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CHEATERS: How DisCos Over-bill Customers By N105bn In 9 Months

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The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has imposed a N10.5 billion fine on electricity distribution companies, DisCos, for over billion customers without meters to the tune of 105.05 billion in the first nine months of 2023.

The Commission in separate Orders issued to the DisCos on Friday said the utilities were in breach of an Order it issued in 2020 on capping of electricity billed to unmetered customers by the DisCos.

A selected check on the orders showed that Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, over-billed its customers without meters to the tune of N17.874 billion while Eko Distribution Company, EKEDC, over-billed its unmetered customers by N13.137 billion.

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Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHEDC, over-billed its customers without meter by N14.187 billion with Kaduna Electric over-billing its customers by N1.145 billion.

NERC ordered the DisCos to refund the cheated customers in full and to ensure compliance in the future. To deter future occurrence, it imposed a 10 percent fine on the utilities.

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The Commission explained that “The public may recall that in 2020, the Commission issued the Order on Capping of Estimated Bills (Order No: NERC/197/2020) and subsequently issued monthly energy caps which aimed to align the estimated bills for unmetered customers with the measured consumption of metered customers on the same supply feeder.

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“A review of the Electricity Distribution Companies billing of unmetered customers for 2023 has revealed non-compliance with the monthly energy caps issued by the Commission.

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“In response to this and in a bid to safeguard unmetered customers from arbitrary billing by DisCos, the Commission, pursuant to Section 34(1)(d) of the Electricity Act 2023 (“EA 2023”), has issued the Order on Non-Compliance with Capping of Estimated Bills (Order No: NERC/2024/004-014) which stipulates the following: “Credit Adjustment to Customers: DisCos are to issue credit adjustments to all overbilled unmetered customers for the period January to September 2023 by the March 2024 billing cycle.

“Public Notice: DisCos have been directed to publish the list of credit adjustment beneficiaries in two national dailies and on their website no later than 31st March 2024.

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“Regulatory Sanctions: The Commission shall deduct a sum of N10,505,286,072 from the annual allowed revenues of the eleven (11) DisCos during the next tariff review, to deter future non-compliance with the energy caps approved by the Commission”.

Specifically, for  Eko DisCo, the Commission said: “To forestall further non-compliance, a deduction of N1,413,766,176 which is equivalent to 10% of the Naira value of the total over-billing for the period January – September 2023 shall be applied to EKEDC’s annual OpEx over a rolling 12-month period during the next tariff review.

“Notwithstanding the provisions of section (11B)(i), and pursuant to the provision of section 34(2)(f) of the EA 2023, the Commission may deduct a greater percentage of the total over-billing from EKEDC’s admin OPEX where a non-compliance with capping Orders persists”.

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FG Trains Students On Entrepreneurship Development In 100 Higher Institutions – Official

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Mr Mohammed Baba, Asst. Director, Finance and Account, Federal Ministry of Finance, says the Federal Government, through the ministry has trained students on entrepreneurship development in not less than 100 higher institutions in the country.

He stated this on the sideline of training lectures for the students of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi on Friday, adding that the training was carried out under the Youth Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria (YOUWIN) of the ministry.

Baba, who noted that the training was a project of President Bola Tinubu, said that the present administration saw the need to catch the ‘youth young’ so as to be self-sustained without relying on government employment.

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“We have covered more than 100 tertiary institutions and with this initiative, the generation to come will be better.

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“They have to have entrepreneurship skills so as to be able to fall back and grow as entrepreneurs and become employers of labour in the event of not getting a white collar job.

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“The plan A is to give theoretical knowledge which is what we are doing now and the plan B is to give the practical aspect where the funding will come in the form of a grant to the entrepreneurship department which will be shared to the most qualified entrepreneurs in schools,” he said.

He advised the students to make the best use of the grant when it finally arrived as they are being looked upon to become successful entrepreneurs and employers of labour to better the country’s economy.

Baba also urged them to approach the Bank of Industry for loans to make their entrepreneurship knowledge a reality even before the coming of the federal government’s grant.

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In her lecture, Mrs Deborah Tatimi, a facilitator, said that YOUWIN is to inspire, equip and make the students to embrace entrepreneurship as a viable career option by providing them with the mindset, skills and tools needed to build successful businesses.

This, she said, would reduce over dependence on government for jobs and help them in fostering a culture of self-reliance, innovation and employment.

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Earlier, Alh. Kasim Salihu, the Registrar of the polytechnic, commended the federal government for selecting the school for the training and called on the students to listen attentively, saying that entrepreneurship is key to national development.

Salihu, who assured that the students of the school were well groomed on entrepreneurship development theoretically, called on the federal government to come up with grants to help them actualise and practicalise their skills.

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How Nigerian Man Hacked US Varsity, Stole $235,000 – Officials

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A Nigerian living in the United Kingdom, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, has been arrested by British authorities following a request from the United States government after he was indicted on charges of wire fraud and computer fraud.

‎According to US prosecutors, Adepoju hacked into the email system of a Pennsylvania construction company working for a university, then created fake accounts to impersonate staff and divert payment.

‎The US Department of Justice, in a statement on its website on Thursday, said Adepoju, who was arrested on September 15, 2025, is awaiting extradition to face a seven-count indictment in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

‎The indictment, unsealed on Thursday, alleged that between March and April 2023, Adepoju remotely accessed a protected computer belonging to the construction company.

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‎He allegedly altered email rules, set up a spoofed domain, and used it to send fraudulent payment instructions to the university.

‎Relying on the emails, the university updated the construction firm’s payment details to a fraudulent account controlled by Adepoju, transferring about $235,266.

‎The funds have not been recovered.

‎Acting US attorney, Troy Rivetti, said, “Adepoju is charged with using sophisticated cyber means to illegally access accounts belonging to a business in order to victimize one of our region’s universities.

‎“Even from halfway across the world, however, Adepoju was not beyond the investigative reach of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His arrest in the United Kingdom underscores our district’s unwavering commitment to aggressively locate and prosecute cybercriminals worldwide with the assistance of our law enforcement partners—both here and abroad.”

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‎FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge, Kevin Rojek, added, “Criminals who think they can reach across the globe into the United States to line their pockets at the expense of the American public need know one thing: the FBI and our partners are not going to let you get away with it.

“We will find you and bring you to justice, no matter where you might be. Email compromise schemes are not victimless crimes; they are one of the costliest threats large and small businesses, universities, and organizations face today.”

‎Adepoju faces six counts of wire fraud and one count of computer fraud.

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Each wire fraud charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, while the computer fraud charge carries up to five years.

‎The FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office led the investigation, while Assistant US Attorney Mark V. Gurzo is prosecuting the case with support from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.

‎Authorities stressed that an indictment is only an accusation, and Adepoju is presumed innocent until proven guilty

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JUST IN: Resident Doctors In Abuja Suspend Indefinite Strike

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The Association of Resident Doctors of the Federal Capital Territory Administration has suspended the indefinite strike.

The President of ARD-FCTA, Dr George Ebong, disclosed this to DAILY POST on Friday.

He said its members are expected to resume work on Monday, 22nd September 2025, at 8 am.

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He noted that the strike suspension comes after the intervention of the Nigerian Senate Committee on Federal Territory Area Councils & Ancillary Matters and respect for FCT Minister Nyesome Wike.

READ ALSO:Resident Doctors Suspend Warning Strike After Two Days, Resume Work Nationwide

However, Dr Ebong revealed that none of its demands had been met as of filing the report.

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The senate intervened. Even though none of our demands have been met yet, they assured us that they will talk to the minister.We hope the minister will listen to us, because we respect him,” he stated.

Recall that ARD-FCTA began an indefinite strike on Monday over poor working conditions, remuneration and other demands.

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