LEADERSHIP VACCUM IN EBONYI STATE

Governance is currently on a standstill in Abakiliki, Ebonyi State, following the absence of key officials of government.
Residents who spoke in Abakiliki said there is lull in government activities. This is occasioned by the absence of the governor and his deputy, as well as speaker of the state house of assembly.
Governor Omehia and the Speaker Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Ogbonna Francis Nwifuru, departed  Nigeria yesterday, (Sunday) for a two week unexplained trip to China.
Similarly, the state's Deputy Governor, Dr Kelechi Egwe is on a three weeks trip to the USA.
A cross section of Abakiliki  residents lamented that the absence of these three key principal officers of Ebonyi state left the state rudderless as all government business is at standstill.

ANXIETY IN DELTA OVER RUMOURED CIVIL SERVICE PURGE

There is mounting tension amongst civil servants in Delta state following speculations that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa intends to purge the service of certain categories of staff in the state work force.
Speculations are rife that the move is part of plans to reduce tge states monthly wage bill as well as cteate room for many graduates of Delta origin, who have been without job.
This rumour has sent shivers across the state, as many workers have issues with either their date of birth, graduation, date of employment, state of origin and others. The findings followed the yet to be released findings of the recent staff audit conducted by the state government.
To compound the woes of workers, August salary is yet to be paid, while Local Government Council staff are on arrers of their monthly pay.

MUMBAI: INDIAN MAN 'KILLS 14 MEMBERS OF FAMILY'

A 35-year-old Indian man killed 14 members of his own family, including seven children and his parents, before killing himself, police say.

Reports suggest Hasnin Warekar laced his family's food with sedatives before slitting their throats.  Neighbours from the home in Thane, near Mumbai, were alerted to the attack by the screaming of the man's sister, who survived the attack.

Police say it is still unclear why Warekar carried out the attack.

Authorities are yet to question Warekar's sister, Thane police spokesman Gajanan Laxman Kabdule told AFP, as she was "in deep trauma" at a city hospital.

The Press Trust of India news agency reported that the youngest victim was his three-month-old daughter, and the oldest his 55-year-old father.

He also killed six of his sisters' children, the report said.

The attack began in the early hours of Sunday morning, after everyone had gone to bed, he said.

Television footage showed bodies being carried out of the home, covered in sheets.

The family had gathered for dinner in Thane, about 32km (20 miles) from Mumbai, on Saturday evening.

Thane police commissioner Ashutosh Dumbre said the accused "bolted all the doors of the house and murdered his family while they were asleep", using a knife that was found near his body.

Local media reports said the family members were drugged, but that has not been confirmed by police.

The victims' bodies were discovered on Sunday morning in the man's home.

Warekar is believed to have worked as an accountant in Mumbai. (BBC)

ELECTROCUTION: CPC SLAMS ABUJA DISCO FOR NEGLIGENCE, ORDERS N10MILLION COMPENSATION TO DECEASED’S FAMILY

The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has ordered the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to pay the family of an electrocuted boy in Abuja N10 million because of its technical lapses and gross negligence.

CPC’s order came on the heels of a complaint from Mr. TadeAyodele, who claimed that a live electricity power cable fell from a pole at the old Panteker Area of Kabusa, Abuja on Monday, 9^th November 2015, causing the electrocution and subsequent death of his son, Master Samuel Ayodele.

According to the complainant, his son had slipped and fallen on the said live electricity cable, leading to his electrocution and death on the said date.

Responding to CPC’s investigation on the matter, AEDC dissociated itself from the unfortunate incident, claiming in its letter of 7^th December 2015 that “the electricity distribution network in the community where the deceased lived is a substandard self help project” that should not be attributed to it or any of its authorized agents and that the illegal substandard installations were merely tolerated to some extent due to the exigencies of the electricity industry.

The Council however stated that in the course of its investigation, it visited the site, conducted spot interviews of residents of the community and sought the technical opinion from the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), the sector regulator, set up by the Federal Government to, among others, carry out testing and certification of electrical installations, electricity meters, instruments and commercial services on key critical areas of Nigerian electricity supply industry.

According to the Council, the technical opinion of NEMSA concluded that the accident “occurred as a result of weak/bad low tension network and technical lapses on the part of AEDC for allowing such a substandard installations in their network and for not responding promptly to the snap conductor after it was reported to them”.

CPC, therefore, concluded that the outcome of all its investigation could not substantiate the disclaimer of the AEDC as contained in the company’s letter of December 7, 2015. The Council in reaching this conclusion,agreed with and relied on the expert opinion of NEMSA the sector regulator on quality and electricity materials.

Furthermore the Council found AEDC liable for incorporating “this self help project” into its billing system by collecting payment from the community, while failing, refusing and neglecting to disconnect the purported illegal substandard installations.

Consequently, CPC ordered the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company PLC to “pay the sum of N 10, 000, 000 (Ten million Naira only) to the complainant as compensation for the death of Master Samuel Ayodele which, arose from the technical lapses and gross negligence of the respondent”.

AEDC has been served with the order, and must comply and revert to the Council on or before the 30^th day of April 2016.The Order has also been communicated to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), who at all times was notified of various steps taken by CPC.

Reacting, CPC’s Director General, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, said the development would serve as a deterrent to the negligence in the provision of services by businesses.She reiterated that in line with extant regulations and international best practices, Nigerian consumers would continue to be protected from all manner of Consumer abuses. (UNEDITED)

CPC CONCLUDES DSTV INVESTIGATION, ORDERS COMPENSATION, TOLL-FREE LINES FOR CONSUMERS

After an extensive investigation, the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has substantiated allegations of violations of consumer rights by MultiChoice Nigeria Limited in the provision of its Digital Satellite Broadcast Television (DStv) service.

Consequently, the Council has issued far-reaching orders, including suspension of service when consumers are away; release of free-to-air channels, even when subscription expires; compensation across board to consumers for lost viewing time, introduction of local toll free lines; and reasonable equitable spread of popular sports channels, among others.

The multinational pay-media company is also required to present written assurances in line with Section 10 of the Council’s enabling law that it will not engage in any conduct which is detrimental to the interest of consumers.

In the same vein, the company shall for 18 months from the date of the orders, subject its processes to the Council’s inspection to ensure compliance with the directives contained in the orders.

During the course of the investigation, the Council observed that the company’s billing system, whereby “billing is not contemporaneous with the provision of service” was not in the best interest of consumers and therefore ordered MultiChoice to install a billing system that ensures billing starts with the provision of service

The pay-television company was also ordered to within 90 days provide across board compensation to its subscribers, considering the fact that many of them have over time lost legitimate and paid viewing time by its conduct of not restoring service contemporaneously after payment as well as other instances of disruptions.

Similarly, the company was also directed by CPC to within 180 days adopt a “technology that supports suspension of service when subscribers are otherwise unable to enjoy their service on account of being away for a limited period of time”, provided such a request for suspension of service is done for a period of between 7 to 14 days and not more than twice in a year with a 72-hour notice to MultiChoice.

On non-availability of popular channels in certain bouquets, the Council ordered the firm to within 90 days ensure “a reasonably equitable spread of popular sports and other channels hitherto concentrated in its premium bouquet over all available bouquets”.

MultiChoice was ordered to keep local and free-to-air channels open so that subscribers would have the opportunity of watching these channels, even when their subscriptions have expired.

In order to aid easy and fast access to the company by subscribers who wish to make complaints or enquiries, CPC directed MultiChoice not only to maintain local toll-free telephone access lines for its call centres, but should also ensure the call centres operate for longer hours during public holidays and weekends.

MultiChoice was also directed to formulate within 90 days a written compensation policy which should “outline amongst other things, the procedure for compensating subscribers for injury they suffer on account of MultiChoice conduct and take into consideration not just viewing time lost, but inconveniences suffered by subscribers”.

The agency also directed MultiChoice to “develop a Customer Care Manual which shall contain mechanisms to address customer complaints in an accurate, friendly, timely, efficient, courteous and honest manner”.

It was also directed to ensure that the list of all its accredited dealers and installers and their details be freely given to its customers at the point of subscription and also made available on its website and other information channels.

In addition, the pay-media company is not only to ensure these accredited dealers and installers carry certified means of identification issued by it, subscribers must also be periodically educated on the means of identification, while it should also reasonably and adequately compensate subscribers where they experience loss of signal on account of faulty, poor or unprofessional installation by agents of MultiChoice.

On the pay-television firm’s agreements with its subscribers, the Council disclosed that several provisions of the Service Level Agreement and the Terms and Conditions of Subscription signed on by subscribers were found to be grossly unfair, unjust and one-sided, directing that such provisions should be expunged, re-drafted and submitted to the Council.

All the orders, which have already been served on MultiChoice, are effective, not later than 90 days from their receipt.    

Commenting, the Council’s Director General, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, expressed optimism that compliance with these reforms would bring about a new dawn for Nigerian consumers, who would henceforth enjoy value for money in their engagement with the company.

Mrs. Atoki reiterated the Council’s commitment towards sanitising the nation’s market-place for the benefit of consumers, assuring that no stone would be left un-turned to ensure it is no longer business as usual and shoddy service delivery becomes a thing of the past in the country.

Ends.

FEDERAL GOVERNMNET SACKS HEADS OF INFORMATION AGENCIES

The Federal Government has disengaged the heads of the six information-related parastatals under the Ministry of Information and Culture.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the disengagement during a meeting he held with the Chief Executives of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Voice of Nigeria (VON), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) on Monday .
The Minister directed the disengaged Chief Executives to hand over to the most senior officials in their various establishments.
He thanked them for their service to the nation and wished them the best of luck in their future endeavours.

The affected Chief Executives are the Directors-General of NTA, Mr. Sola Omole, FRCN (Mr. Ladan Salihu), VON (Mr Sam Worlu), NOA (Mr. Mike Omeri), NBC (Mr. Emeka Mba) and the Managing Director of NAN (Mr. Ima Niboro).