NIGERIAN MAKES U.S MOST WANTED LIST OVER $1M FRAUD. (PHOTO).

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 Nigerian makes US Most Wanted List over $1m fraud A Nigerian, Onoriode Ezewu, has been named on the United States Department of Labour’s first-ever Most Wanted List over allegations of money laundering involving fraudulent unemployment benefit claims worth more than $1m. The department’s Office of Inspector General unveiled the list on its website on Wednesday, naming 16 fugitives wanted in cases involving alleged fraud, identity theft, money laundering, labour trafficking and other offences. According to the agency, the cases collectively involve more than $55m allegedly stolen from American taxpayers. Ezewu’s profile on the department’s website identifies him as wanted for concealment money laundering and states that he is believed to be residing in Nigeria. “In January 2021, Ezewu was charged with 15 counts of concealment money laundering tied to fraudulent UI and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims filed using stolen identities, in a scheme exceeding $1 million that also t...

FG SECURES $500M WORLD BANK LOAN TO FUND DISCOS. (PHOTO).


 FG secures $500m World Bank loan to fund Discos

 

The federal government has secured a $500  million loan from the World Bank to fund electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos).


According to the Bureau of Public Enterprises,  in a statement in Abuja, yesterday, the loan would fill financing gaps in the distribution segment, considered as the  most problematic in the industry.


“This funding supports the Nigerian Distribution Sector  Recovery Program (DISREP) aimed at improving the financial and technical performance of the DisCos.


“The DISREP is designed to enhance the financial and technical operations of the DisCos through capital investment and  the financing of key components of their Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs), which have been approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC),” the Bureau said in the statement signed by Amina Othman, Head, Public Communications.  


It added that the $500 million DISREP loan  offered  concessional financing with more favorable terms than commercial bank loans.  


It is expected that DisCos would invest the funds “in critical distribution infrastructure; Improve ATC&C losses; increase power supply reliability; achieve financial sustainability in the power sector; and enhance transparency and accountability. Significant progress has been made in the preparation of the DISREP Programme”, BPE explained.


According to the privatisation agency, key areas of improvement include: bulk procurement of customer/retail meters and meter data management systems; implementation of a Data Aggregation Platform (DAP); strengthening governance and transparency within the DisCos; and programme components.


The DISREP loan, particularly the Investment Project Financing (IPF) component is expected to significantly benefit the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI)  by closing the metering gap, reduce Aggregate Technical, Collection, and Commercial (ATC&C)  losses; improve remittances and liquidity for the DisCos; enhance the reliability of power supply; as well as increase transparency and accountability within the DisCos.

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