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NERC Hikes Electricity Tariff

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Sam Amadi, chairman of NERC,
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An amended ‘special’ Multi Year Tariff Order to be known as MYTO 2.1 officially took off Wednesday. Essentially, from yesterday, electricity tariff went up.

However, because service delivery has not improved significantly, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has announced that distribution companies will not increase tariff for R1 and R2 (residential) consumers for six months. Other categories of customers would, however, witness an increase in what they pay for electricity.

Sam Amadi, chairman of NERC, told some journalists in Abuja Wednesday that the increase is premised on the verified losses that the DISCOs were facing and the new price of gas, which took off this month.

Amadi said: “The implication of the increase in losses level is that the tariff will go up because the cost of distributing power will increase.

“Each of the distribution companies will, however, design a tariff on how to recover their revenue because what NERC has done is to insist that they will not increase tariff for R2 customers for six (6) months.”

He further explained: “Essentially from today (yesterday), the tariff should be up but what is happening now is that they are going to lose money for the next six months because of that caveat.

“We have taken a regulatory policy to say that they will not increase the tariff of residential consumers for the next six months until there is an improvement in service delivery and this is bitter for them because they will not recover that money for that six months but they have accepted it, finally, as a sacrifice they have to make.

“The bottom-line is that tariff should have increased for everybody from January 1, 2015 going by the increase in the cost of doing business; increase in gas price, new loss levels but because of the commitment that NERC has made to ensure that consumers are not exposed further to increased cost until there is some improvement, we have frozen the increment for six months for residential consumer but they will administer their tariff to other consumers but the residential consumers are given special consideration.”

He noted: “There has been an ongoing long-running review of the MYTO. Basically, the tariff is reviewed every six months in what we call minor review. The minor review however coincided with a special review which is based on the fact that when the new owners took over, there was an agreement that there will be a review of the ATC & C (Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection) losses, which is simply to say that the new owners bought their assets with an understanding with the BPE (Bureau for Public Enterprises) and which NERC recognised that when they come, they will have an opportunity to validate the losses level which the BPE projected and upon which they bought the assets.

“The implication is that when they did the review and together with NERC it will be verified and use the loss level to get for them a much more reflective tariff because tariff is based on many factors which one of them is loss.”

He added: “So, if we had projected that the loss level in the industry is 30 per cent, it means that 30 per cent of revenue in the industry will be lost but if suddenly it becomes 50 per cent, the implication is that we have underpriced the losses and therefore the tariff will be reviewed.

“When we were privatising, there was some lack of credibility with the data that was put forward and the agreement was that there was no need to argue and that when they come in, they conduct independent study of the loss levels and verify with NERC who will put it back through a special tariff review if the study is ascertained to be credible. That is why it a special review and not our normal six months review because this is based on one of the recognition of the agreement that they have to confirm that losses are as we projected. The commission has now accepted those losses level and it is now to put it into the tariff.

‘‘The new tariff that is announced is a review of the MYTO to factor the losses that are now different based on verification and studies, factor the new price of gas which has changed; basically, those are the two major components for now.

“We approved an amended MYTO tariff which means that issued a new tariff order that continues with the framework of the tariff but now shows that for the remaining of the five years period, the figures are now different but we have not factored some changes like exchange rates and inflation.”

NERC said, however, that the new tariff had an implication for take-off date for a disciplined electricity market by January 1, 2015.

A separate statement announcing the tariff in Abuja NERC explained that with the commencement of MYTO 2.1, the Commission would now progressively hold electricity distribution, transmission, generation companies as well as other market operators to the terms and conditions of their licences.

Amadi said: “It is expected that the take-off of MYTO 2.1 will bring about improved service delivery as distribution companies are now expected to implement their investment plans for metering and strengthen their networks in line with their bid documents.”


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NIMC Disowns Fake NIN Portal

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National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has warned Nigerians to disregard a viral online flyer claiming that a free portal has been opened for the correction of National Identification Number (NIN) data.

NIMC Disowns Fake NIN Portal

In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the commission described the flyer as fake and cautioned the public against using any links associated with it.

“The public is hereby advised not to use the above for modifying their NIN data. All modifications should only be done via the official channel,” NIMC stated, directing users to its authorised self-service portal.

The misleading flyer, which has circulated widely on social media, carries the logos of NIMC and the federal government, falsely claiming that authorities had launched a special correction portal in response to a “high level of complain.”

It lists services such as name, gender, and date of birth corrections, and provides links redirecting users to a suspicious “gvly.xyz” domain—an address the commission says is not affiliated with any government platform.

NIMC noted that the flyer has since been marked “FAKE” in red, indicating it is being recirculated as part of efforts to debunk the misinformation.

The Commission reiterated that all NIN data modifications can only be carried out through its official self-service platform, urging Nigerians to remain vigilant and avoid falling victim to online scams.


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Moniepoint Acquires Orda Africa to Transform Africa’s $50Bn Restaurant Sector

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Moniepoint Inc. (“Moniepoint” or the “Company”), Africa’s all-in-one financial ecosystem platform for individuals, businesses and their customers, today announced the acquisition of Orda Africa (“Orda”), a leading cloud-based restaurant management platform operating in Nigeria.

Moniepoint Acquires Orda Africa to Transform Africa's $50bn Restaurant Sector

Moniepoint

Under the terms of this acquisition, Orda will become part of the Moniebook platform, Moniepoint’s all-in-one Point-of-Sale (POS) and business management platform. Since launching its business management tools product in 2025, Moniebook has rapidly become the go-to platform for thousands of African businesses seeking integrated financial and operational tools, seamlessly unifying payments and bookkeeping in one platform.

With Orda, restaurant owners can now gain access to this proven ecosystem that creates unprecedented opportunities to scale operations, optimize performance, and access credit, as well as the extensive reach of Moniepoint which has powered growth for millions of African businesses.

The acquisition comes as Africa’s food service industry experiences unprecedented growth, with the sector valued at $50 billion and Nigeria’s market alone projected to reach $19.31 billion by 2030, growing at 11.73% annually. With Orda’s restaurant-focused capabilities now part of the Moniepoint ecosystem, the platform is well-positioned to capture this opportunity.

Founded in 2015 by Tosin Eniolorunda and Felix Ike, today Moniepoint has grown into one of Nigeria’s leading distributors of financial services as well as a trusted platform for many of the country’s MSMEs especially in the informal sector.

The company has considerably expanded its offerings to include digital payments, business and personal banking, credit, cross-border payments, and business management tools with a customer base exceeding 20 million active businesses and personal banking customers and processes over US$250 billion in digital payments transaction value annually.

Tosin Eniolorunda, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Moniepoint Inc., said: “The food industry isn’t just about feeding people, it’s a major source of jobs and daily survival for many Africans. It highlights how vital the informal sector is, not just for the economy, but for everyday life across the continent.

Data has shown us that Africa’s restaurant sector is one of the continent’s most dynamic economic engines, yet the majority of food businesses still operate with manual processes and fragmented tools. By bringing Orda into Moniepoint, we are giving restaurant owners what they deserve: one simple platform that handles everything from managing their kitchen to growing their business. Our goal remains to create financial happiness for Africans, giving them the tools to reach their full potential and that’s exactly what we’ve built here.”

Founded in 2020, Orda was built to give Africa’s small and independent restaurants the tools they need to run more efficiently, providing a purpose-built software to businesses that had long operated without it.

Guy Futi, CEO of Orda, reassured existing customers: “Orda has found the perfect home in Moniepoint. We have spent years building deep expertise in restaurant operations, but we have always known that to truly transform the industry, we needed to connect that expertise with comprehensive financial infrastructure.

“That’s exactly what this integration delivers. For our customers, we are assuring a smooth transition with no disruption to the platform and retained access to the support you are used to. What changes is your access to opportunities.

“Over the coming weeks, being part of Moniepoint means you’ll have more tools, more reach, and more ways to grow your business than ever before”

Combining their respective strengths, Moniepoint and Orda deliver a purpose-built solution that empowers food businesses at every scale to manage orders, track inventory, pay suppliers, and access working capital, all in one seamless experience.

This move represents a demonstrated commitment to building a dedicated financial infrastructure designed around the unique complexity of Africa’s food economy.

For the millions of food entrepreneurs across the continent, from the everyday buka owner to the high-end restaurateur, this acquisition means less time managing multiple tools or carrying out arduous manual work and more time doing what they do best – feeding Africa.


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Tech Firms Sack over 45,000 so Far in 2026

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More than 45,000 jobs have been cut across the global technology sector in the first few months of 2026, according to data from RationalFX, signalling that the industry is still adjusting after a period of aggressive hiring rather than returning to a full growth phase.

Tech Firms Sack over 45,000 so Far in 2026

“In 2025, automation, artificial intelligence, and sustained cost-discipline measures drove much of the downsizing, with entire departments restructured or eliminated in favour of leaner, AI-assisted workflows. This trend has continued full steam into 2026,” said Alan Cohen, analyst at RationalFX.

According to the report, if the current rate of redundancies is sustained, total layoffs in 2026 could surpass the 245,000 recorded in 2025.

The majority of these layoffs have been concentrated in the United States, with major companies continuing to trim their workforce despite stable core operations.

Amazon has announced approximately 16,000 job cuts this year, while Block has also reduced thousands of roles as it tightens operations and shifts focus towards artificial intelligence.

There are indications that further reductions may follow.

Meta is reportedly considering additional layoffs as it increases investment in AI infrastructure, while PayPal and Klarna are reassessing spending and hiring strategies amid ongoing uncertainty.

Established technology firms are also undergoing restructuring. Dell has reduced its workforce by around 11,000 over the past year as part of a broader reorganisation, while Salesforce has cut approximately 1,000 roles in 2026 while aligning its teams more closely with AI-driven products.

Outside the United States, layoffs have been smaller in scale but more geographically dispersed.

Australia has reported around 2,650 job cuts so far this year, followed by Sweden with roughly 1,923 and Netherlands with about 1,700.

Other markets have also been affected. Israel and India have recorded approximately 1,539 and 1,520 layoffs respectively, with Israel’s startup ecosystem particularly sensitive to tighter funding conditions, while in India, both startups and larger IT firms have reduced headcount as global client spending slows.

In Singapore, around 1,016 layoffs have been reported, reflecting a softer hiring environment across Asia’s major technology hubs, where companies are adopting a more cautious approach amid uneven demand.

Across Europe, job cuts have been comparatively limited but still noticeable.

The United Kingdom has recorded around 1,000 layoffs, while Czech Republic and Germany have seen smaller reductions.

The broader trend suggests that technology companies are shifting towards leaner operations and more defined priorities following years of expansion. Increasing investment in automation and artificial intelligence is also reshaping the types of roles in demand.

For employees, the impact is becoming increasingly visible, with hiring slowing and becoming more selective. While opportunities remain, companies are taking a more measured approach to recruitment compared to the rapid expansion seen in previous years.

 

Further credit… .storyboard18.com

 


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