News

BEDC Introduces Service-Based Tariff

Published

5 years ago

September 11, 2020

Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) Plc says it has introduced Service-Based Tariff (SBT), a system whereby customers enjoy certainty in a minimum of hours of power availability and pay appropriate rates for service rendered.

The new tariff regime is in line with the outcome of customers’ feedback from the tariff review held by Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission and DisCos at various locations across the country earlier this year.

Briefing newsmen on Friday in Benin on behalf of the Managing Director/Chief Executive Director, Abu Ejoor, Executive Director, Commercial, said the new SBT affects customers that enjoy electricity for at least average of 12hours per day, adding that those enjoying less than 12hours will continue to pay at old rates until end of the year.

According to Ejoor, under the new service dispensation, customers under BEDC franchise areas have been dis-aggregated into various clusters on hours of supply and using number of hours of daily availability as a measure to determine the tariff rate.

He disclosed that customers have been clustered/Banded into A to E, just as he said Band A will see customers enjoying minimum electricity supply of 20 hours; Band B: minimum electricity supply of 16 hours; Band C: minimum of 12 hours power supply; Bands D and C: minimum of 8 and 4 hours respectively, stressing that customers on lower Band can also move to upper bands.

“The new tariff regime also provides that customers can move to upper bands of more power availability as their quality of service improves, and accordingly pay the appropriate tariff,” Ejoor said.

While addressing the new changes, the distribution company promised to proved the needed funding require for investment in reinforcing feeders, transformers, protection equipment, and other component to bolster improved service .

His words, “The needed funding require for investment in reinforcing feedersA Service-Based Tariff whilst addressing the changes in macroeconomic indices-forex, inflation, cost etc, would also provide , transformers, protection equipment, and other components to bolster improved service defined in terms of hours of supply indicated by availability, reliability, and quality for improvement in electricity supply.”

He noted that the new SBT fits into the BEDC existing predictable load management system, adding that the company has also come up with additional modalities to reduce the frequency of power interruption in customers’ residences.

While lamenting that BEDC receives low generation of Nigeria grid, the Executive Director noted that this forced the distribution company to resort to load shedding in order to manage the power available to all its customers.

“BEDC receives 9% of generation of Nigerian grid i.e 360MW as against total requirements of 1,400MW. The challenge for BEDC remains to supply a system whose potential load is over 1,400MW with only 250 to 360MW. BEDC was forced to do massive load shedding to manage the very small power available to all its customers,” he said.

Mr. Ejoor assured customers of BEDC commitment to rapid improvement in service quality for those customers who currently receive low power service and subsequently graduate them to appropriate band upon service improvement.

He further disclosed that BEDC is collaborating with Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to provide technical improvement in areas where BEDC has interface challenges and constraints in order to ensure that locations with lower than 12 hours daily power availability witness rapid improvements within next year.

News

Kwara Church Attack: ‘Resign Now’, Falz Tells Tinubu

Published

36 minutes ago

November 19, 2025

Editor

Folarin Falana (FALZ) and President Tinubu
Nigerian rapper and activist, Folarin Falana popularly known as Falz, has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu, demanding his resignation following the bandits’ attack of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke Isegun, Eruku, in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Falz, in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, accused the President of failing in his primary duty of securing the lives and property of Nigerians, describing the alleged government inaction as unacceptable.

Tribune Online reports that the Kwara State Police Command confirmed that the attack occurred around 6 p.m. on November 18. Security operatives and local vigilantes were said to have engaged the attackers and eventually repelled them.

During the assault, the armed gang reportedly invaded the church during a service, killed at least one person, and abducted several worshippers.

Reacting to the incident, Falz expressed frustration, questioning the president on the state of insecurity in the country and asking how many more people must die before meaningful action is taken.

He wrote, “How many more people have to be kidnapped and murdered in cold blood? How many more lives do you want to waste? How many more futures do you wish to erase with your incompetence and inaction?

“You have consistently shown your unwillingness to protect the lives and property of our people despite pretending to care in the past. RESIGN NOW!”

How many more people have to be kidnapped and murdered in cold blood? How many more lives do you want to waste? How many more futures do you wish to erase with your incompetence and inaction? @officialABAT

News

Court Jails Two Men 26 Months For N8.5b Fraud

Published

44 minutes ago

November 19, 2025

Editor

LJustice Rahman Oshodi of Lagos Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced two men, Hamza Zakaria and Nurudeen Ibrahim, to 26 months’ imprisonment each for N8.56 billion fraud.

Zakaria and Ibrahim were convicted and sentenced after the court found them guilty of unauthorised access to a new generation bank’s computer systems. They were formerly arraigned on May 2, 2025, alongside other defendants, on four counts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Their offences bordered on conspiracy, stealing and unauthorised access to a computer system, contrary to Sections 409 and 331 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. They had pleaded not guilty at the time.

The defendants, however, changed their plea following the presentation of amended charges, prompting the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.

During the review of the facts, prosecution counsel, Muhammad Bashir, called a witness, Airende Monday, an operative of the EFCC, who tendered documents that were admitted as exhibits.

While delivering judgement, Justice Oshodi stated: “I find the defendants guilty in the two-count amended information, and I convict them accordingly. This is the judgement of the court.”

The court jailed them eight months on count one and one year and six months on count two. Both sentences are to run concurrently, with an option of a N50,000 fine.

The EFCC alleged that the defendants and other persons at large, sometime in January 2025 in Lagos, within the court’s jurisdiction, conspired to transfer and retain criminal proceeds from unauthorised access to Wema Bank’s computer and servers.

News

JUST IN: Police Deal Off PDP National Secretariat

Published

4 hours ago

November 19, 2025

Editor

Operatives of the Nigeria Police on Wednesday sealed the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at Wadata Plaza, Abuja.

The development is linked to the face-off between two factions of the party on Tuesday.

Pandemonium broke out at the facility on Tuesday when the Saminu Turaki-led faction clashed with members loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and his Bauchi counterpart, Bala Mohammed, were teargassed during the confrontation.

DAILY POST observed on Wednesday that barbed wire was used to create a barrier to prevent anyone from gaining access to the premises.

None of the leaders of the two warring groups was sighted at the secretariat, as only a handful of policemen were on the ground.

However, supporters of the faction led by Kabiru Turaki opposed the decision of the police to barricade the premises.