Business
Reversal OF Electricity Tariff: What The People Say
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos last week reversed the 45 per cent increase of electricity tariff by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). The court declared that the 45 per cent tariff increase was illegal and should be reversed immediately.
How do Nigerians view the judgement? What should be done to ensure compliance to the court ruling by NERC? Our correspondent, Calista Ezeaku, sought answers to these questions from some Port Harcourt residents. Our photographer, Ken Nwiueh, captured their images.
Miss Faith Frank – Business Woman
I think the reversal is nice because the way they charge these days is quite alarming. We hardly see light, but at the end of the month the bill they bring is so high. So I’m happy it will be reversed. But we all know that in this country people hardly obey court orders, especially government and it agencies. So I will appeal to the Federal Government to do everything possible to ensure that NERC obeys the court order and do the reversal immediately. If it means seting up a committee to enforce the reversal, government should do so. The right people that have the passion for this should be members of this implementation committee, a monitoring team or what ever they may call it. Failure to enforce the reversal immediately, NERC should be penalized because there is no reason why they should be adding to the pains of Nigerians.
The burden of the tariff increase is borne by the masses, many of whom depend on power for petty businesses. For instance, I sell drinks and I require power to chill them, when they bring the NEPA bills, by the time you look at the bills and look at the income from the business, you will find out that you are virtually labouring to pay bills. Your profit from the business is very minimal. So the high electricity tariff has affected a lot of businesses. Some businesses have folded because of the high tariff and other problems associated with NEPA. So the reversal should be enforced without delay please.
Mr Gift Kinika – A driver
Well the court ruling is highly appreciated because people have been paying huge amount of money for non available power. Assuming power supply has been adequate, even if they increase the tariff, people will not grumble. But a situation where the tariff was hiked and there was no improvement in power supply, yet consumers were forced to pay, was pure exploitation. Some people will stay up to a month without power supply, at the end of the month, they will still receive NEPA bill. So the reversal is in order. Let us go back to the old tariff. It took no time for NERC to increase the tariff and all NEPA offices complied immediately, so the reversal should take them no time. None compliance with the court order will mean NERC is irresponsible and insensitive to the plight of Nigerians. If it means forcing NERC to carry out the reversal, Federal Government should ensure that is done to help the poor masses.
I don’t know who took the matter to court, but I want to use this opportunity to thank the person. It really shows that the time of taking Nigerians for granted is over, I also thank the court for the nice job and appeal that they should not rest until NERC complies totally with the court ruling.
Felix Wayii – Civil Servant
It is very unfortunate that despite the intervention both by the National Assembly and other will meaning Nigerians, regarding the reversal of the hike in the electricity tariff, NERC and the electricity officers refused to comply. It is so unfortunate that despite the prevailing harsh economic situation in the country, the electricity officers refused to reduce the tariff. It simply shows how insensitive they are to the plight of Nigerians.
So I am happy that the matter was taken to court and that a positive judgment was gotten.
NERC should obey the court order and reverse the tariff immediately as failure to do so, might compel Nigerians to do what they deem necessary.
Prince Omuso – Businessman.
The hike in tariff had affected my business adversely and I am not happy. They hardly come to read our meter. They send estimated bills and they can give you any amount. This is wrong. On my compound I have few tenants. Only one of them uses fridge. The only appliance that is used by everybody which can consume current is pressing iron. Now, for them to charge such a compound N30,000, N40,000 at the end the month is very alarming. I thank God for those who were able to muster courage to take NERC to court and eventually won that case. And as court has ordered them to go back to the old tariff, they should do that immediately. They should also supply us the light that we are paying for because we pay for current that we do not consume and you don’t have any power to ask them why. Once they give you bill today, tomorrow you will see light. It will stay for about three days. The fourth day, you will see NEPA people coming for disconnection. If you have not paid your bill, you give them N1,000 and they will leave you. If you fail to cooperate, they will disconnect your light and take your wire to their office. You will go and pay reconnection fee. So they should also improve power supply so that the consumers will be happy to pay. We can’t continue to pay for what we did not consume.
So I will encourage Nigerians to take a cue from those that took the matter to court and learn to fight for our rights. If NERC and NEPA officials refuse to effect the reversal, we should meet NEPA managers in our various areas and demand that it be done . We must fight for our rights.
Again, this court judgment should be made known to the public,. People should be educated, informed and sensitized. If the judgment is not made known to the public, they will keep on charging us. The media has a big role to play in this case. They should pass the information to the people that the court has ordered the reversal of the electricity tariff. We are willing to pay but it has to be in accordance with the law. We cannot pay more than what we consumed and power supply should improve.
Mrs Lilian Okonkwo – Journalist
I think, it is a right step in the right direction. But it is unfortunate that in Nigeria today, we have instances where court orders were not obeyed. So we hope that this should be obeyed by NERC. The NERC has the duty of ensuring that the tariff is reversed immediately as it has been declared illegal, unfair, and unjustifiable and a further exploitation of already exploited Nigerian who pay for power not used or services not rendered.
I hail the courageous judgment of the Federal High Court. I call on NERC and Electrify Distribution Company (DISCO) to obey the judgment and reverse to the old rates without further delay. Also, the Minister of Power, the National Assembly and other stake holders should ensure compliance to the judgment. The Nigerian public should hold on to the judgment and resist the increase or failure to reverse the tariff.
The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) says it has registered 160 Port stakeholders into its Regulated Port Service Provider and Users platform since the initiative began in 2023.
Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr Pius Akutah, made the disclosure on the sideline of a sensitisation programme by the commission for port operators in Lagos, with the theme, “Regulated Port Service Provider and Users”.
Represented by the Director, Consumer Affairs, Chief Cajetan Agu, Akutah emphasised the significance of the programme for stakeholders.
He said the sensitisation programme was the second edition after its commencement during the last quarter of 2023.
The Secretary said the 160 registered port operators consist of agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, individual port users as well as service providers.
“We invited the ports stakeholders for enlightening them on the processes for online registration of Regulated Port Service Provider and Users.
“We have demonstrated to them how to register and how to make payment and we were able to present before them the various categories of the registration.
“The rate of payment is also in the registration. The payment of each group depends on the operation. A shipper pays N30,000, terminal operators and shipping companies pay N300,000, truckers also pay N30,000, while some pay N50,000 and N100,000.
“The Council was able to intimate them on the benefits, because port users benefit more as we help to interface on reducing port charges from time to time”, Akutah said.
He said that there was a need to continue to work with port operators to stop delays and eliminate high costs to make the port efficient.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Stakeholders, Service, NSC, Mr Celestine Akujobi, said “the sensitisation exercise was important for the council to enable us bring all the port stakeholders together”.
According to him, this is to avoid challenges during the implementation of the council’s responsibilities.
“By the time we introduce sanctions on defaulters, no operators will complain that he or she is not aware of the registration.
“I’m happy with the turnout of this sensitisation. This shows that the operators are well informed of the statutory friction of the council as the port regulator.
“The final implementation will commence as soon as we discover that all the operators have keyed into the portal.
“We are engaging other ports across the country and we’re hopeful that before the last quater of 2024, the council will implement sanctions on defaulting operators”, Akujobi said.
Earlier, Vice Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwards (NAGAFF), Dr Ifeanyi Emoh, said port challenges were enormous, adding that they originated from some of the government agencies.
Emoh urged the council to look into regulating other government agencies, so that there could be a window through which they can collect port charges collectively instead of indiscriminately.
By: Chinedu Wosu
Chivita| Hollandia (CHI Limited) leading fruit juice and value-added dairy manufacturer in Nigeria has rewarded its long standing distributors at the recently held 2024 Distributor Conference. The event with the theme, “Break Boundaries Exceed Expectations” served as a platform to recognise and reward the exceptional contribution of the distributors and wholesalers who play a critical role in Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) success and business goals for the year.
The Distributor Conference was held in two sessions. While the morning session featured keynote addresses, industry insights and brand immersion experience, the evening session was a cultural display of elegance and funfair that culminated in the award presentation and recognition of the contribution the trade partners made to the company in the 2023 year under review.
A key highlight of the event was the award ceremony which acknowledged outstanding trade partners in various regions across the country. The awards recognized commitment, dedication, and outstanding performance in areas of sales growth, brand promotion, and market expansion.
Eelco Weber, Managing Director, Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited), stated that the company’s success story is incomplete without the strong partnerships it has built with trade partners. “Today, we celebrate not only the achievements, but the collaborative spirit that has made our growth possible” he said.
Bola Arotiowa, Chief Commercial Officer, Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited), in his statement revealed that, the event which was first of its kind will continue to be an annual meeting to enable the company work more closely with its distributors, share insights and action points, help the trade partners familiarize themselves with the company’s goals and objectives for each year, and serve as a driver for mutual success.
“Our distributors are the backbone of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited). Their relentless efforts in distributing our products, promoting our brands, and expanding our reach across the nation is truly commendable. As the bridge between us and our valued consumers, it is very important to reward their hard work and dedication for being an essential part of the Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) family. Together, we will continue to deliver great products to our conusmers which in turn will deliver value to them”, Mr. Arotiowa added.
Speaking at the conference, HajiyaBilikisuSaida, Chief Executive Officer of Smabirm Nigeria Limited, who won the Outstanding Distributor of the Year in North 1 region, and got a reward of two million Naira worth of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) products expressed delight at the company’s recognition, and stated that the awards served as a way to inspire distributors to do more and put in more effort, which in turn would help both the distributors and the company to grow.
Other outstanding performance distributors of the year rewarded with a two million Naira worth of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) stock include, Sunny Chuks Limited for East 1 region, MRS FA & Sons Limited for East 2 region, Hussakas Ventures for North 2 region, Rookee 1388 Ventures for Lagos 1 region, Pik N Pil Ventures for Lagos 2 region, FaithJoe Event Management Limited for West 1 region, and Progress Family Nigeria Enterprise for West 2 region.
The annual Distributors Conference aims to strengthen the bond between Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) and its trade partners. This collaborative approach fosters mutual growth and ensures the continued success of the brands in the Nigerian market.
A global leader in insurance and asset management, AXA Mansard, has supported three female-owned MSMEs with business grants totaling 1.4 million to boost their operations.
This, the company said, is part of its commitment to women and the Medium, Small, and Medium-scale Enterprise (MSME) sector in the country.
The three businesses were successful at the International Women’s Day Pitch Competition, organised in partnership with SME 100 Africa in Lagos.
According to the Head of Marketing, AXA Mansard, Olusesan Ogunyooye, the competition, which is aimed at supporting female entrepreneurs in Nigeria, “is another way AXA is demonstrating its commitment to the causes of women and stimulating the MSME sector in Nigeria”.
The business pitch competition received numerous entries from women across different sectors, but after a rigorous selection process, shortlisted participants were selected to participate in the competition.
Ogunyooye said “the programme provided a unique opportunity for women from various works and socio-economic classes to showcase their innovative ideas and solutions in sectors such as food, tech, fashion, and fragrance, creating an atmosphere filled with excitement, enthusiasm, and a strong sense of community”.
He stressed the importance of investing in women, saying it is not just the right thing to do, but also aligns with AXA’s purpose of acting for human progress.
He explained that AXA believes the future of women should not be at risk, hence investing in their economic empowerment is a crucial part
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