Television Nigerian

Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, has a national power grid that frequently collapses, causing power shortages that impede investment and economic progress.

According to World Bank estimates, Nigeria’s economy loses $29 billion annually as a result of the country’s erratic power supply, which results in nationwide blackouts.
This is the cause of Nigeria’s grid failure.

The core of the problem is Nigeria’s deteriorating electrical infrastructure. Frequent breakdowns are common in transmission lines and substations, some of which are over 40 years old.

For every 100 megawatts added to the grid, the government-owned Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) claims an average transmission loss of 7.79 megawatts.

According to Ayodele Oni, an energy lawyer in Lagos, years of underinvestment have made the system vulnerable to tripping when demand changes suddenly.

Vandalism and attacks on transmission equipment, particularly in northern Nigeria, exacerbate this. TCN reported 108 attacks on its towers and lines during the past two years.

Another significant factor is that just one-third of Nigeria’s 13,500 megawatt installed generation capacity is generated and distributed, despite the country having a population of over 200 million.

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Furthermore, Nigeria produces less than 10% of the electricity produced by South Africa, a nation with a third the population, even though it has the seventh-largest gas reserves in the world.

Nigeria’s gas-fired power facilities, mostly in the southern part of the country, provide more than 75% of its electricity. In the north, hydroelectric plants produce the remaining amount.

The federal government controls the national grid, which receives electricity from power producing businesses and distributes it to consumers through 11 regional distribution corporations.

Nigeria’s grid has hardly changed more than ten years after the country’s energy industry was privatized.

However, the government permitted its 36 states to produce and transmit their own electricity last year. Five states have already started to create their own independent power markets, including Lagos, the country’s commercial center.

In order to increase access to electricity in rural areas, the government is also collaborating with the World Bank to construct 1,000 tiny solar grids.

Sherisse Alexander, chief business officer at independent power producer WATT Renewable Corporation, stated that Nigeria has to adopt a more robust strategy to integrate decentralized energy sources, such solar power combined with storage, to supplement the country’s system.

Emmanuel Ahmadu, a Nigerian who took the West Africa School Senior Certificate Education exam 17 times, has received a distinction from the famous London Graduate School in the UK.

Mr Ahmadu, a Nigerian mental health advocate based in the United States, revealed this during an interview in Lagos. He also claimed to have been inducted as a fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants in Lagos.

“My fellowship, the highest level of membership in the Institute of Management Consultants, will establish me as a thought leader capable of developing novel solutions for combating depression and suicide.

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“This recognition is not just a personal milestone but a step forward in the global fight against mental health crises,” Mr. Ahmadu remarked.

“It’s a call to action to innovate solutions that inspire hope and resilience,” according to him.

Mr Ahmadu stated that his personal narrative had resonated globally, inspiring millions.

“I attended 16 elementary and 14 secondary schools during my unstable youth. Nonetheless, I continued, eventually getting two honorary doctorates and publishing in mental health journals,” said Mr Ahmadu.

Alhaji Bello Badejo, President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural organization, was arrested in Keffi, Nasarawa State, by soldiers from the Nigerian Army’s 117 Guards’ Battalion.

Bodejo was arrested on Monday after a reported confrontation between Fulani pastoralists and a retired soldier, which injured the former serviceman.

An unidentified source in Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore voiced alarm about Alhaji Badejo’s extended arrest, calling it a troubling repeat.

According to the source, Badejo was detained for more than six months earlier this year after a similar incident.

According to the source, the present incident started when Fulani pastoralists allegedly clashed with a retired Air Force officer in Tudun Wada, Karu Local Government Area.

He stated that the retired commander recruited soldiers from the Keffi barracks, who arrived in the neighborhood and fired sporadically before capturing an unspecified quantity of livestock.

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He also stated that on Monday, when Alhaji Badejo returned from a trip, soldiers invaded his office at the Maliya cattle market in Tudun Wada and held him.

“These pastoralists are neither his children nor his employees, yet he was apprehended because he is the President of the socio-cultural organization, seen as the father figure of Fulani herdsmen,” a source explained to the Daily Sun.

According to reports, Alhaji Badejo may have been transferred to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) for additional examination.

This arrest follows a similar event in January 2024, when Badejo was detained by the Department of State Services for forming the Nomad’s Vigilante Group in Nasarawa State.

Authorities had voiced concern that the group’s actions could spark widespread unrest.

The Nigerian Senate has rejected the dismissal of a member of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).

The Senate asked the Corporation on Tuesday to restore a former District Engineer, Engr. Aniekan Paddy Ukpe, whose appointment was terminated in March 2023.

The Red Chamber further ordered that the former District Engineer be paid all outstanding entitlements, stating that there was no evidence linking him to the vandalism of railway rails within his jurisdiction.

Senator Neda Imasuen (LP, Edo South), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, raised the issue before the Senate.

The lawmaker’s report to the Senate arose from a petition submitted by the Engineer, who claimed that the Corporation had wrongfully terminated his appointment.

In his plea, Engr. Ukpe stated that he was the Senior Civil Engineer in charge of the North Central District, which included Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, and Nasarawa states.

He described how he learned of the railway track vandalism that occurred on September 19, 2022, at Kamuru Station in Zonkwa, Kaduna State.

After receiving the information, the Engineer stated that he immediately issued a verbal telegram report to the District Manager and filed a formal complaint with the police.

He stated that this resulted in the arrest and punishment of the perpetrators, two of whom were sentenced to two years in prison.

According to Ukpe’s petition, rather than being complimented by the District Manager, he was accused of underreporting the incident.

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The District Manager questioned him and then sent the case to an investigation committee.

He claimed that the committee’s findings were biased and riddled with anomalies, which led to his dismissal without a fair chance to defend himself.

The NRC, represented by its Managing Director, Engr. (Dr.) F.E. Okhiria, justified the termination by claiming dereliction of duty.

According to the NRC, Engr. Ukpe delayed reporting the occurrence to his superiors and was complacent in handling the situation.

The corporation claimed that his acts breached the Railway General Rules of 1964, which justified his firing.

The House of Representatives’ Committee on Defense has emphasized the need for more funding for the Defence Intelligence Agency.

Babajimi Benson, Committee Chair, spoke as he led members on their first oversight visit to the DIA headquarters in Abuja.

Benson stated that the DIA is vital to the nation’s security architecture, and the visit emphasizes the need of intelligence-driven approaches in solving multiple security concerns.

He stated, “There are three intelligence agencies in Nigeria: DSS, NIA, and DIA. The DIA’s budget should be increased as it provides both internal security and external intelligence.

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“So, they’re the only agency with those two caps. DSS is simply Nigerian, NIA is foreign, but DIA handles both. However, when comparing the budgets of the three organizations, it is surprising that DIA receives the least funding.

“So, we’re here today to examine what they’ve done with what little they have, but there’s a need to increase what they get so they can compete with DSS and NIA. This is the recommendation we are bringing away, and we will make certain that Mr. President, father of the nation, sees it.

“He should take DIA as his baby because they have so much potential. As you can see, insecurity has decreased dramatically in Nigeria, and the DIA has played a crucial role,” Benson added.