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Gov Mbah Sets High Standard For EEDC Operations In Enugu State

By
bvichannel1
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The Enugu State Government has slammed the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, over its billing and disconnection of some of the state government’s offices, describing the actions as unlawful, malicious, callous, and vexatious.

It also faulted EEDC’s claim of government’s indebtedness to the company to the tune of N1.3bn, explaining that besides prompt payment of all electricity bills received from the EEDC since May 2023, the Governor Peter Mbah Administration had equally cleared two months backlog of debts in line with the governor’s commitment to offset all legitimate electricity debts inherited from his predecessors.

The government stated this in a letter to the EEDC Managing Director/CEO dated Tuesday, June 11, 2024 and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia.

The letter entitled, “Re: Notice of Disconnections to Indebted Customers and Actual Disconnections of Enugu State Government Offices”, reads in part, “Enugu State Government received the disconnection notice published in national daily newspapers. We have also received the information that EEDC has disconnected some Enugu State government institutions.

“We note that both the publication of notice of disconnections and the actual disconnections on Saturday 8th June, 2024 were based on wrong premises and total disregard to NERC rules and standing Order on estimated billing of Maximum demand customers.

“Accordingly, the state government notes as follows: That EEDC letter dated 7 June 2024 addressed to His Excellency the Governor of Enugu State that the outstanding electricity bill is N1,319,571,131.21.

“That the said outstanding electricity bills are estimated billing of Maximum demand agencies and parastatals of the state government carried over from the last administration as the current administration has diligently and promptly paid all bills received from May 2023 to date including 2 months from the carried over bill which it has shown commitment in good faith to settle.

“That NERC Order NO/NERC/197/2020 paragraph 13 subsection (a) states: ‘Any Maximum demand agencies and parastatals customer not provided with meter by 1 March 2017 shall not pay any electricity bills presented by a DisCo on the basis of estimated billing methodology and these customers are advised to report to the Commission.

“Paragraph 13 subsection (b) states No DisCo shall disconnect any Maximum demand agencies and parastatals customers that were not metered by 1March 2024 on the basis of the customer’s refusal to pay an invoice issued on the basis of estimated billing after the compliance deadline.”

Continuing, the government stated, “Considering the provisions of NERC Order, the recent disconnections of government offices, parastatals viz: College of Medicine ESUT Teaching hospital, Housing development corporation, State Secretariat, etc. is unlawful, callous and has inflicted malicious damages to the image and integrity of the state government. These acts are vexatious and completely unacceptable.”

“Therefore, the government demands detailed bills and the accounts statements/histories of the government agencies that make up the claimed state’s indebtedness to EEDC for forensic audit investigations.

“The government further demands immediate and total metering of al its agencies in line with NERC Order.”

In furtherance of the rights of the state government agencies, the government additionally demanded a refund of its electricity infrastructure investment from which it said EEDC had made so much money as well as a retraction of false claim of the state’s indebtedness to it, which government insists was defamatory.

“Following the NERC Order NO/197/2020, the government hereby notifies EEDC management that it will no longer pay any electricity bills based on the estimated billing methodology.

“The government notes that it has carried out electricity infrastructure intervention projects investment totaling N2,979,334,305.19 from which EEDC collects revenue. The government demands payments for the investment costs and other debts owed by EEDC to the government.

“Finally, the government demands immediate retraction of the malicious publication and immediate reconnection of all disconnected government agencies as the basis for a truce,” the government concluded.

GGM Supports 6th State For South East

By
bvichannel1
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Good Governance ministry is pleased to announce its adoption and approval of the proposed additional state in the South East as presently constituted which is currently receiving attention in the upper and lower chambers of the National Assembly.

While we are quite cognizant of the position of 1999 constitution as amended, we consider it as a reasonable phantom and believe the two separate bills as presented by Messrs Ikenga Ugochinyere for proposed Orlu state and Senator Ned Nwoko for proposed Anioma state will be a redux and silver lining in restoration of parity in the distribution of States and resources among the different geopolitical zones.

GGM is well invested in upholding the section 8 of the Constitution and urge the commitment, understanding and dedication of all and sundry in walking through the rigors of carrying out this worthy venture.

Having perused and considered thoroughly the Pros and Cons of having either of the two treasure trove of Igboland as the sixth State, we need to reiterate in strong terms that Orlu is as much needed and important as Anioma state.

However, from both subjective and objective lens, we humbly subscribe to Anioma as the sixth state of Alaigbo after careful examination of the short, medium and long term benefits and prospects that will herald such attainment.

In the light of above, we hereby call upon all stakeholders to immediately initiate engagements and rapport with our kit and kin in Anioma towards achieving the noble cause of Sixth Igbo state of Alaigbo.

The support for sixth State in the South East is in line with GGM call for a new Constitution that will empower the Regions to take control of their God – given natural resources . This present feeding bottle federation has created super rich individuals and impoverish majority of the indigenous people living Nigeria. Therefore, we must continue to mobilize the ordinary people to assume their responsibility of determining how they are governed.

 

Signed

Henry Ebubeogu
Spokesperson,GGM.
Email: ggovernanceministry@gmail.com

Exchange Rate: Naira to Dollar as at Today

By
Queen Madu
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See the black market Dollar to Naira exchange rate for 11th June, below. You can swap your dollar for Naira at these rates.

Dollar to naira exchange rate today black market (Aboki dollar rate):

The exchange rate for a dollar to naira at Lagos Parallel Market (Black Market) players buy a dollar for N1482 and sell at N1485 on Tuesday 11th June 2024, according to sources at Bureau De Change (BDC).

Please note that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not recognize the parallel market (black market), as it has directed individuals who want to engage in Forex to approach their respective banks.

Dollar to Naira Black Market Rate Today

Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) Black Market Exchange Rate Today
Buying Rate N1482
Selling Rate N1485

Dollar to Naira CBN Rate Today

Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) CBN Rate Today
Buying Rate N1480
Selling Rate N1481

 

Please note that the rates you buy or sell forex may be different from what is captured in this article because prices vary.

(Naijanews)

GGM Appoints Patron, Promises To Promote Good Behavior

By
bvichannel1
-

In Furtherance to creating a platform that would serve the interest of the general public , Good Governance Ministry is pleased to announce the appointment of the renowned Social Crusader- Charles Oputa ( Area Fada) as the Group Patron.

This appointment is in recognition of Area fada’s consistency, contribution, tenacity and resolve for free, fair and egalitarian society where everyone will be equal before the law .

With the appointment, it is our belief that GGM as a formidable brand in the vanguard for promotion and protection of public interest will be consolidated.

We pray that God will continue to sustain Area Fada in sharing his wealth of experience with us as we continue to give sense of direction to the Masses whom the political class have overburdened and weaponized with hunger and poverty.

Good Governance Ministry (GGM) will continue to identify and promote good behavior in our society.

 

Signed.

Comrade Henry Ebubeogu
Spokesperson,GGM
Email: ggovernanceministry@gmail.com

Tension as IPOB rejects bill for additional states in southeast, insists on referendum

By
Adamma Ikeogu
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IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful on Thursday, June 6, emphasised that the Igbo people are seeking a referendum to leave Nigeria, not an additional state.

The bill, which passed its first reading in the House of Representatives, was introduced by Ikenga Ugochinyere, representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency in Imo State, along with others, and is now moving to its second reading.

The draft bill proposes an amendment to the 1999 Constitution, increasing the total number of states in the federation from 36 to 37 by creating Orlu State.

This new state will be formed from parts of Imo, Abia, and Anambra states, with Orlu designated as the capital.

According to Punch, the IPOB spokesman said, “We don’t want more state in Igboland; creating more state in Igboland means creating more confusion and hatred among the Ndigbo. The already existing states have not been well managed by Nigeria, and now they want to create more confusion.

“The cost of governance is increasing on a daily basis in Nigeria; certainly, the new state will not be well managed like others.

“Most of the existing states in the country are not viable, and they want to add more confusion and problems.

“The creation of more states is not our problem. All we want is a total referendum to determine whether the Ndigbo would like to remain in Nigeria or not. The Ndigbo want total freedom, and that is what we insist on.”

Source: Pulse Newspaper

Give Tinubu one more year to fix Nigeria, Bode George tells Nigerians

By
Adamma Ikeogu
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A chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George has urged Nigerians to give President Bola Tinubu an additional year to deliver on his promises and fix the country’s challenges.

Speaking on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on Friday, George acknowledged that Tinubu, as a first-time president, needs more time to implement his policies and convince Nigerians of his vision.

George reasoned that Tinubu’s lack of prior experience in the presidency warrants a grace period, citing that even former President Olusegun Obasanjo needed time to adjust in his first year in office.

“He (Tinubu) had never served at that level (presidency). Well… you will say he was part of the party (APC) that formed the government (of Muhammadu Buhari), but it’s a hell of a different thing taking over and now leading the team.

“To be fair to my conscience, he has had that one-year holiday of trying to study the failures of the past administration. I have given him that one year of grace because now he has seen it and lived there.

“I expect his ministers to have come back in one year with those areas of lapses. Even when Baba (Olusegun Obasanjo became president in 1999, he was still trying to figure out what happened there or vise-versa in his first year. Let’s give him more time,” he said.

 

Source: Nigerian Tribune

Court orders Multichoice to pay N150m fine, give Nigerians one month free subscription

By
Adamma Ikeogu
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The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT), sitting in Abuja, on Friday, June 7, awarded a fine of N150 million against MultiChoice Nigeria Limited for disrespecting its jurisdiction by flouting its order.

A three-man panel led by Thomas Okusu gave the verdict on Friday, June 7. The tribunal had previously blocked Multichoice from raising subscription fees without proper notice, based on a lawsuit by Barrister Festus Onifade who claimed the eight-day notice given for the price increase was inadequate.

Onifade had sued DSTV, accusing the Pay-TV of unjustly increasing subscription fees without one month’s notice to customers and leveraging on it to seek interim orders.

However, the tribunal, in a unanimous decision by its three-member panel, equally ordered MultiChoice to provide Nigerians with a one-month free subscription on its DSTV and GOTV services.

The tribunal subsequently fixed July 3 to hear the substantive action that was instituted against the company.

 

Source: The Nation Newspaper

I nearly pulled my gun after discovering three children weren’t mine – Ex-Ghana star, Lamptey

By
Adamma Ikeogu
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Former Ghana football star, Nii Odartey Lamptey has revealed the depth of his emotional turmoil upon discovering that the three children he raised with his ex-wife, Gloria Appiah, were not his biological offspring.

In a recent interview, Lamptey said the revelation drove him to the brink of despair, even contemplating the use of a gun in his anguish.

Lamptey, speaking with Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV on YouTube in an approximately 10-minute-long video, explained the feelings.

He also spoke about how he was smuggled to Belgium with a Nigerian passport.

PUNCH Online reports that the video was uploaded earlier this month but was translated from Ghanaian language to English by Pulse Ghana on Tuesday.

The 49-year-old former Anderlecht and Aston Villa forward revealed the harrowing moment he discovered that the three children he raised with his ex-wife were not biologically his.

With a gun in his car, Lamptey contemplated drastic action but ultimately decided against it after reflecting on his future.

The revelation came in 2013 when DNA tests confirmed that Lamptey was not the father of the children, leading to his separation from his ex-wife, Gloria Appiah.

The matter resulted in the collapse of their 20-year marriage, but disagreements between the couple over the compensation to Miss Appiah led to a protracted legal tussle.

Four years later in 2017, PUNCH Online reported that the footballer won a lawsuit in which his wife claimed 50 per cent of his fortunes.

Then, an Accra High Court ruled that Gloria Appiah (Lamptey’s ex-wife) committed ‘adultery’ when she gave birth to three children outside wedlock and subsequently nullified her request to be given half of her ex-husband’s wealth.

Justice Cecilia Don-Chebe Agbevey who presided over the case also ordered Lamptey’s estranged wife to vacate the footballer’s plush seven-bedroom apartment in East Legon within 30 days.

However, it ordered Lamptey to settle her with his four-bedroom house at Dome in addition to a car and an amount of Ghc200,000, Pulse Gh reports.

Meanwhile, Odartey Lamptey is now happily married to actress Ruweida Yakubu, and together they are blessed with three children.

Source: Punch Newspaper

Tinubu Proposes New Minimum Wage

By
bvichannel1
-

The amount proposed as the new minimum wage by the minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun to the president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been revealed.

The new minimum wage template proposes a new minimum wage of N105,000 (approximately $220 USD) per month for Nigerian workers.

According to the report, Tinubu is currently reviewing the proposal, and an official announcement would be made soon.

It would be recalled that the Labour Unions went on strike action on Monday after their meeting with the National Assembly leadership could not yield satisfactory result.

The strike grounded virtually all economic activities in the country including the closure of the International airports, schools, courts, banks and hospitals across the country.

Breaking:ABIA TO JOIN GLOBAL QUALITY SHOE MAKING LIST

By
bvichannel1
-

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, says his administration is working very hard to clean up the business environment and make it conducive for new investments as well as bring back old ones that had left the state in the past due to unhealthy government policies.

Governor Otti said that capital, by way of investment, is devoid of emotion and sentiment and only goes to places where the environment is conducive for it to thrive and flourish.

“You may choose to relocate abroad in search of capital, but foreign capital will not come until you have created the conditions to attract it. No matter how much of preaching you do, no matter how much of platitudes, capital has its own sense, it doesn’t have emotion, it’s not sentimental, it just moves to where the environment has been prepared because the reward for capital is profit,” Governor Otti said, while recalling an article he had written as a newspaper columnist.

The Governor spoke on Wednesday when he received a group of investors, led by Dr. John Nwankwo, Chief Executive Officer of Comfort Stevens, who are promising to rewrite the story of Abia State, indeed Nigeria, in the footwear business.

The Governor, who assured the investors that his government would support them in realising their dream of completing their factory located in Owerrinta, Isialangwa South Local Government Area of Abia, said he would always allign with projects geared towards meeting his agenda of providing job opportunities for the teeming unemployed Abia youth.

“I want to congratulate you for not giving up and I’m happy that you have gotten to this level that you are hopeful of commissioning by December.

“If there’s anything that we can do to support you to make that December a reality, please don’t hesitate to ask,” Governor Otti assured.

The Governor, while underscoring the importance of local manufacturing, noted that no country has ever developed on the back of consumption of imported products without production.

He disclosed that his government is working very hard to support existing businesses and also attract new investors through favourable policies, adding that supporting the Geometric Power company to come on stream and the various infrastructural upgrades going on in the State, including the dualisation of the Imo River-Umuikaa-Umuene road in Isialangwa South, are all geared towards industrialisation of Abia.

The Governor expressed joy that one of the company’s plans is to train and upskill existing local shoe manufacturers in Aba and promised that his Government would partner the company in that regard.

“The major problem a lot of them have is finishing. A lot of them are impatient, a lot of them don’t have the right tools, a lot of them don’t have the right skills; so it would be interesting to have Comfort Stevens double as not just producers but also as a training and finishing school for our young ones.

“Go to shoe plaza and see what the young men and women are doing there with bare hands, then you’ll understand that if you introduce them to technology, they will give you much more,” Governor Otti said.

Dr. Nwankwo, who led the team of investors from the United States, China, and Brazil recounted the ugly experience he and his team had gone through under the previous administration in trying to realise their dream of establishing a world class shoe factory in Abia.

He told the Governor that their company, Comfort Stevens, in the last one year of the new government has made tremendous progress that they decided on the visit to formally introduce to the Governor their large scale industrial footwear project, which will be commissioned by December 2024, and thereafter start production.

Nwankwo, who presented different samples of high quality shoes to the Governor, said that the fifteen thousand daily footwear production capacity factory will not only produce complete shoes but also shoe components such as gum, soles, insoles, strings, among others.

He said that the mission of the company with its partners from US, China and Brazil is to produce quality footwears that can compete favourably in the global market, adding that machines for the production of high quality footwears and its components have arrived its facility in Owerrinta for installation before the end of June.

Dr. Nwankwo congratulated Governor Otti for his impactful one year in office and the unimaginable progress that has taken place in Abia under his watch, which, according to him, is an eloquent testimony of the Governor’s sincerity of purpose and passion towards the industrialisation of the state.

Governor Otti was joined by the Commissioner for Trade, Commerce and Industry, Dr. Chimezie Ukaegbu; Special Adviser to the Governor on Trade, Commerce and Industry, Chief Nwaka Inem; among other government functionaries in the meeting, which was facilitated by the Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa, also in attendance.

KAZIE UKO
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
Abia State
Government House, Umuahia
June 6, 2024.

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