A year ago, the electricity regulatory body introduced a regulation directing power distribution companies (DisCos) to supply consumers with more prepaid meters. How well has this worked? TheCable, in an investigation spanning across 33 communities in 10 states, finds out that power consumers think whole scheme is a scam.Caroline Aku, a housewife, lives in Lokoja, Kogi state. In September 2018, [...]
"Sitting down here I can tell you some states have almost 24 hours of power supply,” Babatunde Fashola, minister of power, works and housing, had said at a programme on Channels Television.Fashola's comment sparked mixed reactions. While Shehu Sanni, senator representing Kaduna central, taunted the minister saying the states enjoying almost 24 hours power supply are in other planets, some corroborated what [...]
Oladipo Okpeseyi and Temitope Adebayo, two Nigerian lawyers hired for the return of $321 million Abacha loot from Switzerland, have been secretly paid their controversial fees, TheCable can report.Although they were initially to be paid $17 million, it was cut by $2 million and paid following pressure from a very popular Lagos-based pastor who is a political associate of President [...]
With the latest data from the advisory power team in the office of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo revealing that the power sector lost a total of N530 billion in 2018, the industry is set to experience tougher times in 2019.Operational constraints from the shortage of gas, poor transmission, weak distribution network, and water reserves factor have become permanent issues to reckon [...]
Every month, the federal government spends about N15 billion as stipends on 500,000 volunteers of the N-Power scheme, a component of the National Social Investment Programmes (N-SIP). Dubbed as the largest post-tertiary employment programme in Africa, the Muhammadu Buhari government sees the scheme as one of its major achievements. Although some critics have said the programme is non-existent, this investigation that [...]
The federal government is at risk of a $2.3 billion fine in arbitration over an alleged breach of contract for the $5.8 billion Mambilla power project in Taraba state.The project, a 3,050-megawatt hydropower facility, has stalled owing to legal and funding crises after Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited (SPTCL), a local content partner, was reportedly sidelined in the project [...]
Eight months after she lost her daughter to oil spill, Annkio Kie (not real name) is still struggling to fight off pain and sorrow. Mary was sick for three years, after what started as mere rashes turned out to be a severe skin disease.“We couldn’t send her to the hospital because there was no money,” Kie says, staring at the [...]
For these women in Osun, pregnancy comes with a heavy burden of fear – whether or not they will live to carry their babies. The poorly equipped community health centres offer uncertain hopes. Enduring the pains and anguish, they travel distances to towns where they can get affordable healthcare. TAIWO ADEBULU, who visited rural communities in the state, reports.Simbiat went [...]
He was overwhelmed with sadness, and couldn’t hold the tears at the mention of Praise Sodipe, his niece who died—with Bithia and Vivian—under poor condition at Queen's College in Lagos. At age eight, Praise had become an orphan and had been living with Lawrence Otun, his uncle. Admitted on merit into the Queen’s College, her dream was to become an [...]
Ruined towns, desolate homes, wasted farms, shattered lives and loved ones hacked to death, they lost it all; but they are now far away from their ancestral land where Boko Haram established a reign of terror. They perch on mats in rickety and tattered tents, some in open places, struggling to mask the pure pains and grief which the sweet [...]
