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Nigerians groan as electricity bills takes 57% of minimum wage earners’ salaries

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When the Federal Government announced in September that it would start paying the proposed minimum wage of N70, 000, with a promise to pay civil servants the areas from July and August, not many Nigerians were excited about the news.

And the reasons were obvious, one of them being the recent hike in electricity bill.

A recent report quoting the FIJ calculation clearly indicated that average minimum wage earners spend at least 57.3 percent of their salaries on electricity bills if they use only seven appliances for a month.

The FIJ report noted that while the wage increase was a good development for workers, the cost of living has rendered the wage increase almost insignificant.

The report spotlights the cost of electricity alone and its impact on workers’ wages.

According to a National Income, Salaries and Wages Commission (NISWC) document, civil servants under the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure would earn N930,000 per annum.

This means that a minimum wage earner would go home with a salary of about N77, 500.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) announced a 300 percent increase in electricity tariff for those in the B and A service category in April.

According to the Vice Chairman of the NERC, Musliu Oseni, the tariff hike meant that customers who formerly paid N66 per kilowatt per hour would now pay N225 for the same unit of electricity.

In the announcement, the NERC also said that only users in the band A service category, about 15 percent of the entire customer population, would be affected.

Surprisingly, a few months after the announcement, Nigerians were faced with flagrant and unsolicited transfer to Band A service category without prior notice.

Some people protested the move, while others took to social media to vent their anger and frustrations.

Decrying the move on his X handle, a financial expert, Joe Abah wrote: “I have confirmation that @aedcelectricity has now put me in Band A with no notice at all.

So, N100,000 electricity top-up now lasts just seven days. I have been paying.

Who has a gadget that can help me monitor whether I am getting a minimum of 20 hours of light a day, please?”

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IBADAN: Early Morning Fire Destroys Shops, Millions Lost in Property

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An early morning fire on Friday, September 12, 2025, gutted four shops at Saki Garage, opposite Trans Amusement Park in the Bodija area of Ibadan, Oyo State.

The fire, which started around 2:07 a.m., affected four out of eleven shops in the complex. No casualties were reported, but properties worth millions of naira were lost.

Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Hon. Maroof Akinwande, confirmed the incident and said firefighters were able to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby buildings.

The fire was traced to embers left unattended after business hours, which ignited nearby flammable materials.

Akinwande advised the public to be vigilant, keep fire extinguishers at home and in shops, and store emergency fire service numbers. He also commended Amotekun officers from the Bodija Division for providing security during the firefighting operation.

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Air Peace Differs with NSIB reports on crews involvement in drugs, alcohol

Air Peace conducts frequent alcohol and drug tests on our crew. We have a very strict alcohol use policy that is stricter than the 8 hours before the flight as provided in the regulations. Drug use is a NO-NO!

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Air Peace has responded to the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) regarding the incident involving one of its aircraft at Port Harcourt on July 13, 2025.

The airline said to date, no official communication was received on crew toxicology results by NSI, B, and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had cleared the co-pilot on duty.

In a statement by Air Peace, it stated that it is yet to receive any official communications from the NSIB on such findings over a month after the incident and after the testing of the crew for alcohol, which took place in less than an hour of the incident!

“As a responsible airline, we place utmost priority on safety, transparency, and compliance, and it is important to set the record straight.

“Air Peace conducts frequent alcohol and drug tests on our crew. We have a very strict alcohol use policy that is stricter than the 8 hours before the flight as provided in the regulations. Drug use is a NO-NO!

The NSIB had on Thursday released the preliminary report on its ongoing investigation into the serious incident involving a Boeing 737-524 aircraft, operated by Air Peace, saying initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption.

The report said that a cabin crew member also tested positive for Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component in cannabis.

“These results are being reviewed under the human performance and safety management components of the investigation.”, a statement on the report signed by Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, said.

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Hilda Baci Cooking World’s Largest Pot of Jollof Rice Today at Eko Hotel

Baci also disclosed she would be using 250 bags of rice to create what she hopes will become the world’s biggest pot of Nigerian jollof rice.

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Celebrity chef and Guinness World Record holder Hilda Baci is cooking what she describes as the world’s largest pot of Nigerian jollof rice at Eko Hotel and Suites today (Friday) in Lagos.

A video shared on her Instagram page on Thursday showed the moment the massive pot arrived at the venue of the record-breaking attempt in Lagos.

Another clip shared on her Snapchat story captured Hilda and her mother praying at the venue ahead of the event.

Baci announced on Wednesday that more than 20,000 people had registered to attend the event dubbed “Gino World Jollof Festival with Hilda Baci”

She emphasised that the event which kicks off at 9 a.m. on Friday, September 12, is free to attend, and that guests will “certainly not be paying for the amazing meal that I’m going to make for you.”

According to Baci, the historic attempt will feature a giant pot measuring six metres wide and six metres tall, in collaboration with seasoning and culinary brand Gino.

Baci also disclosed she would be using 250 bags of rice to create what she hopes will become the world’s biggest pot of Nigerian jollof rice

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