The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has ordered all electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to refund a cumulative ₦20.33 billion to consumers who paid for meters under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework, in a major regulatory intervention aimed at speeding up long-overdue reimbursements. Signed on February 27, 2026 as Order No. NERC/2026/025, the directive amends a previous 2023 order and mandates that DisCos fully recover and disburse the outstanding refunds over a 12-month period starting March 1, 2026. Under the MAP scheme, customers who pay upfront for electricity meters are meant to receive refunds from DisCos through energy credits over…
Author: Editor
On Tuesday, 10th February, 2026, as I stepped out of my official car at the university clinic, the crowd’s solemn eyes were fixed on me, rife with unspoken questions. Why did the cold hand of death snatch away Muhammad Hassan Sale, a Lecturer II, a gentleman, and a promising, hard-working academic in the Agronomy Department? What will become of his nursing wife and their two little children? Just two hours earlier, Sale and his wife had left their home together; she was hurrying to the hospital for postnatal immunization, while he rushed to catch a university bus headed over 60…
Iranian drones struck the United States Embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday, widening the regional fallout from the escalating conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel. The attack came four days after coordinated US and Israeli strikes reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, triggering open hostilities across the Middle East. AFP correspondents in the Saudi capital reported visible smoke damage to sections of the embassy building. Saudi security forces cordoned off the diplomatic quarter, mounted heavy patrols and blocked several roads leading to the US mission. Saudi authorities said air defences intercepted eight drones over two cities, including Riyadh.…
You see, the distribution of political offices in Nigeria is, unfortunately, often determined along ethnic, religious, and regional lines. The proponents of this zoning or rotational distribution of positions against a pure democratic freedom of contest and choice say it is what is best for a diverse Nigeria, including Niger state. I, for one, do not like it for obvious reasons of exclusivity, which marks out 95% of Nigerians from valuable contributions towards the entrenchment of viable leadership across the country. Nupe, Gbagyi, and Hausa dominate the Niger State political episodes. Hausa has strategically been a foxy player that draws…
Nigeria is not short of ambition. Across the country’s most strategic sectors, visible progress is undeniable. Banks deploy AI-driven credit models and real-time payment platforms. Telecommunications networks rely increasingly on automation and predictive optimisation. Energy institutions pursue grid modernisation. Healthcare systems expand digital records and telemedicine services. Manufacturing firms integrate enterprise resource planning systems and automated production lines. Construction projects use modelling software and digital project management tools. Government agencies digitise procurement processes and service delivery platforms. From the outside, capability appears to be rising. Yet beneath this visible progress, a quieter and more consequential risk is expanding: the accountability…
The intensifying military confrontation involving the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran has triggered swift reactions from major global powers and multilateral institutions, including China, Russia, the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union. The diplomatic responses follow a sharp escalation in hostilities after the United States joined Israel in launching strikes on Iran, reportedly targeting facilities linked to Tehran’s alleged nuclear weapons programme. Iran subsequently retaliated with missile attacks across the region, deepening fears of a broader Middle East conflict. Russia condemns “unprovoked aggression” In a strongly worded statement, Russia’s Foreign Ministry described…
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy has confirmed that some operational units at the Ras Tanura Refinery were temporarily shut down on Monday following a drone attack that sparked a fire at the facility. The refinery, situated along the kingdom’s eastern Gulf coast, is one of the largest in the Middle East and a vital component of Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure. It has a refining capacity of about 550,000 barrels per day and also functions as one of the world’s largest oil export terminals. In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, an official source from the Ministry of Energy…
As a deliberate intellectual choice, I often refrain from discussing the Middle Eastern crisis in the “open market” of social media commentary. From my vantage point as a trained political scientist, with sustained engagement in the dynamics of global power politics and the generational oscillations of the region’s conflicts, I am acutely aware of how easily complex geopolitical realities are reduced to emotive, sectarian, and ideologically rigid exchanges masquerading as discourse. Serious engagement on this subject demands historical literacy, conceptual discipline, and analytical sobriety. Where I intervene, it is usually within informed academic circles, spaces where arguments may be intense…
Students of Northwest University Sokoto (NWUS) have developed a mini-web-based application using WordPress and other related applications following their industrial attachment at the Management Information Systems (MIS) unit. A statement by the University’s Director of Communications, Public Affairs and Protocol, Abdullahi el-Kurebe, said the application, https://siwes-portfolio-m6yc.onrender.com/, which was created with computer codes by the members of the institution’s SIWES team, serves as a digital documentation platform. “The application captures their Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) journey. The project showcases the knowledge, technical skills and professional experiences acquired during their period of industrial training.” According to one of the students,…
US President Donald Trump on Saturday declared a sweeping military offensive against Iran, pledging to dismantle the country’s missile capabilities, wipe out its naval assets, and encourage Iranians to overthrow their leadership. In a video message released on his Truth Social platform after the United States and Israel began coordinated airstrikes on Iranian targets, Trump outlined what he described as a mission to cripple the Islamic Republic’s military infrastructure and remove the authorities in power since the 1979 revolution. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally obliterated. We’re…