-By Funmi Falobi-

Nigeria will host journalists across the globe in the 2018 International Press Institute (IPI) congress. The congress with the theme: “Why Journalism Matters and How to Make People Like it” will hold in June.

Addressing a news conference in Abuja, IPI Director,  Barbara Tronfi expressed the joy of IPI members globally to come to Nigeria and share experiences of journalism practice .

She visited all facilities put in place by  local organising committee and the IPI Secretariat in Nigeria.

The IPI director is also scheduled to meet the media executives in Abuja and Lagos. Specifically, she is meeting the media owners of Television Continental,TVC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Mr. John Momoh of Channels Television.

On Friday, Tronfi will pay a courtesy visit to the Governor of Lagos  state.

The IPI congress, which shall have two vehicles branded for it shall start with a pre-congress workshop with the theme, “Covering Elections-Possible Partnership.” The former chairman Independent Electoral Commission INEC Professor Attahiru Jega will deliver a short presentation at the pre-congress workshop while the Liberian President George Weah will lead other very important dignitaries to the main event.

-By our Correspondent-

Residents of Ilasamaja has called on the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Minister of Power, the Lagos State Government as well as other electricity regulatory bodies to as a matter of urgency prevail on Ikeja Electric to commence installation of prepaid meters in their community. According to Engineer BayoAsunmo and AlhajiRamoniSemiu, who are members of the Community Development Association,Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) has turned the community into a conduit pipe where money is raked in to the purse of the company without justification.

The two community leaders claimed that they were surprised that demanding for their rights as a community has turned a crime. According to them, they had visited the Alausa’s office of the body to submit the community resolutions on installations of prepaid meters to the Chief Executive Office (CEO) of the company on or before January 31, 2018. We were even held to a meeting with a staff from the Public Affairs Unit, who assured us that something urgent would be done. To our surprise, the undertaking commenced a load shedding, removing four transformers on daily basis without any recourse to our letter.

Asunmo, who is also an engineer, said ‘load shedding in this age, when other electricity distribution companies has moved on. That aside, they know what to do; they had been on Temitope feeder as a way out for years and we expected them to have completed that arrangement.’Ramoni, however, called on the company to immediately reverse the load shedding arrangement and install prepaid meters in all houses within the community.

In an interview with Adetire Adebowale, a resident of the area, ‘We demanded for prepaid meters because on daily basis, we never had supply that exceeded four hours; and most of our meters are coded; so they bill us what they like.

‘Rather than accede to our demand, load shedding is what Isolo undertaking commenced. Surprisingly, they claim the load shedding would ensure 18-hour regular supply. But daily supply has not exceeded six to seven hours.

Also, Yinka Adewole, observed ‘the community is a law abiding community, and we have not said we won’t pay, but we want a billing system that is commensurate with supply; and that can only be achieved through installation of prepaid meters.

‘We therefore call on government regulatory bodies to urgently intervene and prevail on the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ikeja Electric to commence installation of prepaid meters without delay,’ he added.

Ahmed Adeola, accused the undertaking of insincerity in its load shedding. He said: ‘They use their load shedding to manipulate people of the communities. A good example is the filling station within the area. The day their transformer was supposed to go off, they removed all other fuse, except the one that belongs to the filling station.

In its reaction, Fadeke Omo-Omorodion, the PRO of Oshodi Business Unit, said Ibalex Feeder where Ilasamaja is fed is overloaded and the only way out is to load shed.

The community therefore call on necessary government bodies to intervene.