News
DisCo Must Repay Customers for Transformer Purchases, FCCPC Rules
Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has ordered the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company to refund whatever consumers invest in buying transformers, poles, cables, and other items.
The Chief Executive Officer/Executive Vice-Chairman of FCCPC, Tunji Bello, gave this directive at the FCCPC Electricity Consumer Forum in Ota, Ogun State.
Bello, who was represented by an official of the commission, Mrs Bridget Etim, said it is not the duty of consumers to buy transformers, cables, or electric poles, saying such investments must be refunded by the Disco whenever they are made.
At the forum held in Ilogbo, Oju-Ore area of the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun, community leaders under various Community Development Committees and Associations, alleged that the IBEDC had failed to respond to their complaints despite a series of letters written to its officials.
The Ado-Odo/Ota Zonal CDC Chairman, Mr Olatunji Onaolapo, decried what he called the nonchalant attitude of IBEDC officials in the local government.
According to him, consumers now buy everything that should be provided by the Disco, yet many communities remain in darkness.
“In Itele Ota alone, our people have bought up to 80 transformers. IBEDC did not buy a single one. We will even pay for energisation, we will beg them to come and install a transformer that they are supposed to buy. It is uncalled for,” Onaolapo alleged.
Responding, the IBEDC boss in Ogun State, Abdulrasaq Jimoh, blamed the communities for buying the transformers without carrying the DisCo along.
Jimoh said the communities ought to inform the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission of their intention to procure transformers and other items needed for electricity supply in their areas before going ahead to procure them.
However, the FCCPC official, Etim, interrupted the IBEDC’s Jimoh, saying, “I disagree.”
Etim told the Ibadan DisCo to learn from Jo’s Disco, which recently refunded its consumers even without NERC or FCCPC involvement.
“We are not going to accept that as a commission. For the ones that had happened before, we were not aware. We told the IBEDC before that for subsequent investments in network areas, returns must be given to the investors (the consumers). The previous ones were not properly documented with us, but subsequent ones must be refunded.
“I am correcting this because the Disco is saying you have to write NERC. If you tell the Disco that you want to invest, the Disco has the responsibility to escalate it to the regulator, that this is what the community is doing.
“In fact, let me tell IBEDC that Jos DisCo has had to compensate a community that invested in their network without informing NERC or FCCPC. I want IBEDC to change and learn,” Etim said.
Going forward, she urged Nigerians to always inform FCCPC of their plans to invest in the DisCos network going forward to ensure getting refunds through energy credit.
While presenting the EVC’s opening speech, the FCCPC boss stated that the three-day forum was convened under Sections 17, 127, 130, and 151 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018.
She said the forum was designed to bridge the gaps between consumers and service providers in the electricity industry.
“Electricity is not merely a commodity. It is a vital service that powers livelihoods, businesses, and progress. However, the industry continues to grapple with persistent issues such as insufficient metering, billing inaccuracies, and infrastructure challenges, all of which require urgent and collaborative resolution.
“This event presents a non-adversarial forum for dialogue. Consumers will gain clarity on their rights and responsibilities, while Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company’s caseworkers will be available to address grievances on the spot. This aligns with our core mandate to ensure that consumer protection is practical, accessible, and responsive.
“At the heart of the FCCPC’s interventions is the recognition that electricity consumers are entitled to fairness, transparency, and accountability. We are guided by our commitment under the FCCPA to inform and educate consumers about their rights; facilitate complaint resolution and redress; encourage fair trade practices among service providers, and promote collaborative engagement that ultimately improves service delivery across the sector,” she said, quoting the executive vice chairman.
At the forum, officials of the IBEDC were on the ground to immediately attend to consumers’ complaints and get them resolved on the spot.
Federal government may lose $4 million from a World Bank loan after failing to get a pass mark on key audit standards in its revenue-generating agencies, such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigeria Customs Service.
This is according to a World Bank restructuring paper dated June 2025.
The amount, which is the equivalent of around N6.2 billion with an exchange rate of N1,568 per dollar, could have helped to address one of Nigeria’s infrastructural deficits.
The fund formed part of the $103 million Fiscal Governance and Institutions Project, a public financial management initiative financed through a credit facility from the International Development Association.
Accordingly, the revenue assurance audit covering the FIRS and Customs for the 2018 to 2021 financial years was assessed as not achieved because the reports submitted did not meet international auditing standards.
“Revenue assurance audit of Main Income Generating Agencies, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigeria Customs Service for FY 2018–2021, with an allocation of $4m.
“These Intermediate Results to be implemented by the Office of Auditor-General of the Federation were assessed as not achieved by the Independent Verification Agent because the reports submitted for verification did not meet the requisite international auditing standards.”
Also, the unsuccessful audit was one of ten performance-based conditions under the project that the government could not deliver before the closing date of June 30, 2025. Consequently, the Federal Ministry of Finance formally requested the cancellation of $10.4 million in project funds.
“The FMF has requested cancellation of $0.9m of unused funds for technical assistance and $9.5m, which is the amount allocated to 10 performance-based conditions, which will not be achieved by the close of the project on June 30, 2025,” the document read.
Further analysis shows that $4.5 million was tied to the uncompleted Revenue Assurance and Billing System, while $1 million was allocated to the development of a National Budget Portal.
According to the document, the Budget Office of the Federation, which was responsible for the portal, did not submit any evidence of achievement. In addition, $0.9 million in technical assistance funding was left uncommitted and has also been cancelled.
Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) has warned job seekers to be wary of fraudsters circulating inappropriate recruitment information.
The warning came against the backdrop of social media publications that President Bola Tinubu has ordered massive recruitments into some government agencies.
The agencies listed in the report were the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS); the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) and the Federal Fire Service (FFS)..
The agencies are all under the Ministry of Interior, headed by Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
However, while responding to the reports, the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) cautioned Nigerians against falling into the traps of job racketeers.
The Board acknowledged a Presidential approval for the recruitment of personnel in the four (4) Paramilitary Services under its purview, but insisted that due process would be followed on the matter.
Major Gen. Abdulmalik Jibrin (rtd), board secretary, said in a statement that “there are series of processes which leads to the actual recruitment exercise.”
“The Board wishes to reiterate that for all its recruitment processes, appropriate notifications would be done via adverts in the national dailies and it would be carried out in a fair and transparent process devoid of payment of any fee.
“To this effect, members of the public should be weary of the activities of recruitment racketeers who may want to take advantage of unsuspecting job seekers to rob them of their hard-earned resources”, Gen Jibrin said.
Adefowora Abiodun, one of the alleged promoters of the CBEX investment scheme, who voluntarily surrendered to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in April following a ruling by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, is still languishing in the custody of the anti-corruption agency.
Adefowora Abiodun, one of the alleged promoters of the CBEX investment scheme,
Concerned Nigerians who have been following the matter have urged the EFCC to release him unconditionally since he honoured their invitation without being arrested.
The court had approved the EFCC’s request to arrest and detain six individuals connected to the scheme, including Abiodun.
Alongside Abiodun, five other individuals—Adefowora Oluwanisola, Emmanuel Uko, Seyi Oloyede, Avwerosuo Otorudo, and Chukwuebuka Ehirim—were declared wanted by the EFCC for their involvement in the alleged fraudulent investment scheme, which was valued at over $1 billion.
Fadila Yusuf, EFCC’s legal counsel, had submitted evidence that led to their public declaration as wanted individuals.
After the announcement, Abiodun, who was shocked by the declaration, alongside his legal team, presented himself to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, expressing his willingness to cooperate with the investigation.
Babatunde Busari, his legal counsel, explained that Abiodun’s decision to submit voluntarily was made in order to clear his name and address the media narratives circulating about the case.
Despite the return of investor funds and CBEX’s assurance that withdrawals would be allowed by June 25, Abiodun has been in detention for over a month, triggering speculation about the EFCC’s high-handedness and rights abuse.
His legal team is now advocating for his release on administrative bail, emphasizing that the ongoing detention is unwarranted under the circumstances since he submitted himself for investigation.
According to one of the family sources, “Keeping him in a cell for over one month would send a negative signal to other Nigerians who would be declared wanted by the EFCC in the future. It would discourage Nigerians who have clear cases from surrendering themselves voluntarily to security agencies if, at the end of the day, they don’t receive mutual respect for surrendering themselves.”
He added that CBEX is not a Ponzi scheme.
Reacting to the agitation by concerned Nigerians, Dele Oyewole , EFCC spokesman hinted that the agency obtained a remand order to keep him beyond 48 hours.
According to him, “Anybody that we are holding beyond 48 hours, be rest assured that we have a lawful remand order from the magistrate court to hold him beyond 48 hours.
“We are a law-abiding commission. Concerning that suspect, we are holding him on the basis of that remand order.”
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