Nigeria’s top lender, Access Bank, will acquire a majority stake in Sidian Bank from Centum Investments for Ksh4.3 billion ($36.8 million), two years after it entered the Kenyan market with the buyout of Transnational Bank.
Monday, June 13, 2022
Gunmen free 11 passengers from Nigerian train attack
Gunmen have released 11 passengers who were abducted during a train attack in northern Nigeria at the end of March, a government minister said, though dozens of others are thought to remain in captivity.
Gbemisola Saraki, the minister of state for transportation, said in a statement late on Saturday that the government was working to ensure all the kidnapped passengers were released.
The freed passengers were taken to a hospital in Abuja. Saraki did not say how and where they were released, or if ransom was paid.
Armed gangs, known locally as bandits, blew up the track on the Abuja-Kaduna route in the north of the country and opened fire on the night train on March 28, killing eight people.
Nigeria's state railway company initially said it could not account for 168 people who according to a passenger log had booked to travel on the train. Most were later traced to their homes, but 65 were confirmed missing.
Video released by the suspected bandits has since shown a number of people in captivity who identified themselves as passengers from the train.
"As grateful as we are for this positive development, we are equally mindful of the anguish of all the victims and their families, who have unfortunately endured and (are) still enduring unimaginable trauma since the tragic incident," Saraki said.
Bandits have killed and abducted hundreds of people for ransom in northern Nigeria, leaving citizens terrified.
Marking Democracy Day on Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari said Nigerians were worried by rising insecurity, but promised his government was working to contain the situation and ensure a safe and secure general election in early 2023.
"I am living daily with the grief and worry for all those victims and prisoners of terrorism and kidnapping," said Buhari in a televised speech.
Reporting by Garba Muhammad in Kaduna and Felix Onuah in Abuja; Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Jan Harvey
Related stories: Relatives of Nigeria Train Attack Victims Oppose Resumption of Railway Service
Nigerian cities in darkness as electricity grid collapses again
Nigeria’s wobbly national electricity grid has collapsed yet again, throwing several cities including the federal capital Abuja into darkness.
Electricity companies announced late Sunday that the collapse occurred just before 7pm.
It is the sixth reported collapse in 2022, although it is believed the figure could be higher.
The government blames poor management and low gas supply as the major causes of the repeated breakdown.
The Jos Electricity Distribution Plc informed its customers through its Facebook page on Sunday about the interruption in Electricity supply.
“The Management of Jos Electricity Distribution Company Plc wishes to inform the general public that the current outage being witnessed is a result of system collapse,” the head of corporate communication, Friday Elijah, said.
“We hope to restore supply as soon as supply is restored,” he added.
The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company Plc based in Enugu said, “EEDC wishes to inform her esteemed customers of a system collapse which occurred at 6.49pm this evening, Sunday, 12th June, 2022.”
The statement signed by spokesperson Emeka Ezeh said as a result of the development, all outgoing feeders were out and this has affected supply to its customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States.
“We are on standby, awaiting further information on restoration of supply from the National Control Centre (NCC),” he added.
Also the Eko Electricity Distribution Company said, “dear Esteemed Customer, we regret to inform you of the system collapse from the National grid. This has affected our entire network and impacted our ability to deliver optimum service.”
“Please bear with us as we are working with our TCN partners on a swift resolution. Power Outage In Our Franchise Due To Grid Collapse,” it concluded.
The spokesperson of the Kaduna electricity distribution company, Abdulazeez Abdullahi, passed the same message to customers.
“We regret to inform you that the power outage being experienced in our franchise states is due to System Collapse of the National Grid. The collapse occurred at about 18:47 pm this evening hence the loss of supply on all our outgoing feeders,” the notice said.
The company promised consumers that power will be restored as soon as the National Grid is powered back.
“Please be informed that the current power outage is due to a system failure from the National Grid. The system collapsed at about 6.49pm today 12th June, 2022, causing the outage currently being experienced,” the management of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company said on Facebook..
“We appeal for your understanding as all stakeholders are working hard to restore normal supply,” it said.
After a similar collapse in April, the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, said the government had been making efforts to improve power supply.
Like past governments, the Buhari administration has so far failed to solve Nigeria’s perennial power problem.
By Oge Udegbunam
Related stories: Nigeria runs on generators and nine hours of power a day
Increased Power Shortages Compounds Nigeria’s Fuel Scarcity Woes
Friday, June 10, 2022
Afrocandy To Set Up Porn Studio In Nigeria
US-based Nigerian adult-entertainment star, Judith Mazagwu, popularly known as AfroCandy, is set to unveil a studio, where she will ply her trade in Nigeria.
The controversial entertainer has hired an apartment somewhere in the Ajah area of Lagos and is currently furnishing it to taste.
“I’m just trying to set up my business here, so that I can be visiting home regularly.”
The porn star also has confirmed setting up a multi-purpose studio, which will be unveiled after she returns to the country again.
“The studio is not in my new home. It will be located in a separate environment and it will serve as a general production studio. So anything can be done there”, the porn star revealed.
Also, confirming the development in an Instagram post, the pornstar wrote: “ Sweetie, I didn’t quit, just busy setting up the stages, wait for it!! #afrocandy is coming!!”
Nigeria wins first gold as Amusan defends hurdles crown
Team Nigeria grabbed its first gold medal at the ongoing 22nd African Senior Athletics Championships in Mauritius, yesterday, as sprint hurdler, Tobiloba Amusan, became the fifth woman to successfully defend the 100m hurdles title. She stormed to victory in a wind-aided 12.57 seconds.
The 25-year-old Amusan first won the title four years ago at the 21st edition of the championship, Asaba 2018. She has now become the third Nigerian after Maria Usifo (1984 and 1985) and Glory Alozie (1996, 1998 and 2000) and fifth African to successfully defend the sprint hurdles title.
The reigning African Games champion was, however, denied the chance to break the 12.77 seconds championship record set by Alozie at the 11th edition of the championship in Dakar, Senegal, in 1998 by an excessive 4.0m/s tail wind.
Amusan’s victory has increased Nigeria’s gold medal haul in sprint hurdles to 12.
The story was, however, different for Team Nigeria in the 100m, where the nation failed to win any medal in both the male and female sprint events.
Reigning African Games fastest man, Raymond Ekevwo and home-girl, Tima Godbless, failed in their bid to return Nigeria to reckoning in the men and women’s 100m finals in Mauritius.
The two athletes ran new personal season’s best in all conditions and new personal best respectively in their bid, but ended up with no medal.
Ekevwo ran 10.03 seconds in the men’s race, but ended up in fourth place, thereby extending Nigeria’s wait for the blue ribband event’s crown beyond 12 years after Olusoji Fasuba won in 2008 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Reigning African 100m record holder, Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala and defending champion, Akani Simbine of South Africa, both ran a wind-aided 9.93s, but the former was crowned Africa’s speed king to become the second Kenyan after Joseph Gikinyo in 1990 to win the event.
In the women’s race, Godbless ran an impressive 11.27 seconds, but ended up in fourth place as The Gambia’s Gina Bass won in 11.06s.
Niger’s Aminatou Seyni Moumouni (11.09) and South Africa’s Carina Horn (11.14) came in second and third respectively. This will be the second time in last three editions Nigeria has failed to make the podium in 100m event.
Nigeria was last crowned African champion in the event eight years ago, when Blessing Okagbare ran a then 11.00 seconds championship record to win the country’s 12th blue ribband gold medal in the history of the championship.
Meanwhile, quartermiler, Patience Okon George, qualified for her straight fourth final in the women’s 400m after running 53.24seconds to win her semifinal heat.
The 30-year-old will be hoping to strike gold this time around after winning bronze in 2014, 2016 and return Nigeria as African champion eight years after Folasade Abugan ran 51.21s to win at the 19th edition in Marrakech, Morocco in 2014. The feat made Abugan the seventh Nigerian to win gold in the history of the championship.
In the men’s version, the trio of Sikiru Adeyemi, Nathaniel Samson and Johnson Nnamani failed to advance to the final, thereby, extending Nigeria’s wait to get an African champion 24 years after Clement Chukwu won the gold medal in Dakar, Senegal.
By Gowon Akpodonor
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