Electricity: Obama pledges $7bn to Nigeria, others

President Barack Obama
| credits: File copy

Nigeria has been named among seven African nations that will benefit from a $7bn intervention fund pledged by the United States President Barack Obama for the upgrade of power supply in sub Saharan Africa.

The dire state of power supply in the region got Obama’s attention on Sunday as the US President, currently on a tour of three African nations, pledged $7bn to help combat frequent power blackouts in sub-Saharan Africa.

The CNN quoted a White House statement on Sunday, as reporting that the funds from the initiative, Power Africa, would be distributed over the next five years.

Other African countries listed for the $7bn largesse are Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Tanzania, Uganda and Mozambique.

“These countries have set ambitious goals in electric power generation, and are making the utility and energy sector reforms to pave the way for investment and growth,” the White House statement said.

According to the statement, more than two-thirds of the population of sub-Saharan Africa is without electricity, and more than 85 per cent of those living in rural areas lack access to the facility.

In view of this, the White House said sub-Saharan Africa would need more than $300bn to achieve universal electricity access by 2030.

Despite the huge investments committed to the power sector under the Olusegun Obasdanjo regime, power supply has remained abysmally poor in Nigeria.

As such, Nigerians spend about $11bn annually on energy generation through the usage of generators, which involved the usage of fuel.

 The best the country has got is a 6,500 Mega Watts capacity and contrary to the claims in government quarters that the country was generating at least 4,500MW of electricity daily, it was gathered that the figure was significantly lower than that.

PHCN statistics showed that the last time the country generated 4,500MW of electricity was on December 23, 2012.

This means that all the power generation plants in the country have not generated up to 4,000MW since January 2013 due to consistent system collapse.

Recently, power generation in the country dropped by 1,598 megawatts following the vandalism of two major gas pipelines supplying gas to eight power generating stations.

The White House statement said the $7bn fund would help sub Saharan African countries upgrade power supply and enhance the lives of their citizens.

Gunmen free 175 prisoners in Akure jailbreak

• Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko (left) with Comptroller of Prison in the state, Olatunde Olayiwola, during Mimiko’s visit to the Olokuta Medium Security Prison, in Akure ... on Sunday.(L), An escape hole in the wall of the prison. Photo: SaharaReporters.

There was pandemonium in the early hours of Sunday when gunmen, numbering about 30, invaded the Olokuta Medium Security Prisons in Akure, Ondo State capital, and set about 175 inmates free.

The bandits, according to eyewitnesses, arrived at the prison premises, which is less than one kilometre away from the headquarters of the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, also known as Owena Barracks, around 12. 05am, shooting indiscriminately.

The armed men were said to have gained entry into the prison by using dynamite to blow off a section of the walls, after a futile attempt to enter through the main entrance.

A source said one of the warders was hit by the attackers’ bullets, was ordered to release the keys to the cells, and was also forced to set the inmates free.

Our correspondent observed on Sunday afternoon that the walls of the prisons were riddled with bullets, while all the street lights, leading to the prison, were also destroyed.

The state Comptroller of Prisons, Mr. Tunde Olayiwola, who lamented the development, described the attack as unusual.

He expressed the hope that the prisons authority would soon bring the culprits to book.

Olayiwola said, “The incident happened around 12. 05am. The rumour that the attack was masterminded by the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, is not true.

“We cannot specifically identify  those behind the attack, but the attack is unusual. One of our officers was injured during the attack and he is in the hospital right now receiving treatment. However, I am assuring you that those behind the attack will be brought to book.

“The attack is the first of its kind in the history of the prison because the prison has not experienced such an attack since its establishment.”

Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered on Sunday that some of the prisoners, who were set free by the hoodlums, had already been rearrested by security agents in the state.

It was  learnt that  some of the prisoners were picked by the security agents at some of the brothels within the town and neighboring villages near the prison, where some of them were identified and rearrested.

The situation had been brought under control when our correspondent visited the scene on Sunday, as a detachment of security agents had been stationed at the prison.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Patrick Dokumor, and some government functionaries, led by the Attorney-General of the state and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, visited the prison.

The Public Relations Officer of the state police Command, Mr. Wole Ogodo, confirmed the attack, adding that the  command had contacted the prison authorities on the issue.

Ogodo said, “The information gathered on the jailbreak is still sketchy. The incident has nothing to do with terrorism, and we call on the people of the state to go about their  normal duties.

“The police will continue to protect lives and properties of the people of the state. All the security agencies within the state are working to track the criminals and all the hoodlums will be brought to book.”

Rihanna Roof Creeper Ordered to Get Mental Help

Here's a good lesson: don't creep around Rihanna's roof ... or you'll find yourself in a buttload of trouble.

TMZ broke the story ... Rihanna obtained a restraining order against a man named Robert Melanson after he was captured skulking around her roof on June 17th.

In addition to being hit with a restraining order, Melanson was charged with criminal trespassing.

Now the buttload of trouble part -- Melanson pled no contest this week to the trespassing charge, and was subsequently sentenced to time served in jail (6 days), 3 years probation, $344 in fines, and one year of mental health treatment.

It's no prison sentence ... but still, don't creep on people's roofs.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2013/06/29/rihanna-roof-stalker-restraining-order-robert-melanson/#ixzz2XmShF55b
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