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MAN advocates increase in electricity supply in Nigeria
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, has advocated for an increase in electricity supply from the average of 4,000MW per day.
The Director-General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, stated this in his reaction to the proposed increase in electricity tariff. He noted that electricity is a critical input in manufacturing processes, saying that it has a significant impact on production costs and prices of products.
He opined, “Incessant increase in electricity tariff in Nigeria is hindering the performance of the sector and growth of the economy.”
According to him, sustainable and low-cost energy supply provides incentives for scale production and competitiveness of the industrial sector. He believes that it was based on the critical importance of energy security in achieving the industrial aspiration of Nigeria that the power sector was privatized in 2013 to improve the scale of energy supply to the nation, particularly the industries.
The Director-General stated that privatization has not yielded the desired results, saying that it is widely believed that the operators in the value chain lack the technical and financial capacity to operate and deliver optimally.
The installed capacity, according to him, has been consistently put around 10,000MW, stressing that it has not been fully utilized due to the limited capacity of the GenCos and DisCos to generate and distribute adequate electricity supply nationwide.
He lamented that despite the inability to meet consumer demand, the country has witnessed a consistent increase in tariff without commensurate and good-quality supply.
Ajayi-Kadir noted that, according to NBS, electricity supply stood at 5,909.83 GWh in Q2 2023 but reduced to 5,769.52 GWh in Q1 2024 and 5,612.52 GWh in Q2 2024 when the tariff increase of over 230 percent was implemented. This indicates a 5.03 percent decrease year on year and a 2.72 percent decrease quarter on quarter.
He noted that MAN has repeatedly advocated for an increase in electricity supply from the abysmal average of 4,000MW per day for over 200 million people, whereas Nigeria needs more than 30,000MW of electricity to appreciably meet the growing electricity demands of businesses and households in the country.
The MAN DG disclosed that the proposed increase in electricity tariff is inimical to the competitiveness of Nigerian products and businesses, as it would further exacerbate the impact of high production costs, worsen the current inflationary pressure, aggravate the pressure on the disposable income of the average Nigerian, increase the unsold inventory of manufacturers, erode their profit margins, increase the unemployment rate, and lead to the closure of more private businesses.
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Police bust syndicate behind nude photo blackmail in Lagos
Men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Lagos, have apprehended three suspects who allegedly run a cyber blackmail and extortion scheme in the state.
According to the spokesperson of the unit, DSP Ovie Ewhubare, the suspects get a hold of their victims explicit photos and then threaten to release them if a ransom is not paid.
He said that the suspects, two males and a female, were apprehended after a petition was filed by a complainant who reported being repeatedly threatened by unknown individuals demanding money.
“The complainant received several phone calls in which the callers threatened to release her nude photographs to the public if she failed to pay them. Acting out of fear and emotional distress, she transferred money to the suspects.
The situation escalated when the suspects demanded an additional N10 million, prompting her to formally petition the police,” he said
The police imagemaker state dthat upon receipt of the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, PSFU, Mr Kayode Ojapinwa, ordered the immediate deployment of operatives to investigate the matter.
“The investigation led to the arrest of the three suspects. Investigations revealed that one of the suspects gained unlawful access to the complainant’s mobile device and fraudulently transferred her nude photographs to his own device. Further findings indicated that he conspired with the other suspects and other accomplices currently at large to demand and receive money from the complainant in several tranches,” he said
According to him, the suspects are currently in police custody and are expected to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.
The image maker said that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and to recover all proceeds of the alleged crime.
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Catholic Priest Collapses And D!es In Front Of Congregation While Walking To Tabernacle To Return Holy Communion
A Catholic priest has tragically passed away after suddenly collapsing in front of the congregation during Sunday mass.
The tragic incident took place last Sunday, February 1 in Wiesmath in the district of Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
Shortly after administering Holy Communion, 59-year-old priest Raimund Beisteiner was about to return the host to the tabernacle when he “suddenly” collapsed, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Vienna.
“Despite immediate professional assistance, he di£d in the church,” the statement said.
The mayor of Wiesmath, Erich Rasner, had also attended the Mass with many other believers and witnessed the dramatic scenes.
The shock in Wiesmath at the loss of the popular priest is great. Beisteiner had shaped the spiritual life of the parish for almost two decades and was highly regarded far beyond the community.
Rasner praised him as an “extremely conscientious, sensitive priest” and also emphasized the personal loss of a friendship that had grown over many years.
A prayer service was organized at short notice for the late priest. It was attended by numerous priests from the deanery as well as Archbishop Josef Grünwidl.

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Nollywood Actress, Angela Okorie Allegedly Re-Arrested Over Alleged Refusal To Pay Lawyer Who Secured Her Bail (Video)
Angela Okorie, the Nigerian actress, has reportedly been re-arrested over allegations that she refused to pay the lawyer who secured her bail from Suleja Prison.
Angela was re-arrested at the Suleja prison on Tuesday, immediately she was released on bail.
This came less than an hour after actor Stanley Ontop raised the alarm over an alleged plan to re-arrest the actress after release on Tuesday.
Speaking in a video on Instagram, actress Doris Ogala who said she is already on her way to the police station, stated that the actress was re-arrested by an unnamed Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, for refusing to pay the N5 million agreed fee to secure her bail.
Doris said; “You see, one thing is for someone to cut their clothes according to their size. Angela has been arrested again. As a matter of fact, I’m going to the police station now. You see, when Angela was arrested by Mercy, she called a friend of her or village person. I don’t know how they relate. To help her get a SAN.
“And the SAN charged them N5 million. I think the SAN was the one who even facilitated the bail and all that. Now when Angela knew that they have granted her bail according to the lady, Angela started saying that she didn’t ask her to get a SAN and she wasn’t going to pay the money, and meanwhile this lady has deposited.”
Recall that Angela, who was granted bail on Friday after her arrest by Mercy Johnson over alleged defamation, regained her freedom few minutes ago after perfecting her bail conditions.
Watch Doris Ogala speak

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