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FG To Deliver 75,000 Electricity Meters In April, 200,000 Units In May — Adelabu

By in News, Nigeria News

The first batch of over 3.2 million electricity meters purchased by the federal government will be delivered to address the nation’s over 7 million metering gap. &nbsp, &nbsp,

Bolaji Tunji, the minister’s Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations, stated in a statement on Sunday that the minister’s minister, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, anticipated delivery of 75, 000 meters under the International Competitive Bid 1 by April 2025.

In May 2025, there will be a second batch of 200 000 meters.

The Federal Government of Nigeria’s continued efforts, financial commitment, and structured implementation plans to close the metering gap are the facts, according to Tunji.

Metering installations have continued to advance steadily despite claims of stagnation. 5, 502, 460 customers were metered as of December 2024, or 55% of the 10, 114, 060 active electricity customers in Nigeria.

” In 2024 alone, 572, 050 meters were installed. The government is actively working to close the current metering gap as quickly as possible, despite acknowledging it. According to Adelabu, “the fact is that a sizable portion of active electricity users already have meters,” refuting the exaggerated portrayal of an industry in crisis.

Although installation rates have fluctuated over time, the sector has still managed to install about 668, 000 meters on average each year, according to the statement.

The minister added that centralized financing and government-backed initiatives are anticipated to expedite deployment beyond the current rate, ensuring that the metering gap is effectively addressed.

The government has taken significant steps to significantly improve metering across the nation to close this bind. By 2026, the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) will have delivered 3,205, 101 meters.

“This will be accomplished through various procurement models,” according to 1 437, 501 meters through International Competitive Bid 1, 217, 600 meters through National Competitive Bid (NCB), and 1, 550, 000 meters through International Competitive Bid 2 (ICB2).

The first batch of 75, 000 meters under ICB1 is anticipated to arrive in April 2025, followed by the second batch of 200, 000 meters in May 2025.

The N700 billion Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) is another significant step toward accelerating metering, in addition to the DISREP. The Minister continued, “The initiative is structured to ensure large-scale meter procurement and deployment,” adding that it has already secured N700 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

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According to him, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) has been set up to oversee the initiative’s implementation. The government wants to deploy two million meters every five years, with the first batch of two million meters scheduled to be available by the third quarter of 2025.

According to the minister, these well-planned interventions provide a clear strategy for closing the metering gap.

Further, the statement goes on to say that while the metering gap is still a problem, the idea that it will take more than ten years to fix is misleading.

Hong Kong stock market plunges most since ’97 crisis amid tariffs panic

By in News, World News

Hong Kong’s stock market has suffered its steepest single-day decline in nearly three decades amid a wave of panic selling brought on by United States President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements.

The financial hub’s benchmark Hang Seng Index closed down 13.22 percent on Monday, after plunging as much as 13.74 percent during the day.

It was the sharpest plunge for Hong Kong stocks since the index tumbled 13.7 percent in a single day during the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

On the worst day for Hong Kong stocks during the 2007-09 global financial crisis, the index fell 12.7 percent.

The rout came after Trump doubled down on his sweeping tariffs overnight, likening the measures to “medicine”, and following China’s announcement last week that it would retaliate with a 34 percent tariff on US imports.

“Friday was a public holiday in Hong Kong, so what we are seeing is the reaction to Trump’s tariffs and China’s retaliation. So it’s a double whammy,” Carlos Casanova, a senior economist with UBP in Hong Kong, told Al Jazeera.

“To put this into context, previous retaliatory measures targeted less than 1 percent of China’s total imports. The magnitude of the last measures is unprecedented,” Casanova said.

“We’re in uncharted territory.”

Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis, said the dip in Hong Kong offered a more accurate gauge of the market’s expectations for how the tariffs will affect China’s economy than the stock markets on the Chinese mainland.

“The point is, you cannot trade freely in China. You cannot short Chinese stocks. You can do all of that in Hong Kong. So it’s obviously reflecting what is going on much better than Chinese stocks,” Garcia-Herrero told Al Jazeera.

Hong Kong stocks were by far the worst performers on a dismal day overall for Asia’s markets, with equities in mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia and Singapore all suffering steep declines.

Global stock markets have shed trillions of dollars in value since Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs on almost all countries on Wednesday.

US customs authorities began imposing a baseline tariff of 10 percent on imports on Sunday, with steeper duties of between 11 percent and 50 percent set to go into effect on Wednesday.

US stocks have shed more than $6 trillion in value since Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement.

Further steep losses are expected when Wall Street reopens on Monday, with futures tied to the benchmark S&P500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 – which are traded outside usual market hours – down 2.7 percent and 3.55 percent, respectively.

Approve Treatment Within One Hour, NHIA Directs HMOs

By in News, Nigeria News

Health Management Organizations (HMOs) are required by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to grant authorization for patients’ care within one hour of receiving requests from hospitals and other healthcare providers.

According to a statement from the NHIA’s Emmanuel Ononokpono, a spokesperson, the organization’s goals included ensuring that patients receive high-quality healthcare services as well as reducing delays in access to services.

He claimed that the treatment process is still hampered by the delays in obtaining codes and obtaining treatment.

A team of doctors performing surgery on a patient

He claimed that the changes to the authorization of care were first put into effect on April 1, 2025, despite having been approved at a stakeholders’ meeting in February 2025.

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Among the authorisations are:

1. HMOs’ time for requesting authorization to care and issuing authorization codes shall not longer exceed one hour. To help enrollees receive service access delays, health care facilities (HCFs) must submit requests for authorization codes to HMOs right away.

2. Communication of a response that states “no authorization within the hour” where the HMO has valid arguments against not issuing the requested code.

3. keeping up all records regarding all requests and responses from providers and HMOs for treatment authorization.

4. The healthcare providers must proceed with the services provided to the enrollee and immediately notify NHIA if there are delays beyond the one-hour window. The NHIA will check the quality of the services provided.

5. Employers are required to notify the NHIA of any delays or obstacles to timely access to health services as a result of receiving authorization codes that exceed the one-hour limit.

6. Authorization codes must be obtained within 48 hours of receiving treatment in all emergencies, as required by the operational guidelines.

Atiku, Obi, Others In Talks To Join SDP, Says Ex-Presidential Candidate

By in News, Nigeria News

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former LP candidate Peter Obi are among the prominent politicians negotiating to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP). &nbsp,

Adewole Adebayo, the SDP’s presidential candidate for the 2023 election, claims this.

Adebayo stated that the SDP, which recently welcomed a former Kaduna State governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, is in talks with Atiku and Obi’s men.

“We are welcoming the people who are joining my party. You can tell from the way I greet them. The only small issue with some of them is to alter the culture, which is what it means to be in a society where rules are not taken seriously,” the SDP chieftain said on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics. &nbsp,

We are dealing with that because some of them are engaging in some Boy Scout and black market activities. But we welcome them back. El-Rufai, Atiku Abubakar, and even former governor Peter Obi are all scheduled to visit. We will welcome the arrival of many people.

Adebayo responded to a question regarding whether Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, is joining the SDP, saying, “Such, until someone joins, we don’t know.” However, I’ve been informed that they are speaking, and the Financial Secretary (SDP) has also. So we’ll all be welcome.

People applauded us transparently at our convention in 2022, with no court case, crisis, allegations, and we don’t become a tower of Babel. If we do that, people will follow the rules and allow one person to emerge without question, without cheating, without criminality.

We will defeat the APC and resign President Tinubu to Lagos or wherever he chooses, “if they stick to our culture, follow our approach to the SDP, and produce a good alternative to Nigerians.”

After receiving about six million votes, Obi, who has the support of millions of young Nigerians, came third in the most recent presidential election.

Bola Tinubu, the APC candidate, placed second in the poll taken by Atiku.

Gunmen Kill 13 Vigilantes In Kebbi State

By in News, Nigeria News

At least 13 vigilante members were killed when Gunmen who are thought to be Lakurawa terrorists attacked Morai village in the Augie Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

After being informed of an imminent attack, a local official, identified as Alhaji Augie, reported to Channels Television that the vigilantes had taken cover in nearby shrubs. The attackers attempted to rustle a herd of cattle, he claimed, when they arrived.

The vigilantes then launched an ambush to avenge the cattle and fend off the attackers.

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He described the Sunday incident as “unfortunately” because they had not realized the terrorists had already surrounded them.

“At least 13 of the attackers opened fire, killing at least 13 of them instantly as the vigilantes moved to stop.” About three kilometers away from ours is the village where the attack took place.

Six bodies have been found, and others have been administered Islamic funeral rites, while the search is still being conducted for the dead.

‘Enough Is Enough,’ NSA Visits Plateau, Promises End To Killings

By in News, Nigeria News

The Federal Government is determined to find a lasting solution to Plateau State’s ongoing attacks and killings, according to National Security Advisor (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu.

Ribadu made a promise to put an end to the killings while speaking at the state’s Bokkos Local Government Area LGA headquarters in Jos during an operational visit.

In attacks on five communities that left over three hundred houses burned by suspected herdsmen in a week, over fifty people were killed.

The Plateau State Government also made an official visit to some of the affected communities in the form of Samuel Jatau, the governor’s secretary, to find out the extent of the damage and provide relief supplies to the victims.

Adu emphasized the urgency of the Federal Government to stop the ongoing homicides and attacks.

The District Head of Manguna also wants the government to hire more security personnel in the affected areas to stop rural-urban migration in response to the killings.

Also read: Plateau Attack Rises To 52 &nbsp.

The organization’s president

Yohanna Michael, a member of the Hurti community in the area, described how, despite the fact that the search for the missing is still ongoing, over thirty people were interred in a community grave.

More than 700 people were displaced from their ancestral homes, and the government needs to intervene and send more security personnel there to help them return to their homes and continue farming.

FG Is Advised To Step In, ACF Requests.

The recent frightful attacks in the North-Central State have sparked the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF)’s outcry.

The socio-political group demanded that the federal government intervene and put an end to the Plateau killings in a statement released on Sunday.