Zimbabwe has proposed incentives to accelerate 1,000 megawatts of privately owned solar energy projects worth about $1 billion, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube announced on Monday, as the country scrambles to plug an electricity deficit that threatens to compound its economic woes. The southern African country is currently generating about a third of its 2,000MW peak power demand and experiencing up to 18 hours of power outages daily after its main Kariba hydropower plant cut electricity generation due to low water levels. The country’s ageing coal plants are prone to frequent breakdowns, impacting mines, industry and households. Zimbabwe’s drive towards generating 1,100MW from…
Author: Newsdesk
ASHENEWS reports that after a Cholera outbreak was reported in Ekureku community in Abi local government area of the state on Saturday, another outbreak has been reported in a remote area of Odukpani local government area, near Calabar of Cross River state. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr Iwara Iwara confirmed the outbreak in Calabar on Monday. While further confirming that the outbreak was first reported on Sunday night with no casualty, Iwara said that the government had already gone into action to curtail the spread of the disease. “It is true that an outbreak has been…
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, about 25 female governorship candidates contesting on the platform of various political parties in the states, on Monday, unveiled their agenda for the poll. They spoke at a media engagement organised by the Women Radio 91.7FM in Abuja. The programme was supported by the UN Women and Canadian government. The governorship candidate of Action People’s Party (APP) in Delta, Annabel Cosmos said since the inception of democracy in 1999, the men had not done enough to give the state a facelift, hence, the need for women to take up the challenge. “They say what…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has tasked Nigerians to reject possible inducements by money bags trying to buy their votes in 2023 general election. The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this at a day stakeholders’ summit on addressing the influence of money in 2023 general election on Monday in Abuja. The summit was organised by INEC in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Nigeria Police Force and the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON). Yakubu urged Nigerians to report incidents of vote-buying to the…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed worries that if attacks on its facilities persist into January 2023, it could affect the conduct of the general elections. National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC, Mr Festus Okoye, said this at a workshop on Political Violence and Election Security organised by the National Defence College on Monday in Abuja. Okoye said the commission had recorded some reverses in states where the attacks took place, including destruction of ballot boxes and other election material, as well as permanent voter cards. He said that the commission had since the 2019…
The Katsina state government has approved the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) request for the use of the Muhammad Dikko Stadium for its presidential, governorship and other campaign rallies. This is contained in a letter signed by Suleiman Kankia, the Permanent Secretary, Political and Common Service, on behalf of the Secretary to the State Government (SGS), Muntari Lawal on Monday in Katsina. “Further to our letter dated December 13, 2022 and having achieved substantial progress in the repair works at Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, His Excellency, Gov. Aminu Masari has approved the use of the facility by the PDP for its Presidential…
President Muhammadu Buhari has described the death of Sokoto Prince and renowned diplomat, Dr Shehu Malami as “sad and shocking”. The president was reacting to the news of the demise of the former Sarkin Sudan of Wurno, (a senior title in the Sultanate) reported from Cairo, Egypt where he passed on, in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, in Abuja. “This is such shocking and sad news. I am absolutely stunned to hear this. It is another reminder of how fragile life is. “He was a business leader respected globally who believed in this country’s economic prowess. He…
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday jailed former senior special assistant on public affairs to Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, and chieftain of the Labour party, Doyin Okupe to two years in prison or a fine of N13 million. ASHENEWS reports that this followed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC’s) successful establishment of its case before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu that Okupe accepted cash payments from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), which he could not account for, that were above the statutory threshold, without recourse to a financial institution. Okupe and his two companies, Value Trust Investments…
The Sarkin Sudan Wurno and former Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa during late General Sani Abacha administration, Shehu Malami is dead. Aged 85, the former diplomat reportedly died in Cairo, Egypt on Monday. Malami, born on November 14, 1937 in Sokoto, was District Head of Wurno and Chairman, Board of Directors of many banks, multi-national companies and a businessman. Details soon….
The EEconomic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reacted to claims in the media and linked to Olisa Agbokoba, SAN that the Commission is not empowered to probe finances of Kogi state government. The ace lawyer was reported to have said that the EFCC not only disregards the rule of law, but has no business inquiring into how the Kogi state government spends its funds. However, the anti-graft Commission in a statement by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren emailed to ASHENEWS on Monday, said it “takes great exception at the indecorous and utterly irresponsible attempt by Agbakoba to dress it in…