The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has expressed its appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his steadfast dedication to enhancing the welfare of pensioners nationwide.

In a statement issued by its National President, Comrade Godwin Abumisi, the union acknowledged the President’s efforts in implementing important measures aimed at easing the economic difficulties faced by retirees under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS

The union pointed out two significant accomplishments of the administration: the recent approval of a 20% pension increase for DBS pensioners and the establishment of a minimum pension of ₦32,000. According to the NUP, these initiatives demonstrate President Tinubu’s “commitment to ensuring that pensioners are supported and their rights upheld and promoted.

The 20% pension increase, which is back dated to January 2024, has already been disbursed to many DBS pensioners, while the minimum pension of ₦32,000, approved in July 2024, has also reached numerous beneficiaries. Comrade Abumisi remarked, “This is the first time pensioners have received any pension increase without protests. We commend you, Mr. President.

The NUP also conveyed its gratitude to the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) and its new Executive Secretary, Tolulope Odunaiya, for facilitating the timely distribution of the pension increments. The union acknowledged Odunaiya’s commitment, stating,

“We are thankful for her assurance that the 20% pension increase will be disbursed before the end of December 2024 and for her diligent execution of President Tinubu’s policies regarding pensioners’ welfare.

”We appreciate her promise to ensure that the 20% pension increase is paid before the end of December 2024 and her strict implementation of President Tinubu’s policy direction on pensioners’ welfare.”

However, the union raised concerns over discrepancies in the payment process. Despite progress, not all pensioners have received their entitlements. “As of today, the 20% pension increment arrears have not been fully paid to all DBS pensioners. Furthermore, 70% of pensioners are yet to receive the ₦32,000 minimum pension,” the statement revealed.

The NUP called on PTAD to address these discrepancies promptly, urging the agency to review its records and rectify any errors in the payment process. “We demand that PTAD pay serious attention to ensuring no DBS pensioner is omitted or deprived of their rights in the name of system failure or man-made error in the payment processes,” the union emphasized.

Despite these challenges, the union remained optimistic about the administration’s commitment to pensioners. They reiterated their gratitude to President Tinubu, describing the reforms as a significant step forward.

“We are grateful for the 20% pension increase and the ₦32,000 pension award that is today a minimum pension,” the statement added.

The NUP emphasized the significance of these reforms in improving the quality of life for retirees, particularly during challenging economic times.

“The approval of these measures is a testament to the government’s understanding of the economic realities facing pensioners and its determination to provide relief,” the union noted.

As the administration continues its efforts to support pensioners, the NUP urged all stakeholders to work collaboratively to address the remaining issues. They expressed hope that ongoing reforms would ensure a brighter future for all retirees in Nigeria.

The union concluded with a heartfelt message to the President:

“We appreciate your love and commitment to pensioners. Your actions have given us hope, and we look forward to seeing all pensioners benefit from these life-changing reforms.”

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has said the national grid would continue to collapse because it is “very old and dilapidated”.

Adelabu made this known during a budget defence session with the Senate Committee on Power on Monday.

The minister said the government was struggling to manage the national grid it inherited, stating that the facility suffered eight collapses in 2024 and not 12 as widely reported.

Adelabu said out of the eight incidents, three were partial collapses as a result of generation problems and five were full collapses.

“We have been trying very hard to ensure that we manage the grid that was inherited.

“Unfortunately, it is still very old. It is dilapidated. And we are just managing it until we are able to fix it permanently.

“This is the focus of the Presidential Power Initiative, to ensure that the entire grid is revamped so that we won’t be having all this vandalism,” he said.

Speaking further, Adelabu said Nigeria’s power generation increased by 34 per cent in 2024.

The minister said his administration inherited an average generation capacity of 4,100 Megawatts in 2023 and raised it to 5,528 MW by the end of 2024.

He said, “I can tell you authoritatively that by the end of 2024, we had a peak generation of 5,528 MW of power from 4,100 MW of plants.

“And the reason for this is not far-fetched. We know that we added a new hydroelectric power dam, Zungeru, of 700 MW, and also there was a tremendous increase in the generation by other existing power generating companies, mainly hydro and thermal plants.”

He also said while the initial target was 6,000 MW, unforeseen challenges such as grid disturbances towards the end of the year prevented him from achieving it.

The minister, however, noted that the shortfall was minimal.

“This progress resulted from a combination of grid access expansion and growth in renewable energy initiatives, including solar, small hydro and wind energy projects,” he added.

According to Adelabu, the failure to fix the Shiroro-Kaduna-Mando line has placed undue pressure on the grid, resulting in frequent collapses.

He, however, said the federal government has been unable to repair the power transmission line in Northern Nigeria due to persistent insecurity in the region.

“The Kanduna-Shiroro-Mando line was one of the two major lines that transmit power to the north.

“The second one, which is the Ugwuaji-Makurdi line, was also vandalised, and we immediately rectified the line as the only source of power to the north.

“As I’m talking to you, we have not rectified the major line, which is the Shiroro-Mando-Kanduna line, which is why our grid is so fragile, because it’s only one line that is still supplying power to the north and is being burdened unnecessarily.

“It is still the insecurity that has not led us to fix the Shiroro-Kanduna-Mando line.

“We tried to fix it but our engineers were chased by terrorists and bandits with heavy weapons, it was like a civil war, that’s how bad it is.

“We handed it over to the security agencies, they have not even fixed it. So these are the summaries of our activities. And we are proud to say that we almost met all our targets for 2024,” he said.

This is just as he stated that the Federal Government has released about N12.7bn to offer meters in army barracks across the country.

Similarly, he expressed hope that 2025 will be a better year for Nigeria, promising that all existing issues in the sector would be addressed.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Eyinnaya Abaribe, questioned the government’s continuous funding of power distribution companies (discos), even as he called for a review of their contracts and possible government reclamation if the inefficiencies persisted.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is planning to take drastic measures to end the lingering dispute between telcos and banks over the unstructured supplementary service data (USDD) debt, TheCable understands.

Sources close to the conversation said the commission may suspend the USSD service and publish a list of banks still owing telcos for the service.

If this happens, the USSD channel will no longer be available for banking services.

Although it is uncertain when the suspension will be officially announced, the list of defaulters may be published before the week ends.

The development, which may be part of the federal government’s efforts to address industry challenges, comes amid telcos’ push for a tariff hike.

USSD DEBT HAS RISEN BY 681.2% SINCE 2019

Analysis of media reports shows that the USSD debt has risen by 681.2 percent since 2019, leading to many threats of service withdrawal by telecoms operators.

On March 12, 2021, telcos threatened to suspend the USSD service over N42 billion debt accumulated by banks (the amount was N32 billion in 2019). The move was, however, halted by Isa Pantami, former minister of communications and digital economy.

The telcos and banks eventually agreed on March 16, 2021, to adjust the charge on customers to N6.98k for each USSD transaction.

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) said the USSD debt was N80 billion as at November 2022.

By November 16, 2023, the debt, according to telcos, had risen to N200 billion — up from N120 billion in May of the same year.

On October 22, 2024, Gbolahan Awonuga, the executive secretary of ALTON, said the amount had increased to N250 billion.

TheCable understands the NCC, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and other stakeholders have been engaging to find a lasting solution to the impasse, but efforts at resolving the matter have had little results.

The CBN and the NCC, on December 24, 2024, directed mobile network operators (MNOs) and deposit money banks (DMBs) to settle the protracted debt conflict, asking financial institutions to pay 85 percent of all outstanding invoices by December 31, 2024.

’18 BANKS STILL OWING AS AT DECEMBER 31′

However, a source told TheCable that about 18 banks are yet to pay their debt, while four had paid as at December 31.

Another source said the commission believes that the banks are treating the issue with levity, hence they want the public to be aware of the imminent USSD suspension.

Speaking on the agency’s plan to publish the names of financial institutions still owing, he said the public notice will be addressed to customers, stating that “the underlisted banks are yet to pay”.

It is understood that with the public notice, the NCC intends to give the consumers two weeks to come up with their alternative plans for making transactions, while banks would also get two weeks to pay the outstanding debt or be disconnected.

The Senate, on Monday, enjoined nominees for the Governing Boards of the North West Development Commission and the South East Development Commission, not to betray the confidence reposed in them by President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians.

The lawmakers gave this charge while screening the nominees by the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Regional Development Commissions, Chaired by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia-North).

First to undergo grilling were the 14 board member nominees of the NWDC led by Alhaji Lawal Samai’la Abdullahi (Chairman) and Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji, who retained his position as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.

Others are; Dr. Yahaya Umar Namahe, Hon. Aminu Suleiman, Ja’afar Abubakar Sadeeq, Yahaya Aminu Abdullahi, Hon. Engr Muhammad Ali Wudil, Shamsu Sule, Nasidi Ali, Chukwu Chijtoke, Ahmed Mohammed, Engr. Ahmed Rufai Timasantyu, Macdonalds Michael Uyi And Hon. Babatunde Dada.

Also screened are the 18-member nominees of the South-East Development Commission led by Dr. Emeka Nworgu (Chairman) and Hon. Mark Okoye (MD/ CEO).

Others are; Barr. Ugochukwu H. Agballah , Hon. Okey kzenwa , Chief Hyacinth Ikpor , Chidi Echeazu, Barr. Ifeanyi Agwu Ph.D , Nasiru Usman, Hamma Adama Ali Kumo Edward David Onoja , Orure Kufre Inima , Daniel Akwari, Chief (Mrs) Joke Adebayo-Chukwuma, Rt. Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka (E.D. Finance), Chief Sylvester Okonkwo ( E.D. Corporate Services , Hon. Toby Okechukwu ( E.D. Projects ), Sen, Anthony Agbo ( E.D. Commercial and Industrial Development ) and Dr. Clifford Ogbede (E.D. Natural Resources, Agriculture and Rural Development).

In his introduction, Prof Abdullahi Ma’aji, a graduate of the University of Nigeria Nsukka and current Special Adviser to the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, on Education,1 described himself as a human development specialist and gave an account of his accomplishments in public office positions he held.

Sen. Muntari Dandutse (APC, Katsina), who commended the credentials of the Chairmanship nominee said;

“This appointment is well deserved and he is qualified to be the MD for the NWDC thank the President for nominating him because he is intelligent.

Senator Babangida Hussaini reminded the nominees of the trust entrusted in them by the President and Nigerians, he urged them not to let the President down;

“Candidly speaking ours is to urge you to know that the confidence of Nigerians and Bola Tinubu who found you worthy of this appointment will be on your shoulders. Justify the appointment, and work for Nigerians, we have a lot of challenges, Don’t let Nigeria and the President down.

Shortly after a brief introduction by the nominees of the SEDC, the Chairman of the Committee Senator Orji Kalu, re-echoed the warnings of his colleagues, Kalu told the nominees to prioritise the interest of the people.

He warned them against unethical acts; “I want to warn you people, you are the face of this organisation and we don’t want anything that will bring the name of our President to disrepute. We will not tolerate anything that is against the interest of the people, the Senate committee will oversee you seriously.

“Don’t pay for a job that is not done, we won’t hesitate to report back to the President to sack you. Use the money for the development of the people. So far no member has objected to your clearance.

“Look at the trust these members have given to you, we want you to improve the relationship between you and the National Assembly. We are attending to you because of the budget process, if you don’t do it your Commissions will miss the budget process because the Senate will soon go on recess.

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has commended the Nigerian Police and the Bayelsa State Command for its effort in ensuring peace and security of the state.

Governor Diri gave the commendation on Monday while decorating five newly promoted police officers in his office in Government House, Yenagoa.

This was contained in a statement by Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah.

According to the statement, the officers promoted were Sylvester Eseimokumo Ebakumo from Superintendent of Police (CP) to Chief Supritendent of Police (CSP), Ifidi Ebitimi Henry from Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) to Superintendent of Police (SP), Mohammed Yusuf from Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Musa Mohammed from Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), and Udonne Imo Emmanuel from Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).

The Bayelsa governor congratulated the newly elevated officers and charged them to see their promotion as a call to higher service.

He particularly commended the Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, and other officers and men of the command, noting that it was due to their collaborative effort with government that the state remains peaceful and safe for residents.

“Let me use this opportunity to appreciate the top rank and junior officers for all that they are doing to contribute to the peace, security and stability of the state and Nigeria as a whole.

“We are happy about your elevation because you have dutifully conducted yourselves to the service of this state and Nigeria.” he said.

The state’s helmsman urged them to continue to serve diligently and expressed the optimism that they would get to the pinnacle of their profession.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, was represented at the brief ceremony by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration and Operations), Ofem Arikpo.

Hon. Justice Anthony Ubaka of the Lagos Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court has nullified the purported dismissal of one Joseph from the service of Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling on the 18th and 26th January 2021 for being wrongful and illegal as it was carried out in breach of Joseph’s right to a fair hearing and contravention of the contract of employment between the parties.

The Court ordered Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling and 2 others to pay Joseph all his entitlements, with (1) year salary as damages for illegal employment termination within 30 days.

The Court held that the action of Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling and 2 others barring Joseph from bringing witness shows that the firms had their minds made up as the purpose of a disciplinary hearing which is not to punish an employee but to give him enough room to prove that he is not guilty.

Justice Ubaka declared that Joseph is entitled to emoluments contained in the contract of employment dated 11th day of July 2018 till the day of his summary dismissal 18th of January 2021.

From facts, the claimant- Mr. Joseph had submitted that he carried out his duties with diligence without any query or blemish and his performance was highlighted as excellent before he was purportedly dismissed summarily on the 18th day of January 2021.

Mr Joseph maintained that his purported summary hearing session was orchestrated to actualize a preconceived intention of the firm to summarily dismiss him without just cause and urged the Court to grant the reliefs sought.

In defence, the defendants- Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling and 2 others averred that the firm exercised its undoubted right to dismiss Mr Joseph from its service on grounds of gross alleged misconduct.

The Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling and 2 others maintained that Mr. Joseph was accorded a fair hearing in the circumstance and that Joseph’s assertion that he was denied a fair hearing by not having an opportunity to call a witness at the summary hearing is simply an afterthought and urged the court to dismiss the case in its entirety.

In opposition, the learned counsel to the claimant, Toyin Pinheiro (SAN) with Emmanuel Bwala and D.Y Omosanya maintained the basic tenants of a fair hearing were not observed in the process leading to the summary dismissal of their client, and urged the Court to grant the reliefs sought in the interest of justice.

In a well-considered judgment, the Presiding Judge, Justice Ubaka restated that where there is an allegation of misconduct against an employee, the employer has a duty to show that the dismissal was lawful.

The Court stated that Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling and 2 others do not seem to understand fully that the principle of fair hearing is to hear the other side by issuing him a query and allowing him to answer, and described the action of Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling and 2 others on Mr Joseph as akin to producing a result before writing an examination.

Justice Ubaka held that there is no way the dismissal of Mr. Joseph can be lawful without recourse to the principle that a query has to be issued and a response before reaching a just conclusion.