General
1.6 million Nigerians Apply for New Consumer Credit Scheme
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government said about 1.6 million Nigerians have submitted applications for the Consumer Credit Scheme launched recently.
This is according to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) when he appeared on Channels TV on Tuesday.
Last month, President Bola Tinubu launched the first phase of the Consumer Credit Scheme. The programme allows working citizens to access loans for important purchases.
Now, less than a month since the take-off of the scheme, the CREDICORP boss described the volume of applications received so far as overwhelming.
“It has been overwhelming. We didn’t expect the volume of applications or expressions of interest when we put out an EoI just like a week after I was appointed,” he said during the interview on Politics Today on Tuesday.
“As of today, we have about 1.6 million Nigerians who indicated interest, told us what they do, submitted their income information, and what they need credit for. We didn’t even expect that volume.
“So I think people have been listening to the utterances of the President and are quite expectant of this.”
The President appointed Mr Nwagba as CREDICORP boss on April 5 to spearhead the current administration’s drive to broaden consumer credit availability for working Nigerians interested.
About six weeks after his appointment, he said he was prepared to deliver the assignment.
“It is our job and we are prepared to take a systematic approach to ensure that we continue to go through the demography of Nigeria,” he added.
The Consumer Credit Scheme put together by Nigeria’s CreditCorp is in line with the Tinubu-led administration’s mandate to accelerate consumer credit access to 50 per cent of working Nigerians by 2030.
To achieve this, CrediCorp will fix the structural barriers to accessing consumer credit in Nigeria, and catalyze the market with capital, guarantees, and policy, according to a statement by the spokesman of the president, Mr Ajuri Ngelale.
President Tinubu believes every hardworking Nigerian should have access to social mobility, with consumer credit playing a pivotal role in achieving this vision.
According to CreditCorp, this scheme will help strengthen Nigeria’s credit reporting systems, ensuring every economically active citizen has a dependable credit score. “This score becomes personal equity they build, facilitating access to consumer credit”.
Also under this scheme, credit guarantees will be offered, and wholesale lending to financial institutions dedicated to broadening consumer credit access will be attained.
The scheme will also help promote responsible consumer credit “as a pathway to an improved quality of life, fostering a cultural shift towards growth and financial responsibility”.
By Dipo Olowookere
A $15 million debt facility has been obtained by Watt Renewable Corporation from the AfriGreen Debt Impact Fund to finance hybrid solar power plants to be built and operated by the former, especially in Nigeria.
WATT intends to use the projects to serve commercial and industrial clients in Nigeria, particularly in the telecommunication and financial services sectors.
By integrating solar hybrid solutions, the firm aims to significantly reduce diesel consumption and CO2 emissions, enabling its clients to achieve substantial energy cost savings while promoting environmental sustainability.
As a pioneer in renewable energy solutions, WATT continues to drive innovation in Nigeria’s energy sector.
The company’s robust roll-out plan includes deploying hundreds of hybrid solar power sites nationwide to meet the growing energy demands of commercial & industrial clients.
This strategic expansion aligns with WATT’s vision to revolutionize energy access across Africa, enabling sustainable development and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The funds from AfriGreen provide the critical capital needed to accelerate WATT’s ambitious projects, strengthening its market position and empowering businesses with reliable and affordable energy solutions.
Business Post gathered that to mitigate the currency risk for WATT in the event of devaluation of the Nigerian Naira, AfriGreen is offering a local currency facility that matches the payment structure of the power purchase agreements.
“We are thrilled to partner with AFRIGREEN on this transformative journey to expand reliable and sustainable energy solutions across Africa.
“With this support, it enables us to accelerate our shared mission of providing hybrid solar power to businesses, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting economic growth while enhancing energy security for our clients,” the Managing Director of WATT, Mr Oluwole Eweje, said.
“We are delighted to support WATT in rolling out hundreds of hybrid sites across the country.
“This represents another key transaction for AFRIGREEN in Nigeria. The combination of high energy prices, good solar irradiation, and strong demand from industrial and commercial energy users makes this market particularly attractive for companies like WATT.
“By leveraging these favourable market conditions alongside WATT’s exceptional operational performance and a well-structured financing solution, we are setting the stage for a strong and lasting business partnership,” the Managing Director of AfriGreen, Mr Alexandre Gilles, stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has denied issuing a directive that gas supply to power generating companies (GenCos) be halted.
In a statement on Wednesday, the authority also denied instructing wholesale gas suppliers to stop further supply of gas to companies due to failure in payment obligations.
The NMDPRA described reports stating that it has directed the stoppage of gas supply to GenCos over N2 trillion debt as “false and completely unfounded”.
“It has absolutely no bearing on the information shared at a recent stakeholders’ engagement held in Lagos between the Authority, the OPTS, IPPG and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry,” the NMDPRA said.
“The purpose of the engagement was to sensitise stakeholders on the requirements, opportunities and benefits associated with the implementation of the wholesale supply license as provided by sections 142 and 197 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
“It was a follow-up to an earlier stakeholder engagement held at the NMDPRA corporate headquarters in Abuja on November 27, 2024.
“The Authority wishes to reassure all our stakeholders and indeed the general public that at no time was the false statement made at that event and anywhere else, and are advised to completely disregard the publication as every effort is being made to ensure that the supply and distribution of natural gas and petroleum products to end users is seamless and unabated as we head into the festive season and indeed all through the coming year 2025.”
Recall that Nigeria’s national grid experienced another collapse on Wednesday, the 11th time in 2024 as Gencos couldn’t generate enough power, compounding issues facing the Nigerian power sector.
This was the first time in over a month as the last time the nation witnessed a nationwide shutdown in electricity supply was on November 7, 2024.
Before then, the country was experiencing an incessant collapse of the grid, which prompted the federal government to set up a team to address the issue.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigeria is currently experience a cut in power supply after the national grid collapsed for the 11th time in 2024.
This is the first time in over a month as the last time the nation witnessed a nationwide shut down in electricity supply was on November 7, 2024.
Before then, the country was experiencing an incessant collapse of the grid, which prompted the federal government to set up a team to address the issue.
However, just when Nigerians were thinking they will not witnessed another national grid collapse in the year, it issue reared its ugly head again.
On Wednesday afternoon, most of the energy distribution companies suffered power outage, prompting them to inform their customers of the situation.
One of the DisCos, Ikeja Electric Plc, in a message to electricity consumers under its franchise area, said, “Please be informed that we experienced a system outage today, December 11, 2024, at about 13:32 hours affecting supply within our network.
“Restoration of supply is ongoing in collaboration with our critical stakeholders. Kindly bear with us.”
Recall that on Tuesday, in a report, Google listed national grid as one of the top trending searches by Nigerians this year.
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