Niger, Benin, Togo Fail To Pay ₦5.8 Billion For Power In 2020

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August 18, 2022

According to the report for 2020 released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the companies for each of the countries are Societe Nigerienne d’electricite (SNE), Societe Beninoise d’Energie Electrique (SBEE) and Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (CEET) respectively.

The remittances showed that the Nigerian Market Operator (MO) gave the countries N16.31bn from which they paid N10.45bn for the services received from MO, while N5.86bn was outstanding.

Ajaokuta Steel Company Ltd, termed a special customer in Nigeria, and its host community did not pay anything after consuming N1.08bn worth of electricity in the year. The invoice from Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) to the company was N930m, while that of MO was N150m.

NERC recommended in the report that, “MO and NBET must activate the relevant safeguards against continued non-settlement of market obligations by these market participants.”

Also, in 2020 NERC issued five new generation licences and renewed three others which would add 667.70 megawatts (MW) to the grid. The new licences can add 235MW while the renewed licences were for 346MW capacity of electricity generation. It also gave approval to 33 Meter Asset Providers (MAPs) and certified 17 Meter Service Providers (MSPs).

On metering, the report indicated that 537,400 meters were installed for consumers in 2020, a 60.4 per cent higher figure than the 334,896 meters installed in 2019.

Despite this, the huge metering gap for end-use customers is still a key challenge in the industry. Registered customers grew to 11,841,819 (11.8m) in 2020 but just 4,666,191 (4.6m) or 39.40 per cent of them were metered.

“Therefore, 60.60 per cent of the registered electricity customers are on estimated billing contributing to apathy toward payment for electricity bills,” it stated.

Exploring Burana Tower, Kyrgyzstan

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Angel Gimalo

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August 18, 2022

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The Burana Tower is a large historic minaret that can be found in the Chuy Valley in the northern part of the Kyrgyz Republic.

As it is some 80 km (50 mi) from the country’s capital, Bishkek, the tower is frequently visited by curious people who would like to see something different, yet historic from the small nation in Central Asia.

Surrounded by golden grain fields, with snowcapped peaks in the distance, the Burana Tower alongside some grave markers and remnants of a castle are what has been left from the ancient city of Balasagun.

Since the city was established at the end of 9 century by the Karakhanids, it is estimated that the tower that much old as well, even though previously it was estimated to have been 45 meters (148 feet) tall.

Today, due to the seismic activity throughout the centuries, Burana is only 25 meters (82 feet) above its surroundings, which is almost half the height it was once.

With the renovation projects carried out throughout recent years, the site has been well preserved and in addition to mausoleums, castle foundations and grave markers, it functions as an open-air museum that attracts plenty of people.

All in all, as Kyrgyzstan was part of the important Silk Road, nowadays the nation is well known for its sensational mountains and adventure activities, and slowly gains the public’s attention with ancient structures such as the Burana Tower which is definitely one of the greatest monuments within the country.

Southern African Nations Discuss Agro-Industry, Mineral Resource Enrichment

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Angel Gimalo

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August 18, 2022

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Leaders Of Southern African Nations Are Meeting In Kinshasa For Their 42nd Summit.

The Leaders Are Expected To Review The Progress Made Towards Achieving Closer Integration And Deepening Regional Trade.

The Summit Will Be Held Under The Theme “Promoting Industrialization Through Agro-Industry, Mineral Resource Enrichment And Regional Value Chains For Inclusive And Resilient Economic Growth.

The Summit Comes At A Time When The Host Country Is Faced With Renewed Violence In Its East.

Before Fellow Leaders, President Felix Tshisekedi Denounced ‘Cowardly And Barbaric Aggression’ Against His Country By Rwanda.

Repatriation Of Funds: Emirates Suspends Flight Operations In Nigeria

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Angel Gimalo

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August 18, 2022

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Emirates Airlines On Thursday Announced The Suspension Of Its Flight Operations In Nigeria From September 1, 2022.

It Said The Suspension Became Necessary Following Its Inability To Repatriate Its Funds From Nigeria.

International Carriers Operating In Nigeria Have Repeatedly Complained About Their Inability To Repatriate Funds To Their Home Countries.

They Have Raised This Concern On Many Occasions With Officials Of The Federal Ministry Of Aviation, As Well As Those At The Finance Ministry.

Blocked Funds Belonging To These Airlines Have Risen To About $600m, As This Is Due To The Inability Of The Central Bank Of Nigeria To Make The United States Dollar Available For The Carriers To Repatriate.

Russian Spacewalk Halted Due To Battery Power Issue

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Angel Gimalo

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August 18, 2022

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US Space Agency NASA Says A Russian Cosmonaut Had To Urgently Abandon His Spacewalk “Due To A Battery Power Issue” On His Spacesuit,

It Says Oleg Artemyev Was Ordered Back By Russian Controllers On The Ground To The Airlock Of The International Space Station (ISS).

NASA Says Artemyev Was “Never In Any Danger”. But He Could Have Lost The Ability To Communicate With Fellow Spacewalker Denis Matveev And The Controllers.

This Was Needed To Reconnect Him To The Iss’ Power Supply. Russia’s Space Agency Roskosmos Has Not Publicly Commented On The Reported Incident.

Russia’s Space Agency Roskosmos Has Not Publicly Commented On The Reported Incident.

ASUU: Nigerian Govt. Insists On ‘No-work, No-pay’ Policy

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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August 18, 2022

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The Federal Government, on Thursday, insisted that it will not succumb to the demand by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, for their members to be paid the six months salaries withheld over the ongoing strike, saying it is meant to be the penalty for their needless action.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, stated this when he appeared at the ministerial briefing organized by the Presidential Communication Team, at the presidential villa, Abuja.

Adamu flanked by the Minister of State, Goodluck Opia explained that not paying the backlog will deter others who may contemplate strike in future.

He said that the three university-based unions that are on strike have accepted to call off the strike in the next one week, except ASUU that had remained adamant insisting that its members should be paid the five months that their salary was stopped.

He said the strike by the university-based unions came despite the trillions of naira expended on education by the present administration directly as well as by agencies such as TEFFUND and UBEC.

He stated that government rejected ASUU’s demand to be paid the salary backlog because it believed that there has to be penalties for their action.

He, however, noted that ASUU had begun consultations with their members to determine whether to call off their strike as well.

Adamu informed that the University Perculiar Personnel and Payroll System, U3PS, and the the University Transparency Accountability Solution, UTAS, outscored the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System, IPPIS, during the integrity tests conducted by NITDA, affiming that ASUU ‘s peculiarities will be accommodated in whatever platform that may me adopted.

He further said that currently the IPPIS has been made to accommodate the issue of sabbatical for lecturers.

He also debunked the report that UTAS had not been approved by government as the payment platform for university teachers.

He said that the government had proposed a new salary to the unions, which he said the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian University, SSANU; the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions, NASU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, have accepted in principle.

The minister, however, commended the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics for calling off its own strike.

Algerians Battle Deadly Forest Fires

By

Angel Gimalo

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August 18, 2022

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Algerians Have Inspected Damages To Parts Of A Zoo And A Charred Bus In The Northeastern Town Of El Kala After Deadly Forest Fires Swept Through The El Tarf Region, Killing At Least 38 People And Leaving Destruction In Their Wake.

Firefighters On Thursday Battled A String Of Blazes, Fanned By Drought And A Blistering Heatwave, That Have Killed At Least 38 People And Left Destruction In Their Wake.

Firefighters Are Also Battling A Large Blaze In The Mountainous Area Of Souk Ahras.

Lagos Bans Commercial Motorcycles In 4 Local Government Areas

By

Angel Gimalo

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August 18, 2022

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The Lagos State Government Has Banned Activities Of Commercial Motorcycles, Popularly Called Okada, In 4 Local Government Areas And 6 Local Council Development Areas Of The State.

This Development Is Effective From The 1st Of September, 2022.

The Latest Affected Councils Include Kosofe, Ikosi-Isheri, Oshodi-Isolo, And Mushin, Including The Respective Lcdas In The Areas.

Gov. Zulum Approves N30,000 Minimum Wage to Teachers in Borno

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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August 18, 2022

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The Borno state Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum has approved the immediate implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage to 4,491 qualified teachers under the payroll of Local Government Education Authority in the state with effect from August, 1, 2022.

Recall that the State Government under the leadership of Governor Zulum faced accusations in the social media last week that teachers working with public primary schools received monthly salary between N7,000 to N11,000 as take home pay.

Governor Babagana Zulum who just returned from Japan after an official engagements gave the approval while having meeting with the chairmen and members of the state Civil service and local government service commissions, Head of Service, as well members of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), and Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) at the Government House, Maiduguri on Wednesday.

Zulum also assured that promotion benefits of all state civil servants will be implemented from January 2022 to 2023 after promotional examination were conducted, stressing that if Yobe state can conduct promotional examination, what will stop Borno from doing so.

” The problems in the state civil service and the local government service commissions are enormous. Many people could not understand the complexity of problems we have at hand, but I assure you we are going to sit down and address them with time”, He added.

ASUU: No Presidential Order To End Strike In 2 Weeks- Minister

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

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August 18, 2022

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Nigeria’s education minister, Adamu Adamu has denied getting a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari to end the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in two weeks.

Adamu told State House Correspondents on Thursday that Buhari instead told him to resolve the issues within the shortest possible time, contrary to what the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, told the media.

ASUU and government representatives met on Tuesday after the president of the union Emmanuel Osodeke said the government agreed to adopt the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) as the payment platform of lecturers and suspend the strike.

The union strike has been on since February 14 over the government’s failure to implement its demands on salaries and allowances of lecturers, improved funding for universities as well as the adoption of UTAS against the federal government’s preferred payment platform — Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

While Tuesday’s meeting ended in a deadlock with no agreement between the government and ASUU, Adamu said he will not succumb to ASUU’s demand for their members to be paid the backlog of salaries withheld within the period of six months that they were on strike, noting that it is the penalty for their action.

The minister also disclosed that five of the university-based unions will likely call off their strike within the next one week while that of ASUU remains uncertain.

Adamu argued that in spite of the N2.5 trillion expended on education by President Buhari’s administration through the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFUND) as well as Universal Basic Education (UBEC), surpassing the N1.2 trillion demanded by ASUU, lecturers have maintained their position to embark on a needless strike.

However, he, noted that ASUU had begun consultations with their members to determine whether to call off their strike as well.

President Muhammadu Buhari last week appealed to the ASUU to call off the ongoing strike.

Buhari said negotiations had gone far, and for ASUU to continue the strike under such conditions was counterproductive.

The minister also faulted figures by UNICEF as well as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs pegging the number of out-of-school children at 10.5 million.

According to him, that figure has since 2020 declined to 6.9 million.

This is as he said the government has further recorded impressive enrollment in the last year, particularly in frontline states such as Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Gombe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Taraba, Rivers, and Ebonyi states