News

Jos DisCo boss grants 30 percent discount to debtors

Published

4 years ago

December 10, 2022

vicky

The Managing Director, Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JED), Engr. Abdu Bello Mohammed has rolled out a 30 percent discount for all indebted customers who will wish to clear their debts at once.

Mohammed said the gesture, which will take effect immediately and run till the end of January 2023, is to encourage debtors to pay up, urging them to take advantage of it.

The JED boss spoke in a statement signed by the Head Corporate Communications, Dr. Friday Adakole Elijah, and sent to our correspondent on Friday.

While encouraging staff of the power company to also be at their best performance, Mohammed promised to always reward the best performing region of its franchise States of Plateau, Gombe, Benue and Bauchi.

Part of the incentive offered also includes prompting the best Regional Manager whose region will top revenue collection every month, Elijah said in the statement.

He noted that Mohammed is poised to improve staff welfare as he has urged staff to also improve revenue collection, adding that to demonstrate commitment to staff welfare, the JED boss shortly after resuming office, confirmed 121 staff who were left unconfirmed.

“We intend to look into staff promotion soon. I understand that some staff have stagnated for up to ten years in one position. This is not good. We can not operate like this. But for us to achieve what we intend to achieve, we must have to increase our collection efficiency in terms of naira yield”, Mohammed said.

He continued: “Please, let us improve the company’s performance and you will see what I will do. Our current collection performance is about 50 percent. We buy this energy from the Gencos and we can’t collect the cost of the energy. You collect goods on credit to sell and return the money but after selling, you are only able to collect about half of the total worth of the goods, how are you going to make up for the balance?, he queried.

“Your inability to perform could be catastrophic as I cannot tell what will happen to you if the trend continues.

“This is where you work. This is where you feed from. Your family depends on this. Your relations depend on this. Even the society where you live to some extent depends on you because you are working. We should therefore put in our best to enable the company to grow. When the company grows, we will all be better for it.

“We must move the company forward. We must salvage the situation. I can see the very intelligent and energetic staff here. All you need to do is the push and determination to change the narratives”, he said.

Mohammed however decried corruption in all ramifications calling for attitudinal change from the staff.

“You must abide by ethical conduct. I will not tolerate any bad act from any of you. While we will not tolerate any bad acts from you, we are ready to support you to do your job diligently”, he added.

Sundiata Post recalls that Mohammed spoke in Gombe Gombe during an interactive session with staff of the Region, our correspondent reports

News

‘I will continue to criticise Ebonyi govt where necessary’ – PDP guber candidate

Published

52 minutes ago

July 14, 2026

Preport

The 2027 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ebonyi, Chief Ifeanyi-Chukwuma Odii, has dismissed allegations by the member representing Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency, Mr Chinedu Ogah, that he has been sponsoring cyberbullying campaigns against Ebonyi government.

Odii, also known as “AnyiChuks” in a statement to journalists in Abakaliki on Tuesday, described the allegation as baseless and an attempt to criminalise legitimate criticism and divert attention from issues of governance in the state.

He maintained that demanding accountability from elected public officials was a constitutional right of citizens and should not be misconstrued as cyberbullying or cyberstalking.

“Since when did asking questions become cyberbullying? Since when did demanding a scorecard become cyberstalking?” Odii asked.

He noted that Ebonyi people deserved to know how public resources allocated to the state had been utilised, insisting that citizens had the right to demand transparency and good governance.

According to him, criticism of government policies and performance is an essential feature of democracy and should not be interpreted as an attack on any individual.

The PDP governorship candidate also denied allegations that he was influencing officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to register underage voters, describing the accusation as reckless, defamatory and without evidence.

He urged the lawmaker to forward any evidence in his possession to the appropriate security agencies instead of making what he described as unsubstantiated allegations in the media.

The PDP candidate pledged to continue criticising the government in areas requiring improvement and commend it where it performs well.

Odii added that he would continue to advocate transparency, accountability and inclusive development, stressing that responsible opposition was vital to democratic governance.

Odii said he would not be intimidated into silence, adding that the people of the state would ultimately determine the outcome of the 2027 governorship election.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ogah, at a press conference recently accused Odii of sponsoring cyberbullying and propaganda against the Ebonyi government led by Governor Nwifuru

Health

Yobe govt approves health insurance enrolment for retirees

Published

1 hour ago

July 14, 2026

Preport

The Yobe State Government has approved the enrolment of state and local government retirees into the Social Equity Programme of its health insurance scheme.

The Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (YSCHMA), Babagana Tijjani, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Damaturu.

Mr Tijjani said the approval was granted by Governor Mai Mala Buni following a recommendation from the agency.

He said the initiative aims to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare spending among pensioners and improve access to comprehensive, quality healthcare services at YSCHMA-accredited health facilities.

According to him, the approval underscores the state government’s commitment to improving the welfare of retirees by ensuring they continue to access quality healthcare after retirement.

“This approval is another demonstration of the governor’s commitment to protecting the health and well-being of residents of the state,” he said.

“By bringing retirees under the social equity programme, the government is ensuring that senior citizens can access quality healthcare without suffering financial hardship.”

The executive secretary further said that the inclusion of retirees in the scheme aligned with the administration’s healthcare reform agenda and the state’s drive towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.

He also described the development as a significant step in expanding access to healthcare and strengthening social protection.

READ ALSO: Yobe, Adamawa tighten security to curb illegal mining

Mr Tijjani commended the governor for approving the initiative and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to its effective implementation.

He said the YSCHMA would work closely with pension unions, relevant government institutions and healthcare providers to ensure a transparent enrolment process and seamless access to healthcare services for eligible beneficiaries.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the YSCHMA was established under Yobe State Law No. 7 of 2019 to implement the state’s contributory healthcare scheme and promote equitable, affordable and qualitative healthcare services for residents.

(NAN)