Nigeria suffers power outage after grid failure, power companies say

Nigeria suffered a widespread electricity blackout after its national grid collapsed on Wednesday, the country's power distribution companies said.

Nigeria's grid is prone to failure and has this year suffered partial or total collapse at least 10 times, mainly due to faults and vandalism at power installations.

Distribution companies across Nigeria, also known as Discos, said in separate statements that the grid had failed at around 1233 GMT and they hoped electricity would be restored soon.

Data from the Transmission Company of Nigeria showed electricity generation plunged from 3,087 megawatt before the grid collapse, to zero as of 1400 GMT. 

Reuters 

Related story: Video - Power shortages, rising fuel costs accelerate shift to solar in Nigeria

 

Dangote Refinery in Nigeria makes first petrol export to Cameroon

Nigeria's Dangote Refinery said on Wednesday it has made its first export of petrol to Cameroon, a milestone that could pave way for regional energy integration and help stabilise fuel prices across the region.

The 650,000 barrel refinery built by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote in Lagos aims to compete with European refiners when operating at full capacity and is expected to change trading of refined products in the Atlantic basin.

The company did not provide details of how much was exported.

Cameroon's energy firm Neptune Oil said in the statement that both companies were exploring new initiatives to establish a reliable supply chain that will help stabilize fuel prices and opportunities across the region.

Neptune Oil said the petrol supply transaction was executed without intermediaries.

Reuters

Badenoch stands by Nigeria comments after criticism

Kemi Badenoch has stood by her past comments about Nigeria, after the vice-president of the West African country accused her of denigrating it.

The Conservative Party leader, who was born in the UK but mostly raised in Nigeria, has repeatedly described growing up in fear and insecurity in a country plagued by corruption.

On Monday, Nigerian Vice-President Kashim Shettima suggested Badenoch could "remove the Kemi from her name" if she was not proud of her "nation of origin".

Asked about Shettima's comments, Badenoch's spokesman said she "stands by what she says" and "is not the PR for Nigeria".

"She is the leader of the opposition and she is very proud of her leadership of the opposition in this country," he told reporters.

"She tells the truth. She tells it like it is. She is not going to couch her words."

During a speech on migration in Nigerian capital Abuja, Shettima said his government was "proud" of Badenoch "in spite of her efforts at denigrating her nation of origin."

Shettima was met with applause when he said: "She is entitled to her own opinions; she has even every right to remove the Kemi from her name but that does not underscore the fact that the greatest black nation on earth is the nation called Nigeria."

He compared Badenoch's approach to that of her predecessor, Rishi Sunak - the UK's first prime minister of Indian heritage - as "a brilliant young man" who "never denigrated his nation of ancestry".

It is unclear which comments Shettima was referring to, but Badenoch has frequently mentioned her Nigerian upbringing in speeches and interviews.

Born Olukemi Adegoke in Wimbledon in 1980, she grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and in the United States where her physiology professor mother lectured.

She returned to the UK at the age of 16 to live with a friend of her mother because of the worsening political and economic situation in Nigeria, and to study for her A-levels.

After marrying Scottish banker Hamish Badenoch, she took her husband's surname.

At the Conservative Party conference this year, Badenoch contrasted the freedoms she experienced in the UK to her childhood in Lagos "where fear was everywhere".

She vividly described the city as lawless, recalling hearing "neighbours scream as they are being burgled and beaten - and wondering if your home will be next".

Last week during a tour of the US, she described her home city as "a place where almost everything seemed broken".

Her experiences helped shape her conservative ideals and set her against socialism, she said.

By Sam Francis, BBC

Lagos health workers begin three-day strike

The coalition of health sector unions in Lagos State on Wednesday began a three-day warning strike over non-implementation of adjustments to the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).

The unions include the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) and the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).

Oloruntoba Odumosu, Secretary of NANNM, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), insisted that the strike would hold following the expiration of an ultimatum issued by the unions.

Odumosu disclosed that a meeting of the union leaders with officials of the state government on Dec. 9 also ended in an impasse.

“The government officials couldn’t give us a clear timeline for the implementation of our demands and there’s no governor’s approval for the payment.

“We reported the feedback to the Congress, which was ongoing at our secretariat, and it unanimously voted ‘No’, insisting on proceeding with the strike,” he said.

He complained that the matter had lingered for long, in spite of numerous attempts by the unions to resolve it amicably.

“However, it has become clear that the government does not accord the issue the seriousness it deserves.

“Engagement on Dec. 2 with the Ministry of Establishments and Training further reinforced our concerns as the meeting failed to provide clarity on the computation method for the adjustment.

“This is particularly concerning given that Lagos State does not operate the full CONHESS structure, nor did it yield a definite timeline for payment.

“This is especially disheartening, as adjustments have already been implemented for doctors since October 2024.

“This approach, which prioritises some segments of the health workforce while neglecting others, is divisive and undermines the collective morale of health professionals in the state,” he said.

Odumosu regretted that the government appears ‘indifferent’ to addressing their legitimate demands in spite of the critical roles played by members of the unions in ensuring the delivery of quality healthcare to Lagos residents.

“The handling of this matter has left us with no other choice but to resort to this warning strike, spanning from Dec. 11 to Dec. 13.

“It is aimed at pressing home our demands for the full implementation of the CONHESS adjustment for all eligible health workers in Lagos State,” he said.

Similarly, Kamaldeen Kabiawu, State Secretary, NUAHP, decried the delayed implementation of the 25 per cent CONHESS adjustment, especially after the government approved a 35 per cent CONMESS adjustment for doctors in October 2024.

NAN reports that the strike will affect all state-owned health facilities – Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), general hospitals, and primary health centres (PHCs).

Members of the unions include nurses, midwives, pharmacists, physiotherapists, dieticians, medical laboratory scientists, optometrists and radiographers.

Others are dental therapists, medical physicists, health information managers, clinical psychologists and medical social workers.

The Guardian

Rivers state pledges gunboats to navy in fight against oil theft in Nigeria

Nigeria's oil-rich Rivers state will provide six gunboats to the navy for patrols as part of efforts to help combat oil theft, which has plagued the region, its governor said on Wednesday.

Rampant oil theft from pipelines and wells has crippled Nigeria's oil industry in recent years, damaging government finances and stifling exports.

Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara told reporters in Port Harcourt, the state capital, that Nigeria's recent oil output surge to 1.8 million barrels per day was due to a combination of state-level initiatives and federal government efforts.

"We are donating in the next few days six gunboats to the Nigerian Navy, the closest agency to us in this war against oil theft, to check this scourge in the difficult terrain, and also deploy them for regional security," Fubara said.

"We are not just relying on the activities of the big national committees. We also have our internal mechanism to checkmate and discourage the vandalisation of these pipelines," he said.

The gunboats will enhance the navy's waterway patrols and response times, particularly near submerged oil export pipelines that are prone to attacks.

Fubara said the state and host communities are crucial to the fight against oil theft, emphasizing how their support in pipeline security and vandalism prevention has enabled the ongoing rehabilitation of the Trans Niger Pipeline, a key export link.

Beyond security measures, the state government is investing in education, healthcare, and infrastructure in areas prone to vandalism to provide alternative opportunities for young people.

"We are re-orienting them because we found out that the average age of the perpetrators of these crimes is about 15, 16 years," Fubara said.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters 

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