The Special Adviser to the President on Infrastructure, Mr. Ahmed Zakari, gave the warning at a stakeholders’ engagement on electricity tariff, organised by the FGN/NLC-TUC ad-hoc committee.

Zakari said, “We have made it clear through the regulator’s direct order as well as the intervention from the Ministry of Power that these meters are to be provided to Nigerians at no cost.

“Even for metres that will be paid for through the MAP, there is a directive from the regulator to the discos that they need to find a way to reimburse citizens over time.

“If we find any disco or its representatives selling these metres or exploiting Nigerians to be able to get them, we will sanction such disco.”

According to him, the presidential directive was that metres should be made available to Nigeria free of charge and that they must be produced locally in order to create jobs and revive our industry.

“Though it is our belief that everyone will be obliged to do the right thing, we will still be vigilant and monitor developments,” Zakari said.

In his address, the Minister of State for Power, Mr Festus Keyamo, said that the committee had been working to achieve an equilibrium figure that would reflect the true price and value for the service of the electricity consumed.

“We are not working from answer to question but from question to answer.

“To ask if there will be an increase or a decrease is premature. What we are doing is a honest and open fact- finding. We want to question the rationale for the service reflective tariff,” he said.

According to Keyamo, the aim is to ensure that consumers are not strangulated by unnecessary exploitative tendencies of the discos and that the discos too are kept afloat so that they can employ more workers and deliver quality service to Nigerians.

“We are not saying service delivery will automatically mean price increase. We are only saying there should be an acceptable equilibrium figure that everybody will be happy about.

“And that means that the discos can be kept afloat to deliver services without having to go and look for money to subsidise their operations.

“It is also to ensure that the ordinary consumer is not cheated but is made to pay the actual price for the service being rendered and that is why it is called service reflective tariff,” he said.

The minister further said that whatever consensus reached at the end of the day would form the agreement between the government and labour as far as electricity was concerned.

Also speaking, the representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, Messrs Oroho’omhen Ebhommhen and Joe Ajaero respectively, said that the committee would address issues raised by the consumers and ensure that issues on electricity tariff were resolved amicably.

In his remarks, Mr John Ayodele, the acting Managing Director of IBEDC, said that the issue of banding was being fine tuned, notwithstanding the current challenges.

Some of the electricity consumers, who spoke at the event, identified estimated billings and lack of metres as part of the major challenges facing the sector.

Source: NAN

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The minister tendered an apology on Tuesday in an address delivered when he led a delegation from the ministry on a visit to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, at the National Assembly, Abuja.

Ngige said: “Having visited your domain to the Joint Committee on Labour, Productivity and Employment over some issues of the Special Public Works Programme of the Federal Government, a programme that was designed by the Executive with the legislature, if the Executive makes a proposal and it is not funded, then that proposal will be dead on the table.

“We deeply regret the incident that happened, the altercation that followed it, between my Minister of State and members of the Joint Committee.

“Therefore, we decided that as a team, we would come with full force and give the necessary information that we need so that we can fast track this programme which was designed from the office of the President before the COVID-19.

“We must work hand-in-hand without acrimony or even drawing a very rigid line of who has this power and who doesn’t. That is the only way the programmes of government can be made sustainable and executed for the benefit of our people.

“In the Seventh Senate, the National Assembly didn’t have a rancorous relationship with the Executive of Dr. Ebele Jonathan, even though some of us were in the opposition parties.

“We came to the Eighth National Assembly, we had a very terrible experience for the legislature and executive, because when you go into such wars, wars are fought with bullets and you do not know who these bullets will touch.

“Many people became casualties to the extent that even the head of the legislature at the time had to be taken to the Code of Conduct for criminal charges and trial.

“Today, in the Ninth Senate, we are enjoying a robust relationship with the legislature. Some of us who have passed through this institution, will do everything possible to maintain that relationship.

“Therefore, Mr. President, I apologise on behalf of my Ministry for what took place the last time, and I hope this apology will be taken by members of the Committee and the entire National Assembly, because I’m aware and I know that a Committee is a representative of the whole. The committee room is an extension of our hallowed chambers.

“I, therefore, request that we forgive and forget. Let us turn a new page and start off on this programme which the National Assembly has indicated that they’ve suspended. We can’t suspend forever programmes that affect our people.

“This is an intervention programme by which the government wants to put in N52 billion into the economy. In fact, those who are impoverished by the lockdown of the pandemic can get some relief.”

The Senate President in his response explained that the decision by the National Assembly to approve the sum of N52 billion as requested by the Executive for the Special Public Works Programme was mainly out of confidence in the National Directorate of Employment, NDE, to implement accordingly.

He stated that the Ministry of Labour, Productivity and Employment only has a supervisory role to play in the implementation of the programme designed to recruit 774,000 Nigerians.

“When Mr. President presented the request for the appropriation of N52 billion for Public Works, the National Assembly Committees scrutinized and recommended to the plenary of the two chambers the same request without any change, while recommending the passage.

“The National Assembly passed that request feeling convinced that this is one programme that is needed in this country especially at this time.

“But we were also conscious of one thing, who should implement the programme? That was one of our considerations. Even the Executive requested that the National Directorate for Employment (NDE) should implement the programme, and we agreed with that for the following reasons.

“NDE has been in existence since 1996, and is established by law, and that was our reason for keeping the money in NDE to implement as an agency.

“NDE has six zonal offices and thirty seven state offices, including the FCT, and close to 700 local government representative officers across the country.

“They have a staff strength of over 2,200, and therefore, NDE is primed to undertake such a project because it has the capacity. The Ministry of Labour at the headquarters has no such capacity.”

According to Lawan, the ministry’s involvement in the implementation of the programme runs contrary to the provisions of the law which only empowers NDE to make procurements.

“When the National Assembly passes a legislation and it is assents to the legislation, it becomes law. Now your task will be to supervise the NDE, because as a minister your job is to be on the NDE to give you how they intend to go about it and supervise the implementation, and not to carry out the implementation itself.

“Ours (National Assembly) by design of constitutional arrangement is to ensure that we do oversight on this programme.

“There’s no way we can pass N52 billion and then not take interest in how this money will be paid. In fact, only NDE can undertake the procurement process, you can’t in the ministry. How can you even contemplate taking the implementation?”

The Senate President described as null and void all earlier actions taken by the Ministry of Labour, Productivity and Employment to commence implementation of the Special Public Works Programme.

“Our committees were right to request for the explanation of the modalities. We stand by our committees, and in total support of the suspension of the programme. In fact, any action taken before now is null and void. You are going to start all over.

“You said there’s need for a fresh start. When you go for your meeting with the committee, once you engage then NDE starts to put the structure on how the 20-man selection committee will be realised, how the one thousand people in every local government will be selected or identified, how the programme will be judged successful or fail.

“I want to assure you Honourable Minister that we are going to support you all the way to make sure this programme is successful, but you don’t have our support of the ministry ventures into it.

“We will continue to insist that the ministry should have no role more than supervision of this programme. And if the ministry goes ahead, that means it will be breaking the law because the budget is a law,” Lawan said.

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He expressed gratitude that the president found him versatile enough to be moved around.

Keyamo tweeted:  “On the move again: Two portfolios in two months!

“Just been redeployed to the Ministry of Labour and Employment to work with my long-time big brother, H.E, Chris Ngige.

“Thank you, Mr President for finding me versatile enough to move around. Always ready to serve in any capacity.”

The redeployment of Keyamo was announced on Tuesday in a statement by the Director of Information at the Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey.

Keyamo swapped position with Tayo Alasoadura.

Alasoadura who was in the Ministry of Labour and Employment has been moved to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs where Keyamo was.

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Atiku who is the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had called for a probe of Buhari’s family which he accused of owning large amount of shares in Etisalat and Keystone Bank.

In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Festus Keyamo, the APC Presidential Campaign Council said the refutal by the investors in Etisalat and Keystone Bank had proved Atiku’s allegation wrong.

He called on the PDP presidential candidate to apologise to Nigerians and especially the family of the president over allegation of corruption.

The statement reads in full:

“The widely published refutal by investors in Etisalat and Keystone Bank that the family members of President Buhari have nothing to do with both companies is another indication of the fast-collapsing campaign of the Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and that of the PDP.

“The result of the fact-check which was published in some news outlets, clearly shows the depth of desperation, deceit and debauchery to which the Atiku campaign has sunk. They have no moral compass, no scruples, no direction in their present attempt to smear just everyone in sight in order to run a campaign of ‘we-are-all-corrupt.’

“Rather than respect the feelings of Nigerians by offering clear-cut responses to straight-forward allegations of tax-evasion,  grand corruption in and out of office, impending sealed indictment waiting for him in the US, Atiku Abubakar has decided to drag the world down with him as he goes down in a blaze of infamy. He has decided to go wild with unsubstantiated allegations against the President and Vice President, throwing caution to the wind in the process.

“We alerted the public about this impending avalanche of fake news a few days ago. This is the classic hallmark of a sinking campaign boat, clutching at straws, as Nigerians have woken up to the realisation that these are deceitful people who have nothing to offer. That is how its Vice-Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, was reeling out false statistics with a straight face throughout the Vice-Presidential debate. Till today, he has not apologized to Nigerians for taking them for a ride. It is a real shame.

“We call on Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the PDP to apologize to Nigerians and especially the family of the President for adopting this unwholesome tactics and telling tales by moonlight that have clearly backfired.

“The public space is now full of jokes about President Buhari buying the whole of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the National Stadium and even the Presidential Villa.

“Instead of making a mockery of a serious campaign with such infantile lies, Atiku Abubakar should admit it is all over for him and the PDP, throw in the towel and endorse the candidacy of President Buhari. We would be sad to see that happen because democracy desires a healthy contest, a serious challenger and a competent opposition. But as it is, with nothing more to campaign about, it is the only way for him and his party to save face and still retain some modicum of honour before the Nigerian people for future engagements – that is if they survive this massive rejection by the Nigerian people as a result of their bare-faced lies.”

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