Examine individual changes

<p><br />It’s testimony time!<a href="https://Qz.com/978247/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-is-wearing-nigerian-to-promote-local-fashion-designers/" class="external text" rel="nofollow">qz.com</a> Truly, this piece couldn't have handed for testimony correctly <a href="https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Nigerian" class="external text" rel="nofollow">so-known</a> as however testimony in reverse, aside from the truth that the phrase ‘testimony’ is now loosely used, maybe bastardised and even prostituted, as seen from some testimonies I've heard or examine. I assume I will need to have shared one among such on this web page.<a href="http://www.vanguardngr.com/" class="external text" rel="nofollow">vanguardngr.com</a> It was advised by a lady in one of many Pentecostal churches the place a pal is a pastor. In keeping with the lady, her father labored with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and for years, he was doing strictly administrative work within the workplace, pushing information. In a spot like Customs, the meat is on the sector, not the workplace the place all you see are recordsdata which have gathered mud over time. She mentioned they'd been praying fervently for a change of their father’s fortune in order that he too can be posted to a border publish. Nevertheless, God lastly answered their prayer and remembered their father as he was promoted and finally transferred to one of many profitable border posts! "Praise God"!<br /><br /><br />Now the testimony on what Ikeja Electric has accomplished. I need to confess the corporate actually scared me final week Sunday. I assume many different folks related to the identical transformer with me would have been equally scared. What occurred was that I had gone to the barber early within the morning however by the point I returned at about previous 9, I noticed our safety gentle on.<a href="http://Www.Economist.com/topics/nigeria" class="external text" rel="nofollow">economist.com</a> That advised me that electricity provide had been restored to our space.<br /><br /><br />I used to be glad; in Nigeria, that's one thing actually cheery. What made it notably instructive was the lead story in one of many nationwide dailies the earlier day to the impact that we must always anticipate nationwide blackout quickly. Motive? Unpaid debts, particularly by ministries, companies and parastatals and different clients operating into about N400billion. I had already instructed my family that we should always brace up for the worst. Not essentially as a result of we've been having electricity provide earlier than however as a result of it may final longer than we have been used to, now that we're being served discover of the impending doom. Often, those that hold electricity captive right here don't serve discover. They simply strike, for weeks or months and return it after they like.<br /><br /><br />So, we crammed all containers with water earlier than going to church, though now we have borehole, floor tank and even underground tank within the home. In Nigeria, you put together all-spherical; leaving nothing to likelihood. So, once i returned from my barber’s and noticed that electricity had been restored (we had been in blackout for about every week throughout which the sunshine didn't blink), I had thought it was one thing that will final for the standard few hours. To my shock, provide was not disrupted as a result of I <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Americans" class="external text" rel="nofollow">additionally noticed</a> the sunshine within the church didn't blink (we're on the identical problematic transformer). There may be hardly a month when that transformer has been effectively from morning until night time.<br /><br /><br />After i acquired house and nonetheless discovered that we had mild; I then began to fret.<a href="https://Www.eia.gov/beta/international/analysis.cfm?iso=NGA" class="external text" rel="nofollow">eia.gov</a> That is unusual; about six hours of uninterrupted electricity! One thing will need to have gone improper on the Ikeja Electric workplace the place they've the swap. Or, might or not it's that the one who was speculated to delay the sunshine had hangover from the earlier day’s social engagement and was not in the suitable body of thoughts to do that hallowed obligation of switching off the sunshine?<br /><br /><br />Concern then turned to panic. Certainly, I used to be on this state of stupor till it was ‘lights out’ at about 9.00 p.m. I used to be then relieved as a result of I used to be too scared all of the whereas that I made up my thoughts to not exit in any respect on that day till I used to be certain there was no trigger for alarm. I lastly heaved a sigh of relief when the homeowners of the sunshine took it at about 9 within the night time. At the least that was proof that each one was properly at Ikeja Electric because it was with the opposite electric distribution firms (DISCOs); I knew then that there was no trigger for management since all the things was already beneath alarm! It was not till then that I determined to go search for gas to energy my generator. I need to confess the corporate has been honest to us since then. Certainly, I'd have mentioned they've turned a brand new leaf, but it surely is simply too early to conclude, as a result of every time I stated that previously, their progenitors, the Nationwide Electric Energy Authority (NEPA) and Energy Holding Firm of Nigeria (PHCN) ‘seized’ the <a href="http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/nigerian-pastor-has-four-passports-8974252" class="external text" rel="nofollow">sunshine virtually</a> instantly once more.<br /><br /><br />It appears Ikeja Electric virtually made the identical file on Friday. I hope they are going to maintain the ‘shock’. Reward the Lord!<br /><br />However that's for the testimony.<br /><br />Past that's the lingering situation of issuing estimated billing, which the Performing Chief Govt Officer, Ikeja Electric, Mr Anthony Youdeowei, mentioned would inevitably proceed, at the least for now. For me, this was an issue the brand new house owners of the electricity corporations ought to have envisaged even earlier than issues went awry with the financial system. I stated this within the context of the pay as you go meters that Youdeowei stated has jumped from about N40,000 apiece to about N100,000. Whoever was shopping for the entities then knew the problem of metering and billing ought to have been accorded precedence if the brand new homeowners weren't intent on persevering with with the historic billing regime which was most unfair to Nigerians. If they'd seen the difficulty in that context, they need to have metered a considerable variety of their prospects earlier than the recession set in and meters now turned gold.<br /><br /><br />After i first noticed the headline about estimated billing to proceed, I used to be annoyed as a result of I used to be an skilled sufferer of it below each the <a href="http://www.Thehindu.com/news/international/nigerian-chibok-girls-and-their-saga-of-abduction/article18409879.ece" class="external text" rel="nofollow">defunct</a> NEPA and its equally incompetent successor, the PHCN. Certainly, the matter received to a head when my estimated invoice hit about N200,000 round 2002/2003. Realizing what electricity tariff was like within the nation then, it ought to have been clear, even to the uninitiated, that one may very well be paying such an outrageous electricity invoice of about N10,000 month-to-month if one had a bakery run on electricity. Nevertheless, as a result of I didn't need to be seen as somebody who beloved having fun with gentle with out paying, I stored paying (I feel about N5,000 month-to-month despite the fact that I used to be normally slammed about N10,000 to N11,000 month-to-month) which was far above what my pals in the identical space having extra highly effective electrical appliances and much more common electricity provide than myself paid month-to-month. The matter grew to become unbearable when in December of that yr (or was it the subsequent?), NEPA wrote these of us they claimed to owe them that they have been providing us 50 per cent rebate and threatened to disconnect our provide if we didn't reap the benefits of the bonanza.<br /><br /><br />I then wrote to their places of work at Akowonjo and Alausa each in Lagos that they need to pocket their rebate or direct it at real debtors. As you realize, it isn't solely the one who stole the fowl of the wretched of the earth that has stolen the property of the talkative. In case you steal a journalist’s property, you even have to arrange for the <a href="https://Www.Chevron.com/worldwide/nigeria" class="external text" rel="nofollow">loud noise</a>. Ultimately, the then NEPA despatched a few of its officials to my <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_cuisine" class="external text" rel="nofollow">condominium</a> to confirm my claims with out discover, and at totally different occasions. Guess what? They later found that they have been those owing me after doing reconciliation and I used to be given a credit score stability of an quantity I can not remember. I subsequently continued to take pleasure in electricity provide for a while with out paying.<br /><br /><br />I assumed I've had my justifiable share of estimated billing. However I used to be unsuitable. It was like any person was decided to take again from me the credit score that I loved earlier. So, once more, someday in 2012, PHCN determined to jerk up my invoice from N4,389.30 in March 2012 which dropped to N1,206.50 by June of the identical 12 months. Three months later, this once more jumped to N11,311.50.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Navy" class="external text" rel="nofollow">wikipedia.org</a> Apparently, it has been across the N11,000 mark till about 4 months in the past when an enumerator from Ikeja Electric got here to our home. Fortuitously, I used to be at residence and that i reopened the matter with him. He did some inspection and left. As a result of I had carried out that severally with the PHCN which began the unfair billing severally with none end result, I didn't have any confidence that one thing optimistic would come out of it this time. Surprisingly, since then, my invoice has not exceeded N3,500 per 30 days. At a time we had a critical downside which was clear as there was no gentle for about two weeks; it dropped to about N2,000.<br /><br /><br />So, you'll be able to see that I'm eminently certified to touch upon estimated billing. As a matter of reality, I've a protest letter prepared for the corporate as a result of, regardless of paying N5,000 each month all by means of the years since the issue began in 2012, (even after we didn't have mild for about two weeks earlier than the enumerator got here), they're nonetheless placing a menace of disconnection discover on my invoice. They need to cease harassing me with this.<br /><br /><br />Nonetheless, my anger on the continuation of estimated billing subsided after i noticed the complete textual content of Youdeowei’s assertion. First, he mentioned the costs have decreased significantly on customers positioned on estimation as extra are linked to the company’s information base. That is not like the previous when NEPA and PHCN primarily based their billing on solely the folks they metered as an alternative of guaranteeing that everybody utilizing electricity was metered and billed appropriately. What they did then was have a look at a home and apportion prices that they preferred. They didn't reckon with the truth that there are some individuals in ‘face-me-I-face-you’ apartments which have extra highly effective electrical devices than even these dwelling in flats.<br /><br /><br />All stated, I sympathise with Ikeja Electric and different DISCOs if actually their tariffs are nonetheless low to make them break even. The factor although is that they triggered the issue for themselves. I don't thoughts paying a better tariff; and that i consider many Nigerians are prepared and keen to do identical. That's to not say we wouldn't have defaulters even when tariffs hit a rock-backside low. However let me pay for what I eat. The <a href="http://www.yohaig.ng/category/nigeria-news/pm-news/" class="external text" rel="nofollow">businesses</a> ought to go after their debtors as a substitute of attempting to unfold the defaulters’ fees on these they adjudge have the power to pay, simply because they need to satisfy their value. There isn't any enterprise that may ever succeed on such paradigm. The electricity corporations will start to earn Nigerians’ sympathy and respect once they be taught to invoice their shoppers as they go.<br /><br /><br />my page ... <a href="http://www.yohaig.ng/category/nigeria-news/pm-news/" class="external text" rel="nofollow">Nigeria</a> </p>