Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, must have smarted from the embarrassing fallout his comments about Nigerians and their habits of energy efficiency generated. While addressing the public last Thursday, he noted how Nigerians waste energy by keeping their freezers and air conditioners running even when not at home. He said the habit of energy preservation eludes us because energy is too cheap in our part of the world.

The media quotes him as saying, “A lot of people will come back from work, they want to have dinner, or they want to see their colleagues down the road, they switch on the AC for the room to be cooling before they come back. Some people will be going to work in the morning, a freezer that you left on for days, they will still leave it on when all the items in the freezer are frozen and 5, 6, 8 hours of their absence will not make it to defreeze, they will still leave it to be consuming power just because we are not paying enough. We have all been overseas before; we know how conscious the power consumers are about electricity consumption.”

If I had been at that gathering, I would have asked Adelabu how frequently he turns off the refrigerator in his houses in Ibadan, Abuja, and elsewhere, to preserve energy. Also, does he wait until he starts sweating into the folds of his agbada before he turns on the air-conditioning system? In trying to clarify the broader context in which the minister addressed the public, former media aide Tolu Ogunlesi noted that the manner in which people ran with the “freezer” gaffe was “sad” and “unfortunate” because it distracted from the main points of the public address. Actually, what is really sad and unfortunate here is that the minister chose to be pedestrian. He walked into it.

Unlike his thought clarifier, I do not take the quoted statement as a case of wrong choices of examples; I see it as the extent to which he understands energy issues as they play out in mundane situations. In case Adelabu has not noticed, appliances like refrigerator/freezer are not designed to be unplugged. As long as a home (or office) is occupied, the refrigerator works itself to its death.

Three crucial issues stood out from his criticism of Nigerians’ energy consumption habits. One, his selection of appliances—freezer and air-conditioning—are interesting for far more reasons than why he chose them. In 2013, an American guy called Todd Moss (a vice president and senior fellow at the Centre for Global Development), bought a refrigerator. As he closely looked at the efficiency tag (that yellow paper appended on new refrigerating sets), he noticed that the single appliance would consume 459 kWh annually. He ran the figures and realised that that single refrigerating unit would gulp more electricity than most people in African countries get to use in a whole year. Those six countries? Ethiopia, Tanzania, Liberia, Kenya, Ghana, and of course, Nigeria.

The chart he created comparing energy use figures and inequality of access has been reproduced and circulated multiple times to illustrate the reality of energy inequity. If there is one luxury that people in countries like Nigeria cannot be said to have, it is energy supply. As of 2020, electricity consumption for air conditioning accounted for about 19 per cent (roughly 254 billion kiloWh) of electricity consumption in US homes. It takes about 2,365 kWh of electricity per year to cool an average home in the USA.

So, when the Nigerian power minister suggests we overuse electricity, with whom exactly was he comparing us? Even Ghana where roughly 70 per cent of households have access to electricity does not consume anything close to what mere air-conditioning and refrigerating sets in countries like the US gulp. As of 2020, Americans reportedly consume an annual average energy of 10,700 kWh per hour, compared to the Nigerian average of 161 kWh. How can people so lacking be considered irresponsible users?

Second, our leaders should understand that contrary to the assumption that the scarcity of resources is due to overconsumption, we are—by almost every measure—a vastly under-resourced people. We lack certain infrastructure like energy, not because we are wasteful, but simply because we have never had enough. Nigeria is a place where people have to decide whether a visitor is worth their turning on their generator (so as to turn on the fan) or endure the sweltering heat together. Countries where they supply energy 24/7 never need to worry about such things. If Nigerians cannot similarly take energy supply for granted, it is not because their freezers never defrost but because their energy supplies are woefully inadequate.

How many households in Nigeria even have freezers and air-conditioning units? According to Ogunlesi, there are 12 million electricity customers (including both households and businesses) in Nigeria. Relative to our purported population, that number is shockingly meagre. Even if Nigeria’s population were a mere 150 million  (as against the 200 million plus which official figures frequently tout) and there is an average of seven people per household, it is still not enough. Twelve million customers simply means far too many households and businesses are unconnected to official energy supply. It is either that millions of people stay in the dark or Nigeria is preponderantly powered by generators. Either way, we have a challenge that will not be resolved by asking people to deny themselves certain basic comforts in the name of energy conservation. For a developing society like Nigeria that needs all the energy it can get to grow, preaching conservation can easily become counterproductive.

Third, none of the above is to be construed as discounting the necessity of energy preservation. While I will readily agree that conservation is essential, I also urge caution when comparing our energy management practices with societies that, comparatively, have excess supplies. When those societies nudge themselves towards preservation, they are not coming from a place of perpetual lack like Nigeria. If there is another reason that Nigerians have not cultivated the ethic of energy preservation, it is also because we tend not to see the link between the energy supplied to us and what we are billed for it. There is no time in my Nigerian life that I do not recall people complaining that even though they do not get “light,” but they still receive bills from the energy company and which they have to pay.

There is a local radio show that I listen to some mornings. Officials from an energy company come on the show and take questions. Many times, when a customer phones in, it is to vent over being billed for services denied. What do you think people like that would do the very moment that light comes on? They will use it with carefree abandon. People like that come to believe that they would be inordinately billed whether they use up the energy (whenever it is supplied) or not, and so they use it so they can justify what they pay for it.

Finally, we also cannot presume that the entire responsibility of energy management lies with individual Nigerians monitoring their energy usage by turning off their freezers as soon as the contents are frosted or waiting until their skins start cooking in the afternoon heat before they turn on their air-conditioning systems. Those habits are ultimately limited in their effects without larger structural enablement. For instance, the kind of appliances we use (and their age) also go a long way in facilitating energy preservation. Advanced societies constantly tweak technology to ensure that newer models of those appliances consume less energy. You can only export some of these products to their countries if those devices meet their set bar for energy-saving specifications.

Punch

Recently, I wrote about how different school is today compared to even 10 years ago, and the thing that stuck out most to me was the difference in technology. So, I decided to ask teachers and professors in our BuzzFeed Community how student AI use is changing their classrooms. Here are some of their most interesting stories:

1. "I teach media studies at the college level. In a nutshell, it's just absolutely baffling the level of laziness [AI use] shows. I've assigned video games for [my students] to play and write up notes on and a response to, and received responses generated by AI about an imaginary video game that does not exist, based on the game's name."

"But the funniest experience I've had was my first: in an intro course after teaching the concept of remediation, a specific media studies concept, I asked a pretty simple question in a quiz: 'Give an example of remediation.'

"The response [I got from a student using AI] was about the processes of removing chemicals from soil via the process of remediation; [nothing to do with the media studies concept].  I stared at it for about a minute and a half just trying to process what I was reading.

"I guess I learned something about soil management... thanks, ChatGPT?"

—venusaurtium

2. "AI has already taken away the ability to see what the students are actually capable of because they won't put in their real effort. They're using more effort to find ways to do as little as possible than if they just put the effort into writing. This is only going to get worse. It amazes me that students don’t know what a comma is in middle school."

—Anonymous
3. "Spanish teacher here. With the amount of cheating using translators and essay writers only growing exponentially, I have all but gotten rid of technology in my class. Project? Handwritten, all work done in class. Quiz? On paper. Interpretive test? All the Chromebooks go on the counter where students can't access them."

"The only time we use technology is for vocab practice games and accessing study resources. 

"I think it is a good thing for students to disconnect from their addiction anyway. They spend so much time glued to their short-form content that I can hardly keep their attention for more than five minutes. It is also best practice for language learning; writing things down helps you remember things way better than typing."

—Anonymous

4. "Creative writing and publishing student here: besides the fact that my professors will give you an automatic zero on assignments if you write them with AI, it's highly unethical because nothing it spits out is an original idea."

—daynam4b6e28fa3
5. "In my state, certain documents are required to be read during the freshman year of college and then students must complete an assignment on the documents. It's been the law for a couple of years now. Students who use AI to do the assignments are breaking the law, which can jeopardize whether they get their college degree."

—Anonymous

6. "My students are spending more time using AI on their assignments than they would if they actually just did the assignment themselves. Absolutely bonkers."

—Anonymous
7. "It has exposed new levels of student laziness. My husband teaches history, and he literally got an assignment that began, 'As an AI, I cannot give an opinion.'"

—lovelytortoise925
8. "[It's] less so students using AI and more so everyone else. Standardized tests are being written using it and we can tell. The tests were already garbage and biased, but now they are riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes."

"If they've been translated into Spanish, there are often a ton of mistranslations or places where it just hasn't been translated. Districts are supplying us with curricula that make no sense and are not teachable. AI is a way for these billion-dollar companies to cheap out and screw the kids over. It's just sad."

—Anonymous

9. "I'm not a teacher, but a mature-age student getting my BA in design. My teachers still can't tell [when students use AI]! Our online discussion board is just stupid. The discussions mean nothing. I had to lie to the girl I was doing an assignment with and tell her that universities have this new AI scanner to actually get her to do the work."

—Anonymous

10. "AI doesn't give room for critical thinking. Students depend so much on the output of AI and give it no kind of mental review. Students do not take classroom attendance seriously; they believe AI can give them whatever is given in the classroom."

"In addition, it erases respect for teachers since students feel like they don't have to depend on them but on AI. This encourages a lack of discipline among the students. They can't recognize disinformation. They should be made to understand the need for critical thinking."

—Anonymous

11. "The students don't know anything. They think using AI to cheat is the same as learning the information for themselves. Imagine you're having surgery, and your doctor used AI to fudge his way through medical school. Or you drive across a bridge built by an engineer who cheated his way through with AI. They think they're clever or insightful for sliding a generated response into the pile, but they're lying their way through an education that they aren't actually getting."

—Anonymous
12. "The majority of my students either do not speak English or just learned English within the school year. I teach first graders in NYC; it is very common to have ELL students in NYC, as there are many immigrants and refugees here. We [have been] asked by the state to use online AI programs that read to the children to practice listening comprehension."

"The AI expects students to verbally reply to various prompts [within] specific time frames. The issue is, that kids who have enough knowledge of English to reply to the prompts tend to have accents that the AI can't understand.

"When the AI doesn't understand their accents, it will continuously ask the same questions and won't allow the child to move to the next questionif it doesn't understand their reply. Naturally, this frustrates kids and takes a large toll on their confidence in speaking the new language.

"And for the kids who know no English at all, the platform is useless, yet it's still required to be used by the state, thus leading to more wasted time and frustrated learners."

—meebz2173

13. "I'm a ninth-grade Spanish teacher. My students have writing tests that they type on their computers at the end of each unit. At least three or four [students in each class] will try to use our writing assistant to write the prompt for them. It's frustrating to have to run it through an indicator if the essay looks too good."

—Anonymous
14. And finally: "I teach computer science at the high school level. AI has transformed students from being collaborative problem solvers to lazy, unimaginative robots who attempt to plug in their assignments and copy and paste. When I give them code to correct on paper, it becomes immediately clear who knows what we are doing and who doesn't. It makes it so hard to do fun projects like building simple video games because they don't know how to problem solve on their own if they get stuck. I understand using AI to debug, I do it too, but only after I've actually written some of the code first."

—Anonymous

Buzzfeed

Northern Elders Forum has said that the northern region regrets voting President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 general elections.

The elders noted that the mistake of voting for the president who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 outing has taught the north a lesson.

The forum recently came hard on the President when it lamented the growing insecurity across the country.

The elders said the recent abduction of Kuriga school children in Kaduna indicated that the present goverment has failed to protect Nigerians just few months in office.

In a chat with The Guardian on Tuesday, spokesperson of the forum, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said going forward, the region will now prioritise unity and consensus in selecting a candidate for the highest office in the land.

Recall that in the 2023 general elections, Tinubu polled a total of 8,794,726 total votes to be declared president.

The Northern region of North West, North East and North Central gave the president a combined votes of 5.4 million.

Responding to a question on the recent visit and donations by former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi to northern communities, Suleiman said: “The North made a mistake in voting Bola Tinubu to the presidency in 2023, and it is unlikely that they will repeat the same error in the future.

“They have learned from their past misstep and will strive to select a candidate who can unite the country and govern in the best interests of all Nigerians.

“Moving forward, the North will be more cautious in selecting a candidate for the presidency.

“They will prioritize someone who is seen as more inclusive, less controversial, and more aligned with the interests of all regions of the country.

“The mistake of supporting Tinubu in 2023 has taught them the importance of unity and consensus in selecting a candidate for the highest office in the land.”

The Guardian

Allen Onyema, chairman of Air Peace, has raised the alarm over the alleged conspiracy by foreign governments to frustrate his airline out of business.

Recounting his experience on the Lagos-London route during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today, on Tuesday, he said Air Peace commenced its London flight with special students’ fares to make travelling affordable for students going to study.

He alleged the airline was being segregated, calling on the Nigerian government to do more to ensure the operation is sustained.

“We are aware that there are devilish conspiracies. All of a sudden airlines are under pricing below the cost. One airline is advertising $100 and the other $350. If you peel up your entire aircraft and carry people on the wings it is not even enough to buy your fuel.

“Why are they doing that? Their government is supporting them because Nigeria has been a cash cow for everybody. The idea is to take Air Peace out and the moment they succeed in taking Air Peace out, Nigerians would pay twenty times over. It would happen God forbids if they are able to take Air Peace out

“What is happening is scary. On the inaugural flight out of London 24 hours they moved us to another checking area. The place they gave us things were not working. When you are checking people you need to manually carry the load to go 50 metres and drop it. This was just to delay. No other airline faced that. We were denied a slot. Festus Keyamo had to travel to London with us to warn them. He told them if they continue the foolish act, the Nigerian government would retaliate.

“The government of Nigeria is behind Air Peace but the government has to do more now that there is evidence that unofficial statements are taking this airline.”

Daily Trust

Super Falcons of Nigeria have qualified for the women’s football event of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Nigeria defeated South Africa 1-0 on aggregate in the final round of qualifiers to book a place at the Games for the first time since 2008.

Rasheedat Ajibade’s 43rd-minute penalty in the first leg proved historic as the Falcons held on to a pragmatic goalless draw at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday.

Randy Waldrum kept faith in the same line-up that clinched the vital home win on Friday.

The Falcons dominated the match in the early stages. They held on to the ball, with the South African attack barely troubling Nigeria’s makeshift centre-back pairing of Christy Ucheibe and Osinachi Ohale.

Chiwendu Ihezuo was handed an opportunity, but her header off a Deborah Abiodun cross trailed wide.

The match settled for a cagey battle in the midfield, with chances few for both teams.

Chimaka Nnadozie was a domineering presence in the air as she mopped up the South Africans’ crosses before they escalated into danger for Nigeria.

Nigeria held on for a vital draw and secured a berth to represent Africa in Paris later this year.

The Falcons will be playing at the Olympics for the fourth time. They qualified for the competition in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

The 2024 Olympics is billed to take place in Paris, France, from July 26 to August 11, 2024.

The Cable

Federal Government has extended the public holiday for this year’s Eid -El-Fitr celebration to cover Thursday.

It has earlier declared Tuesday and Wednesday as public holiday for the celebration, but added Thursday, making it three days declared for the end of Ramadan celebration.

The latest announcement was contained in a press statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Aishetu Gogo Ndayako on Tuesday.

The statement read. “The Federal Government has approved Thursday 11th April, 2024 as an additional public holiday to celebrate this year’s Eid -El-Fitr.

Thisday

ISRAELI REPORTS

Israel seeks 40,000 tents to evacuate Rafah civilians; hostage talks with Hamas languish

Israel is purchasing 40,000 tents to prepare for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Rafah, before it starts its offensive on the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli official confirmed Tuesday.

As Israel pushes ahead with plans for the promised — but controversial — military operation, the Israel Defense Forces also carried out strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight, one of which it said killed a terrorist who participated in the Hamas onslaught of October 7 that started the ongoing war.

After a flurry of optimism on Monday over a US proposal for at least a temporary ceasefire that would include the release of some Israeli hostages abducted during the Hamas assault, the terror group gave a tepid initial response, saying not enough of its demands were being met.

Four Hamas battalions are believed to be stationed in Rafah. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that without launching an offensive in the city, Israel won’t be able to achieve the goals laid out at the start of the war of defeating the terror group.

Rafah is also thought to be where many Hamas leaders are hiding, possibly along with hostages.

The population of Rafah has swelled to more than one million people — or half of Gaza’s total population — since the start of the war as civilians evacuated southward to flee the fighting between Israel and Hamas. The international community, including the US, is vehemently opposed to an Israeli offensive in Rafah, saying it would endanger civilians and lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.

Israel has said it has a plan to evacuate civilians ahead of its offensive, and the Defense Ministry on Monday published a tender seeking a supplier of 40,000 tents.

The Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the tents were part of the Rafah preparations and would be enough to shelter nearly 500,000 people.

Netanyahu said Monday that a date had been set for the offensive, though he has announced his authorization of IDF operational plans for Rafah at least four times over the past two months. No offensive is anticipated in the immediate future, particularly after the IDF on Sunday withdrew entirely from Khan Younis, further shrinking its troop presence in Gaza.

The Gaza war began when Palestinian terror group Hamas led a devastating cross-border attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people. The thousands of attackers who burst through the boundary with the Gaza Strip also abducted 253 people who were taken as hostages into the Palestinian enclave.

Israel responded with a military offensive to topple the Hamas regime in Gaza, destroy the terror group, and free the hostages, of whom 129 remain in captivity.

Despite withdrawing most of its troops, Israel has continued efforts to kill Hamas terrorists, particularly senior leaders.

The IDF said a recent airstrike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis killed a terrorist who participated in the October 7 onslaught.

Also over the past day, the Israeli Air Force struck several sites belonging to terror groups across the Gaza Strip, including buildings, rocket launch positions, and other infrastructure, according to the IDF.

Among the targets were a building and tunnel shafts adjacent to a launch site used in a Monday rocket attack on Kibbutz Re’im, which lies close to the Gaza border, the IDF said.

In the central Gaza Strip, “troops eliminated a number of terrorists in close-quarter combat,” it said. “Several additional terrorists who posed a threat to the troops were eliminated by aircraft strikes and precise sniper fire.”

The IDF also confirmed carrying out a strike in Gaza’s Maghazi camp the night before, killing Hatem al-Ghamri, the head of the so-called emergency committee in the central part of the Strip. The emergency committee is a Hamas body tasked with maintaining order and civil control in the Strip’s municipalities.

According to the IDF, al-Ghamri, in addition to being head of the emergency committee in the Central Camps, was also an operative in the Hamas military wing, responsible for rocket fire from the Maghazi area.

Palestinian media reported that at least five people were killed in the strike.

Alongside the fighting, efforts continued to reach a deal for a hostage release and a truce.

More than six months into the war, Hamas said it was “studying” a new proposal for a temporary truce submitted during talks with US, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators.

Under the plan, fighting would stop for six weeks, 40 women and child hostages would be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, and up to 500 aid trucks would enter Gaza per day, a Hamas source said.

Hamas said it “appreciates” the mediators’ latest efforts but accused Israel of failing to respond to its long-standing demands, including a full withdrawal of forces from Gaza.

Israel has emphatically rejected that condition and also Hamas’s demand that tens of thousands of displaced Gazans who fled the fighting in the north of the coastal territory be permitted to return unhindered to their homes. Israel is reportedly seeking terms that would enable it to ensure that Hamas fighters don’t take advantage of the situation to reposition in northern Gaza.

Also Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for Israel to allow foreign journalists to enter the Gaza Strip, claiming that an “information war” is worsening the impact of the conflict.

“Denying international journalists entry into Gaza is allowing disinformation and false narratives to flourish,” he wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

His statement coincided with a statement from the Foreign Press Association, which assists foreign reporters covering events in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, that called for Israel to allow foreign press to return to enter the Palestinian enclave.

“The barring of independent press access to a war zone for this long is unprecedented for Israel,” the statement read. “It raises questions about what Israel does not want international journalists to see.”

“The decision whether to be on the ground in Gaza should be up to each individual international media outlet,” the FPA added. “The blanket ban has limited the world’s ability to witness the true cost of the war to all sides.”

In January, the High Court ruled that Israel could continue barring foreign journalists from accessing the Strip, citing ongoing security concerns after months in which only Gazans or correspondents accompanied by the army have been able to report from the enclave.

In their ruling, High Court justices Ruth Ronen, Khaled Kabub, and Daphne Barak-Erez accepted the Defense Ministry’s stance that the escorted tours provided an appropriate measure of press freedom given “extreme security concerns at this time and concrete security threats that go with approving entry permits for independent journalists.”

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said Tuesday more than 33,360 people in the Strip have been killed in the fighting so far, a figure that cannot be independently verified and includes some 13,000 Hamas gunmen Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.

HAMAS’ REPORTS

Hezbollah: We carried out a fire attack on a position of Israeli enemy soldiers and a Merkava tank in the Dovev barracks, which led to the destruction of the tank and the soldiers being killed or wounded. ‏

** For your information, hours after this ambush, the army withdrew from Khan Yunis and used the excuse that the reason for the withdrawal was preparations to enter Rafah.. but the scenes published a short while ago have a different opinion.

** In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Press Statement

Research work is still ongoing at Al-Shifa Medical Complex after the fascist occupation army withdrew from it. More atrocities committed there are revealed, in addition to destroying and burning the complex and completely decommissioning it; Civil Defense crews recovered the bodies of hundreds of martyrs from the complex and its surroundings, who were buried by the criminal Zionist occupation under rubble and piles of sand, in an attempt to hide its crime against the hospital and its patients, medical staff, and displaced people.

The Zionist enemy has violated all laws and treaties that protect civilians and hospitals, which the fascist occupation has made a target for its defeated army, in its failed attempt to displace our people by destroying all means of life in the Gaza Strip.

These crimes are unprecedented, by brutally targeting hospitals and medical centers, committing the most heinous practices there, and turning them into mass graves containing the bodies of hundreds of innocent civilians who were killed in cold blood. It requires the international community and its institutions to work hard to pursue and hold this Nazi entity accountable for all its crimes and violations.

Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas

Tuesday: 30 Ramadan 1445 AH

Corresponding to: 09 April 2024 AD

** Al-Quds Brigades: We bombed with mortar shells an enemy command and control headquarters southwest of Gaza City.

#Al-Aqsa Flood

** The Al-Qassam Brigades destroyed a gathering of Zionist vehicles penetrating the outskirts of the Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, with 18 mortar shells.

** Eid night massacre...

14 martyrs, the vast majority of whom were children and women, when the occupation bombed a house for the “Abu Youssef” family in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip.

** Al-Qassam Brigades, in conjunction with the Mujahideen Brigades, destroy enemy force concentrations southwest of Gaza City with mortar shells.

** Statement issued by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq:

In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful

Permission has been given to those who fight because they have been wronged, and indeed, God is Able to grant them victory.

In continuation of our approach to resisting the occupation, in support of our people in Gaza, and in response to the massacres committed by the usurping entity against Palestinian civilians, including children, women and the elderly, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted this morning, Wednesday 4/10/2024, the Haifa Oil Port in our occupied territories, with two drones, The Islamic Resistance confirms its continued destruction of enemy strongholds.

Islamic resistance in Iraq

Wednesday 1 - Shawwal - 1445 AH

Times of Israel/Hamas Brigade al-Qassam

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

US sends seized Iranian weapons to Ukraine

The U.S. has transferred to Ukraine thousands of infantry weapons and more than 500,000 rounds of ammunition that were seized more than a year ago as they were being shipped by Iran to Houthi forces in Yemen, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.

The hardware sent last week is the latest military assistance that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has provided to Kyiv for its fight to retake territory occupied by Russia.

Democrat Biden has been blocked from providing further U.S. weaponry to Kyiv by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson's refusal to call a vote on $60 billion in new security assistance.

With Ukrainian forces running low on weapons and munitions, especially heavy artillery rounds, the United States and its allies have been searching for new ways to arm Kyiv.

The weaponry transferred by the United States to Kyiv on April 4 "constituted enough materiel to equip" a Ukrainian brigade, U.S. Central Command said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

An infantry brigade typically comprises 3,500 to 4,000 troops, but the exact numbers were not known.

Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations said, “We cannot comment on weapons and armaments that have never belonged to us.”

CENTCOM said the hardware included more than 5,000 AK-47 assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades and more than 500,000 rounds of ammunition.

The munitions were taken from four "stateless" vessels intercepted by U.S. naval ships and those of partner forces - which were not identified - between May 22, 2021 and Feb. 15, 2023, CENTCOM said.

The weapons were being sent by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the Houthis, CENTCOM said.

** US to sell to Ukraine $138 million in HAWK air defense upgrades

The United States will sell Ukraine up to $138 million worth of equipment to maintain and upgrade its HAWK air defense systems to help defend against Russian drone and cruise missile attacks, a U.S. State Department official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The U.S. began shipping HAWK interceptor missiles to Ukraine in 2022 as an upgrade to the shoulder-launched Stinger air defense missile systems - a smaller, shorter-range system.

Since then, Ukraine has received several air defense systems, including the U.S.-made Patriot system.

Tuesday's emergency foreign military sale is worth as much as $138 million, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Although Ukraine has run out of many sources of U.S. funds, Kyiv was given a grant of $300 million in foreign military financing as part of the annual defense spending bill recently signed into law. The grant money will be used to pay for the equipment, which includes engineering and integration for communications and refurbishment of HAWK fire units.

In addition, the sale includes missile recertification components for older units, tools, test and support equipment, spare parts and more.

The sale will require temporary-duty travel to Europe of an estimated five U.S. government employees and 15 contractor representatives to support training and sustainment, the official said. Presidential drawdown authority had been used previously to transfer HAWK equipment to Ukraine. That provision allows the United States to transfer defense articles and services from American stocks quickly without congressional approval in response to an emergency.

The MIM-23 HAWK - a name that began life as an acronym for "Homing All the Way Killer" - was first introduced in the 1950s as the U.S. military sought ways to defeat raids by high-flying strategic bombers. It was upgraded over the years to deal with jamming and other countermeasures, and eventually exported to more than a dozen countries, according the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Over 30 Ukrainian howitzers destroyed in single strike

A Russian missile appears to have hit a Ukrainian depot, obliterating more than two dozen artillery pieces in one hit, drone footage which emerged online on Tuesday shows.

Surveillance drone footage circulating online shows some 32 Soviet-era D-20 howitzers, stockpiled in the open in a tight formation.

While it was not immediately clear when the strike was carried out, it apparently targeted a military facility near the Ukrainian city of Akhtyrka in Sumy Region, which borders Russia.

The strike appears to have obliterated and blown away most of the howitzers, with only a few left standing. The explosion also left a nearby hangar badly damaged, the video shows.

It was not immediately clear whether the howitzers were operational before the strike, given that they were left in a large group and open to the elements. However, even dilapidated artillery pieces can be a valuable military asset, serving as parts donors for their operational counterparts or as decoys on the frontline.

** Russian troops pummel Ukrainian army, equipment in 131 areas over past day

Russian troops inflicted casualties on the Ukrainian army and military hardware in 131 areas over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"Operational/tactical aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groupings of forces destroyed a radar station and inflicted damage on the Ukrainian army’s manpower and military equipment in 131 areas," the ministry said in a statement.

Reuters/RT/Tass

In the course of my journalism odyssey and service to my Fatherland, I have been honoured countless times with awards headlining my modest contribution to country and humanity. But none came close to the one I received on 7 February 2024 at the Standing Committee of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion at Ika in Delta State. 

This particular one was an epoch that set me on an emotional introspection followed by profuse praise for God’s matchless grace upon my life. There I stood facing the leadership of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion: the Primate of all Nigeria, Henry Ndukuba, House of Bishops, House of Priests and House of Laity, at the Anglican Cathedral Church of Ascension, Boji-Boji Owa of the Diocese of Ika, Delta State, listening to my citation for the prestigious Award For Excellence In Faithfulness In The Kingdom Service.  

As the citation was being read, the Holy Spirit took over, taking me on a journey  back to my formative years which were spent in vicarage. In vivid colour, the Spirit showed me how my late father, Daniel Akinseye Olamiti -a Cathechist- spent 40 years serving God, faithfully and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to many parts of the Old Ondo Province. My beloved Father was the vessel, the early evangelist that God used to bring Christianity to Idanreland. 

Ironically, despite his many years of dedicated and meritorious service, Papa retired without a building to house his wife and six children. But by the time he was asked to pack out of the Mission House, help came from above. It came in the form of a two-bedroom building without toilet and kitchen, but good enough to provide shelter for him, his wife and six children. 

For his service for 40 years he was paid one-off retirement benefit of 40 pounds and he used half of that amount to offset the balance of my school fees at Olofin Grammar School, Idanre. I also remember how, as a young boy in the primary School, I used to follow my Dad to the yearly Synod in Ondo town. My Dad, though poor financially, living on one-pound monthly salary, always went with cap in hand to well-to-do Church members for help.

However, throughout that difficult period, I never saw my father in a moody state. He was always happy and enthusiastic in going from house to house twice daily to win converts into God’s Kingdom from paganism.  He was cheerfully and eagerly going about planting churches at the different stations he found himself from frequent transfers.

Therefore, as joy continued to well in my soul and spirit as I received the award, my spirit kept telling me: this award is not for me but for my father and the people of Idanreland, where my beloved old man was one of the pioneers that brought Christianity to the land.

Shortly after he  passed on to glory, 28 years ago, I saw him  in my dream. The two of us were in white apparels, walking in a lush green field. As we walked and as I savoured the scenic scene, Papa told me to look sideways. I did. And I saw men in white dresses entering a big church. My father then instructed me to go and join them. He let go my hand and continued walking away. As I was walking towards the big church to join the men in white as Papa instructed, I woke up.

In his days, my father struggled hard to get a collar as a reverend but could not because of his minimal education attainment. He only had a standard six certificate.  

But here was I, standing on the stage, facing the awesome gathering of God’s people, including the most eminent fathers and mothers in the Anglican Church, receiving this prestigious honour. How can I ever forget this day of glory? It’s not possible. I will forever cherish it. This definitely is not by my powers or might but by the Grace of the Almighty God and also to the leadership of our Church, Ndukuba. I am one of the few Anglicans that belong to three dioceses - Abuja, Ibadan and Akure. I make sure I balance my responsibilities to the  best of my ability to serve the Lord and humanity in these dioceses. 

Just last year, in January to be precise, the Ibadan Diocese, while celebrating its 70th anniversary, honoured me with an award for Invaluable Services to the Diocese. Yet, this was just one of the many awards that I received from the diocese. They included: Communicator of the Year, 2006; Son of The Year 2009; and 2012 Award for Invaluable Contribution to the Growth and Development of Ibadan Diocese. From Akure Diocese, I was honoured during its 10th Inauguration Anniversary in 2023 with the Eminent Ambassador Award. This is not forgetting the Abuja  Diocese where I was privileged to be a member of the Committee for the Establishment of the Anglican  International Academy, and from there also came an award in recognition of invaluable service to work of God. From Oyo Diocese in 2019, The Women organizations honoured me with an award in recognition of my contributions to the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, the media and society at large. As the immediate past chairman of the Board of Management of Advent Cable Network Nigeria Television, ACNNTV, for two terms. I got a Nehemiah award during the station’s 10th Year Anniversary in recognition of my pioneering role in setting up the station. In 2017, I was also inducted into Anglican Knighthood of Saint Christopher in Bayelsa State.

Now, let me quickly say this: I have gone all out to mention all these honours among the many honours and services the Church has bestowed on me not  for self-adulation but to appreciate God for His kindness and faithfulness in my 72 years so far on this side of eternity.

Yet, this is not to talk about secular awards which God has bestowed on me and they came in droves. Needless to mention that I am a titled Chief in Idanre, my hometown - where the Owa of Idanreland Oba Frederick Aroloye Arubiefin IV installed me the Ajagunla of Idanreland. I am also a trustee of The Yoruba Leadership Peace Initiatives TYLPI. I served for ten years as the Resident Consultant and spokesperson of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission ( ICPC) and received an award for Outstanding Leadership and Service in The Fight Against Corruption.

From my professional body as a journalist, I was honoured with an indelible and committed  Senior Management Staff award of The African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Publisher of Trbune titles where I served for 32 years. Other awards included Fellow Nigerian Guild of Editors (FNGE), Fellow of Diamond Merit Award (DAME), the Milestone Award from Nigerian Union of Journalists, and Member of International Press Institute IPI in Vienna and a member IPI Board of Trustees, Nigeria chapter. No doubt, all these secular honours are good for the recognition of one’s services to humanity. And I remain forever grateful for these recognitions. 

But the ones from the Church give me enormous spiritual fulfillment; and for this reason I’m celebrating the latest that came from the Apex Body of the Church - The Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion.  Colossians 3:17,  says: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it well in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” 

For me, praising God and my Saviour Jesus Christ is a contract that has no expiry date. For my remaining years on earth, I will totally commit myself to serving Him with all my heart and soul. To Him belong all the glory. Thank you, Jesus!

According to a new power distribution plan approved by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), certain segments of the Nigerian population will henceforth have regular electricity and pay more, while the rest of society will see far less electricity supply and pay lower tariffs.

If this Orwellian electricity plan is followed through, the Nigerian middle class, as well as the urban and rural poor, who constitute the majority of the country, will most likely retreat into medieval darkness.

From a policy standpoint, below are three downsides of the new electricity plan:

1. It Promotes Social Inequity

Electricity is much more than cables, light bulbs, and switches. In developmental terms, electricity is a crucial thermometer by which we measure the quality of modern life. In fact, no definition of modernity can be complete without a people’s access to electricity.

This is why governments all over the world see the provision of electricity to their citizens as an important responsibility.

Therefore, any policy that segregates access to such a basic and essential service strictly on the basis of economic and social stratification of citizens, is a short-sighted policy and needs to be reviewed.

The new electricity supply regime will deepen social inequity in the country and reduce the quality of life of the majority of Nigerians, who are set to see far less access to electricity simply because of where they live.

This is social apartheid à la carte.

Rather than reduce supply to most citizens, the government and its private sector partners should increase, prioritise, and guarantee regular electricity supply to all citizens.

When Brazil faced an unprecedented economic and social regression in the late 1990s, the government of President Lula Da Silva (2003-2011) rolled out the most audacious and inclusive economic recovery plan that pulled millions of people out of poverty. The resulting economic recovery propelled Brazil ahead of Britain as the fifth largest economy in the world for the first time.

Nigeria needs an inclusive and robust economic and job creation plan that can increase people’s capacity to pay for social services and live meaningful lives.

2. It Will Deepen Economic Woes

All over the world, reliable and uninterrupted electricity supply is seen as the ultimate tonic that spurs economic growth.

Nigeria has the largest informal sector in Africa, with micro, small, and medium-sized businesses accounting for over 40 per cent of the country’s GDP and 70 per cent of employment. These businesses range from subsistent fish farms in rural communities to vibrant, youth-led innovation hubs in informal urban settlements across the country.

A segregationist electricity supply policy that excludes this productive swathe of Nigeria’s population will spell disaster for an already beleaguered Nigerian economy.

In an age when Finland has made Internet access a constitutional right, with a stipulated bandwidth guaranteed to every citizen, Nigeria cannot afford to pursue an energy policy that is guaranteed to sentence the majority of its citizens to live in darkness.

3. Where Are the Meters?

Nigeria generates an average of 5,000 megawatts of electricity for a population of over 200 million people. This is grossly inadequate when compared to South Africa, which generates over 50,000 megawatts for its 60 million citizens.

Yet, Nigeria has perhaps the most unpredictable energy consumption audit systems in the world.

According to a recent report by NERC, only 44 per cent of electricity consumers in Nigeria have metered connections. This means that 56 per cent – a vast majority of energy consumers – are subjected to an opaque and extortionate “estimated billing” system that leaves consumers feeling duped.

The new electricity tariff regime does not address the important problem of inadequate metering and the systemic corruption that it breeds.

Finally, to address the crisis, the government and its private sector partners should keep the focus on generating sufficient and uninterrupted power supply to all citizens.

This can be done through a power consumption audit system that is universally metered, fair, accountable, and transparent.

Austin Tam-George is a former senior executive fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

PT