MPs to donate salaries to Nigeria’s coronavirus fight

Lagos – The Nigerian House of Representatives Tuesday announced that its 360 members have agreed to donate their salaries for the next two months toward the fight against the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic. 

Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House, said the contribution by the lawmakers will support provisions for the welfare of frontline medical professionals and health workers during these trying times. 

The Speaker said the clerk to the National Assembly has been directed to see to it that all members’ salaries are transferred to the National Relief Fund for this month and next month. He said the donation was independent of ongoing individual efforts by members to assist in alleviating the suffering occasioned by the virus and to improve the living condition of citizens in their constituencies. 

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has announced its plans to suspend the implementation of a new electricity tariff regime in the country which was scheduled for implementation on Wednesday. 

“NERC has issued Order 198/2020 retaining the existing tariff regime. The order directs the industry operators to submit performance improvement plans showing commitment to a higher quality of service to electricity consumers,” said the commission via its official Twitter account. 

Premium Times reported that the commission’s decision was in compliance with President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to grant a moratorium for certain federal-government-funded facilities throughout the period of the global economic crisis as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In his nationwide broadcast on Sunday, March 29, on the impact of the deadly Covid-19, the president listed power generation, transmission and distribution companies among those granted exemptions from certain policy decisions until after the lockdown period declared by the federal government.