Tag Archives: Lament

Electricity Distribution Companies Lament Energy Theft

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Electricity distribution companies in the country have raised alarm over what it described as rampant energy theft among consumers, especially in rural communities.

The DISCOS also denied extortion in the electricity billing system, noting that consumers were billed based on what was read on the grid.

Representative of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) , Adeniyi David while speaking at the lunch of a new crime reporting and security-management system targeted at tracking and reporting criminal activities, noted that bypass of meters was still at an alarming rate in Nigeria.

“Billing is not based on what consumers are consuming. If you see anybody stealing power, know that he is the one causing the problem; energy theft is the problem. Bypassing of meter is still a problem in the country. If people are reporting the theft and vandalism, then the problem will be low,” he said.

Also, the CEO of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Ernest? Mpwaya, noted that the firm had to leverage on technology in order to deliver better services.

He assured that the company would integrate its in-house measure of responding to vandalism of its facilities with the new application, said survival and sustenance of the business was key.

Mpwaya said that the new initiative would provide the firm with additional capacity and visibility to be able to interact with the customers.

The initiative, which involves sending security reports and complaints through Hawk Eye Application, was also intended to reduce the high-level of vandalism of power as well as oil and gas facilities which had negatively impacted the power sector.

Speaking at the launch weekend in Abuja, the chief executive officer of Hawk Eye, Kayode Aladesuyi, disclosed that the free application could equally be used to report security threats and potential dangers in any part of the country.

He said that the firm which developed the application was undertaking the pilot phase of the roll-out with electricity distribution companies to curtail damages done to their facilities and help them improve on their service delivery.

He expressed sadness at the situation where about 150 persons were said to have been electrocuted in 2015, and said that residents can use the opportunity of the application to inform their neighbours of areas that posed risk for them.

According to him, the action of people stealing power can, as well, be reported through the new application.

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Aso Rock Security Operatives Lament One Year Unpaid Allowance- Report

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Some security operatives attached to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, are currently groaning under heavy debts as a result of the stoppage of their special allowance referred to as the Risk Cautious Allowance, according to Punch.

They have not been paid the monthly allowance since May 2015 when the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came on board despite repeated promises made to them on the issue.

The security officers include those of the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Intelligence Agency, the Federal Road Safety Commission and the Fire Service among others.

Some of the security operatives, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Tuesday, lamented that they had not been able to meet their various financial obligations because of the development.

They said despite this, authorities of the Presidential Villa kept introducing additional security measures that further tasked them daily.

A policeman said that because of the non-payment of the allowance, some policemen, who could no longer afford increasing transport fares, had converted their beats to temporary homes.

“It is not easy! We can no longer cope with the increase in transport fare. Policemen are now passing the night at their beats. In the evening, you can go to Gate 4 and 5 among other spots in the Villa to confirm this,” he said.

Another operative, a soldier, said they were feeling the brunt of the non-payment of the allowance more because most of them were junior officers who collected far less than N50,000 monthly as salary.

“I could not pay the school fee of my daughter last term. Another term is starting soon. Most of us are junior officers with less than N50,000 as salary. We always augment our salary with this small allowance but they have denied us of it,” he lamented.

Another security operative said it was not fair for the authorities to remain silent in the face of the growing disquiet over the issue.

He said the right thing to do was for them to address the operatives on efforts being made to pay them and when the payment would be done.

He added that the last they heard on the matter was when the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, directed all operatives in the Presidential Villa to fill some forms running into about five pages.

He said not satisfied with the arrangement, heads of about two security agencies asked their men not to fill the forms.

Credit: Punch

Shiites Lament Inability To Access El-Zakzaky

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Members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, popularly known as Shiites, have raised alarm that they are being frustrated by the DSS and Police to have access to their leader, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.

This they said has prevented them from submitting their memorandum to the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kaduna State government to investigate the bloody clash between them and the Nigerian Army in Zaria on December 12, 2015.

At the resumed sitting of the commission on Monday, counsel to the movement, Festus Okoye, told the commission that all efforts by the Shiites’ legal team or its members to have access to El-Zakzaky were unsuccessful in spite of several meetings they had with the DSS and Police authorities in Abuja.

He attributed the delay by the group to submit its memorandum to the commission to inability of the members to meet with their leader who is believed to be in custody of the Department of State Security (DSS) in the Federal Capital Territory.

On his part, counsel to the Commission, Yusuf Ali (SAN), ?asked the commission to order the Attorney General of Kaduna State and the Attorney General of the Federation to liaise with him to see how they can have access to El-Zakzaky and get briefings from him.

Credit: ChannelsTv

Policemen Fighting Boko Haram Lament Non-Payment Of Allowances

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Policemen on counter-insurgency operations in the north-east region have complained about the non-payment of their allowances by the state governments.

Specifically, some policemen serving in Borno State told our correspondent that they have not been paid for about three months, while others who had just concluded their tour of duty alleged that they were under-paid.

“Before now, policemen on counter-insurgency operations in Borno State were paid N30,000, but this was later reduced to N15,000 due to the economic situation. Our set was paid N7,000 instead of N15,000 and we don’t know if this was done by the state government or by the police command,” a policeman, who felt shortchanged stated.

Another police officer who had just returned from the battle front after spending three months engaging Boko Haram terrorists, explained that he and his colleagues were not paid, but were asked to hold on by the police authorities.

“We were not paid a dime, we were simply informed that the allowances have not been paid by the state government. I don’t know why the police were treated this way, because I am sure they would not ask members of the armed forces to be patient,” the police officer said.

But the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, who confirmed the delay in the payment of the policemen, noted that the police high command was holding discussions with the governors of the north-eastern states over the non-payment of allowances to police personnel on counter-insurgency operations.

Arase who said this in response to questions during his meeting with Commissioners of Police on Wednesday in Abuja, admitted that the policemen had complained to his office about the non-payment of their allowances for about four months now.

Credit: Punch

Imo Residents Lament Purchase Of Petrol At 200 Naira

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Residents of Owerri, Imo State capital, have been groaning in agony over the lingering fuel crisis across Nigeria.

This is because many of them have had to stay over two days on long queues to buy petrol for 87 Naira per litre at Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) petrol stations.

Other independent petroleum marketers have been selling petrol at the rate of 200 Naira per litre, a situation which the people have bitterly complained about.

They appealed to the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, find a lasting solution to this problem, as it is crippling activities in all sectors in the state.

Credit: ChannelsTv

Governors Lament Mounting Wage Bill, Plan To Meet Buhari Again

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Nigeria’s Governors say they will seek more solutions to the inability of some states to pay its workers and meet other responsibilities.

The decision was reached at a meeting of the governors held in Abuja, which began at about 8:00pm local time on Wednesday.

At least 22 governors or their representatives were present at the Governors Forum seen as crucial, as some governors are still owing some worker salaries of several months.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, the governors said that they discussed sustainability of the wage bill of some states, which had been affected greatly by the dwindling revenue and allocation to states.

Credit: ChannelsTV

Retired Teachers Lament Non-Payment Of Pensions

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Some retired primary school teachers in Enugu State, on Wednesday, cried out over the non-payment of their pensions for about 27 months.

The elderly former teachers, who narrated tales of woe during a visit to the Enugu State House of Assembly, also said they were yet to be paid their gratuities since they retired in 2002.

The aggrieved pensioners urged the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Mr. Edward Ubosi, to come to their aid by facilitating the payment of the outstanding entitlements.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Chief Mathias Onovo disclosed that they had written several letters to the relevant authorities, demanding payment of their entitlements.

Unfortunately their persistent pleas had continued to fall on deaf ears, Onovo said.

Onovo added that many of the pensioners died as a result of difficulties occasioned by the non-payment of the outstanding entitlements.

Read More: punchng

Water Scarcity In Otuoke, Commuters Lament

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Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s hometown, Otuoke community in Bayelsa State, is lamenting on the issue of scarcity of potable water.

Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area, Mr. Elijah Ateki, at the weekend bemoaned the scarcity of water in the area.

Ateki told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Otuoke that lack of drinking water is the major problem in the community. According to him, the situation is due to the pollution of rivers in the area by oil spillage.

He said the community had suffered inadequate potable water over the years, and urged the State and Federal Governments to provide the people with potable water.

“Otuoke community depends on rivers and now that all the rivers are polluted by oil, it is difficult for us to get potable water here,” Ateki said.

Read More: thenationonlineng