Quick Takes
Carnival Calabar Partners Akwaaba
The Africa’s largest street party carnival, Carnival Calabar will unveil its 2015 theme in Lagos on Sunday 22nd November which happens to be the opening day of the biggest travel exhibition in West-Africa-Akwaaba. At the unveiling, Akwaaba delegates from all over the world will have a taste of what to expect in Calabar come December. The unveiling ceremony of the carnival would be hosted by the Executive Governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade supported by Chairman, Carnival Calabar Band Associations, Senetor Florence Ita-Giwa. The event would bring delegates from all over the world to witness the unveiling which is part of the vision of the governor to internationalise the people’s Carnival.
With the large numbers of international visitors to Akwaaba 2015, Akwaaba has chosen First Business Logistics Limited a subsidiary of Sky Blue Services Nigeria to offer visitors a better travel and logistics experience when they touch down at the Lagos Airports. Skyblue will handle airport protocol for international visitors arriving Muritala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos for this year’s event.
As the D-day approaches, top brands are clamouring for the few available spaces due in this year Akwaaba exhibition. Kenya Tourism Board, Rwanda Development Board, Rwandair, Air Maroc, Golden Tulip Hotel, First Business Logistics, Radisson Blu, Sierra Leone, Ethiopian Airlines, Whispering Palms have joined the list of exhibitors for Akwaaba 2015.
NIMC Explains Service Disruption
The National Identity Management Agency (NIMC) has explained that service in its National Identity Number (NIN) enrolment centres was disrupted by power outages and called for the understanding of the Nigerian public.
The Commission pleaded with Nigerians to bear with, saying “as we address these issues through the deployment of alternative power sources, even in the face of scarce resources.”
In a statement signed by the General Manager, Corporate Communication, Abdul-hamid Umar, NIMC said in the light of this, “citizens are encouraged to avail themselves the opportunity of utilising our online pre-enrolment portal (www.penrol.gov.ng) to pre-register their demographic data and printout a 2D barcode to take with them for presentation at the enrolment centre, and reduce the amount of time required for the exercise.”
The Commission also said citizens and legal residents are to note that NIN is their identity “and most important to us, not the physical e-ID Card. We are however already issuing the cards to all who have enrolled and have their NIN. In this vein, we encourage all who were enrolled and issued with their NIN in 2012 and 2013 to expect SMS notifications from NIMC, inviting them to pick up their cards at any of our card activation centres on a specified date/time.”
Eko Disco to Replace Faulty Meters
The management of Eko Electricity Distribution Plc (EKEDP) has commenced the replacement of faulty and obsolete meters within the zone. The General Manager, Public Affairs Division, EKEDP, Mr. Godwin Idemudia, said this in a statement that the company has procured 50,000 prepaid meters from local manufacturers for the exercise. Idemudia assured consumers within its zone that they would not be billed for the replacement, noting that it was their responsibility to replace the meters since the fault was not from the consumers.
The GM appealed to affected customers to exercise patience, adding that the exercise would soon get to them. According to him, the company has installed about 13,813 smart meters in the zone from the beginning of the year till now. Idemudia urged consumers within the zone that are yet to be given prepaid meters to apply for it under the Credit Advancement Payment Metering Installment (CAPMI) scheme. He said they would be installed within 45 days after the application and payment. He also urged consumers within the network that are having problems of estimated billing to apply for the prepaid meters.