News
GenCos get N2tr pledge from FG to avert blackout
The Federal Government, yesterday, said about N2 trillion intervention package would rescue the country’s embattled power Generation Companies (GenCos) and forestall shutdown of the national grid has been designed.
This comes as sources at some GenCos, who threatened to shut down their operations over a lingering N4 trillion debt, mainly from tariff shortfall, expressed doubts over the government’s promises, insisting that such previous promises failed.
But SunAfrica Energy and Skipper Electric have expressed interest in investing in Nigeria’s renewable energy space.
The fund, scheduled for disbursement before the end of the year, according to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, at the sixth edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing would be a combination of direct budgetary allocations and tradable debt promissory notes designed to offset longstanding arrears to the GenCos.
In the 2025 budget, which is facing revenue crisis due to global economic realities, the government planned to pay N900 million to the energy provider.
Adelabu, who restated the government’s commitment to repositioning the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) under the Renewed Hope Agenda, said the proposed payment structure would allow GenCos to access liquidity through financial markets by discounting the promissory notes issued by the government.
An official familiar with the plan told The Guardian that the intervention was designed to stabilise the sector and prevent service disruptions.
“This is not the first time such a commitment has been made. Each year, we hear similar pledges, but what actually gets paid is often a fraction of the debt. So, while the announcement is welcome, no one is banking on it,” a top executive at one of Nigeria’s largest GenCos said.
The minister said the power sector recently witnessed a notable improvement in financial performance, owing largely to tariff reforms, adding that market revenue surged by 70 per cent in 2024, growing from N1 trillion in 2023 to N1.7 trillion, primarily due to the implementation of a cost-reflective tariff for Band A customers.
According to him, increased revenue helped reduce the government’s tariff subsidy burden by 35 per cent, from a projected N3 trillion to N1.94 trillion, saving N1 trillion.
The National Independent System Operator (NISO), as mandated under the Electricity Act 2023, he added, has unbundled the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), creating a separate Transmission Service Provider (TSP) and a fully independent system operator responsible for market and grid operations.
Adelabu noted that efforts to decentralise regulatory oversight also made headway, with Plateau and Niger states joining nine others in assuming independent regulatory authority in the first quarter of 2025, in line with the provisions of the new electricity law.
According to the minister, SunAfrica plans to deliver 1,000 megawatts of solar power to support the efforts of the Nigeria Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), while Skipper Electric is proposing 100-megawatt solar projects in each of the 36 states to reduce dependence on the national grid.
He also noted that hydropower evacuation was also being addressed, with plans to fully utilise the 700-megawatt Zungeru and 40-megawatt Kashiwila plants, which were under-evacuated due to transmission constraints.
He said the long-stalled Markurdi hydro project (1,500 megawatts) and the Kaduna thermal plant (215 megawatts), dormant since 2019 despite being 87 per cent complete, are expected to be operational by the end of 2025.
In Katsina, a 10-megawatt wind farm previously abandoned is being revived through a collaboration between the state government and private investors, even as the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has reportedly allocated $500 million to develop small-scale hydropower across Nigeria, leveraging the country’s untapped 14,000 megawatt hydro potential, Adelabu noted.
-Guardian
Entertainment
Davido breaks silence after Grammy Award loss
Five-time Grammy nominee, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has reacted after losing the Best African Music Performance category at the 68th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, United States.
The Afrobeats star shared a message of faith and resilience following the outcome of the ceremony, which took place on Sunday night at the Crypto.com Arena in California.
In a post on his Instagram page, Davido shared photos with his wife, Chioma, from the event and wrote, “Oluwa Dey my side,” alongside prayer and music emojis.
Hours later, he posted another set of pictures of himself and Chioma at the Grammys, reflecting on the loss in a longer caption.
“I said baby listen we lost again let’s not go ! she said ‘Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat’ we outside,” he wrote.
Chioma also reacted via her Instagram page, praising the singer, “You already know that you’re the perfect one, @davido,” she wrote, while sharing photos from the awards night.
Davido was nominated in the Best African Music Performance category at the 2026 Grammy Awards but lost to South African singer Tyla, who won with her song Push 2 Start.
Other nominees in the category included Burna Boy (Love), Ayra Starr and Wizkid (Gimme Dat), Davido (With You featuring Omah Lay), and Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin (Hope & Love).
The win marked Tyla’s second Grammy Award, following her first victory in 2024 for her hit single Water.
Speaking during the awards ceremony, the singer revealed that With You, featuring Omah Lay, almost did not make the final tracklist of his album 5IVE.
“Man, it’s so crazy because that song almost didn’t make the album. With You was not in anybody’s top five.
“And now look at it go. Every time I was performing it, my heart would just start beating like, what if I didn’t put this song?” he told OkayAfrica.
Davido also recounted how he learned about the Grammy nomination, saying the news came unexpectedly while he was in Dubai, days before his birthday.
“I was in the car, actually, checking a car, and then my phone rang. They were like, ‘Oh yeah, another nomination.’ I was like, wow. Thank God,” he said.
“With You” was released in April 2025 as the 17th track on Davido’s fifth studio album, 5IVE, and has since become one of his most successful recent records, surpassing 100 million streams on Spotify.
Despite the song’s success, Nigeria did not record a win at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Davido said he is now focused on touring and releasing new music.
He is also billed to perform at Coachella 2026, where he will be the only Nigerian artiste on the festival lineup, performing on April 11 and April 18, 2026, in Indio, California.
-Guardian
Entertainment
Kunle Afolayan gives reasons to marry many women
Nollywood filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, has stirred reactions after advising men to “marry many women” while reflecting on his upbringing in a polygamous home.
The actor and producer made the remarks at the watch party of Aníkúlápó: The Ghoul Awakens, with a clip from the event going viral on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event, Afolayan linked his existence and achievements to his late father’s decision to marry several wives.
“Without my father, there wouldn’t have been a KAP Village or even Kunle Afolayan. I am the seventh born of my father because my father had ten wives. For the men, marry many women, or rather be involved with many women. You know why? If my father didn’t, he would not have born me, and that is the honest truth. But today, a few of us are lifting his legacy. Life is short, death is constant. Nobody has life forever. Everybody has a period. Use your period,” he said.
While his daughter, Eyiyemi Afolayan, joined him on stage, the filmmaker compared his childhood experience with his relationship with his children.
“They are lucky. For her, staying by my side is luck. Do you know why? I couldn’t stand it with my father. My father didn’t know my school. My father didn’t know my date of birth. He did not know anything about me other than, ‘He is the son of that person.’ But today, I’m so proud of my father,” he added.
Afolayan also spoke about fatherhood.
“Sometimes when people say ‘Happy Father’s Day,’ I’m always saying whether he pays child support or not, he’s still a father. I have been going to court because I want to get a divorce. I don’t mind being in the witness box, and I experienced the shit, so that I can marry many wives,” he said.
He thereafter prayed for his daughter, praising her role in the series.
“Hephzibah, her mother is the one who gave her the name. I don’t care, but I am proud of you. You started with the film, you did the first season, and now with the second season, you did amazingly well. My good Lord will continue to increase you in wisdom, in knowledge, and in understanding. If this is your path, the good Lord will see you through.”
However, this is not the first time the filmmaker has spoken about his late father’s polygamous lifestyle.
In March 2021, Afolayan told BBC Pidgin that his father, Adeyemi Afolayan, who died in 1996, married 10 wives and had 25 children, a decision he said took a toll on the family.
“I would not want to marry many wives because my father had 10 wives and I knew what happened throughout that period. I knew that really distracted my father. In this age, nobody needs to tell you before you know what’s right,” he said at the time.
He also disclosed that growing up in a polygamous home affected bonding among the children due to language and other barriers.
Afolayan further narrated how he battled poverty in his early years, revealing that he once lived in a one-room apartment in Ebute-Metta and sometimes had to deal with flooding.
“I was born in Ebute-Metta and have lived in one-room apartment before that we even have to grapple with flood sometimes. It’s not shame to say have been poor before. But if you see how l made it, it’s a matter of consistency. My father was a very popular filmmaker and ordinarily, people would expect me to life the kind of live akin to Hollywood stars,” he said.
“But that wasn’t the case. How would one live such life when you’re living in a room with ten women. That doesn’t mean there was no love among us.”
He had advised young filmmakers to start with the little resources available to them while working towards their dreams.
-Guardian
Article
Court adjourns Ganduje’s corruption trial to April 15
A Kano State High Court has adjourned until April 15 the trial of former governor Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, and son, Abdullahi Umar, alongside five other defendants, over alleged misappropriation of public funds amounting to billions of naira.
The defendants are facing an 11-count charge bordering on bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds. The remaining accused persons are Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lasage General Enterprises Ltd.
At the resumed hearing, the prosecution told the court it was ready to proceed and drew attention to a motion dated November 24, 2025, seeking leave to file additional proof of evidence.
However, defence lawyers raised objections, informing the court that multiple applications were pending and must be resolved before the trial could continue.
Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, counsel to some of the defendants, said the defence had filed a motion dated July 17, 2025, seeking a stay of proceedings.
Adekunle Taiye-Falola, representing the third and seventh defendants, also referred to a separate motion dated May 23, 2025.
In addition, Muhammad Shehu, counsel to the fifth defendant, told the court that an affidavit had been filed notifying it of a pending application for stay of proceedings before the Court of Appeal.
Abubakar Ahmad, counsel to the sixth defendant, informed the court that he had filed a notice of preliminary objection and an application for extension of time to respond on points of law dated February 2, urging the court to fix a date for hearing.
Only Faruk Asekome, counsel to the eighth defendant, indicated readiness to proceed with the trial.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the presiding judge, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, adjourned the matter to April 15 for the hearing of all pending applications and preliminary objections.
The trial has suffered repeated delays due to legal challenges. The high court had earlier dismissed preliminary objections raised by the defence as “incompetent” and affirmed its jurisdiction to hear the case.
That ruling was appealed by the defendants, who argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction. However, in October 2025, the Kano Division of the Court of Appeal struck out the appeal, citing failure to properly transmit the record of appeal.
-Guardian
-
Article10 months ago5 Life Lessons from Manchester City EPL Current woes
-
Sports10 months agoLiverpool Announce Jürgen Klopp Return To The Club
-
Business10 months agoMTN Teams Up With Meta To Boost WhatsApp Call Quality
-
News10 months agoCommonwealth Observers Prepare For Gabon Presidential Election
-
Article10 months agoPonzi Scheme CEO Francis Uju Udoms of Addfx Case still Unresolved Despite SEC certification
-
News10 months agoChibok Girls: 11 Years Of Anguish, Broken Promises
-
News8 months agoNASRE Promises Support To Daily Times Group Business Editor, Oseni, Over Serious Road Accident
-
News10 months agoWike’s Enviable Road Construction Method along Nyanya- Maraba Highway
