Top 5 Stories Of The Day | EKEDC Announces 3-day Payment Service Downtime

• EKEDC announces 3-day payment service downtime
• 16 states request that the Supreme Court bar EFCC and NFIU from investigation
• Wike faults Fubara for the violence in Rivers State
• Senate makes the demand for an increase in funding for varsities
• Speed Darlington gets bail after missing for three days

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.

EKEDC announces 3-day payment service downtime

The Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has announced that it will be experiencing a three-day downtime whereby internet payments will not go through.

The DisCo stated that from October 18 to October 21, 2024, it will be experiencing a planned migration to an All-in-One System, which is why payment services will lag.

“During this period, customers will be unable to make payments or recharge their prepaid metres through both online platforms and physical payment outlets,” the message reads in part.

16 states request that the Supreme Court bar EFCC and NFIU from investigation

Sixteen Nigerian states have demanded that the Supreme Court prohibit the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating their accounts.

The 16 state governments have begun challenging the constitutionality of the law creating the EFCC as the court granted the request of 13 states to be named co-plaintiffs in the suit filed in the name of their Attorney General.

The 16 states demanding the restriction of EFCC’s investigation are Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Edo, Enugu, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, and Sokoto.

Wike faults Fubara for the violence in Rivers State

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has spoken up about the burning down of local government buildings by arsonists in Rivers State.

According to Wike, the governor of Rivers, Siminalayi Fubara, ignored rules and was disobedient to court orders.

“You must obey the judgement of a court. You must not take the law into your own hands. The moment you don’t obey court judgement, you are inviting anarchy, you are inviting violence,” Wike said.

Senate makes the demand for an increase in funding for varsities

The Senate has asked the federal government to increase its budgetary allocations for 2025 for federal universities to help combat the degrading quality of lectures for all Nigerian students.

It also instructed its relevant committees to work with the Ministries of Finance, Education, Health, and other appropriate agencies to create strategies to address infrastructure deterioration and enhance the monthly compensation of lecturers.

The Senate’s resolutions followed a motion sponsored by Senator Anthony Ani (APC, Ebonyi South), titled “Urgent Need to Address the Challenges of Increasing Cases of Brain Drain in the Nigerian University System.”

Senator Ani stated that the compensation of all Nigerian university lecturers is one of the lowest paid worldwide and has not been reviewed in 15 years despite the rise in the cost of living and today’s economy.

Speed Darlington gets bail after missing for three days

Nigerian artist Speed Darlington has been released from police custody after three days.

According to reports, Burna Boy had been involved in the arrest of Speed Darlington after the Grammy-winning singer made a petition against cyberbullying and cyberstalking committed by Darlington.

The artist was arrested in Lagos and taken to various facilities throughout the state before being transferred to Abuja and imprisoned by the IRT team. They accused him of cyberstalking Burna Boy.