$2.3bn Siemens power project idle before Tinubu came – Minister

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has stated that the $2.3bn Siemens project signed by the Buhari administration did not embark on any infrastructure development since the agreement was signed in 2019.

The minister, during a meeting with a delegation of the World Bank in his office in Abuja, said not until the ascension of the current administration before the country got a mobile power station.

“We entered into the Siemens contract in 2019. We never lifted a finger until 2023, when this government came on board. So, you can now imagine since this president came in and now look at the mileage we have achieved. Even in this Siemens project, the pilot phase is almost completed and that is in less than two years, when in four years we didn’t do anything”, Adelabu said while expressing optimism that the future is bright for the sector.

The minister blamed the neglect of the sector by the past administrations for the rot and the degeneration that the sector is passing through.

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“We actually have a past that we are not proud of. Over the years, we have only been paying lip service to transforming the power sector. We have not walked the talk. Previous administrations have kept on doing the same thing all the time and you cannot get different results for that, which is why we have decided to do things differently this time. In all the segments across the sector, we must run away from the past.”

Adelabu, in a statement by his media aide, Bolaji Tunji, lamented the neglect of power infrastructure, which has contributed to the present problems in the sector.

“How will you explain the kind of infrastructure that we put together for our transmission network across the country?  Thousands of kilometers of power line, thousands of power transformers, hundreds of thousands of distribution transformers that we have not maintained over time and expect them to keep sustaining our energy supply. It is not possible.

“How do we allow our people to vandalise infrastructure and expect stable electricity?  So how do you have a sector with over 12 million customers and our meter is not more than six million and we expect to have a stable industry? No, it’s not possible.  So what has happened with past governments?

“In 1984, when the military was in power here, we achieved 2,000 megawatts. Between 1984 and 2023, it took us 40 years to add an additional 2,000 megawatts. Now, we have an average of 5,800 megawatts generated within one and a half years that we came to the office. What I’m saying is that, if the past administrations have been adding things like this, we will not be where we are today. And that is why I said that President Tinubu is actually laying the kind of foundation that we need for our country to grow”.

He however stated that the current administration is laying a solid foundation for a stable, reliable, and effective power supply for Nigeria and is willing to partner with international agencies and reputable organisations to achieve the objectives.

$2.3bn Siemens power project idle before Tinubu came – Minister

Yahaya Bello petitions IGP over alleged defamation by Natasha

Former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has called on the Inspector General of Police to investigate and prosecute Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over alleged defamatory and inciting statements made against him.

In a petition dated Wednesday and signed by his solicitor, Mr. N.A. Abubakar, Yahaya Bello urged the police to invite the senator, who is currently suspended from representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, to present credible evidence supporting her allegations.

“Where she fails to do so, cause her to be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the law for criminal defamation, inciting public disturbance and spreading false information injurious to public peace,” the lawyer stated.

Yahaya Bello’s legal team insists that the statements made by Akpoti-Uduaghan during a political rally were false, reckless, and designed to incite public unrest. They described her comments as “serious criminal defamation, false accusation and incitement to public disorder, all of which are offences under the Nigerian law.”

In a separate letter from Chief R.O. Balogun, SAN & Co., Bello has also demanded a retraction and public apology from Akpoti-Uduaghan, threatening legal consequences if she fails to comply.

According to the letter, the contentious statements were made during a “Homecoming Rally” held on April 1, 2025, in Okehi Local Government Area. During her address, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly stated:

“(Senate President Godswill) Akpabio sent for Yahaya Bello. And it was actually Senator Asuquo from Cross River that drove Yahaya Bello from Hilton Hotel. I was informed of everything and what I got to know of the meeting was in two folds. He told him to commence my recall and that he was going to fund it – of course, monies changed hands that night. The second thing he told him was that he should try and kill me. I didn’t make this public, but I wrote to the IG of Police. Akpabio told Yahaya Bello. He told him that he should make sure that killing me does not happen in Abuja, that it should be done here, so it would seem as if it’s the people that killed me here …”

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Yahaya Bello’s lawyer said these remarks, which have since circulated widely online, violate Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015, as well as Sections 114 and 140 of the Penal Code, by spreading false information with intent to cause harm.

He stated that the senator’s accusations have, “Gravely damaged our client’s reputation by portraying him as a violent and vengeful political actor, and misled the public and tried to incite ethnic and political distrust, especially among clans of Ebiraland in particular and the people of Kogi Central in general. Brought his name into disrepute on the basis of an allegation so weighty that, if left unchallenged, could harm his political career and personal safety; and abused her parliamentary status and platform by propagating such falsehoods without evidence, in a very public and politically charged setting.”

Bello’s legal team further described the senator as unstable, stating, “Our Client states that he has long considered Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as unhinged and apparently possessed of a schizophrenic disorder, characterized by manic narcissism, wild hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking and an incurable incontinence with emotions and social interactions – hence his patient indulgence of her in the past while he was Governor in Kogi State when he restrained himself many times from seeking legal redress even though she frequently harassed him in the media with all sorts of horrible and damaging lies.”

The former governor emphasized that he no longer sees the need for tolerance, adding, “Our Client, however, asserts that he has long ended his stewardship of Kogi State as Governor and moved on to other pursuits – and that he no longer feels the same duty of paternalistic indulgence which he had for all Kogites as his citizens while in Office, and still exhibits till today, hence his insistence on full redress for her (Akpoti-Uduaghan’s) current accusations which, as usual, are totally fabricated and utterly baseless.”

Bello urged the Inspector General to act promptly, warning that failure to prosecute Akpoti-Uduaghan could encourage others to exploit political platforms for falsehoods and incitement, thereby undermining national peace and democratic integrity.

In the final demand letter to Akpoti-Uduaghan, Yahaya Bello’s lawyers outlined three conditions:

• A formal retraction of the alleged defamatory statements published in two national newspapers.
• A commitment to cease any further defamatory statements in any form of media.
• Compliance with the above within 14 days of receiving the letter.

They warned that failure to meet these conditions would trigger both civil and criminal legal actions.

Yahaya Bello petitions IGP over alleged defamation by Natasha

Police reject N1m bribe from notorious Katsina car thieves

Operatives of the Katsina State Police Command have arrested two notorious car theft suspects and boldly rejected a ₦1 million bribe offered to them in an attempt to escape justice.

According to a statement by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, the suspects were nabbed with a suspected stolen vehicle.

Other items recovered from them include ₦1,000,000 cash, three mobile phones, a power bank, and a bunch of keys.

He said that on April 11th, 2025, at about 1500 hrs, while on a routine patrol along Birnin Kuka village, Mashi LGA, Katsina State, officers attached to Border Patrol Zone 4, Katsina, flagged down a Toyota Corolla LE, green colour, driven by one (1) Mubarak Kabir, m, age 26, and (2) Adamu Hashim, m, age 27, all of Kurna quarters, Fagge LGA, Kano State.

According to him, a preliminary investigation revealed that the said vehicle was reportedly stolen from FCT Abuja.

“The suspects then offered a bribe of one million naira (₦1,000,000) in cash to the patrol team with a view to evading justice, which the officers sternly rejected. Suspects are in custody,” he stated.

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“Furthermore, the suspected stolen motor vehicle, cash sum of ₦1,000,000, three (3) mobile phones, one power bank and a bunch of keys were recovered from the suspects as exhibits.

“Investigations are ongoing to unravel the extent of the suspects’ involvement in criminal activities. Further developments will be communicated as the investigation proceeds.”

The State Commissioner of Police, Bello Shehu, commended the officers’ commitment to upholding the law and exhibiting a high level of integrity.

He further reaffirmed the commitment and dedication of the Command towards protecting the lives and property of the citizens in the state, while maintaining a high level of integrity and respect for human rights.

A source in the police department told our correspondent that Mubarak Kabir popularly known as MK is a famous car thief in Kano.

Police reject N1m bribe from notorious Katsina car thieves