NEWS
How NERC’s New Commercial Billing Threatens Healthcare, Economy
The crippling impact of the newly introduced electricity billing, which classifies locations and businesses into two buckets of Band A or Band B has been decried.
President, Save-A-Life Foundation, Dr Richard Okoye, has expressed grave concerns about the scary electricity bill served on his hospital in Rivers State by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution (PHED).
His outcry was contained in a video clip which went viral on Thursday,
Following the new billing classification, which put his hospital in Band A, Dr Okoye was aggrieved that his monthly bill jumped to N25,300,000, which he noted would have devastating effects on the healthcare sector in Nigeria, as well as other businesses.
Dr Okoye is not the only person speaking up against the excessive hike in electricity bills.
President, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo, had made a similar call during the May Day Rally in Abuja, where he strongly urged the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to reverse the tariff hike within a week.
Osifo maintained that keeping the current billing levels would have severe impact on Nigeria’s economic growth, thus stressing the urgency of effective energy management to prevent further setbacks.
He maintained that the “glaring incompetence in managing this sector for the collective welfare of our citizens,” is a major factor constraining Nigeria’s economy.
The labour leader asserted that, “It is unethical to force Nigerians to pay higher tariffs for non-existent electricity. Estimated billing is an extortion and a daylight robbery against Nigerians.
Recall that the NERC on April 3, 2024 approved a significant increase in electricity tariffs for customers falling under the Band A classification.
Vice Chairman. NERC, Musliu Oseni, declared that the adjustment would raise the rate from the current N66 per kilowatt-hour to N225 per kilowatt-hour.
Though the billing reviews introduced by the NERC had attracted wide condemnation from Nigerians, the government had opted to stand behind the Commission.
For the government, the over 300 percent upward review was a take-it or leave-it for electricity consumers.
Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who defended the scandalous review before the Senate pointed to the cost of infrastructure required to keep the sector running.
In his opinion, the only way to make the sector attractive to investors was to get the consumers to bear the cost of building and maintaining the infrastructure, which would also make the sector bankable.
Adelabu said, “For this sector to be revived, government need to spend nothing less than 10 billion dollars annually in the next 10 years.
“This is because of the infrastructure requirement for the stability of the sector. But government cannot afford that. And so we must make this sector attractive to investors and to lenders.
“So for us to attract investors and investment, we must make the sector attractive, and the only way it can be made attractive is that there must be commercial pricing.”
However, Dr Okoye’s position, which Netizens applaud, is that the government’s decision to jerk up Band A’s tariff, would be an epidemic against the healthcare sector and other busiensses.
He described moving from paying N66 per kilowatt to N225 per kilowatt as a ‘Band A tariff epidemic”, capable of destroying the healthcare system of Nigeria.
Dr Okoye said, “By reason of us (the hospital) being in Band A, our monthly power bill is now shooting up to N25,300,000. That’s crazy; the hospitals are not business centres but only renders essential services to society.
“This Band A tariff epidemic is bound to destroy the country’s healthcare system.
“We are already struggling with an influx of doctors leaving the country. The majority of the healthcare system is struggling, as it were. If nothing is done to urgently revisit that decision, the Band A tariff epidemics will turn most hospitals into morgues. Something that could be preventable.
“Power (electricity) is the life of the healthcare delivery. Patients have hope and a sense of living again when the light is in the hospital. In addition to that, the majority of emergency drugs and anaesthetic drugs always want to be at a particular temperature which can be sustained by electricity. If this decision persists, it will come to a point where most of the drug will be in an unusable state, and it is already happening.”
Narrating his experience during a medical engagement to elaborate on the need for a hospital to be on steady power supply, Dr Okoye pointed out that an elderly woman who was supposed to be operated upon was given the requisite volume of propofol needed for her to relax but could not sleep because the potency of the drug has reduced due to poor storage, occasioned by inadequate power supply.
“We were surprised and thought the woman was alcoholic, and the anaesthetic increased the dose a little and asked again, only for the woman to confirm that she was fine again.
“After evaluation, it was discovered that though the drug was original but not well preserved, it would lose potency.
“That is to say, those who are diabetic in Nigeria should brace up because the majority of them would see no way to buy their drugs.
“In fact, they need to travel miles to get a hospital with a steady light to get drugs they are taking.
“While this Band A is on, teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres which used to enjoy some relative form of light because perhaps they would not be billed like other people. They are now downgrading them to Band B and channelling Band A to those they feel can pay to the detriment of the people.
“I can count on and on. Power (supply) is what determines whether a surgical procession would be successful or not. It determines the ‘before and after’ outcome of any surgery.”
“If the instruments are not properly sterilised, they may be the ones resistant to all antibiotics known, that even when we start getting it right, the worst has already happened,” Dr Okoye pointed out.
According to him, the Nigerian government must act fast in this regard to avoid it having a severe impact on the hospitals, the healthcare system, the health of Nigerians, and businesses generally.
“My heart melts when a teaching hospital can pack its instruments to go and sterilise in another hospital because it doesn’t have light. The FG should act because it is preventable as it is now,” he stressed.
It would appear thought that the government might not have the final say on this, as a Federal High Court in Kano had already issued restraining orders on the NERC and the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC).
The court ordered the parties to refrain from implementing the new electricity tariff for Band A consumers.
Norway’s King Harald V has died at the age of 89, bringing an end to his more than three-decade reign and ushering in a new era for the Norwegian monarchy.
The Royal Palace announced on Friday, August 28, 2026, that the monarch died peacefully at Oslo University Hospital at 6:35am local time.
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“It is with deep sadness that we announce that His Majesty King Harald passed away today. King Harald passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital on Friday, August 28 at 6:35 am,” the palace said in a statement.
King Harald, who ascended the throne in 1991, had been hospitalised in Oslo since August 17 while receiving treatment for haemolytic anaemia.
His condition became “extremely serious” on Thursday, prompting members of the royal family to gather at his bedside.
His 53-year-old son, Crown Prince Haakon, has automatically succeeded him as monarch under Norway’s constitutional succession rules. He is expected to take the name King Haakon VIII.
Following the announcement of Harald’s death, the flag at the Royal Palace in Oslo was lowered to half-mast, while members of the public gathered outside the palace to lay flowers and mourn the late monarch.
Harald was widely regarded as a popular and unifying figure during his 35 years on the throne. He was also known for his modest lifestyle and efforts to modernise the monarchy.
Kaspara Bolstad, 24, described him as “a very steady and warm king.”
“I think the entire Norwegian people see him as a role model and as someone who brings people together. Whether you’re for or against the monarchy, I think he’s well-liked across the board,” she said.
Magnus Skaugseth, 27, also praised the late King’s inclusive approach.
“He was so inclusive and committed to having values that are inclusive in the society we live in today. When there is so much division and polarisation, he was a pillar pointing in the opposite direction,” Skaugseth said.
Harald had experienced several health challenges in recent years and had undergone procedures including the fitting of a pacemaker. Despite his declining health, he repeatedly ruled out abdication, maintaining that his oath to serve Norway was lifelong.
His death comes during a turbulent period for the Norwegian royal family, which has faced a series of health and personal controversies in recent months.
With Harald’s death, Crown Prince Haakon now takes over the Norwegian throne, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the country’s monarchy.
Social media personality Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has fired back at Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, following the lawyer’s criticism of his invitation to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) annual conference.
Recall that Falana had criticised the decision to feature VDM as a panelist during a session on “Unknown Gunmen,” arguing that discussions on national security should involve individuals with established experience in the country’s security architecture.
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“In those days, the NBA brought individuals who had paid their dues, who were coming to engage lawyers intellectually. We wanted to learn from them and so none of our conferences was a circus show in the past,” Falana said.
He further stated: “So, if you are bringing in an expert to discuss the security of the country, either from the private or public sector, such an individual must have contributed to the security architecture of the country.”
Falana also said: “But to just go and bring somebody from nowhere to come and entertain you, there are problems with that.”
Reacting in a Facebook post on Friday, VDM said he was initially disappointed by Falana’s comments but claimed they helped him understand the opposition to his invitation.
“And then again, I listened to Femi Falana. When I listened to him, I won’t lie, I was so disappointed in him. Then again, after he spoke, I understood why a lot of them were upset and Femi Falana gave me the answer.
“Their problem is that a son of a nobody was invited and that is just simply what is going on in the media and Femi Falana just made it clear to me. Who knows me? Who is my father? Who knows my family? Who are we? What empire do we have?”
Defending his participation, VDM said his contribution would be based on firsthand experiences.
“This is not about book, it is about experience,” he said, adding, “Security is for everybody. Security is not for some set of people.”
A public warning has gone to the authorities to desist from frequently tweaking with the regulatory environment, as it could undermine investments in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Rabiu Umar, expressed the view on Wednesday in which he highlighted the importance of predictable regulation to the development of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum sectors.
According to Umar, investors were prepared to manage commercial risks but found regulatory uncertainty more difficult to accommodate, stressing that clear, consistent and predictable rules were critical to attracting and retaining capital.
“Investors are prepared to manage commercial risk. What they find far more difficult is regulatory uncertainty,” he said.
According to him, government efforts to provide fiscal incentives, financing support and policy reforms to encourage investment could achieve little if investors were unsure how the regulatory system would operate in practice.
Umar said investors wanted assurances that rules were clear, decisions were consistent and regulatory processes were predictable, adding that such confidence could influence investment decisions as much as commercial considerations.
He noted that the issue was particularly important in the midstream and downstream sectors, where investments in refineries, pipelines, storage facilities and gas infrastructure were designed to operate over many years.
“Investments in refineries, pipelines, storage facilities and gas infrastructure are designed to operate over many years. Investors need confidence that the regulatory environment will remain stable, consistent and credible throughout the life of those assets,” he said.
The NMDPRA boss said the Petroleum Industry Act had provided the industry with a strong legal and regulatory framework based on transparency, competition and accountability.
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He said the responsibility of the NMDPRA is to ensure that those principles are reflected in its day-to-day regulatory activities.
Umar, who said he had spent nearly three decades on the commercial and operational side of the downstream petroleum industry before joining the Authority, said he understood the concerns investors raised before committing capital.
He listed timely approvals, consistent application of regulations and fair and predictable decisions by institutions among the key issues investors considered.
The NMDPRA chief executive further stated that effective regulation went beyond issuing licences and enforcing compliance, as it should provide certainty and create an environment where businesses could plan and investment could grow.
He said the authority was strengthening collaboration with other government institutions, noting that effective regulation depended not only on good policies but also on consistent implementation.
“When institutions work together, the industry experiences a more coordinated and predictable regulatory environment,” he said.
Umar said the implementation of reforms would ultimately determine the confidence investors had in Nigeria’s regulatory system.
“The true measure of any reform is how it is implemented. Every licence issued, every inspection conducted and every regulatory decision contributes to confidence in the regulatory system,” he stated.
He assured stakeholders that the agency would carry out its mandate fairly, consistently and transparently to support responsible investment and the continued development of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum industry.
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