The Petroleum Products Marketing Company , a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation , has increased the ex- depot price of Premium Motor Spirit , also known as petrol , to N151 . 56 per litre from N138 . 62 per litre .
This was disclosed in an internal memo from Ibadan depot to all stakeholders with reference number PPMC /IB /LS / 020 dated September 2 , 2020 and signed by D. O Abalaka .
The ex – depot price is the price at which the product is sold to marketers at the depots.
The memo, a copy of which was seen by our correspondent, said , “ Please be informed that a new product price adjustment has been effected on our payment platform .
” To this end, the price of Premium Motor Spirit ( PMS ) is now one hundred and fifty- one naira , fifty- six kobo ( N151 . 56 k ) per litre. This is effective from September 2 , 2020 . ”
Authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University , Ile Ife , told the public to disregard a circular purportedly issued and signed by the university Registrar on reopening plans .
A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the university, Abiodun Olarewaju, said the Federal Government that shut the institution in the wake of COVID- 19 pandemic , had not reversed the order .
The statement read in parts , “The university Management wishes to officially inform our students at all levels , their parents and guardians that the said circular is fake and malicious both in content and context and it should be disregarded in its entirety.
“ Obafemi Awolowo University is a Federal Government- owned institution and the instruction to go on recess in the wake of COVID- 19 pandemic , in the month of March 2020 , by the Federal Government has not been reversed . ”
The pump price of petrol should be closer to N155 per litre, the Chairman of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria , Mr Adetunji Oyebanji , has said .
Oyebanji , who is the managing director/ chief executive officer of 11 Plc ( formerly Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc ) , said this on CNBC Africa .
Petrol price was increased by marketers to between N 148 and N150 /litre in August , as the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency remained silent as regards the guiding retail price for the month .
Following the sharp drop in crude oil prices which led to the reduction in the pump price of petrol in March , the PPPRA had said it would advise the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and oil marketing companies on the monthly guiding retail price at which the product shall be sold across the country.
Oyebanji said the under – recovery of N5 . 35 bn recorded by the NNPC in June had to do with the inventory losses that would have occurred because of the reduction in prices at the time .
He said , “ However , going forward , we still note that there is still an element of subsidy because when you look at the prices that were posted for the month of August , for instance , NNPC is still retailing petrol at N145 when really the price should be closer to N155 .
“ If you look at the template the PPPRA has been using in setting prices , you will find that if you just apply even the official exchange rate and Platts for the month of August , prices at the pump should be significantly higher than where there are today .
“ Obviously , something is not clear as to what really is happening . We suspect that there may be some issues to do with how margins are being applied to the various operators and the various subheadings within the template.
“ So , we will continue to work with government to try and get clarification on this subject but definitely , it is very clear that there is still an element of subsidy . ”
Oyebanji said the marketers would continue to engage the relevant agencies of government , particularly the PPPRA , to get an increase in their margins .
Electricity consumers , labour unions and key stakeholders in the economy has kicked against increase in electricity tariff implemented by power distribution companies across the country .
Those that spoke to newsmen on the tariff adjustments included the Nigeria Labour Congress which vowed to resist the increase , the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria which said the hike could precipitate recession in the third quarter of the year , the and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry .
The NLC said the hike would further impoverish Nigerians .
The congress argued that the implementation of the new tariff was despite the resolution of the Senate and the direct orders of the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd ) , that the decision by the electricity distribution companies on tariff should be suspended until further notice .
NERC and the Discos had said that the new service reflective tariff took effect from September 1 ( Tuesday ) .
The Discos said on Tuesday that electricity customers , except those receiving less than 12 hours of supply, would have to pay more.
With the review , the tariffs being charged residential consumers receiving a minimum of 12 hours of power supply has increased by over 70 per cent.
The NLC President , Ayuba Wabba , said the move would be resisted and cautioned the DISCOs against going ahead with the implementation of the new electricity tariff .
He stated this in a statement titled ‘ Increase in electricity tariff by Abuja DISCO – A taunting of the will of the Nigerian people gone too far ’ .
Wabba said , “The DISCOs appear to have given themselves the ignoble tasks of taunting and testing the will of the Nigerian people.
“Abuja DISCO has adorned the robe of the protagonist with its recent announcement of a new tariff plan for electricity consumers within the sphere of its service area.
“ This move is despite the resolution of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and even the direct orders of Mr President himself that the plans by DISCOs to hike electricity tariff should be suspended until further notice .
“ We are not aware of any order by the government or the elected representatives of the Nigerian people de – freezing the order to suspend any plans to inflict more pocket and psychological trauma on Nigerians by way of reckless and insensitive hike in electricity tariff . ”
The union pointed out that since the unbundling of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria , electricity tariffs through the Multi -Year Tariff Order had been increased a number of times without accompanying improvement in services.
“ Each hike in electricity tariff in Nigeria is trailed by huge leap in the hours of darkness, de – metering of more Nigerians , exponential rise in incidences of estimated billing , and increased burden on citizens for the procurement of equipment and facilities for public electricity supply amidst other devious methods by DISCOs to cheat , exploit and despoil poor Nigerians , ” Wabba said .
The NLC boss said it totally rejected any plan to inflict further pain on Nigerians “at this very time of great economic distress , ” insisting that “ the new dribble by the Abuja DISCO is dead on arrival as it will be resisted by the Nigerian working class and people. ”
It warned other DISCOs not to bother “ putting their ships of exploitation to sail . ”
The congress equally expressed concern on the “ deaf and dumb posture” of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission .
The union added, “ It is important to put it on record that NERC would be putting its name on the wrong side of history if it continues to play the Ostrich while a group of portfolio investors make a blood meal of Nigerians .
“Nigerian electricity consumers need the NERC to speak up and act in the defense of the rights of the Nigerian people. ”
“ Following consultations and directions on tariff policy , the commission hereby approves a deferment of the applicable tariffs for customers in service bands D and E ( that is customers with a service commitment of less than an average of 12 hours supply per day over a period of one month ) for the period September 1 , 2020 to January 1 , 2021 , ” NERC said in a document seen by newsmen .
It said the Discos would only be allowed to charge those customers the new tariffs upon investments that improve the quality of service experience , “ thus migrating customers to higher service bands or another order of the commission . ”
According to NERC and the Discos, the new tariff is based on the hours of electricity supply available to the customers .
Customers are categorised into maximum demand and non -maximum demand customers , as against the previous categories of residential , commercial and industrial customers , with different bands ( A to E ) depending on the level of supply .
Maximum demand customers are those who consumer high levels of electricity , within the threshold of 45 kVA consumption and above , according to NERC .
For Ikeja Electric , a residential customer on single phase receiving a minimum of 12 hours of supply will now pay N42 . 73 per kilowatt – hour , up from N21 . 30 per kWh .
For Eko Electricity Distribution Company , a residential customer on single – phase receiving a minimum of 12 hours of supply will now pay N43 . 01 per kWh, up from N 24 per kWh .
For Abuja Electricity Distribution Company , a residential customer on single – phase receiving between 12 to 16 hours of supply will now be charged N45 . 69 per kWh, up from N24 . 30 per kWh.
Kaduna Electric announced on Twitter on Monday night that residential customer on single – phase receiving between 12 and 16 hours will be charged N50 . 10 per kWh , compared to the old tariff of N26 . 37 per kWh .
A residential customer receiving a minimum of 12 hours of supply from Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company will now pay N53 . 97 per kWh , up from N24 . 97 per kWh .
The Speaker of the House of Representatives , Femi Gbajabiamila , will on Wednesday , travel to Ghana as part of moves to resolve the issues arising from the $ 1 m levy imposed by the West African countries on traders from Nigeria.
Gbajabiamila told State House correspondents at the end of a meeting he had with the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ) , at the Presidential Villa , Abuja, that he had received Buhari ’ s nod to embark on the trip .
The Federal Government through the Minister of Information and Culture , Lai Mohammed , had last week said it would no longer accept the humiliation of Nigerians by Ghana .
Ghanaian authorities have since responded to the statement , saying Mohammed ’ s claims on the issue and previous ones were inaccurate .
But Gbajabiamila said he would be embarking on what he called “ legislative diplomacy ” trip to Ghana .
He said the purpose was for him to meet with his Ghanaian counterpart with a view to resolving the matter .
The speaker said , “ I am leaving for Ghana tomorrow ( Wednesday ) to meet with the Speaker of the parliament in Ghana to look at the issues on ground as they affect our citizens and to try and calm things down and see if there is a way forward .
“ I will meet with the Speaker tomorrow (Wednesday ).
“ I informed the President and he is aware of every single step that we are taking, all the way and we hope that we will come to an amicable settlement one way or the other .
“ It is called legislative diplomacy . If you remember very well, during the days when I was Leader of the House, I led the delegation to South Africa during the crisis there with Nigerians and we were able to accomplish quite a bit, to simmer things down at that time . ”
The Speaker said he would not be going to Ghana with any specific demands.
“ No demands, we are just going to discuss in the spirit of African parliaments and we will be looking at issues from time to time as they affect African countries , and this is one of them.
“ I don ’ t want to make any statement at this time so that we don ’ t exacerbate matters.
“ Like I said , we are looking for amicable solutions. The Ghanaians have their take on what is going on , we have our own take . We will see how we can marry the two takes and come to a solution .
“ We are two strong West African countries and there must be symbiosis , we must work together . You don ’ t get anything from working at cross purposes or knocking heads together . We must , at all times , as Africans , work as best as possible together and that ’ s what this my trip is about . ”
Mali ’ s junta , which seized power in a coup last month , will hold transition talks with political parties and civil society groups this weekend, an official said.
The August 18 putsch has prompted Mali ’ s neighbours along with ally and former colonial ruler France to call for a swift transfer of power , amid worries over instability in a country struggling with an Islamist insurgency , ethnic violence , and economic malaise.
The military rulers have this time invited to the talks the June 5 Movement , which spearheaded a protest movement that led to the toppling of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita .
The movement was not invited for transition talks last Saturday when the junta called off discussions at the last minute .
The June 5 group has demanded that the military rulers give it a role in the transition to civilian rule which the military has promised , without setting a timetable .
Mali ’ s influential imam Mahmoud Dicko , a key player in the mass opposition protests that led to Keita ’ s ouster, said the junta did not have “ carte blanche ” .
“ We will not give a blank cheque to anyone to run this country, that ’ s over , ” he said .
“ We led the fight, ” he said . “ People have died and the soldiers who have completed ( this fight ) must keep their word . ”
In a surprise move, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved an increase in electricity tariff with effect from September 1 , 2020 ( today ).
This comes three months after the tariff hike implementation slated for July 1 was halted by the National Assembly , which prevailed on the distribution companies to shelve the date to the first quarter of 2021 due to the current economic challenges in Nigeria .
But a NERC document seen by The PUNCH, showed that electricity customers , except those receiving less than 12 hours of supply, would have to pay more for electricity starting from September 1 , 2020 .
According to the document , the new tariff is based on the hours of electricity supply available to the customers .
Customers are categorised into maximum demand and non -maximum demand customers , as against the previous categories of residential , commercial and industrial customers , with different bands ( A to E ) depending on the level of supply .
For Ikeja Electric , a residential customer on single – phase receiving a minimum of 12 hours of supply will now pay N 42 . 73 per KWh, up from N21 . 30 per kWh.
For Eko Electricity Distribution Company , a residential customer on single – phase receiving a minimum of 12 hours of supply will now pay N43 . 01 per kWh, up from N 24 per kWh .
For Abuja Electricity Distribution Company , a residential customer on single – phase receiving between 12 to 16 hours of supply will now be charged N45 . 69 per KWh, up from N24 . 30 per kWh.
Kaduna Electric announced on Twitter on Monday night that non – MD receiving between 12 and 16 hours will be charged N50 . 10 per KWh, adding that the tariffs for customers receiving less than 12 hours had been temporarily frozen.
“ Following consultations and directions on tariff policy , the commission hereby approves a deferment of the applicable tariffs for customers in service bands D and E ( that is customers with a service commitment of less than an average of 12 hours supply per day over a period of one month ) for the period September 1 , 2020 to January 1 , 2021 , ” NERC said .
It said the Discos would only be allowed to charge those customers the new tariffs upon investments that improve the quality of service experience , “ thus migrating customers to higher service bands or another order of the commission . ”
Students of the Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, are to resume in batches beginning from September, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, SAN, disclosed this.
Speaking on a radio interview monitored in Lagos, he explained that 400, 500 and 600 levels students would resume first before other levels of students would come onboard.
The 400, 500 and 600 levels students would resume for a duration of two months with intensive lectures starting from 9am – 3pm daily for those that live off-campus.
After the completion of 400 level,500 level and 600 level resumption; students in 200 level and 300 level are to resume for two months of lectures before the commencement of exams.
Resumption for the students in 200 level and 300 level was divided into different days of the week.
On Mondays and Wednesdays, 300 level students would be on campus for lectures.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, 200 level students would be on campus in order to maintain social distancing.
Fagbohun said the decision was in a bid to protect the lives of the students and staff of Lagos State University and to prevent contracting the Coronavirus disease.
The VC noted that all precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 had been put in place by the management.
“Regular hand washing is very important as the university has provided taps and soap dispenser in the school.The use of facemask is compulsory.
“In line with the NCDC requirement for medical facilities, Lagos State University has a COVID-19 team to keep the university on its toes in ensuring compliance. Isolation places have been provided in the university. “There are waiting areas and consultations rooms available in the Lagos State University.With the prepared roadmap, Lagos State University is prepared to accommodate students and visitors. Visitors are implored to kindly comply with the laid-down rules,” he said.
The university recently conducted online examinations for postgraduate students.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has lifted the suspension on the printing of admission letters, and inter – university transfers among others.
The organisation said with the development, “ all requests for printing of admission letters, inter -university transfers, condonement of illegitimate admissions and other processes for previous years which had been hitherto suspended would now be restored from Monday , August 31 2020 . ”
The Head of Media and Public Relations in JAMB , Dr Fabian Benjamin , made the announcement in a statement in Abuja on Sunday .
He said , “ To ensure that candidates who took the UTME prior to 2020 , and who require certain corrections of their processes are accommodated , JAMB has lifted the suspension earlier placed on processes covering those years .
“ However , it is to be noted that most of these operations are only available at JAMB offices nationwide . Furthermore, as the Board is desirous of sustaining compliance with COVID- 19 protocols, it maintains that 2020 UTME candidates desirous of these services will only be attended to through the Appointment Booking Platform which they could access online through their phones to secure a definite date and time for an appointment .
“ The Board urged all State offices to ensure that all clients comply with all existing COVID – 19 protocols. To ensure that candidates who took the UTME prior to 2020 , and who require certain corrections of their processes are accommodated , the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has lifted the suspension earlier placed on processes covering those years .
“ As you may be aware, the need to prevent overcrowding at its Computer -Based Test Centres and other partner facilities , in line with extant COVID – 19 protocols issued by relevant agencies , led it to allow candidates to seek corrections and other processes only through the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination or Direct Entry platforms . This measure had the intended effect of limiting the number of persons visiting the centres .
“ As the government continues to ease the lockdown leading to the resumption of students in exit classes , the number of 2020 UTME candidates needing one service or another at the various centres has drastically gone down , thus , the Board has decided to open up its platforms to accommodate more requests especially from previous years .
“ Therefore , all requests for printing of admission letters, inter – university transfers, condonement of illegitimate admissions and other processes for previous years which had been hitherto suspended would now be restored from Monday August 31 2020 .
“ However , it is to be noted that most of these operations are only available at JAMB offices nationwide . Furthermore, as the Board is desirous of sustaining compliance with COVID- 19 protocols, it maintains that 2020 UTME candidates desirous of these services will only be attended to through the Appointment Booking Platform which they could access online through their phones to secure a definite date and time for an appointment . ”
JAMB also urged all state offices to ensure that all clients comply with all existing COVID- 19 protocols.
The Federal Government has redeployed 13 permanent secretaries and deployed the 12 new ones inaugurated on Wednesday .
Fifteen out of the nation’ s 40 permanent secretaries will, however , remain in their current stations.
The circular conveying the redeployment and deployment was signed by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation , Dr Folasade Yemi -Esan .
The circular dated August 28 , 2020 , was marked HCSF/CMO / AOD / 012 /V . III /39 .
It read , “ His Excellency , President Muhammadu Buhari , GCFR has approved the deployment and re -deployment of the under listed permanent secretaries .
“ Accordingly , handing and taking over processes should be completed on the effective dates indicated . ”
For the 12 new permanent secretaries inaugurated by the President on Wednesday , Babangida Hussaini was posted to the Ministry of Defence ; Yerim Tarfa to Ministry of Labour and Employment; Bayayo Ardo to Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs ; Adaora Anyanwutaku to Ministry of Women Affairs ; Anthonia Ekpa to Ministry of Foreign Affairs ; and Oluwatoyin Akinlade to Ministry of Mines and Steel Development .
Others are Aliyu Mohammed – Special Services ( Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation ; Emmanuel Meribale – Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation – Service Policies and Strategy Office ; Monilola Udoh -Federal Civil Service Commission , Mamman Mahmuda – OHCSF – Career Management Office ; Bashir Alkali -Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs , Disaster Management and Social Development ; and Shuaib Belgore -Ministry of Interior .
For the 13 permanent secretaries that were redeployed , Chinyeaka Ohaa moves from Federal Capital Territory to Ministry of Power ; William Alo from Ministry of Labour and Employment to Ministry of Special Duties and Inter – Governmental Affairs ; Olusade Adesola from Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to FCT; Esther Jack from Ministry of Power to Ministry of Water Resources; and Akpan Sunday from Ministry of Mines and Steel Development to Ministry of Science and Technology .
Others are Ernest Umakhihe from OHCSF – Common Services Office to Ministry of Works and Housing ; Abel Olumuyiwa from FCSC to Ministry of Environment ; Maurice Mbaeri from Ministry of Police Affairs to OSGF -Generak Services Office ; and Festus Daudu from Special Duties and Inter -Governmental Affairs to OHCSF -Common Service Office .
The rest are Magdalene Ajani from OHCSF – Service Policies and Strategy Office to Ministry of Transportation ; Nebolisa Anako from Police Service Commission to Ministry of Information and Culture ; Aliyu Ahmed from Ministry of Finance ( Special Duties) to Ministry of Finance ; and Temitope Fashedemi from OHCSF Special Duties Office to Ministry of Police Affairs .
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