Eid-el-Kabir, a major religious holiday observed by Muslims all over the world on Friday in honor of the Prophet’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, in service of Allah, is observed. Rams and other animals are killed during the celebration.
In Mokwa, a town in the Niger State where a devastating flood recently claimed over 200 lives and displaced thousands, our correspondent Taiwo Adesina captured the mood of the people who worship there.
See the pictures:
Jennifer Adighije, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), has claimed that the recent adjustment to the electricity tariff, particularly the cost-reflective tariff for Band A customers, saved Generation Companies (GENCOs) from financial collapse.
Adighije was a guest on Thursday’s Politics Today program on Channels Television.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the Honourable Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, for taking the courageous step to pass this initiative that saved the GENCOs from ruin.”
We now have access to 30% of the invoice settlement that we issue, which has increased our liquidity. We were unable to fulfill our operational, OPEX, and CAPEX obligations prior to that, but now we can. We are surviving.
Only 10% of GENCO invoices presented to the Bulk Trader were settled before the Band A tariff reform, according to her explanation. However, with the introduction of the Band A structure, which only accounts for 15% of the market, liquidity in the sector increased by 70%, increasing from $1 trillion to $1.71 trillion.
“Our electricity hasn’t been cost-reflective over the years,” the statement continues. The DisCos are unable to remit their losses optimally, she observed, and there are also tariff shortfalls and then market shortfalls as a result of the complexity of the electricity market.
Read more: Nigeria Needs $10 billion annually to build a stable power supply.
She claims that the federal government is currently owed $600 billion, with $400 billion of that debt coming from the Bulk Electricity Trading Company.
It’s combined, I suppose. Because of the combination of our customers who are government customers and private customers who are also owing, bilateral customers, and eligible customers, You know, the government owes about $400 billion through the Bulk Electricity Trading Company, she said.
The NDPHC managing director responded when asked what could contribute to a stable, 24/7 power supply for Nigerians by recommending either the government use smarter, more effective subsidies or a guaranteed, uninterrupted supply.
I’m going to say it in a very factual and dispassionate manner. In reality, electricity and power generation are not inexpensive. It therefore has two components. Nigerians should either be willing to pay the highest price for reliable, uninterrupted electricity, or the government should be willing to provide the best possible subsidies to enable the GENCOs to generate and transmit power to the last mile at the most affordable cost.
“Not necessarily because, for instance, smart meters can still be used to effectively and smartly to reduce waste.” You now have AI-enabled meters that, you know, can actually apply a consumption subsidy, making it even more accountable. So, she continued, “The government can still apply subsidies, and in a more cost-effective manner,” and electricity will then be delivered optimally.
Adighije defended the government’s performance and cited recent accomplishments made under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership when asked whether the current administration had kept its promise to double the country’s electricity generation capacity.
“We haven’t failed Nigerians, therefore.” You’re aware that transformational changes don’t occur overnight, don’t you? We’re consistently improving.
We’ve reached a peak generation of 6000 megawatts under this same administration. That is a historical milestone, to be sure. You can check out our 6000 megawatt peak generation on March 2 and see if we can sustain it.
She continued, claiming that the Tinubu administration has created the conditions for long-term stability in the electricity sector.
The President has very graciously laid the right foundations, including the right laws and regulations, in the most important way.
Professor Jibril Muhammad Aminu’s passing, according to President Bola Tinubu, is a “profound loss to the nation.”
The President expressed his condolences to the family, friends, and employees of the renowned academic and former public official, who passed away at the age of 85, in a statement released by the State House on Thursday.
Prof. Aminu exemplified statesmanship and pledged to help create a stronger Nigeria. We must find comfort in his legacy as we grieve. In the sands of time, he left remarkable impressions,” the statement read.
The President prayed that “Allah forgives his sins and gives him eternal rest in Aljana Firdaus,” and expressed regret for the loss to the government and the people of Adamawa State.
Aminu, a cardiologist, was one of Nigeria’s most accomplished medical professionals, according to the Presidency.
Aminu received fellowships from prestigious organizations, including the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Royal College of Physicians in London, the West African College of Physicians, and the Nigerian Postgraduate Medical College.
His academic journey was equally impressive. He served at the University of Ibadan Medical School as a consultant in medicine, senior lecturer, and sub-dean of clinical studies between 1973 and 1975.
From 1975 to 1979, he served as the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) Executive Secretary. Between 1979 and 1980, he relocated to the United States, where he served as a visiting professor at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He resigned from 1980 to 1985 and became the University of Maiduguri’s vice-chancellor.
He began taking significant national positions as a result of Professor Aminu’s transition into the public service. From 1989 to 1992, he served as the minister of education and the minister of petroleum and mineral resources.
He presided over the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization in 1991 and over the OPEC Conference from 1991 to 1992 while managing the country’s oil sector.
In 1994 and 1995, he was later appointed to the National Constitutional Conference as a dissenter.
Aminu was appointed as Nigeria’s ambassador to the US in 1999. Before being elected to represent Adamawa Central in the Nigerian Senate for two terms from 2003 to 2011, he served there until 2003.
Bayo Adekanmbi, the CEO of Data Science Nigeria, has emphasized the need for Africa to create its own artificial intelligence (AI) systems that are context-specific, culturally relevant, and locally informed.
Adekanmbi, a panelist at the Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers event in Lagos on Wednesday, warned that the continent must refrain from overrelying on imported technologies and global datasets that don’t account for African realities.
“I believe that AI is more about people than technology,” the statement goes. And AI must comprehend the people’s richness, diversity of their language, culture, epistemology, and value system in order to serve them.
Because of the knowledge it will impart to humans as a set of instructions for solving everyday problems, he said.
The data scientist explained that AI must be trained on a wide range of representative data in order to function correctly because it depends primarily on pattern recognition.
For instance, if I want AI to help me predict the likelihood of a disease, I need to provide it with enough different types of training to learn the visual. And it will be able to respond when the next person has a different pattern.
However, he said, “I won’t get the results I’m looking for if I train AI with data that is biased, discriminatory, or not representative.”
READ ALSO: Bill Gates’ statement, “Africa’s Progress Will Depend On Youth Investment”
The data scientist noted that despite Africa’s diversity, the majority of modern, highly developed AI models fail in African settings, particularly because there aren’t any digital African languages.
“Over 90% of the most sophisticated and complex AI models we currently use fail to understand African languages and the context. Why? More than 95% of African languages have not yet been digitalized.
There is nothing for AI to learn, therefore. If AI is unable to create context-specific, nuanced solutions to our everyday problems, he said, it cannot learn our content, whether in text, images, or pictures.
He advocated for the creation of AI systems based on African data and created by African citizens. He cited a proverb from which Nigerians draw and stressed the value of local participation.
In his absence, a man’s head cannot be barbed or shaved. She must be physically present, the center of attention, and that is not enough to make a woman look absolutely gorgeous, even with the best of logistics systems.
“So, if we want to create AI for Africa, we must be at the forefront of our attention.” He further stated that the people must collect the data, the models must be created by the people, and the finished product must have a nuanced user interface.
AI was created with the help of the people in mind and is intended to address the people’s peculiarities.
Adekanmbi further explained how mobile data from telecoms networks, in contrast to conventional demographic data, enabled the identification of community clustering patterns, and urged stakeholders to put their weight on implementing adaptive innovation.
“Digital illiteracy will always exist. What do we have that can be repurposed and modified to solve our issues, though? We can’t just say, “It’s not working.” There is still work there, even if it’s not working. Find out what is working, he said, and make it work.
He also cited promising developments in the digital landscape of Africa. “We now possess talent. Ecosystems are now forming.
The Gates Foundation in Nigeria is currently developing the speech data needed to enable AI to speak a wide range of Nigerian languages.
“What we need already exists,” he says. More opportunities and possibilities are available. And let’s use AI to solve our everyday issues, he said.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s inaugural Goalkeepers event in Lagos brought together world leaders, policymakers, and changemakers to assess progress making the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Five people have been detained and arraigned by the Lagos government for dumping flimsy litter in the state’s Igando-Iba Road Link Bridge neighborhood.  ,
Following their arraignment in front of an Osun State Magistrate Court, the suspects, Quassim Jamiu, 44, Ayo Jamiu, 18, Alexander Innocent, 40, Oparinde Taiwo, 55, and Moses Adelowokan, 76, were remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Facility.
Tokunbo Wahab, the governor of Lagos State, claims that security personnel and Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) Task Force members were responsible for the men’s actions.
When the enforcement team reportedly arrived at the canal with a lorry and apprehended them, they were reportedly loading up their trash.
Read more about the Lagos government’s plan to impose fines, jail time, and environmental offenses starting on July 1.
Wahab noted that the arrest comes less than 48 hours after the state government harshly warned residents against breaking environmental laws.
Anyone found guilty of dumping illegal waste must be subject to the full legal punishment, according to the commissioner.
He declared, “The state will diligently pursue all arrested individuals to deter other people from harboring similar intentions.”
In addition, he cautioned against violators who were found guilty under the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law from receiving either a three-month sentence in prison or a fine of 250, 000, or both.
The Commissioner reminded residents that Lagos has provided Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste operators across all wards to ensure proper waste collection and disposal while highlighting the government’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
In response to the ongoing construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the works minister, David Umahi, has urged President Bola Tinubu to ignore his critics and grant more funding for the nation’s ongoing infrastructure projects.
During the official commissioning of the Deep Sea Port Access Road in Lagos on Thursday, Umahi made the plea.
He noted that foreign investors had endorsed the project, even describing it as undervalued.
“I want to assure you, sir, that international financiers have commended you for your efforts because they claim the project is even undervalued. I appreciate your support and give you my best wishes.
Don’t listen to people, sir. If you give us more money, Sir, we will complete these projects. “We will deliver,” said Umahi.
Following criticisms of the “ambitious” 700km Lagos-Calabar highway project’s cost and transparency, he made his comments.
Umahi addressed the president directly, defending the project’s valuation and highlighting the technical difficulties in its construction.
Tell me the kilometre-per-kilometer cost on this highway. When you compare a section of 10 km with a bit of 10 to 20 meters and another section with good soil, what can you quantify as the cost of a kilometer? “he said.
When people gather advice without any knowledge, “Your Excellency, I am a Fellow of the Society of Engineers, and I understand the figures, I understand this work.”
The minister also expressed confidence in the initial completion of the highway.
“I want to thank you for commissioning the first 30 kilometers, and I can reassure you that this first section will be finished by December.” Section 2 will soon be complete, and we will toll it as well. The contractor is very highly commended.
Read Dangote praises Tinubu’s reform initiatives in addition to “Your Leadership Has Reignited Hope.”
President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to infrastructure development in his speech during the deep-sea port access road commissioning, rejecting the critics of the highway project.
I make an appeal to David (Umahi): “Don’t listen to those critics; they don’t understand what they’re talking about.” Toll it if they dislike the road or it’s too expensive, according to President Tinubu.
They can use Idumota if they dislike the road. We will continue to build the infrastructure required for economic growth.
Umahi also praised the completion of the 27-kilometer Deep Sea Port Access Road, a two-lane reinforced concrete road, in his speech.
The Deep Sea Port Access Road, a 27 km long, two-lane reinforced concrete access road, has been completed. This route is very crucial. He said that using this location will benefit the deep-sea port, making all the difficulties that we encountered with Apapa Port a thing of the past.
The minister gave presentations on other pending and finished road projects throughout the nation during the commissioning ceremony.
Important guests included Aliko Dangote, Obafemi Hamzat, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and others.
In honor of his contributions to infrastructure development, Africa’s richest man, Dangote, gave the name to the main road leading to the Dangote Refinery in Lagos.
The Deep Sea Port Access Road, one of eight major projects totaling 500 kilometers, including two in Borno State, will connect Nigeria to both Chad and Cameroon, according to Dangote during the ceremony.