News
Alleged Cable Theft: Edo Community Thrown Into Darkness; Monarch Fingers BEDC Officials
Published
7 months agoon
By
EditorThe Traditional Ruler and residents of Ugbegun community in Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo State have cried over an alleged vandalization of Benin Electricity Distribution Company , BEDC, a development that has thrown the community into total darkness for over six weeks.
The community also fingered a staff of BEDC caught vandalizing armored cables.
They explain that the suspect was handed over to the police for prosecution but was later said released in a suspicious manner which further worsened the situation.
They claimed the action of the community leaders and vigilantes in apprehending the said BEDC staff and handing him over to the police was behind the reasons why the BEDC officials had remained adamant in restoring electricity to the “peaceful agrarian community. ”
READ ALSO: Edo Community Expresses Concern Over Rise In Insecurity, Herdsmen Attack
According to the community, the plan to cover up the crime perpetrated by the said officials has crippled business activities in the community, calling on the BEDC management and other relevant authority to come to their aid.
Speaking on the development, the traditional ruler of Ugebgun, His Royal Highness, Samuel Obade (JP) and the Itohan of the community, Chief Mathew Emiohe lamented over the suffering of the community due to non-availability of electricity occasioned by the cable theft.
Obade said, “We have been mandated to defend our facilities in our domain and that we have always done. Sometimes in August we increased our vigilance arising from what we heard from neighboring clans and we caught someone in Ikiogbe substation but he ran away. We caught the second person vandalizing armored cable at the sub-station and was handed over to the police.
RRAD ALSO: Hope Rises For Edo Residents As Oshodin Drags Akobe To Stage
“This last one that happened was the Engineer in charge of Igueben sub-station called Charles. The vigilante saw him red-handed. A day before they saw him take a ladder from someone’s house, climb the high tension and loosen the cable with the pretense that he was clearing grass around the transformer.
“We have a force station in Ugbegun with over five staff and if he has no ulterior motive he should have ask the staff to come and clear grass around the sub-station. The vigilante saw Engineer Charles on motor bike with another person behind him holding the armored cable. We called in the police but they were neither here nor there.”
Corroborating the position of the traditional ruler, Emiohe called for the immediate restoration of power, saying residents have been thrown into total darkness since the theft.
Contacted, the Public Relation Officer, BEDC, Evelyn Gbewen, denied knowledge of the incidence, saying they are yet be briefed on the matter.
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News
Lawyer Drags NERC, AGF, Minister Of Power To Court Over Electricity Tariff Hike
Published
6 mins agoon
April 27, 2024By
EditorA Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Joe Agi, has taken legal action against the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Abuja Electricity Distribution (AEDC) for allegedly raising his electricity tariff by 230 per cent.
The case is currently being heard by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Agi is seeking the protection of his fundamental rights.
In his application, the senior lawyer asks the court to declare that the new tariffs and the hours of supply violate the Electricity Act of 2023 and Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution.
The applications list NERC, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu; the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, and AEDC as the first to fourth respondents, respectively.
READ ALSO: Customer Drags NERC, AGF To Court Over Electricity Tariff Hike, Classification
In the attached affidavit submitted with the lawsuit, the attorney stated that he purchased 682kwh of utility from the AEDC on both March 23 and April 3, for a total of N50,000.
Furthermore, Agi declared that on April 6, he made another N50,000 utility purchase, but this time the value of the purchase was reduced to 206.7kwh.
He expressed his concern regarding this unexpected change but later discovered that the NERC and AEDC had implemented a system known as “bands” in the country. Under this system, NERC issued the April 2024 Supplementary Order to the Multi-Year Tariff Order 2024.
“That from the tariffs shared, the 1st and 4th respondents (NERC and AEDC) increased my tariffs by 230%, whereas others had theirs increased by 236%,177% and some others 0% in Nigeria.
READ ALSO: Electricity Workers Fault Tariff Hike, Threaten Strike
“The tariffs are discriminatory and the hours of supply are discriminatory between consumers and consumer categories and should be cancelled,” the SAN prayed the court.
Agi criticized the statement made by NERC’s chairman, Musiliu Oseni, on April 1st, where he stated that “only 15% of the electricity consumers in the country who consume 40% of the nation’s electricity are the ones affected.”
In Agi’s view, this directive creates a distinction between the 15% and the remaining 85% of consumers in Nigeria, which he considers discriminatory.
He argued that the use of US Dollars to determine tariffs in Nigeria is unnecessary and goes against public policy.
READ ALSO: Edo Guber: ‘Which Campaign Council’, Orbih Fumes, Rejects Inclusion
Consequently, the applicant requested “a declaration that the NERC Supplementary Order to the MYTO 2024 is discriminatory, unconstitutional, and a clear violation of the applicant’s right to freedom from discrimination as guaranteed under Section 116 (2) (e) of the Electricity Act, 2023, and Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended).”
He also stated that it violates the African Charter on Human and Peoples Right (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9 Vol. 1LEN 2004.
Agi also requested the court to declare that the use of the United States of American dollar exchange rate to determine the cost of tariffs in Nigeria is illegal, unconstitutional, and against public policy. Additionally, he sought an order to invalidate the NERC Supplementary Order to the MYTO 2024, as it is discriminatory and a clear violation of his right to freedom from discrimination as protected by the law.
However, no hearing date has been scheduled for this matter.
Recall that on April 3, NERC increased the electricity tariff for customers in the Band A category, who receive 20 hours of power supply daily, from N66/kWh to N225/kWh.
Panic gripped residents of Ita-Oshin area of Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, when a gas tanker explosion left a trail of devastation, claiming four lives and about six vehicles were burnt.
It gathered that the explosion, occurred following an accident involving the gas tanker, when it was trying to manoeuvre along the road railings.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Four Feared Killed As Tanker Explosion Rocks Rivers
It was further gathered that emergency response teams, including personnel from the Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State Fire Service swiftly mobilized to the scene to evacuate the remains of the victims and contain the inferno.
Among the vehicles consumed by the inferno were taxis, a private car, and a truck, with the impact extending to nearby shops and houses.
While security and safety officials present at the scene are yet to provide a comprehensive statement regarding the incident, eyewitnesses, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said some casualties had already been rushed to the hospital by the response teams.
News
Oba Of Benin Suspends Six Officials For Posing As Palace Emissaries To Ooni Of Ife
Published
2 hours agoon
April 27, 2024By
EditorBenin Traditional Council, BTC, has suspended six palace functionaries for allegedly presenting themselves as the palace’s emissaries before the Ooni of Ife in a function.
A statement signed by Chief Sam Igbe, Iyase of Benin kingdom, on behalf of BTC, and made available to newsmen in Benin City on Saturday listed the suspended palace functionaries as
Johnbull Igbinosun, Iduhonre (Ihogbe), S.E. Aigbiremwen, Efesieoghoba (Ogbelaka),
The statement also listed Ogbeide Osagie and Osamudiame Edo among the suspended functionaries.
READ ALSO: Unemployment: Oba Of Benin Pledges Land For Skill Acquisition Centre
He said they were suspended for allegedly engaging themselves in a “sacrilegious show of shame and falsehood against the Benin Custom.”
“These individuals not only declared themselves subjects of the Ooni, but also rendered an inaccurate and disjointed account of the connection between the Benin Royal Dynasty and the Ooni-ship of Ife,” the statement added.
He explained that the offence of the suspended functionaries was contained in video clips circulating on social media.
READ ALSO: Oba Of Benin Berates Ex-minister Agba For Lopsided Representation
He noted that the palace considered the conduct of the functionaries as “inappropriate, sacrilegious and calculated to ridicule traditional history, and to bring disrepute to Benin custom.”
He, however, advised the general public to refrain from having anything to do with the suspended functionaries as traditional functionaries in Benin kingdom throughout their suspension.
He also urged the general public to disregard the inaccurate accounts rendered by the ill-bred individuals named above.
Lawyer Drags NERC, AGF, Minister Of Power To Court Over Electricity Tariff Hike
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Oba Of Benin Suspends Six Officials For Posing As Palace Emissaries To Ooni Of Ife
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