President Bola Tinubu recently stopped the implementation of a hike in electricity tariff and insisted that subsidy be paid on power consumed nationwide, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, revealed on Wednesday.

Adelabu also stated that the Federal Government would investigate the legality of the five-year licence extension given to privatised power distribution and generation companies, stressing that the operating licences of the firms would have expired on October 31, 2023.

The minister, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja, further stated that he would sack any non-performing chief executive in agencies under the power ministry, if their non-performance would make him lose his job as minister.

Speaking on the call for a cost reflective tariff, which would lead to a hike in the amount payable for power, Adelabu said, “The power sector is an industry that is very sensitive to any leader.

“You cannot jump overnight and implement the cost reflective tariff. I can tell you that till today the government still subsidises power. Tariff should have been raised months back, but Mr President said until we are able to achieve regular and incremental power supply we can’t touch the tariff.

“So the there is a gap between the cost reflective tariff that we are supposed to charge and the allowed tariff. That huge gap the government is still handling it as subsidy. This affects liquidity in the system, investments and causes so many constraints.”

He noted that the non-implementation of this was actually causing liquidity crisis in the sector, but stressed that the President had refused to allow a raise in electricity rate.

“Now, I never said that it is not yet time to charge cost reflective tariff. Rather, I said cost reflective tariff is supposed to have been implemented months ago because it is the source of liquidity to the system.

“But for political reasons and empathy, you cannot cause additional burden on Nigerians. We just had the removal of fuel subsidy, we are talking about exchange rate skyrocketing, galloping inflation and so many others that bring hardship to the people.

“And Mr President is trying to relieve this hardship through various forms of palliatives. So it is not politically expedient and reasonable to now implement a tariff that is more like dumping the existing tariff.

“We are now paying about N70 (per kilowatt-hour), and it can never be less than N130 or N140 at the exchange rate of today if we are to implement a cost reflective tariff. Because part of the reasons for an increased tariff is the price of gas, which is paid in dollars,” Adelabu stated.

He explained that as at today, 75 to 80 per cent of Nigeria’s power was from gas power plants, “and their raw material is gas. So, once exchange rate goes up, the cost of gas also goes up and it affects the tariff.”

He, however, pointed out that tariff would be increased at the appropriate time, which would be after a lot of sensitisation and communication with the public, adding that there must also be an assured incremental and regular supply.

The minister said the about 4,000 megawatts power generation in Nigeria was shameful and unacceptable, noting that efforts were being made to increase this.

He stressed that any senior official in the ministry and its agencies who fails to deliver would have to leave, as the President had told his ministers that they must perform or be fired.

“I’m using this medium to tell my colleagues who will work with me that if your activity is not supporting my retention, you’ll leave before me. Because for me, I don’t wait to be sacked, the moment I’m not performing, I’ll leave honorably.

“But before I leave I’ll explore every opportunity to ensure I deliver, because this is not personal, this is national and national interest must prevail. So all the players in the power sector must support my vision, so that I can support Mr President’s vision,” Adelabu stated.

The minister maintained that the privatisation of the power sector in 2013 was a mistake, stressing that commercialisation should have been better.

He, however, noted that the Federal Government could still take control of the power distribution companies despite owning 40 per cent stake in the various firms.

He said the government might also carry out a review of the territorial coverage of the Discos, as most of them were handling so large territories and were delivering below expectation.

The minister said when he resumed office, the licences of the privatised power firms which he saw were for 2013 to 2023, but along the line he got to hear that there was an extension by another five years.

He said this was being investigated, adding that the government would sit with the private sector operators to agree on a performance bond which the power firms must meet.

“QThat is what actually matters to us now, but I can tell you that I’ve ordered an investigation into the extension of the licences, (which was) not by this administration. So we want to investigate what truly happened.

“How legally correct was it, how contractually correct was the extension?” Adelabu stated.

Whether Nigeria had started supplying power to Niger Republic, the minister said, “We have not started. We are just messengers, when they ask us to resume, we will resume.”

He said the situation in the affected country was still being monitored by the Federal Government.

According to statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, total number of electricity customers in Q1 2022 stood at 10.63 million and 10.81 million in Q2 2022, showing a rise of 1.67 per cent on a quarter-on-quarter basis.

On a year-on-year basis, customer number in Q1 2022 declined by 1.36 per cent from Q1 2021 (10.78 million), and also fell in Q2 2022 by 2.27 per cent from Q2 2021 (11.06million).

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Sociedad all qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League with two group games to spare on Wednesday.

They join holders Manchester City and RB Leipzig, both of whom secured their progress on Tuesday, in clinching spots in the knockout phase.

Record 14-time winners Real Madrid swanned into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday with a comfortable 3-0 win over Braga to maintain their 100 percent record.

Brahim Diaz, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes were on target for the Spanish giants, who sealed progress from Group C even without rested top goalscorer Jude Bellingham.

Brazilian wingers Vinicius and Rodrygo have been criticised for their lack of goals this season and both responded with classy finishes to help send their team through after Diaz opened the scoring.

Madrid have four wins from four games, leading the group on 12 points ahead of Napoli, second on seven after a 1-1 draw with bottom team Union Berlin.

Los Blancos goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga suffered an injury in the warm-up, with Andriy Lunin stepping in to replace him.

The Ukrainian was immediately called into action, diving to his right to palm away Alvaro Djalo’s penalty in the sixth minute.

Lucas Vazquez had pulled Cristian Borja down in the area, but the Portuguese side could not take advantage from the spot.

At the other end Diaz had a goal ruled out for a foul by Vinicius, but the former Manchester City midfielder did not have to wait too long for another, this time valid.

Sent through on the left side of the area, Rodrygo cut the ball back to Diaz who fired into the roof of the net from close range to break the deadlock.

The 24-year-old broke out into sarcastic celebration, drawing a VAR screen as if to dare the officials to try and disallow this strike.

Diaz, operating in Bellingham’s usual attacking midfield role, did well on a rare start and was involved in most of Madrid’s forward moves.

Bellingham, who has netted 13 times in 14 games since his summer switch, watched on from the bench as Ancelotti let him recover from a shoulder problem he suffered in the Rayo draw.

Diaz should have struck again but was denied by a superb double save from Benfica goalkeeper Matheus early in the second half.

Vinicius netted the second before the hour mark, with some clever movement and footwork in the box and then a smooth low finish.

It was his fourth goal of the season across all competitions in 12 games, low by his own standards, but Ancelotti has predicted he and Rodrygo will outscore Bellingham by the end of the campaign.

Rodrygo netted Madrid’s third with an exquisite chipped finish after his compatriot Vinicius played him in, with Ancelotti celebrating on the sidelines.

The coach advocated patience for his dynamic duo up front and both paid him back with goals that delighted the Santiago Bernabeu.

Lunin thwarted former Barcelona striker Abel Ruiz in stoppage time with an excellent save to keep out his header and preserve Madrid’s clean sheet.

AFP

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has directed the deployment of 4500 personnel and 105 vehicles, including tow trucks and ambulances, to Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa states in preparation for the governorship elections scheduled for November 11.

The order was issued by the Corps Marshal, Dauda Ali Biu, through the deputy Corps Marshal, Bisi Kazeem on Wednesday.

The deployed FRSC operatives were instructed to collaborate effectively with the Nigerian Police Force, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and other security agencies to enforce restrictions on vehicular movement during the elections.

The personnel were also tasked with clearing road obstructions, conducting rescue operations in emergencies, and maintaining orderliness at polling booths.

The statement reads, “To ensure that the Corps plays an effective role in the elections, the Corps Marshal has directed the deployment of 1500 personnel of the Corps and 35 Vehicles including tow trucks, and ambulances to each of the respective States to strengthen enforcement of restrictions during the entire process of the election.”

The Corps Marshal emphasised the importance of professionalism and urged the personnel to avoid actions that could infringe on the rights of voters.

He called on the electorate to comply with all regulations and restrictions to ensure peaceful, free, and fair elections.

Union Berlin claimed their first ever point in the Champions League on Wednesday after escaping against Napoli with a 1-1 draw on a day of fan tensions in southern Italy.

Urs Fischer’s team snapped a 12-match losing streak thanks to David Fofana’s 52nd-minute rebound finish, his first goal for Union since arriving on loan from Chelsea. The goal secured a hard-fought draw against the Italian champions.

Union stay bottom of Group C, six points behind second-placed Napoli and are unlikely to reach the last 16 but cheered the rowdy fans who packed the away end at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona after clashes with police and home supporters in the lead-up to the match.

“We’ll take a very important point, but we can’t rest on our laurels,” Union defender Leonardo Bonucci told Sky Sport in Italy.

“We conceded a really unfortunate goal… it kind of summed up what we’ve been going through. But we reacted really well as a team.

“We knew we could hit them on the break as Napoli play very open and we were rewarded.”

Napoli would have taken a big step towards the knockout stage with a win and looked set to do just that when Matteo Politano diverted home the hosts’ 39th-minute opener.

Instead, Rudi Garcia’s side are two points behind leaders Real Madrid, who can qualify from the group with a home win over Braga later on Wednesday.

Napoli, who dominated the match but struggled to create against a well-drilled Union defence, are still in a strong position to qualify as they are four points ahead of Braga.

But the draw was greeted more like a defeat, especially for the way Napoli were caught wide open on the break for Fofana’s leveller, scored after Alex Meret pushed away Sheraldo Becker’s powerful effort on goal.

Napoli next travel to Madrid and now face a nervier time trying to get out of the group with Braga coming to Naples in their final group match.

“We should have managed our lead better. We weren’t in position, so we were caught by the counter-attack,” said captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo to Sky.

“We have to take the draw but it’s a shame as I think we definitely deserved the win. But qualification is still on.”

Wednesday’s match was preceded by supporter disorder in Naples as police arrested 11 Germans after around 300 Union ultras rampaged through the centre of Naples on Tuesday in similar scenes to when Eintracht Frankfurt fans ran amok in the city in March.

Tensions continued in the run-up to and during the match, with scuffles outside the stadium and Napoli fans pelting fireworks at the away end throughout the first half of a match which ended with the Union faction celebrating a historic point.

AFP

Togo has handed five soldiers prison sentences over the murder of a high-ranking colonel a day after the president’s 2020 inauguration.

At a military court on Tuesday evening, the five soldiers — including the former head of the army — received jail terms of between five and 20 years, according to an AFP correspondent at the hearing.

Lieutenant-Colonel Bitala Madjoulba, who commanded the country’s elite 1st Rapid Intervention Battalion, was found dead in his office in a military base on May 4, 2020, the day after President Faure Gnassingbe was sworn in for his fourth term.

An autopsy found that the 51-year-old, a fervent Gnassingbe supporter whose unit helped crush mass protests in 2017 and 2018, died of a bullet wound.

But the investigators were tight-lipped about their probe, and the death of a figure in the inner circle of the country’s military posed a challenge to the authorities in Togo, where the armed forces have been the cornerstone of power for 60 years.

Seven soldiers went on trial last month for “murder, complicity in murder, complicity in obstructing the course of justice and conspiracy against the internal security of the state”.

General Abalo Kadangha, the former head of Togo’s army, was given 20 years behind bars. Two other soldiers including the victim’s driver received 15 years’ imprisonment and two others five years. Two defendants were acquitted.

Those convicted were stripped of their military status and ordered to pay the state damages of more than $1.6 million (1.5 million euro).

“The conviction does not bring our relative back to us, so we cannot speak of satisfaction. However, we are satisfied that justice has finally been done,” Narcisse Dourma, lawyer for the colonel’s family told AFP.

Togolese media had suggested the crime was the result of divisions within the military, “a settling of scores”.

Opposition figures had criticised the silence of the authorities and called for an independent inquiry.

The late colonel’s home village in Siou, more than 500 kilometres (300 miles) north of the capital Lome, has seen protests demanding greater transparency over his death.

Gnassingbe came to power in 2005 after the death of his father, General Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled Togo for 38 years. He has since been re-elected in elections that were all contested by the opposition.

AFP

No fewer than 19,000 pensioners in Osun State will be enrolled into the Health Insurance Scheme of the state government.

The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, flagged off the programme at the state secretariat in Abere, Osun State, on Wednesday.

In his remarks, Adeleke said: “Today I demonstrate in clear terms my commitment to the wellbeing of our retired citizens. These are men and women who meritoriously served the state. They deserve all the support now that they are out of service. Our administration conducted a situational review of the living conditions of our pensioners.

“We discover that the critical problem is not just unpaid pensions. Even when paid regularly, the bulk of the fund goes into managing health challenges. Our report concluded that almost eighty percent of pensioners’ problem centers around health questions. It was at this point that we decided to address the root cause.”

Speaking, the Executive Secretary, Osun Health Insurance Scheme, Dr Rasak Akindele, assured that all the 19,000 retirees would be enrolled in the health scheme.

Also, speaking, President of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Osun State Chapter, Alhaji Ganiyu Salawu, lauded the governor for the kind gesture and acknowledged that it is more appropriate than giving them money.

According to him “Since the creation of Osun State, what happened during this present administration has never happened. As a matter of fact, no government has ever made life better for the retirees like Governor Ademola Adeleke is doing.”

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election has described President Bola Tinubu as insensitive to the plight of suffering Nigerians for allocating key funds for the purchase of presidential yacht and jets in the supplementary budget recently passed by the national assembly.

Obi stated this in a statement he signed shortly after Tinubu signed the N2.17 trillion Supplementary Budget for 2023 into law.

The budget was passed a week ago by the National Assembly after consideration within 24 hours.

Raising key issues concerning the budget, Obi observed that “a supplementary budget is a budget made for very important national welfare needs of the people which were not captured originally in the main budget or do not have adequate funding.

“Admittedly, some items in the current budget may not have taken into consideration the needs of a new administration, but it is expected that a supplementary budget this late in the financial year should reflect mostly urgent items of national welfare.

“Sadly, the most pressing national needs and emergencies have not featured in the supplementary budget that was just announced by the government.

“For example, the United Nations and World Food Programme have recently alerted that up to 6.5 million Nigerians will go hungry next year.”

He argued that “This number is largely from among citizens in Sokoto, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, and Zamfara States.

“A caring Government in order to plan for the mitigation of such a pending catastrophe can request for supplementary budget provisions to cushion those under threat.

“No item of urgent social welfare has yet featured in the supplementary budget being orchestrated by this government.

“Instead, the items being made to dominate public discourse on the budget include a mysterious Presidential Yacht, Presidential Jets, the furnishing of already lavishly furnished presidential quarters and offices, fleets of luxury SUVs etc.

“This portrays a Government that is totally uncaring and insensitive to the suffering of the majority, and indifferent to the mood of the nation.”

He lamented that “The government’s overall attitude does not indicate that it is aware that the country is in a huge crisis, nor is the government in tune with the plight of the generality of our people.

“Even worse is the fact that most of the funding for these profligate expenditures will be largely borrowed.

“The least that Nigerians expect from the government at this difficult moment is empathy and realism, not lavish indulgence,” Obi said.

President Bola Tinubu has assented to the N2.18 trillion 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill passed by the National Assembly last week.

The bill is aimed at providing additional funding for the government to meet its obligations and address critical infrastructure needs.

THE WHISTLER recalls that the bill’s passage was met with controversies, particularly over the allocation of funds for certain luxury items such as a N5 billion part payment for a presidential yacht.

The allocations include the renovation of the residential quarters of the Vice President (Abuja) – N2.5 billion; renovation of Dodan Barracks, Lagos, official residence of the President – N4 billion; renovation of official quarters of the VP (Lagos) – N3 billion; construction of office complex in the Presidential Villa – N4 billion; purchase of presidential yacht – N5 billion; purchase of vehicles for the Office of First Lady – N1.5 billion; purchase of SUVs for the Presidential Villa – N2.9 billion; and replacement of operational vehicles for the Presidency – N2.9 billion.

However, the government defended the expenditures, stating that they are necessary for the proper functioning of the presidency.

In a statement, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, particularly addressed concerns about the N5 billion allocation for the purchase of a presidential yacht.

“Following public reactions over the provision for what is termed presidential yacht and other line items in the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation presented to the National Assembly, we consider it very imperative to clear any misconception and misunderstanding of the issues.

“What was named as Presidential Yacht in the budget is an Operational Naval boat with specialised security gadgets suitable for high profile operational inspection and not for the use of the President.

“It is called a presidential yacht by way of nomenclature because of the high-level security features.”

The presidential aide explained the naval boat was ordered by the navy under the previous Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Onanuga added that Tinubu is a leader who understands the economic challenges being faced by the masses, adding “his administration is working very hard to confront and surmount those challenges.”

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed all of its branches to keep printing plenty of old and redesigned naira notes for deposit money banks.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Isa AbdulMumin, the Director of Corporate Communications at CBN, revealed this information.

The country’s top bank also denied reports that there was a cash shortage in certain of the nation’s cities.

CBN restated that Naira notes are adequately available at all of its locations around the country.

“Our attention has again been drawn to reports of a scarcity of cash across some major cities in the country despite assurances of sufficient cash stocks in all locations across the country.

“We wish to restate that all denominations of banknotes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) remain legal tender. In line with Section 20(5) of the CBN Act, 2007, no one should refuse to accept the Naira as a means of payment.

“Public members are advised to accept all CBN-issued banknotes currently in circulation and guard against panic withdrawals.

“We reaffirm that sufficient stock of currency notes facilitates normal economic activities. Furthermore, to reduce the pressure on the use of physical cash, members of the public are again advised to continue to embrace alternative modes of payment”, CBN stated.

Members of the public are getting apprehensive as the 31st December deadline for the validity of N200, N500 and N1000 naira notes draws near.

Recall that in March, the Supreme Court affirmed the validity of the old notes amid the controversy which clouded the Naira redesign policy.

There are growing concerns that the long-running feud between Dangote Industries Limited and BUA Group - two of the nation’s biggest conglomerates – has degenerated into enmity between their founders, Aliko Dangote and Abdulsamad Rabiu. The fact that both men are from Kano, and of the same generation (Dangote is 66 and Rabiu, 63) has further fueled apprehensions that there is more to this than business competition. DIL and BUA have been engaging in press wars for over three decades now. DIL accuses BUA of envy, while BUA alleges that DIL is involved in wrong doing, unethical practices and underhand dealings. Both parties have recently removed their gloves and thrown away caution as they have been publishing lurid allegations against each other. DIL blames BUA for instigating allegations of fraudulent foreign exchange transactions against the Dangote, while BUA responded by publishing a long list of allegations and grievances against DIL, stating that Dangote had always wanted to frustrate it out of business. Its allegations against DIL are many, ranging from issuance of dud cheques to attempting to close down its cement factory in Edo.

But what exactly is behind this media war? People in the Dangote Group I have spoken to claim that Mr. Rabiu has been instigating noxious publications against DIL because he is overwhelmed with personal envy against Aliko Dangote. ‘’There is nothing other than envy. They can’t stand our success. We control about 70% of the cement market, and they don’t want to live with that. It is sheer envy’’, said a senior executive. I have also spoken to some persons in the BUA Group who maintain that BUA is only driven by the need for probity and transparency. They believe that DIL has only thrived by being spoon-fed the federal government and ‘’taking advantage of political connections and closeness to the corridors of power’’, as one of them put it. ‘’We have nothing against Aliko, but we believe that he should play by the rules so that the competition would be fair. We are not afraid of fair competitions, but we just want a level-playing field for everybody’’.

Meanwhile, the two companies are unrelenting in dishing out accusations against one another. Journalists are daily inundated with all sorts of publications. Just the other day, a director at DIL forwarded a publication with a screaming headline ‘’FG gives BUA Deadline to submit Tax Documents Days After Reducing Cement Price’’ to me. In a wargame, any piece of negative news on one party will excite the other.

DIL has been greatly hurt by allegations of allegations of foreign exchange roundtripping levelled against it. Mr Dangote has worked hard all his life to build an enviable reputation and a track record of astuteness in business. He guards it jealously. To counter the smear, DIL announced over the weekend that it has been a good corporate citizen, stating that it has even repatriated N575. 009 million from its operations in other African countries into Nigeria, in addition to a N111.968 million cash swap deal with between Dangote Cement PlC and Ethiopian Airlines. But the statement did not state exactly when these repatriations and swaps were made. ‘’We believe in Nigeria, and we believe in Africa. We are genuine and authentic about our investments, and we call on all relevant agencies to investigate our FX transactions in the past ten years and make public any infraction discovered or noticed’’, a statement from the company said. This should be music in the ears of our monetary authorities.

Although business competitions are good because they engender innovations, enhance product or service quality and drive; Hollyup efficiency, which could eventually lead to price reductions, they could be destructive if they degenerate into conflicts. In our country, fierce competition among businesses and healthy rivalries among competitive brands are not new. I can easily recall the fights between Nigerian Breweries and Guinness and the tussle between Cadbury and Nestle (Bournvita and Milo). We’ve also seen stiff competitions in banking, media and advertising and aviation. But I can’t easily recall that these competitions had ever devolved into quarrels and vicious personal acrimonies. This is why the feud between Dangote and Rabiu is so worrisome. Sociologists believe that a shift in social context can turn dispassionate competitors into warring enemies. This is common in the sporting world of boxing (Michael Tyson and Evander Holyfield); entertainment (the assassination of Tupac Shakur) and among Formular 1 drivers. Experts have also theorized that emotions which are related to past encounters can also lead to conflicts between competing parties to the extent of devolving into unproductive behaviours like exchanging insults and unethical conducts like sabotaging the business or work of the other person. Both Aliko Dangote Abdul Samad Rabiu are of distinguished parentage whose fathers were wealthy Kano businessmen. Could there be there anything in their ancestry that is fueling these conflicts?

No matter the causes of the quarrel between DIL and BUA, there is no doubt that it has run long enough and Nigerians will like it stop. If this were a soap opera, it would have long been rested. Nobody has benefitted from this bitter fight and so, there is a strong need for BUA and DIL to sheathe their swords for the benefit of their personal integrity and the Nigerian economy. I am proud of the two of them for their huge investments in our economy. They, and indeed, all other Nigerians who have worked hard to invest in the economy, create good products and services, generate thousands of jobs, are our true icons. Instead of throwing insults at each other, DIL and BUA should rather engage in price wars that would benefit the Nigerian consumer. Two weeks ago, BUA announced plans to cut cement price to N3, 500 per bag. That’s quite commendable. DIL should follow suit.

Good enough, the two gentlemen have common friends in business, banking and government who could help to bring them into amicability. I suggest that President Tinubu who knows both men very well to invite them for dinner one Sunday evening and have a word with them. In addition, important personalities like Kano State governor; Emir of Kano and the Sultan should wade in and bring peace to these eminent Nigerians. I understand that the former Kano governor had two years ago made efforts to settle the rift. But they were not successful. The current governor should take it up also. This bad blood cannot go on forever. We have nothing to gain from it.