Revenues and foreign exchange earnings by the government have fallen by almost 60%, due to the downturn in the fortunes of the oil sector. And there is no provision for subsidy in the revised 2020 budget. So where will the subsidy money come from? Remember that despite the massive fall in revenues, the government still has to sustain expenditures, especially on salaries and capital projects.

6. Still on subsidy, as I said, from 2006 to 2019, fuel subsidy gulped 10.4 trillion Naira. That is an average of 743.8 billion Naira per annum. According to figures provided by the NNPC, the breakdown of the 14-year subsidy is as follows:

– – In 2006 Subsidy was 257bn
– In 2007 Subsidy was 272bn
– In 2008 Subsidy was 631bn
– In 2009 469bn
– In 2010 667bn
– In 2011 2.105tn
– In 2012 1.355tn
– In 2013 1.316tn
– In 2014 1.217tn
– In 2015 654bn
– In 2016 Figure Not Available
– In 2017 Subsidy was 144.3bn
– In 2018 730.86bn
– And in 2019 Subsidy was 595bn

7. The drastic fall in the revenues of the government explains why the government had to take certain tough decisions, even as it is acting to mitigate the effect of the economic slowdown by adopting an Economic Sustainability Plan. One of such difficult decisions, which we took at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in March – when oil prices collapsed at the height of the global lockdown – was the deregulation of the prices of PMS.

8. Recall that the benefit of lower prices at that time was passed to consumers. Everyone welcomed the lower fuel price then. Again, the effect of deregulation is that PMS prices will change with changes in global oil prices. This means quite regrettably that as oil prices recover, there will be some increases in PMS prices. This is what has happened now. I am sure Nigerians will prefer to pay slightly higher for PMS than to queue for hours just to get the products at higher prices.

9. I also want to say that the effect of the changes in the international prices of crude oil on local fuel prices will not last forever. Modular refineries are beginning to come on stream in the country, and this will help lower the cost of petroleum products. Next month, the Waltersmith Modular Refinery in Ibigwe, Imo State, will be commissioned, starting with refining 5,000 barrels of crude per day and increasing rapidly to 50,000 barrels of crude. Many more modular refineries are also in different stages of completion across the
country, in addition to the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery. The deregulation will bring more investments into the sector, to the benefit of Nigerians,

10. Gentlemen, even with the increase in the price of fuel due to deregulation, PMS is still cheaper in Nigeria than in the neighbouring countries, and indeed in the entire West/Central African sub-regions. Here is a comparative analysis of petrol prices in the sub-regions (Naira equivalent per litre):
– Nigeria – 162 Naira per litre
– Ghana – 332 Naira per litre
– Benin – 359 Naira per litre
– Togo – 300 Naira per litre
– Niger – 346 Naira per litre
– Chad – 366 Naira per litre
– Cameroon – 449 Naira per litre
– Burkina Faso – 433 Naira per Litre
– Mali – 476 Naira per litre
– Liberia – 257 Naira per litre
– Sierra Leone – 281 Naira per litre
– Guinea – 363 Naira per litre
– Senegal – 549 Naira per litre

11. Outside the sub-region, petrol sells for 211 Naira per litre in Egypt and 168 Naira per litre in Saudi Arabia. You can now see that even with the removal of subsidy, fuel price in Nigeria remains among the cheapest in Africa. In the long run, deregulation will pay off and Nigerians will pay less.

ELECTRICITY TARIFF

12. Another issue we want to address here today is the recent service-based electricity tariff adjustment by the Distribution Companies, or DISCOS. The truth of the matter is that due to the problems with the largely-privatized electricity industry, the government has been supporting the industry. To keep the industry going, the government has so far spent almost 1.7 trillion Naira, especially by way of supplementing tariff shortfalls. The government does not have the resources to continue along this path. To borrow just to subsidize generation and distribution, which are both privatized, will be grossly irresponsible.

13. But in order to protect the large majority of Nigerians who cannot afford to pay cost-reflective tariffs from increases, the industry regulator, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), has approved that tariff adjustments had to be made but only on the basis of guaranteed improvement in service. Under this new arrangement, only customers with guaranteed minimum of 12 hours of electricity can have their tariffs adjusted. Those who get less than 12 hours supply will experience no increase. This is the largest group of customers.

14. Government has also noted the complaints about arbitrary estimated billing. Accordingly, a mass metering programme is being undertaken to provide meters for over 5 million Nigerians, largely driven by preferred procurement from local manufacturers, and creating thousands of jobs in the process. NERC will also strictly enforce the capping regulation to ensure that unmetered customers are not charged beyond the metered customers in their neighbourhood. In other words, there will be no more estimated billings.

15. The government is also taking steps to connect those Nigerians who
are not even connected to electricity at all. As you are aware, under its Economic Sustainability Plan, the government is providing solar power to 5 million Nigerian households in the next 12 months. This alone will produce 250,000 jobs and impact up to 25 million beneficiaries through the installation, thus ensuring that more Nigerians will have access to electricity via a reliable and sustainable solar system.

16. Again, like PMS, despite the recent service-based tariff review, the cost of electricity in Nigeria is still cheaper or compares favourably with that of many countries in Africa.

HERE ARE COST IN NAIRA PER KWH IN SOME AFRICAN COUNTRIES.
– Nigeria 49.75
– Senegal 71.17
– Guinea 41.36
– Sierra Leone 106.02
– Liberia 206.01
– Niger 59.28
– Mali 88.23
– Burkina Faso 85.09
– Togo 79.88

TIMING OF THE PRICE INCREASES

17. Gentlemen, the timing of these two necessary adjustments, in the petroleum and power sectors, has raised some concerns among Nigerians and reinforced the false narrative that the government is insensitive
to the plight of the citizens. This is a mere coincidence. First, the deregulation of PMS prices was announced on 18 March 2020, and the price modulation that took place at the beginning of this month was just part of the on-going monthly adjustments to global crude oil prices.

18. Also, the review of service-based electricity tariffs was scheduled to start at the beginning of July 2020 but was put on hold so that further studies and proper arrangements can be made. Like Mr. President said at the opening of the last Ministerial Retreat, this government is not insensitive to the current economic difficulties our people are going through and the very tough economic situation we face as a nation. We certainly will not inflict hardship on our people. But we are convinced that if we stay focused on our plans, brighter and more prosperous days will come soon.

19. We thank Nigerians for their understanding, and wish to appeal to them to please bear with the government. The deregulation of the petroleum sector will save the country trillions of Naira, which can then be used to provide modern infrastructures for the benefit of the people. It will also spur investments in the petroleum industry, especially in the building of local refineries which will result in lower fuel prices.

20. Also, the service-based electricity tariff adjustment and the ongoing work by German company Siemens to boost power supply in Nigeria will help end the perennial power problem in the country. Let me remind you that under the three-phase Siemens deal, Nigerians will enjoy 7,000 megawatts of reliable power supply by the end of 2021 (phase 1), 11,000 megawatts by the end of 2023 (phase 2) and 25,000 megawatts in the third phase.

21. Finally, we wish to appeal to organize labour to shelve its planned strike, which can only bring more hardship to ordinary Nigerians.

22 I thank you for your kind attention

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

The Governors of Lagos and Osun states, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Gboyega Oyetola respectively will, on Monday, commission some of the multibillion hospitality and housing projects owned by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State in 2019, Oloye Bayo Adelabu.

While Sanwo-Olu is billed to commission Bayse One Hotel at Samonda, Oyetola will inaugurate Adelabu’s housing estate located at Jericho, both in the state capital, Ibadan.

The event, Sunday Tribune gathered, is part of the grand finale activities to mark the 50th birthday of Adelabu, who resigned from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2018 to clinch the governorship ticket of the APC for the last election.

Adelabu, who kick-started the one-week celebration with a media parley on Thursday, thanked God for sparing his life to witness his 50th birthday, recalling that his grandfather, the late Alhaji Adegoke Adelabu, popularly called Penkelemesi and his own father, Aderibigbe Adelabu, died at 43 and 33 years respectively.

On Friday, the former CBN deputy governor was at the popularly Oja’ba Central Mosque where he observed the Jumat service to thank Allah for his sparing him to reach 50 years.

Yesterday, the Agbaakin Parakoyi of Ibadanland visited about four orphanage homes where he donated food items worth millions of naira to the children at the homes.

He, thereafter, empowered widows and other needy with handsome cash as part of activities to mark the golden age.

In observance of the COVID-19 protocols, Adelabu urged APC faithful across the state to remain in their zones and has made arrangements to celebrate the day with them in all the seven zones of the state.