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May 30, 2023

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Published on By The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has advised power users across the country to start updating their prepaid meters in order to avoid losing the meters by November

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The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has advised power users across the country to start updating their prepaid meters in order to avoid losing the meters by November 2024.Its advice came as a power distribution company explained that un-updated prepaid meters would stop operating from November next year, adding that this was a global standard for prepaid electricity meters.In one of its latest posts on X (formerly Twitter), seen on Wednesday, the commission said, “If you have a prepaid meter, it may be time for an update. From November, 2024, you may not be able to recharge your meter. However, updating is easy and free.“Discos (distribution companies) shall commence issuance of two free Key Change Tokens which will update your meter. The update will not affect the units in your meter nor will it make your meter run faster than usual. Contact your Disco for more information.”Meanwhile, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company had in a two minute video it shared recently, explained how customers could upgrade their prepaid meters in order to avoid losing the meters in future.In the snapshot by the Disco, the Head, Non-Maximum Demand Metering, Kaduna Electric, Umar Gumel, said, “This is to inform you about one worldwide development as regards prepaid meters, not in Kaduna Electric alone, not in Nigeria alone, but a worldwide affair.“STS (Standard Transfer Specification) standard meters will have what they call Roll Over by November 2024. So every meter has to be upgraded to a certain value of standard before that date.“Otherwise, any meter that fails to receive the upgrade token will cease to operate by November 2024. The implication is that that meter can never work and it can never be used, and so it becomes a loss.”Gumel went further to explain that “the cost of a three-phase meter as at today stands at N118,000, while that of the single phase is N63,000. So you can see the colossal amount of loss that would happen.”He said the company was calling for the cooperation and understanding of power users under its franchise areas to reach any of the Disco’s cash offices and ask for the rollover token.“It will be given to you just like the way you are purchasing your electricity token. You will enter it the way you are entering your electricity token. And once the meter accepts the token, it will upgrade itself automatically.“I want to call your attention to two of the prominent questions: how about my old token in the meter? It will remain there, it will not be touched. How about the speed of the meter? It is going to remain permanent as before, no increase, no decrease.“It is only the meter programming system that will be upgraded to avoid the rollover repercusion,” the Kaduna Electric official explained in the video.In the same vein, the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company recently informed its customers via its Facebook page that it would begin to retrieve a set of prepaid meters for upgrading.The flyer from the Disco read, “Dear esteemed customers. Kindly be informed that as part of the ongoing meter upgrading, we will be retrieving from our customers, prepaid meters with meter numbers 62417, 62418…and some meter no, starting with 6321…This is to enable us to upgrade.“Our field staff will visit the affected customers’ properties to retrieve the meters.”The company further said the meter would be returned once upgrading was concluded, and that old tokens would not be wiped out from the meters.This information did not, however, go down well with power users who said codes should be provided instead.They expressed fear that the meter may not be returned until after six months if customers allowed the Disco to take it away.

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested five persons for allegedly using forged letterheads of the Offices of the National Security Adviser and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to fraudulently obtain money from unsuspecting members of the public.The suspects which include Mr Yakubu Mohammed, Mr Bashir Ladan, Mr Adamu Ibrahim, Mr Steven Anom and Mr Mohammed Bello were arrested last Thursday, August 24.Spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this in an email correspondence on Monday.“They allegedly conspired and used the letterheads to produce fake employment and recommendation letters for a fee, to unsuspecting members of the public”, he said.The EFCC said that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded on the matter.

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The Abdullahi Ganduje-led National Working Committee, NWC, of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has set up three national campaign councils for the November 11 governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States.In this vein, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, has been appointed as a member of the All Progressives Congress Campaign Council for the Bayelsa State governorship election.The council is chaired by the Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya. The Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, will serve as co-chairmen.Wike, who is the immediate past Rivers State governor, was recently appointed as a minister by President Bola Tinubu.Wike, who is a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party, openly opposed the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, with other governors under the party known as PDP G5 governors.As at the time of this report, the Minister had not announced his defection from the PDP.But in a statement signed by the APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, the party said the campaign council was put together after the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, consulted with the party’s National Working Committee.“The National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, in consultation with the National Working Committee, has approved the composition of the Bayelsa State National Gubernatorial Campaign Council with the primary purpose of leading the gubernatorial campaign in Bayelsa state and ensuring the triumph of our great party at the November 11, 2023, governorship election,” the statement read.

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The feud between the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki and his Deputy, Philip Shaibu, took another dimension last Monday, when the State Government disbanded the media crew attached to the Office of the Deputy Governor.In a statement last Monday by the state’s Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, the government directed the Deputy Governor to henceforth request the Ministry of Communication and Orientation for media coverage of activities of his office.The statement read, “Edo State Government has disbanded the media crew attached to the Office of the Deputy Governor, with a directive to the Deputy Governor to henceforth request the Ministry of Communication and Orientation for media coverage of activities of his office.“This directive followed the ugly and unfortunate incident that happened during the colloquium held to mark the 60th anniversary of the Midwest Referendum celebration held at the Sir Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub and Soundstage, where some journalists, who claimed to be the media crew of the Deputy Governor, attempted to force their way into the hall where the governor and other invited dignitaries were already seated.“This act was contrary to the accredited protocol that had been established for the media coverage of the event.“The orchestrated and stage-managed walkout and disruption is highly regrettable,” Nehikhare added.The action has further deepened the rift between Obaseki and his deputy.Trouble started on Monday morning as members of the deputy governor’s media crew were removed from the colloquium.One of the journalists in the Deputy Governor’s media team said that they were already seated when they were told to leave the venue by security agents after Okungbowa, and Public Relations Officer, Office of the Governor, Ms Osarumwense Ojo identified them as those not fit to cover the event.The source said, “We were at the event to cover the proceedings as the deputy governor media team. I got the premonition that things would get ugly when our bus was nearly prevented from going into the complex.“After we gained entrance, we were allowed into the hall and we set out to do our job. After a while, the CPS and Ojo pointed at us and the security agencies walked us out.“When the deputy governor got wind of what happened, he came to the door but he was told that they were acting on instructions from above. It was at this moment that the deputy governor stormed out,” he added.However. a government house source said that no one was attacked or prevented from coming into the venue by Okungbowa or Ojo.The source said, “No one attacked the deputy governor or prevented him from attending the event. Members of his media crew were also not prevented.“He was allowed in and seated but decided to create a scene by not following the directive that we were given that no media not listed should be allowed in so as to control what goes on.

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