National
Tinubu reaffirms Nigeria’s commitment to improved electricity acc
President Bola Tinubu has concluded his visit to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he joined other African leaders to participate in the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit.
The President, who arrived with his team arrived on Sunday, is now on his way back to Abuja.
The two-day summit, hosted by the government of Tanzania in collaboration with the African Union, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the World Bank Group, adopted the Dar es Salaam Declaration.
The Declaration focused on providing access to electricity for 300 million people in Africa by 2030.
The high point of the event was the presidential endorsement of the Dar es Salaam Declaration by African leaders at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre.
Following the reading of the Declaration, leaders from Nigeria, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia signed the document.
Through the Declaration, the leaders from the 12 countries expressed their commitment to ensuring electricity access for their citizens in the next five years.
The 12 nations plan to achieve the goal through National Energy Compacts, which identify specific policy measures to address constraints across their energy sector and set targets based on their unique context.
In the speech read by Mr Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power, the Nigerian leader lauded the AfDB, the World Bank Group and development partners for their collective pledge to bring electricity access to 300 million people in Africa by 2030.
President Tinubu called on African leaders to prioritise energy access, emphasising collective action.
“Let us work together to create a brighter future for our citizens—where every African can access reliable and affordable energy.
“A future where our industries thrive, our economies grow, and our people prosper,” the President said.
President Tinubu also used the occasion to reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to providing reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity to its unelectrified population by 2030.
“This is an ambitious goal, but we can achieve it together.
“As Nigeria’s President, I am committed to making energy access a top priority,” he said.
Detailing the substantial progress Nigeria has achieved with the support of international development partners, President Tinubu acknowledged AfDB’s $1.1 billion, expected to provide electricity for five million people by the end of 2026.
He said the bank’s $200 million in the Nigeria Electrification Project would provide electricity for 500,000 people by the end of 2025.
“We also look forward to the AfDB’s planned $700 million investment in the Nigeria Desert to Power programme and its planned $500 million facility for the Nigeria-Grid Battery Energy Storage System, which will provide electricity for an additional two million people.
“We have equally begun making plans to ensure the effectiveness of the World Bank’s $750 million support for expanding Nigeria’s distributed energy access via mini-grids and standalone solar systems that will provide access to power to 16.2 million people,” he said.
President Tinubu thanked Mr Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, and Dr Akinwunmi Adesina of AfDB for their transformative vision, which he said “will light up and power Africa.”
He also applauded the contributions of the UN Sustainable Energy For All, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Global Energy Alliance for Development.
“As we all know, Africa is rich in energy resources, yet millions of our citizens still lack access to reliable and affordable energy.
“This situation is unacceptable. It is our responsibility to take collective action to change this narrative,” President Tinubu said.
President Tinubu highlighted ongoing investments in renewable energy, particularly solar power in Nigeria.
“For example, the Federal Government is in the final stages of developing an electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure programme emphasising renewable energy and establishing stricter vehicle emission standards.
“This will ease adoption barriers, galvanise partnerships, and provide affordable EV financing options. I am pleased to announce that the first 100 electric buses are already in the country.
“Nigeria’s energy sector is growing as a direct result of our reforms. The Nigerian government continues incentivising those interested in investing in renewable energy, oil and gas energy efficiency,” he said.
He said that buoyed by Nigeria’s successful attraction of over six billion dollars in new investments into its energy sector in 2024 alone, his administration is keen to build on this success in 2025 and beyond.
At the summit, the International Finance Corporation announced that it had committed $70 million in private sector funding to five Nigerian Renewable Electricity Service Companies.
This is under the Nigeria Distributed Access Through Renewable Energy Scale-Up programme, to be implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency.
Nigeria’s National Energy Compact, presented at the summit on Monday, sets targets with implementation timelines and outlines for the various planned reforms.
They include expanding power generation and investing in transmission and distribution infrastructure at competitive costs.
The reforms are geared towards financially viable utilities that provide reliable service, and incentivising private sector participation to unlock additional resources.
Other reforms include embracing distributed renewable energy and clean cooking solutions for affordable last-mile access and leveraging the benefits of increased regional integration.
According to the document, Nigeria will require an investment of $23.2 billion for last-mile electrification, including contributions from the public and private sectors. (NAN)
The Assembly of Councillors in Shira Local Government Area of Bauchi State has removed the local government Chairman, Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Beli, and his Deputy, Hon. Usman Adamu, from office.
Their removal followed a committee investigation that found them guilty of gross misconduct, financial mismanagement, failure to perform their duties, and abuse of office.
A resolution signed by 10 councillors, including the council leader Hon. Wali Adamu and his deputy, officially declared the offices of both the Chairman and Vice Chairman vacant with immediate effect.
The resolution explained that, “The removal of the Chairman and his deputy is based on the findings of the investigation committee, which has established that the chairman and his deputy were engaged in financial, mismanagement, failed to perform their duties, breached the trust placed on them, and abused their office.”
While briefing journalists of this development, the Council Leader explained that both Beli and Adamu have faced increasing scrutiny for their management of the local government’s affairs.
He claimed that they have failed to perform their duties and have severely breached the trust placed in them by the people of Shira despite several warnings, and they can no longer afford to tolerate such conduct.
All efforts to get the reaction of Beli and Adamu have proved abortive so far.
FEC Okay N2.5bn To Procure Satellite Technology To Combat Illegal Mining
The federal executive council (FEC) has approved a N2.5 billion budget for the procurement of satellite technology to tackle unlicensed and unregulated mining operations in the country.
Alake, the minister of solid minerals development, briefed State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.
“The satellite equipment will be installed in strategic locations to provide real-time visual monitoring of mining operations nationwide,” the minister said.
“This technology will enable us to track mineral extraction, monitor truck movements, and assess security conditions at mine sites.
“Our approach has been two-pronged: persuasive and coercive. We have encouraged artisanal miners to form cooperatives, which has led to the formation of over 300 legalised societies.
“However, for those who remain recalcitrant, we have established the mining marshals to apprehend and prosecute illegal operators.
“Once these miners become legalised and structured, they can access financial institutions for loans, expand their businesses, and contribute meaningfully to the nation’s revenue.”
Alake said the satellite technology will be linked to a central command centre, allowing authorities to monitor activities at the click of a button.
The minister added that the technology will significantly improve efforts to combat illegal mining activities and ensure responsible and sustainable exploitation of mineral resources.
Alake said state governments are increasingly interfering in mining activities, posing a challenge to federal authorities’ efforts to regulate the sector.
“There have been cases of interference by states in mining activities. If there is an infraction in a state, the governor must consult us before taking action,” he said.
“We investigate and either act directly or authorise the state to act under federal cover.”
He noted that the government is working with Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser, and the ministry of defence to curb illegal operations.
Alake said efforts to combat illegal mining have led to the apprehension of 320 illegal operators.
According to the minister, 150 are facing prosecution, nine have been convicted, and four foreign nationals have been prosecuted and convicted.
Alake said Nigeria has lost trillions of naira to unregulated and illegal mining activities, adding that the federal government’s control over the gold mining industry is being limited by state influence, resulting in lost revenue.
To address the challenge, he said the government is cooperating with state governors and offering alternatives such as special purpose vehicles (SPVs) to ease tensions and encourage state participation.
‘FG TO DEPLOY SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY TO COMBAT ILLEGAL MINING ACTIVITIES’
The minister said Nigeria has lost trillions of naira due to underreporting, illegal mining operations, and the challenges of monitoring its vast territory, describing the scale of losses as “mind-boggling”.
“A very elementary, non-scientific estimate we conducted in 2023 immediately after we assumed office revealed trillions of naira lost through unregulated, under-reported, and unlicensed mining activities,” he said.
“You should not ask how much the nation has gotten from gold; you should ask how much the nation has lost in gold. It is humongous, unheard of.”
Alake said the federal government will deploy satellite surveillance technology within the next month to monitor mining activities across the country, tackling revenue leakages and enhancing security.
The minister added that the initiative will enable the government to track operations even in remote locations, identify revenue leakages, and plug them to increase revenue flow.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu says Nigerians are unfair to former military president, Ibrahim Babangida following the recent release of his memoir.
In the 420-page memoir titled, A Journey in Service: An Autobiography of Ibrahim Babangida’, the former military leader admitted that MKO Abiola won the 1993 election his government annulled.
His admission after 32 years generated different reactions across the country, with some critics saying that it was coming too late.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Uzor Kalu, who represents Abia North in the Senate, said that Nigerians are not being fair to Babangida.
“On the Babangida’s book, I think Nigerians are very unfair to Babangida because he came out on his own,” the former Abia State governor said on the programme.
“When I say the story is not complete, I wanted President Babangida to write more of the stories because the stories have not finished. There is more to the story, there are officers who told Babangida you cannot hand over to this man.”
Senator Kalu said that Babangida came out on his own to say what many people have not dared to say for a long time.
He said that Babangida in his book disclosed that the 1966 coup was not an Igbo coup, “a sin” which he said people have held against the Igbos for many years.
‘IBB should write a second book’
Senator Orji Kalu said that there is a need for Babangida to write a second book which will contain roles that other top military officers played in the June 1993 election fallout.
According to him, Babangida himself was in danger at the time considering the way he left power.
“More military people that were there should talk about this. There should be a second part of the book because if you mention only one name or two, it is not complete,” he said.
“They should go all hog and tell Nigerians the truth. Babangida should write a second book, I know that Babangida was in danger throughout those periods. If you remember the way he left power, you will know something was wrong.”
The annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election between Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and his main challenger Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC) has remained a controversial political discussion in Nigeria.