General
NERC Begs FG Over Mounting Power Sector Debt
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) said it had communicated the need for the federal government to intervene over the longstanding trend of non-payment and debts by international customers, and others to the power sector.
According to a report, as of the quarter under review, electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) and four international customers serviced by the Market Operator (MO), did not remit a total of N97.5 billion to the power sector in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Statistics obtained from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s 2023 fourth-quarter report, said the 11 DisCos held unto N81 billion, while four international customers (Paras SBEE, Transcorp SBEE, Mainstream NIGELEC and Odu-Pani-CEET ), did not remit $12 million (N16.5 billion when converted using N1,367/$1 rate) invoice issued to them by the MO for services rendered in the third quarter of 2023
This puts total debt by the DisCos and international customers at N97.5 billion for the period under review.
A breakdown of the explanation of the debt by the DisCos showed that in Q4 2023, the cumulative upstream invoice payable by DisCos was approximately N270 billion, consisting of N223 billion for generation costs from the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) company, and about N47 billion for transmission and administrative services by the MO.
However, out of this amount, the DisCos collectively remitted a total sum of N188.7 billion (N156 billion for NBET and N32.5 billion for MO), with an outstanding balance of about N81 billion.
This translates to a remittance performance of about 70 per cent in Q4 2023 compared to the 76 per cent (remittance of N158 billion out of the total invoice of N208.7 billion) recorded in Q3 2023
The total revenue collected by all DisCos in Q4 2023 was N294.9 billion out of the N399.7 billion that was billed to customers. This translates to a collection efficiency of 74 per cent.
In comparison, the total revenue collected by all DisCos in Q3 2023 was N268 billion, out of the N349 billion billed to customers which translated to a 76 per cent collection efficiency. The 74 per cent collection efficiency recorded in Q4 2023 is –2.77 per cent lower than the efficiency recorded in the preceding quarter (76 per cent).
The report further detailed that none of the four international customers being supplied by GenCos in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), made payment against the cumulative invoice of $12.02 million issued by the MO for services rendered in Q4 2023.
The report, however, noted that some international customers made payments during Q4 2023 for outstanding MO invoices from previous quarters.
It also said that there were no remittances by bilateral customers against the cumulative invoice of N1.9 million issued to them by the MO for services rendered in Q4 2023.
The recurrent delay of remittances by international and bilateral customers, NERC said should prompt the MO “to invoke the provision of the market rules to curtail the payment indiscipline being exhibited by the various market participants”.
The special customer (Ajaokuta Steel Co. Ltd and the host community) did not also make any payment towards the N0.72 billion (NBET) and N0.07 billion (MO) invoices received in the last quarter of 2023.
“This continues a longstanding trend of non-payment by this customer and the Commission has communicated the need for intervention on this issue to the relevant FGN ministries,” NERC added.
The power sector debt continues to rise, as the country battles inadequate power supply as a result of low generation.
The GenCos currently generate about 5,000 megawatts (MW) despite the grid having a combined capacity of about 12,000 MW making the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) transmit the same to the DisCos for onward distribution to end users.
General
Why Ad Platform Policy Changes Are a Hidden Risk in Every Outsourced Paid Media Relationship
The rules governing digital advertising landscapes are never set in stone. Major platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok frequently update their privacy frameworks, compliance requirements, and algorithmic bidding logic without giving agencies much time to prepare. When a marketing team decides to delegate its active campaigns to an external production partner, these sudden policy shifts can introduce a major element of vulnerability into the relationship. Integrating a professional white label ppc management structure allows your business to scale production and tap into high-level optimization talent without building a massive internal department. However, if your fulfillment partner is not built to monitor, interpret, and rapidly deploy adjustments in response to changing platform guidelines, your clients risk facing sudden account suspensions or massive spikes in customer acquisition costs.
Decoupling Technical Adaptability from Account Ownership
When an advertising platform changes its rules, the changes need to be made away in the live ad accounts. This is so the ads do not stop working. Sometimes there is a problem when one team thinks another team is taking care of making sure the ads follow the rules. The team that is supposed to make sure everything is working thinks the other team is doing this job. This can cause problems like missing information and ads that do not work. To keep your clients happy, you need a plan that says who is in charge of checking for rule changes, who updates the ad information, and who updates the ad text rules when the advertising platform changes its rules. You need to know who does what so everything runs smoothly. Advertising platforms and ad accounts are important for your clients.
Managing the Financial Fallouts of Compliance Delays
The real-world financial cost of failing to adapt to sudden policy changes can ruin an agency’s reputation and cause high client turnover. If an automated ad platform updates its rules for a specific industry—such as healthcare, real estate, or finance—and your campaign structure fails to adjust within the grace period, entire accounts can be paused overnight. While your backend team works to fix the errors, your client loses valuable inbound leads while their fixed overhead costs remain. Agencies must make sure their fulfillment partners don’t just focus on basic optimization but also maintain a proactive stance toward platform compliance to prevent budget waste and operational downtime.
Maintaining Strategic Alignment Through Platform Shifts
Relying on a partner to manage the daily execution of your paid media means you must remain highly aligned on how macro-level platform changes alter your broader strategy. When networks restrict traditional targeting methods, your backend white label ppc management team must quickly pivot to alternative solutions, such as first-party data loops or contextual targeting systems. If your vendor operates on autopilot without adjusting to these shifts, your campaigns will slowly lose efficiency as the old targeting methods become obsolete. Regular strategy sessions are essential to confirm that your optimization partners are actively adjusting their setups to remain effective beneath the latest network rules.
Building a Resilient Operations Partnership
To do well with ad networks, you need to work together with your partners and be able to change quickly. You also need to be open with each other. Ad agencies can not just set up their paid media. Forget about it. They need to keep an eye on it and make changes when needed. If you work closely with the company that provides your white-label service, you can protect your business from losing money. You should expect this company to tell you about changes to the network rules and to take action. The best partnerships are the ones where people work together all the time and make changes fast. This helps your clients make money consistently from their investments even when the rules of the ad networks change. Modern ad networks are always changing, so you need to be able to change with them to do well. Modern ad networks require a lot of work to navigate successfully.
General
Atiku Accuses Tinubu of Plot to Turn Nigeria into One-Party State
By Adedapo Adesanya
Former Vice President and the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu is determined to turn Nigeria into a de facto one-party state, condemning attempts to frustrate the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Mr Atiku’s reaction followed a ruling by the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, which set aside its December 10, 2025, judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party.
The presiding judge, Isah Dashen, ruled that the Peace Movement Party (PMP) should have been joined in the suit because its interests were affected by the case.
Responding to the judgment in a statement issued by the Atiku Media Office, the former Vice President said he was not surprised by what he described as a disturbing development, warning that it could have grave consequences if what he called a plot to weaken opposition parties in favour of Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid succeeds.
According to Mr Atiku, the participation of citizens in free, fair and credible elections is the foundation of democracy, and any attempt to deny Nigerians that freedom of choice could trigger “chaos and anarchy.”
“Nigerians are now seeing the true colours of President Tinubu, who pretends to be a democrat, but his body language and the sinister activities of his agents contradict his mouthed commitment to free and fair elections,” he said.
He urged President Tinubu to emulate the late President Muhammadu Buhari, noting that despite being a retired military officer turned politician, he never deregistered any opposition party. He also cited former President Goodluck Jonathan, whom he said upheld the principle that political ambition should never be worth the blood of any citizen.
“If you’re truly popular and your policies have positively bettered the lives of the citizens, you shouldn’t be afraid of a free and fair competition,” he explained.
“Tinubu cannot be a champion of democracy under military dictatorship and now become the worst enemy of everything that democracy stands for.”
“You can’t attempt to rule the people against their will and still pretend that you’re committed to free and fair elections in 2027,” Mr Atiku stated.
The former Vice President also urged members of the judiciary to resist political interference, warning judges against allowing themselves to be used by politicians seeking to undermine Nigeria’s democracy.
“Governments will come and go. Hence, the judiciary must guard its integrity as the last hope of the masses. Don’t allow unscrupulous politicians to stain your reputation for their own short-term gain at the expense of justice. The judiciary is the last hope of the people. Let’s avoid anything that is capable of ruining the credibility and reputation of our courts, not for a messy pot of pottage or love of lucre.
“There are great judges in Nigeria, but the unchecked excesses of some who allow themselves to become judicial swords in the hands of politicians are capable of damaging the larger image of the judiciary,” he added.
General
Lagos to Probe Alakija Building Collapse, Prosecute Culprits
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Lagos State Government has said it will investigate the collapse of a three-storey building in the Alakija area of the state and prosecute anyone found culpable, while warning residents against ignoring evacuation notices issued on distressed structures.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, gave the warning on Friday while commiserating with the families of the victims, describing the incident as unfortunate.
“Our first duty is to commiserate with the families who lost their loved ones in this unfortunate incident. On behalf of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, we sympathise with them and pray that such a tragedy never occurs again,” he said.
Latest update from the state government put the casualty figures at 27 rescued and nine fatalities, including a baby.
He disclosed that 27 persons were rescued alive from the rubble, while nine others lost their lives despite overnight rescue efforts.
“By the grace of God, we have been able to rescue 27 people. Unfortunately, we lost nine persons and this is very sad. We share the pain of the affected families,” he said.
According to the commissioner, the collapsed building had earlier been identified as distressed and marked for evacuation, but some occupants allegedly returned after initially leaving.
“As you can see, these buildings had been marked as distressed and people were asked to leave. Unfortunately, some residents returned after pretending to have moved out, leading to this tragic outcome,” Mr Omotoso said.
He added that other distressed buildings in the area would be demolished to prevent similar incidents.
“All the buildings that have been identified as defective will go down. We cannot wait until another tragedy occurs before taking action. The protection of lives remains our priority,” he said.
Mr Omotoso also condemned the construction and occupation of buildings beneath high-tension power lines, describing the practice as unsafe and unacceptable.
“It is not done in any civilised society. Such developments show disregard for safety regulations and contempt for the law. Government will continue to clamp down on such violations,” he said.
He assured residents that a full investigation into the collapse had commenced, stressing that anyone found responsible would face prosecution.
“The owners of the building are under investigation. Anybody found complicit in this tragedy will face the law. They will be prosecuted because no one is above the law,” he said.
The commissioner said most of the rescued victims sustained no life-threatening injuries, while those requiring further medical attention had been taken to the hospital.
He also praised the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the police, the military, neighbourhood safety personnel and other emergency responders for their swift response.
“I must commend all our emergency responders who worked tirelessly throughout the night to save lives and bring the situation under control,” he said.
Mr Omotoso urged residents to prioritise safety over economic considerations.
“The most important lesson from this incident is that nobody should prioritise livelihood over life. Once life is lost, everything is lost. No business is worth risking human lives for,” he added.
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