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POWER ISSUES : Lawmakers seek sanctions for DisCos for ‘defrauding Nigerians’

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…Nigeria now generates 13,000mw of power’

THE House of Representatives on Wednesday asked the Minister of Power to sanction the Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) for “irresponsibility” and “wickedness” in power distribution.

Lawmakers took turns to recount the experiences of their constituents in the hands of DisCos, who they accused of defrauding Nigerians with impunity.

They said nothing would bring Nigerians as much joy as to hear that the DisCOs have been sanctioned.

They spoke when the Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, appeared before the House Committee on Power to defend the ministry’s 2021 budget.

The committee asked the minister to furnish the House with details of how much the government has benefited from its 40 per cent equity in the privatised companies.

It insisted that DisCos should be made to pay for the electricity transformers donated by communities and community leaders to get power supply.

The committee chairman, Magaji Dau Aliyu, alleged the DisCos are practically cheating Nigerians who are made to pay various sums of money even after donating transformers to them.

Addressing the minister, Aliyu said: “My happiness is that you and I are on the same level: you are in the APC (All Progressives Congress), I am in APC; you are for the President and we are for the President.

“So, please, sanction the DisCos; punish them, please. If you do that, you will be our darling and you will be a darling to Nigerians also. Really, Nigerians are cheated.

“We don’t know what is the best arrangement. Are we better of when we had PHCN (Power Holding Company of Nigeria) than we are now?

“The problem is that you have allowed them to have Bands A, B, C and D. They said people in my village don’t pay for power, so, they will not give us power.

“I have over 30 transformers in my place that are new but we don’t have light, because we are in Band D. They are only looking for Band A and Band B customers.

“So, we are going to make a law to disband this banding of power. Power should be supplied equitably to anybody. This segregation must be stopped”.

Wale Raji (APC, Lagos) described the DisCos as irresponsible.

“We do not even know whether we are better off under this present arrangement or the NEPA or PHCN that we abandoned.

“Transformers will break down and when they (residents) even call on the DisCos to complain about it, some officials even take the transformers away and never return them.

“Then, the communities are forced – they have no option – to buy a new transformer. Not having money to buy it, they resort to their elected representatives who knocked on their doors for votes,” he said.

Ibrahim Olarewaju (APC, Ekiti) said: “They (constituents) almost burnt down my house. And what is my offence? The transformer in the town broke down, so I must buy a transformer for them.

“I had to borrow N5million to buy a brand new transformer when they started protesting again.

“I have been on this transformer issue for one year. Mr Minister, you need to help us because the truth about the matter is that the problems we are facing in the constituency are not a joke. It almost became an inter-quarters riot.”

The committee expressed concerns over the ministry’s failure of to declare accrued revenue from the trillions of naira invested in the power sector over the years by the government.

Mamman said Nigeria’s installed grid power generation capacity has grown from 8,000mw to 13,000mw under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said that the distribution system could evacuate 5,500mw of power having grown from 4,500mw in 2015.

“Under the able leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, the country’s grid power capacity has increased significantly from the time this administration took over in 2015 to date.

“During the period between 2015 to date, the sector has recorded successes and has faced challenges.

“To deliver this administration’s promise of providing stable and affordable power to Nigerians, a way forward was defined and supported by Mr President’s political will,” he said.

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Update : Road Crash: Anthony Joshua Hospitalised, Two Confirmed Dead — Ogun Police Spokesperson

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Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has been hospitalised after a road accident in the Makun area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State.

Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Babaseyi Oluseyi, confirmed this in a statement.

The incident occurred shortly after 11 am on Monday.

Our reporter, who was at the scene, said the crash happened just before the Danco Filling Station in Makun, ahead of the Sagamu Interchange on the Ibadan-bound axis.

Adeniyi Orojo stated that the Lexus Jeep carrying Joshua, with number plate KRD 850 HN, collided with a stationary truck.

The eyewitness revealed that Joshua sustained minor injuries, while two others died at the scene.

“It was a two-vehicle convoy: a Lexus SUV and a Pajero SUV. Joshua was seated behind the driver, with another person beside him. A passenger sat beside the driver, making four occupants in the Lexus that crashed.
His security detail followed in the vehicle behind.

“Other eyewitnesses and I began the rescue and flagged down oncoming vehicles for help. Minutes after the crash, Federal Road Safety Corps officials arrived. The passenger beside the driver and the person beside Joshua died on the spot,” he said.

In a statement sent to Newsthumb on Monday, Oluseyi confirmed that Joshua and other injured persons were involved in a car accident and rushed to an undisclosed hospital.

He said, “The Ogun State Police Command confirms a road accident today in front of Sinoma, before Danco, along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. Anthony Joshua and other injured persons have been rushed to the hospital.

“Further updates will be communicated.”

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Tinubu Leaves Nigeria for Europe, UAE to Attend ADSW 2026 Summit, Says Onanuga

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu departed Lagos on Sunday, December 28, for Europe, continuing his end-of-year break and ahead of his official trip to Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed AlNahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, has invited President Tinubu to participate in the 2026 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW 2026) Summit, which will take place in the emirate early in January.

The weeklong summit is an annual event that mobilises leaders from government, business, and society to chart the next era of sustainable development.

With the theme “The Nexus of Next: All Systems Go”, ADSW will connect ambition with action across innovation, finance, and people, showcasing how the world can move forward with confidence.’

The President will return to the country after the Summit.

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BREAKING: Fayose Alleges N45.5bn from N50bn Ibadan Explosion Fund Diverted by Makinde for Political Ambitions

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Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has released what he described as documentary evidence to support his claim that Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, received N50 billion from the Federal Government as a special intervention fund following the January 2024 explosion in Ibadan.

Fayose made the documents public on Sunday in a statement accompanied by a memo from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

He said the disclosure followed a challenge by Makinde to substantiate his earlier claim that the Oyo State Government received the funds.

“Two days ago, I stated on national television that Oyo State under Governor Seyi Makinde received N50bn from the Federal Government as intervention for the Ibadan explosion. Yesterday, the governor asked me to provide evidence, and here is the evidence he requested,” Fayose said.

The former governor further alleged that only N4.5 billion was disbursed to victims of the explosion, accusing Makinde of diverting the remaining funds for personal political ambitions.

“Only N4.5bn was paid to victims of the Ibadan explosion. The rest, alongside other intervention funds, was diverted to fund his presidential ambition. This, in part, explains the crisis in the PDP and his frequent attacks on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration,” he alleged.

Fayose further said he was compelled to release official documents, despite his reluctance to do so, in the interest of transparency and public accountability.

“Even though it is not in my character to go public with official government documents, I had to do this so Nigerians will know who is saying the truth and who has not been sincere with the people of Oyo State,” he said.

The former governor said that Makinde’s alleged disclosure of detail from private meeting with President Tinubu made fuller public disclosure necessary.

He challenged the governor to take legal action if he believed the allegations were false, insisting that he had sufficient proof to defend his claims.

“I challenge Governor Seyi Makinde to sue me on this. There are also proofs of other intervention funds received from Tinubu’s administration by the Oyo State Government which the governor refused to disclose to the people,” he said.

He further claimed to have documentary evidence of Oyo State’s actual Internally Generated Revenue, contrary to figures publicly stated by Makinde, noting that he would release the details at a later time.

“There are documentary evidences on the actual Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Oyo State, as against Governor Makinde’s claim, but we will keep our gunpowder dry for now.

“My name is still Ayo Fayose. I don’t say what I can’t prove,” he said.

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