NIGERIAN NOTCH

The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company has cleared the air over misleading information on the planned STS prepaid meter upgrade and the TID rollover. In a press statement made available to Nigerian Notch, by Emeka Ezeh, Head, Corporate Communications stated that, "the attention of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) has been drawn to an information/message which has gone viral on the social media, with part of its content misinforming and misleading our esteemed customers on the planned STS prepaid meter upgrade and the TID Rollover, compelling them to “recharge sufficiently before the 20th of February, to avoid being edged out of supply”. He said that EEDC wishes to state that this trending information did not emanate from any of the authorized communication platforms of the company and its content is misleading and factually incorrect. Customers are therefore urged not to engage in panic purchase of energy tokens and to disregard this misleading dir

A video of Nigerians celebrating their football team's victory over South Africa in the Africa Cup of Nations has gone viral on social media. In the clip, the Super Eagles fans taunt their rivals by pouring liquid over their bodies while singing the hit Water by South African singer Tyla. On Sunday, she won Best African Music Performance at the Grammys, beating several Nigerian superstars. Disappointed Nigerians responded by vowing revenge at the Afcon semi-final. Nigeria beat South Africa on penalties after the match added 1-1 on Wednesday night, sparking scenes of jubilation around the country. There is a long history of rivalry between Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, and South Africa, the continent's most advanced economy. The viral Water clip - which is being widely shared on WhatsApp across Nigeria - was filmed at Ahmadu Bello University in the northern city of Zaria. Hundreds of students gathered in the courtyard of their hall of residence to sing

US President Joe Biden has angrily criticised an investigation that found he mishandled top secret files and said he struggled to recall key life events. In a surprise news briefing on Thursday evening, Mr Biden insisted to media: "My memory is fine." He slammed a claim that he could not recollect when his son died, saying: "How the hell dare he raise that?" The inquiry found Mr Biden "wilfully retained and disclosed" classified files, but decided not to charge him. Department of Justice Special Counsel Robert Hur determined Mr Biden had improperly kept classified documents related to military and foreign policy in Afghanistan after serving as vice-president. The scathing 345-page report said the president's memory had "significant limitations". Mr Hur interviewed the 81-year-old president over five hours as part of the inquiry. The special counsel said Mr Biden could not recall when he was vice-president (from 2009-2017), or &quo

Senate Committee on Gas has alleged a plot by some operators of the Presidential Committee on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to blackmail and intimidate the committee to abandon its inquiry into the controversial award and disbursement of over N 100 billion of government gas development funds. The committee in a swift reaction yesterday pledged a harmonious working relationship with the minister of finance, Wale Edun, and PCNG to actualise the noble agenda of President Bola Tinubu of developing the nation‘s gas sector as an alternative source of energy. In a statement made available to journalists yesterday in Abuja, the committee described as laughable an online media report that quoted the chairman of the committee Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe as saying he would bring down the PCNG implementation committee and will not ask them for money. According to the committee, the chairman in the said letter to the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun dated January 9 never mentioned or thre

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, said yesterday that interconnect debt dispute between MTN Nigeria Communications Limited and Globacom Limited has been resolved. The commission in a statement issued yesterday by the Director, Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka said: ‘’We are pleased to announce that the interconnect debt dispute between MTN Nigeria Communications Plc., MTN, and Globacom Limited (Globacom) has been amicably resolved. ‘’In accordance with this resolution, the disconnection approval granted to MTN for the disconnection of Globacom has now been withdrawn. ‘’Following its initial public notice, the commission, with the aim of mitigating any potential disruptions to subscribers, undertook further regulatory intervention, by mediating between the parties and facilitating the reconciliation process. ‘’The commission reiterates that strict adherence to the terms and conditions of licenses, particularly those delineated in interconnection agreements, is imperat

Amid growing queues at filling stations, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has disclosed that there are no plans to increase the pump price of premium motor spirit, also known as petrol. The pump price of petrol has remained largely stable in the past few months following the removal of subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in May 2023. Checks around Abuja on Thursday showed that while NNPC Retails Limited continued dispensing at N617 per litre, major marketers sold at N648 to N650 per litre. With independent marketers dispensing at N660 per litre. A statement by the spokesman of NNPC Limited, Mr Olufemi Soneye, assured consumers that there is no imminent increase in the cost of petrol. “NNPC Ltd. urges Nigerians to disregard unfounded rumours and assures them that there are no plans for an upward review of the PMS price. “Motorists nationwide are advised against engaging in panic buying, as there is presently ample availability of PMS across the count

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, have issued a 14-day nationwide strike notice to the Federal Government. Their grouse is the non-implementation of the 16-point agreement between organised labour (NLC and TUC) and the Federal Government on October 2, 2023. Leaders of the NLC and TUC are sad that, despite organised labour’s efforts to ensure industrial peace, the government seems unperturbed by the mass suffering and hardship across the country. The October 2 agreement was “focused on addressing the massive suffering and the general harsh socioeconomic consequences of the ill-conceived and ill-executed IMF/World Bank-induced hike in the price of PMS and the devaluation of the naira. These dual policies have had, as we predicted, dire economic consequences for the masses and workers of Nigeria.” NLC and TUC, in a statement, lamented that “it is regrettable that we are compelled to resort to such measures, but the persistent negle

President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has described the sudden death of a chieftain of the APC and former Executive Director of Projects in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC),  Dr Cairo Ojougboh, as shocking and a huge loss to the people of the Niger Delta Region and the entire country. A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, quoted the Senate President as saying, "the late Ojougboh as a member of the House of Representatives, contributed in no small way, his quota to the development of his people as their representative from 2003 -2007. He was the true voice of the people of Agbor, who ensured  were seen and heard in the national scheme of things." Akpabio recalled the contributions of the Agbor-born politician to the development of the Niger Delta Region, when he occupied the office of the Executive Director Projects in the NDDC, while he suprintended over the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. According  to Akpabio,  o

Unknown to many football fans, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, had shortly after Nigeria Super Eagles defeated the Palancas Negras of Angola, at the quarter final stage of the ongoing African Cup of Nations football Fiesta, predicted a Nigeria/ Cote d'Ivoire finals.  Speaking shortly after the qualification of the Super Eagles of Nigeria for the semi finals, with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) via Zoom, Akpabio had categorically declared that he was very sure of the qualification of the Super Eagles for the finals and was also very certain that the finals would be between Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire.  Akpabio, who assured the team of the support of the Federal Government and  Nigerians in their quest to winning the coveted trophy stated, " I congratulate our players for emerging victorious today over the Palancas Negras. I led a very powerful Federal Government delegation to Coted'Ivoire, just to reassure the team that the Federal Gover

In the early hours of January 25, 2021, gunmen stormed the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) in Owerri, Imo State, freeing over 1,800 prisoners and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. This was  just the beginning of a series of jailbreaks that would shake the Nigerian criminal justice system to its core. Over the course of the next year, there were several more jailbreaks across the country, resulting in the escape of over 4,000 prisoners. These prisoners, many of whom were awaiting trial for serious crimes such as murder and armed robbery, are now on the loose, posing a significant threat to public safety. Nigerian authorities have been working tirelessly to recapture these fugitives. The NCS has launched a nationwide manhunt, with the help of other law enforcement agencies such as the police and the  army. However, the task of tracking down over 4,000 criminals is a daunting one, and progress has been slow. The escape of these prisoners has highlighted the wea