News: Pre-paid Meters is Free Now

On-phone chat with Principal Manager, Public Affairs, Eko Distribution Zone of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in Lagos,    Mr.  Godwin Idemudia conducted  by Ayo  Onikoyi
What does it really take to get a pre-paid meter?
For prepaid meter, as at June of 2012 the Federal Governmen stopped it that we should not be collecting money to distribute prepaid meters any more but before June we used to charge money for distribution of prepaid meters. We used to charge N25,000 for single phase while 3-phase meter was going for N55,000 but that was the practice in the past. What we used to do then was we used the money collected from the consumer to procure the meter and had it delivered to the consumer but as from June because of MITO we don’t collect money from our consumer again.

Godwin Idemudia

What happens now is that if you want a prepaid meter you applied, stating your address and other details then we come to inspect the property, essentially the load to know what you need and we start processing for procurement of the meter. As soon as we have the meter we deploy.
But we have heard reports that when you apply you are asked to accompany your application with certain sum of money. There is a particular case where an applicant was asked to pay N10,000
Excuse me, what zone is that if I may ask?
it is in Lagos state here
Please where exactly is that in Lagos? Because when you say in Lagos state we have different zones in Lagos state. So let me quickly let you know how Lagos is run. In Lagos, we have two distribution companies; namely, Ikeja and Eko Distribution Companies. Under Ikeja we have Ikorodu, Ipaja, Alimosho, Oshodi, Shomolu and the rest. Under Eko, we have Badagry, Festac, Ijora, Lekki, Victoria Island, Mushin, Ebute Metta and even up to Surulere. So the person you are talking about, it depends under which distribution zone he is but under my zone, Eko Distribution Zone, nobody will ask you for any amount of money. If there is any case of that nature please let me know immediately.

What about the access charge they charge monthly, is that official?
Yes. It is legal. Every consumer running a prepaid meter is expected to pay N500 monthly for using power. It is by law made mandatory by NERC.

Now the issue of ‘crazy bill’ some consumers have complained being charged differently and disparagingly higher from month to month after even having consumed relatively the same amount of energy. Some months they pay N3,000, N4,000 and some up to N15,000. Why is this?
See, people complain of this situation without really understanding the power supply situation and the power usage situation. What must have happened is that the time you were given a relatively low bill it could have been at that time the power supply to the area was rather low and subsequently the consumption was low thus the bill and  the reverse happens when power supply to that area increases. See, it is simple, with increase in supply all your appliances tend to be in use and of course you should expect a bill higher than when supply was low. It is not possible you get a bill that does not reflect the amount of power used in that period. The phenomenon of ‘’crazy bill’ does not exist any more. At least I can speak for my Zone, that nothing of such exists any more.

But there is a general idea that before PHCN sends out their bills they have a target with which they work out how much they charge each consumer, regardless of consumption.
Please, please, if you look at my own distribution zone, Eko Distribution Company, we have gone past that level. When we set target we do not set target for the customers we set target based on power allocation to each district and for the customer, the customer get bills relating to amount of power used. In Eko now, a lot of our customers are on prepaid system and we are still giving out. And if we found that your meter is faulty and the fault did not arise from tampering or any fault of the customer we come and replace immediately, without the customer paying a dime. Bills are paid on load, electricity given to you. At the beginning of every month we give electricity out, you know we buy electricity too from the transmission and transmission buys from generation. That is how it works. So the question of asking people to pay for electricity not consumed does not arise. It is just not possible. Electricity paid for is based on total unit of electricity consumed. Please if you have any case of this don’t hesitate to come to my office to report. Our office is opened to complaints from members of the public. From time to time we advertise numbers people can call to make all sorts of complaints. If there’s anybody trying to exhort money from you, please play along and make sure you get his name and numbers and get back to us and see what happens.
My argument is this and it stems from people’s reports that your people,PHCN, don’t read meters any more. I mean for people using the old meters. If your people don’t read meters any more how then are they able to make sure each consumer gets the exact bill of exact power used during the month? 
We have talked to our marketers times without number to make sure they cover the areas assigned to them and you, as a consumer, should know the marketer assigned to your area and you would be in a better position to know whether the marketer is working or not. So if a marketer does not show up to read your meter you make complaint at the nearest office.
The numbers of PROs in various districts are published in the papers from time to time for members of the public to report activities of our people. For instance on November 21st we are having our Customers Parliament, we invite everybody, that is when we talk with customers, journalists and other members of the public.

News: Registration Of Residents In Lagos Will Commence January

Nigeria’s Lagos State Government has set January 2013 for the commencement of the registration of the estimated 21 million people resident in the state, Mr Akin Akiniyi, the Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LSRRA),said today.
Akiniyi said the agency had commenced a pilot registration exercise with public servants, to test-run the project.
He said that the objective of the registration was to provide a database of all residents in the state for better planning and governance.
“Over 21 million people are estimated to be living in Lagos and there would be need for government to have their data base in its record.
“The registration exercise will be carried out in view of the security situation and the influx of illegal aliens into the state, Akiniyi said.
He said that all residents, irrespective of ethnic background, as well as foreigners– including tourists– would be captured in the exercise scheduled to hold between Jan. and March 2013.
“Government has the responsibility to cater for everyone residing in Lagos, regardless of the state or country they came from, “ he said.
Akiniyi said that resident identity card would be issue to those who would be captured during the exercise, to differentiate between legal residents and illegal immigrants.
He said that government would be able to accurately determine the overall resources required in formulating and implementing policies, projects and programmes, after the exercise.
Akiniyi advised all residents of the state to participate in the registration exercise to enable them gain access to government services.

News: Benue Speaker Resigned His Appointment.

The Speaker of Nigeria’s Benue State House of Assembly, Mr David Iorhemba, has resigned his appointment.
Iorhemba tendered his resignation letter to the Clerk of the House, Dr Torese Agena on Thursday.
The clerk, in turn, handed the letter to the Deputy Speaker, Dr Stephen Onmeje, who the read the letter to the members.
In the letter, Iorhemba said that he took the decision to protect the interest of his family and for other personal reasons, adding that his resignation took effect from Nov.8,2012.
After reading the letter, Onmeje invited members for comments.
Mr Baba Odeh, (PDP-Otukpo/Akpa), said he understood the wordings of the letter “well”, stressing that members did not have any other option than to accept the letter.
Odeh, therefore, moved a motion that the seat of the Speaker be declared vacant and should be filled without delay.
Mr Benjamin Adanyi (ACN-Makurdi South), who seconded the motion, noted that the former speaker did a honourable thing and ought to be commended.
Ruling on the matter, Onmeje noted that members had no objection to the resignation and declared the post of the speaker vacant.
At this juncture, some people suspected to be thugs, came into the chamber of the assembly and chased members out.

News: Presidency Rubbished Ribadu on Petroleum Special Task Force

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu

The Presidency on Thursday rubbished the Mallam Nuhu Ribadu-led Report on Petroleum Special Task Force. It said the report was incomplete and incapable of indicting anyone.

At a press conference in Abuja, President Goodluck Jonathan’s Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, based his criticism of the report on one of its paragraphs.

Okupe said the paragraph “is an obvious DISCLAIMER (emphasis his) issued by the committee on the entire report, makes it impossible under our laws to indict or punish anyone except, and until, the Federal Government fully verifies and reconciles the facts as recommended by the committee in its submission to the government.”

According to Okupe, the offending paragraph in the report says, “Due to the time frame of the assignment, some of the data used could not be independently verified and the task force recommends that the government should conduct such necessary verifications and reconciliations.”

Okupe blamed Ribadu for the politicisation of the report. He alleged that there was a major public disinformation campaign which, he said, was calculated to overheat the polity and incite Nigerians against the President because of the report.

He said, “For instance on his Facebook page a while ago, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu remarked that he resisted overtures to make him compromise the report and rather than compromising the report, he stayed on the side of the Nigerian people.

“His claim of an overture to him to compromise the report is perfidious and false. We respectfully enjoin Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to be patriotic enough to name the proponents of this compromise.

“If Ribadu claims that to be serving on the committee he is on the side of the Nigeria people, on whose side is President Jonathan whose idea it was in the first place to set up the task Force and approved the appointment of Mallam Ribadu as chairman of the committee?”

Okupe also blamed those who, according to him, leaked the report to the foreign media before it was submitted to Jonathan. He described the people who leaked the report as unpatriotic Nigerians.

The report, which was submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan last week Friday, indicts the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation for sundry economic crimes. The report became controversial after the media highlighted some of its findings and recommendations before it was submitted to Jonathan.

At the submission of the report to the President, a member of the committee, and a former Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Steve Oronsaye, openly disagreed with Ribadu. Orosanye alleged that the report did not enjoy the support of all members of the committee. Ribadu had countered, however, that Orosanye did not attend the meetings the committee held.

Okupe said the committee did not achieve the task assigned to it by the government when it was set up. He read from the covering note that accompanied the submitted report to buttress his point.

The covering note stated that “we have the pleasure of reporting the conclusion of the assignment given to the Petroleum Special Task Force in accordance with its Terms of Reference as laid out at the inauguration of the Task Force.”

But Okupe said this was not correct as the committee did not adhere to the terms of reference.

He said paragraph one of the Terms of Reference of the committee mandated it “to work with consultants and experts to determine and verify all petroleum upstream and downstream revenues (taxes, royalties, etc) due and payable to Federal Government of Nigeria.”

He added that the committee did not do this.

“Unfortunately and most regrettably, this paramount duty of the PRSTF committee could not be accomplished as stated in paragraph four of the covering letter signed by the Chairman, Ribadu and the Secretary of the committee,” he said.

Okupe said the committee had failed to carry out the very critical part of the assignment and instead passed on the duty of reconciliation and verification of the data to the government.

Though he described the report as incomplete, he however added that all the work needed to be done to rectify this would be done by the government. After this, he said a White Paper would be issued and its recommendations fully implemented by the government.

When contacted, Ribadu said he was out of Abuja and could not speak on the matter

News: Boko Haram Commander Absconded From Custody.

A top Boko Haram commander, Sani Mohammed has reportedly escaped from police custody in Abuja on Thursday.

The suspect who was arrested with another Boko Haram operative, Kabir Sokoto in January, 2012, allegedly escaped from the cell where he was kept with other terror suspects.

Though, the Force Headquarters claimed that no terror suspect escaped, security sources confirmed that Mohammed absconded from custody.

The details of his escape was however sketchy as at the time of filing this report.

A similar incident happened early this year when Sokoto, the alleged mastermind of the Christmas Day bombing of Saint Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, escaped from police custody at Abaji, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory.

Arrested at the Borno State Governor’s Lodge, Abuja, Sokoto was said to have escaped while being taken for a search of his apartment 24 hours later.

But Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said no terror suspect escaped from its custody, adding that a check of its records showed no such name as Mohammed on its list of detainees.

He said, “The police authority hereby informs the public that the information being circulated by TV Station is totally untrue and should be disregarded in its entirety.”

News: Jamb 2013 E-Registration is out !!!

We do hope you will find this site friendly enough to register for the forthcoming examination with ease. Please endeavor to study the Instructions  carefully before filling the form. You may decide to download the UTME Registration Template  and fill before filling the form online. Please keep your Card and Receipt properly and always Logout before quitting the system. All Enquiries should be sent ONLY to  UTME2013.info@jamb.gov.ng or  call 08072522813, 07031283713, 07031283662.
 
The Joint Admissions & Matriculation Board, Jamb has begun e-registration for the 2013 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.

This has been confirmed via Jamb's official Website and Registration Portal for  2013 is www.jamb.org.ng/Unifiedtme2013/

With the above website link now active, Jamb is now set to launch the purchase of their registration scratch cards at approved selling outlets nationwide.

However we advise candidates to register on the site anytime from now

News: Policeman Loses Four Children In A Fire Incident In Gusau, Zamfara

A police corporal, Jeremiah Yusuf, lost four children in a fire incident  at  Tudun-wada Quarters of Gusau, Zamfara, on Wednesday.
Yusuf said a neighbour’s house where he was receiving sympathisers, that “I watched all my children burn helplessly before me and I could not do anything to save them.”
Yusuf explained that he became aware of the incident at about 1am when his sister-in-law, rushed into his bedroom shouting that the four-bedroom house was on fire.
“When I woke up I noticed that even the mattress that I was lying on had also caught fire and that was when I thought of my children, who were all sleeping in the same room,’’ he said.
The bereaved corporal said that before he could do anything the ceiling had caved in and killed them.
He said that his wife had travelled to Benue with his last son, adding that she been informed of the incident.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Hassan Atto, urged Yusuf during a condolence visit to consider the tragedy as an act of God.
Atto promised that the State Government would assist him to cushion the effects of the loss.
The SSG said the government would reposition the Fire Service to meet eventualities, especially “as we enter into harmattan.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Usman Gwary, and the Divisional Police Officer of Tudun-wada Police Station, Abubakar Shika, had paid their condolence visits on the bereaved corporal

Job Vacancies: Nigerian Navy

About Nigerian Navy : Nigerian Navy is dated to 1914, when the northern and southern marine detachments were merged to form the Nigerian Marine Department

• NNBTS Batches 23 & 24 
• Online Registration Starts on the 29^th of October 2012 
• Closed on the 7^th of December 2012

1.		Candidates should possess any of the following educational and/Professional qualifications (see Guide to Candidates on Educational Requirements for Entry Category): a) West African School Certificate/Senior Secondary School Certificate. b) General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level. c) WAEC City and Guilds or London City and Guild. d) Ordinary National Diploma (OND). e) Any other educational qualification equivalent to those mentioned above. f) All candidates must produce their primary school leaving certificate. g) Candidates are to note that entry requirement into the following categories is SSCE or equivalent: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5 C1, D1, D2, D4, D5, D6, E1, E2, E3, E4, F1, G, H. Any other additional qualifications in these categories can only serve as an added advantage for selection into the branch and not for advancement. See the guide for details.
2.		Any candidate possessing higher educational/professional qualification, i.e. HND, BA,/BSC etc other than those stated in paragraph 1 (a-g) should not apply. Candidates are therefore warned that it is an offence to declare false education/professional qualification. This attracts outright withdrawal or dismissal.
3.		Any certificate or qualification not declared or tendered and accepted during the recruitment exercise is not acceptable after recruitment and cannot be tendered for the purpose of change of branch or advancement while in the Naval service. Only qualifications obtained through proper service provisions are tenable after joining.
4.		Applicants must be between the age of 18 - 21 years at the time of entry into the Training school for school certificate holders, while age 24 years of age is the acceptable limit for those with higher qualifications e.g. Nurses, NCE etc.
5.		Applicants must not be married.
6.		Candidate is required to print out Parent/Guardian consent Form and Local Government attestation form.
7.		Applicants must be of Nigerian origin by birth.
8.		Candidates with any of the following problems are NOT to apply: short sight, ear problem, previous orthopedic operation, flat foot, below the required height, fracture, stammering, or any natural disability.
9.		Applicants must be free from any previous conviction by court of law on criminal charges.
10.		Applicants must come to the recruitment centres with the following documents. a) Photocopies of Birth Certificate or Age Declaration. b) Photocopies of Credentials. c) Duly completed identification form to be signed by Chairman or Secretary of the candidate's LGA or by an officer of the rank of Commander, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) or Equivalent from candidate’s State of Origin. d) Duly completed Parent Consent form to be signed by Candidate's Parent or Guardian. e) Four passport photographs duly signed and stamped by (C) above f) Candidates are advised to bring the scratch cards of their NECO AND WAEC results to the recruitment centres.
11.		The completed application form is to be submitted online.
12.		Candidates will be required to produce original of all copies of credentials listed in paragraph 1 before recruitment.
13.		Any candidate suspected to have impersonated, forged or submitted false document(s) shall be disqualified from the recruitment exercise. Such candidate shall also be handed over to the police for prosecution.
14.		The period of recruitment is 4th of February 2013 to 10th of February 2013
15.		COMPUTER LITERACY IS AN ADDED ADVANTAGE FOR ALL CANDIDATES.
Support Lines:
Technical Support:		For Technical Support Please Call: 08104577415, 09-8704817, 09-8708475, 08078406568 or Email navy.support@swglobal.com available between 8:30am and 5:30pm
Application Support:		For Position / Course Requirement Enquires, Please Call Nigerian Navy on: 08104577415, 09-8704817, 09-8708475 , 08078406568

For more Information see : http://service.nigeriannavy.gov.ng/instruction.html

News: Two Chinese Nationals Killed By Gunmen In Borno

Gunmen in an unmarked Golf Volkswagen vehicle, yesterday, killed two Chinese nationals at a road site project in Benishiekh town in Borno State, just as two bomb blasts targeting soldiers rocked Mubi in Adamawa State, killing at least two civilians, according to the military.
The gunmen, who killed the Chinese nationals, also snatched their Sports Utility Vehicle, SUV, at 10.45am. Benisheikh is 72 kilometres West of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, and an epicenter of the Islamist sect.
According to an eyewitness and resident of Benishiekh, Yinus Abubakar, the gunmen came in two Golf Volkswagen vehicles in the morning and ambushed the Chinese engineers working on the Damaturu-Maiduguri dual carriageway and bridge.
He said: “We were shocked and terrified with the gunmen’s attacks and killings. We had to run into our houses, when we started hearing gunshots on the Damaturu road for 20 minutes, and fled towards Damaturu with the snatched vehicle of the engineers.”
Confirming the incident, yesterday, in a telephone chat in Maiduguri, Police Commissioner, Yuguda Abdullahi, said he heard that two foreign engineers working on the Damaturu-Maiduguri dual carriage way were attacked by unknown gunmen.
He said no arrest had been made, as investigations have commenced.
Meanwhile, in the Adamawa incident, residents said children were hurt in the blast at Kashuwar Sanu (cattle market) in the town of Mubi, which went off as a convoy of military vans drove through.
“There was an explosion that targeted a military patrol team, but the explosion missed the target.” as none of the patrol vans were affected but two civilians were killed,” said Brigadier-General John Nwaogu, the top Military Commander in the area.