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Expect Another Electricity Tariff Hike Within Months — Presidential Aide Olu Verheijen Tells Nigerians

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Olu Verheijen, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on energy, says Nigeria’s electricity tariff will increase within months.

According to a report by Bloomberg on Friday, the presidential aide spoke at the Africa Heads of State Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

On April 3, 2024, the federal government approved a threefold increase in electricity tariff for customers under the Band A classification.

Verheijen explained that Nigeria’s power prices need to rise by about two-thirds (66 percent) for many customers to reflect the actual cost of supplying electricity.

She also emphasised that higher electricity tariffs must be balanced with subsidies for less-affluent consumers, as they are necessary to fund maintenance, improve reliability, and attract private investors into power generation and transmission.

  • ‘Nigeria To Implement Cost-Reflective Electricity Tariff’

The presidential aide said Nigeria is trying to resolve the transition to a cost-efficient but cost-reflective tariff to attract private investors.

“One of the key challenges we’re looking to resolve over the next few months is transitioning to a cost-efficient but cost-reflective tariff,” Verheijen said.

“So the sector generates revenue required to attract private capital, while also protecting the poor and vulnerable.”

She also highlighted that Nigeria’s power industry requires significant investment to meet its development goals.

The aide said out of the country’s 14 gigawatts of installed power, only eight gigawatts can be transmitted nationwide, while just four or five gigawatts can be directly delivered to homes and businesses.

“Your energy policies have to be closely linked with your own ambition for your country,” Verheijen said.

“Our own ambition is to be a $1 trillion economy in five years and to move to an upper-middle income country in 25 years.”

According to the report, Verheijen attended the World Bank-backed conference in Tanzania, where Nigeria presented a $32 billion plan to expand electricity connections by 2030.

It further explained that private investors are expected to contribute $15.5 billion, while the remaining funds will come from public sources, including the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

BIG STORY

BREAKING: Nigeria’s Inflation Rate Drops To 23.18%

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The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported a decrease in Nigeria’s inflation rate, which fell to 23.18% in February from 24.48% in January.

The announcement was made in the February 2025 Consumer Price Index (CPI) released by the NBS on Monday.

According to the bureau, the headline inflation rate in February increased slightly by “1.30% points when compared to the January 2025 headline inflation rate.”

The NBS stated:

“In February 2025, the Headline inflation rate eased to 23.18% relative to the January 2025 headline inflation rate of 24.48%.”

“Looking at the movement, the February 2025 Headline inflation rate showed a decrease of 1.30% compared to the January 2025 Headline inflation rate.”

On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 8.52% lower than the 31.70% recorded in February 2024.

The NBS further noted:

“This shows that the Headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) decreased in February 2025 compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e., February 2024), though with a different base year, November 2009 = 100.”

Additionally, the month-on-month inflation rate for February 2025 was recorded at 2.04%.

 

More to come…

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BIG STORY

Rivers Assembly Accuses Fubara, Deputy Of Misconduct, Issues Notice

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The Rivers State House of Assembly has issued a notice accusing Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, of alleged misconduct.

A total of twenty-six members of the assembly made these allegations against Fubara in a notice submitted to Speaker Martin Amaewhule on Monday.

According to the lawmakers, their actions are based on “Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and other existing laws.”

They accused Fubara of various offenses, including unconstitutional and reckless spending of public funds, hindering the Assembly’s activities, and appointing individuals to government positions without undergoing the required screening and confirmation.

Additional allegations include withholding salaries, allowances, and funds designated for the Rivers State House of Assembly, as well as blocking the salary of Clerk Emeka Amadi.

The lawmakers also accused Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu of “conniving and supporting the illegal appointment of persons to government positions without the required screening and confirmation.”

After receiving the notice, Amaewhule forwarded it to Fubara, stating that the allegations had been brought forward by “not less than one-third (1/3) of the membership of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”

He then urged the governor to respond to the allegations, citing Section 188(3) of the Constitution, which states, “Within 14 days of the presentation of the notice to the Speaker of the House of Assembly (whether or not any statement made by the holder of the office in reply to the allegation contained in the notice), the House of Assembly shall resolve by motion, without any debate, whether or not the allegation shall be investigated.”

Amaewhule further advised the governor to take appropriate action and extended his “esteemed regards.”

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BIG STORY

BREAKING: Lagos Court Orders Oba Otudeko To Appear For ‘N30bn Fraud’ Trial

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The Federal High Court in Lagos has instructed Oba Otudeko to appear before the court and enter a plea in response to the charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The directive was issued on Monday by Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke.

The EFCC had previously filed a 13-count charge against Otudeko and three others over an alleged N30 billion loan fraud.

During the proceedings, the judge ruled that Otudeko must take his plea before the court could address an application contesting its jurisdiction in the matter.

The case has been adjourned to May 8.

 

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