News
Poor Planning Bane Of Nigeria’s Socioeconomic Problems, Says Obaseki
Published
1 month agoon
By
EditorThe Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has attributed the many socioeconomic challenges bewildering the nation to poor planning.
Obaseki spoke during an engagement with stakeholders in Afuze, Owan West Local Governments Area and Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area, respectively on the State’s Regional Development Plan and the Benin City Master Plan.
The engagement session rallied together various stakeholders in the LGAs to deliberate, share insights, and seek their input in the development of the 30-year development plans.
READ ALSO: Umahi Commends Obaseki On His Committment In Constructing Durable Concrete Roads
Present at the stakeholders meeting were the Local Government Council Chairmen of Owan West, Akoko-Edo, Etsako Central and Etasko West, as well as members of the State’s chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), traders, women unions, civic society groups, youths, traditional and religious leaders, among others.
Obaseki said, “The problem we face as a nation is that of improper planning. We didn’t plan properly and today; we are facing various degrees of challenges hindering our progress. Even when we plan, we fail to implement our plans. We should stop complaining about our situation but plan a way out of it.”
He added, “The master plan is for all Edo people and it doesn’t have political affiliations but is aimed to chart a course for the betterment of the entire Edo people. The people must collaborate with the government as we can’t do it alone. The plan will help and enable us to create a peaceful and friendly environment for investors to come into the State to invest.”
READ ALSO: Obaseki Takes Steps To Tackle Price Hike In Edo, Meets, Trade Unions, Other Stakeholders
Obaseki continued: “If Nigeria is going to survive, we must restructure the security apparatus in this Country. We have started this here in Edo. We have trained our vigilante security network to collaborate with other sister agencies to fight insecurity in the State. We must have State police and local police that are independent in fighting crime and criminality in the country.
“The time to save ourselves is now as we are already planning for community policing. It will happen. We should secure ourselves not waiting for the Federal Government to secure us.”
In his response, High Chief David George from Ora Kingdom commended the governor for his developmental strides in the State and for his vision for the 30-year development plan which he said will transform the State and set it on growth and development.
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News
Residents Displaced As Rainstorms Wreck Havoc In Edo Community
Published
1 hour agoon
April 27, 2024By
EditorLampese community in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State has been ravaged by rainstorms.
The incident was said to have occurred Friday as a result of a heavy downpour which affected many houses including the electricity transformer.
An eyewitness account described the incident as very unfortunate following the level of devastation.
Residents of the community have therefore called on the state and local governments and all concerned authorities to come to their rescue with a view to proffering urgent solutions and resettling displaced residents.
READ ALSO: PHOTOS: Properties Worth Millions Destroyed As Fire Razes Shops In Benin
Reacting to the situation, the local government council chairman, Tajudeen Suleman, who said he was far away in Enugu State for an official engagement, disclosed that he has mobilised the council officials to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment immediately he got the news, promising to visit victims as soon as he returns today.
He also said he was in touch with the state deputy governor, Marvellous Omobayo and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on moves to fast track the process of resettling affected persons.
News
Lawyer Drags NERC, AGF, Minister Of Power To Court Over Electricity Tariff Hike
Published
1 hour 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.
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