Connect with us

News

Ghana’s electricity company cuts power to parliament over $1.8m debt

Published

on

 

The state-run Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) on Thursday cut power supplies to the parliament over a debt of 23m Ghanaian cedi ($1.8m; £1.4m).

 

The outage interrupted a debate on the president’s State of the Nation speech.

 

A video shared by local media showed MPs in the dimly lit chamber chanting: “Dumsor, dumsor”, which means power outage in the local Akan language.

 

Local media reported that a back-up power generator restored power to the chamber a few minutes later.

 

But other parts of the parliament building remained without power for most of the day before supplies were restored.

 

MPs and parliamentary staff who were using the elevator when the abrupt blackout hit were stuck, Ghana’s TV3 channel reported.

 

According to the BBC, the power company’s communications director William Boateng told Reuters news agency it had resorted to disconnecting power because of parliament’s refusal to “honour demand notices to pay up”.

READ  Two Senegalese lawmakers jailed six months for assaulting pregnant colleague

 

Electricity was restored later in the day after parliament paid 13m cedi and made a pledge to settle the remaining debt within a week, Mr Boateng added.

 

Parliamentary finance official Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror denied that parliament owed the amount quoted by the power company.

 

He said that the company’s system failed to record recent payments made by parliament and insisted that the outstanding power bill was about $950,000.

 

Ghana’s electricity company, which is facing crippling financial difficulties, frequently disconnects power from indebted clients.

 

“Disconnections are for everybody; anyone who doesn’t pay and fails to make arrangements, the team will disconnect,” Mr Boateng told Reuters.

 

In recent years, power shortages have worsened as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis in a decade, and these have become even more frequent in the past few months.

 

Private electricity suppliers are owed $1.6bn by the state power company, according to Elikplim Kwabla Apetogbor, the head of the organisation representing them.

READ  HAPPY ENDING: Annie apologises to 2baba, family, others says I’m sorry I caused you heartbreak

 

Last July, they threatened to shut down operations over the arrears.

Opposition MPs have urged the government to invest in the power sector to prevent it from collapsing. They have attributed the current challenges to a lack of funds to purchase fuel for the country’s thermal generation plants.

 

News

VIDEO: Prince Harry visits Kaduna, pledges support for wounded soldiers

Published

on

By

 

The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry has visited Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State as well as soldiers who were wounded in action as part of his activities while in Nigeria.

The prince who arrived at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House in Kaduna on Friday afternoon was accompanied by some aides and top nigerian military officers.

 

While welcoming the prince, Governor Sani commended him for identifying with the Nigerian Armed Forces and supporting soldiers who were wounded in action.

The governor noted that such visits would go a long way in lifting the spirits of the brave and resilient officers and soldiers.

According to him, Prince Harry’s visit is evidence of his commitment to inspiring recovery, supporting rehabilitation, and broadening respect for the Nigerian soldiers.

On his part, Prince Harry said he is in Nigeria to use the Invictus Games which he founded 10 years ago to put smiles on the faces of wounded Nigerian soldiers and their families.

READ  Ghana dumped out of AFCON by debutant Comoros

 

In line with traditional hospitality, Governor Sani presented some gift items to Prince Harry and also decorated him in a traditional Hausa attire.


From the Kaduna State Government House, Prince Harry and his team visited the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital to interact with wounded soldiers who are receiving treatment.

 

Journalists were not allowed into the hospital wards, but the Director of Defence Information Brigadier General Tukur Gusau explained that the visit would impact on the lives of the wounded soldiers and their families.

 

Nigeria is the first African country to join in the Invictus Games held in Germany last year with ten participants from the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Prince Harry’s visit to Kaduna came 68 years after his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II visited the state during the time of the late Premier of Northern Region Sir Ahmadu Bello.

 

Continue Reading

News

Tinubu receives Egyptian, Pakistan envoys, seeks collaboration to end violent extremism

Published

on

By

 

President Bola Tinubu on Friday received ambassadors from Pakistan, Greece, and Egypt posted to Nigeria.

 

While accepting their letters of credence at the State House, Abuja, Tinubu also sought the collaboration of the envoys with the Nigerian government to stop terrorism.

 

Speaking with Sohail Khan, the high commissioner of Pakistan, the president said there is a need for global cooperation in combating terrorism and violent extremism.

 

“We must do more to stop extremists. We need to enhance our collaboration and exchange of ideas and knowledge in these areas,” Tinubu told Khan, who is also a retired major-general.

 

“As a government, we will keep an open-door policy with countries and development partners on enhancing cooperation in security, economy, education, and the information and communication technology sector, where the minister is doing very well. How can we improve our bilateral relationship? We must do more.”

 

Tinubu discussed the security situation in the Sahel with Mohamed Ahmed, the Egyptian ambassador.

READ  Troops kill 8 Boko Haram terrorists, capture one, recover four motorcycles in Borno

 

The president acknowledged Egypt’s efforts in attempting to broker a truce in Gaza and stressed the importance of stability in the region.

 

Tinubu said Nigeria and Egypt have collaborated on key international priorities, including promoting regional peace, security, and stability, since establishing diplomatic relations in 1961 and expressed optimism for stronger bilateral relations.

In a separate meeting with Athanasios Kotsionis, ambassador of Greece, Tinubu sought firmer economic ties with the European country.

 

“The economic situation in Africa and Europe is still very unbalanced. We should build on the opportunities from our challenges and strengthen relations between the two countries,” Tinubu said.

 

“What I expect is an improvement in the relationship between both countries, and I look forward to us working on that.”

 

The president said his administration is about renewed hope, adding that the country will continue to play its role as a stabiliser on the continent.

Continue Reading

Education

JAMB 2024: 174 Deeper Life school students score above 300

Published

on

By

 

The management of Deeper Life High School have taken to social media to celebrate the exploits of 174 of their students who scored 300 marks and above in the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.

 

The students scored between 300 and 362 marks out of possible 400.

 

The feat was disclosed in a Facebook post by the school on Friday, May 10, 2024.

 

Despite JAMB’s announcement that only around 0.5% of candidates nationwide scored 300 and above in the 2024 UTME, an astounding one hundred and seventy-four (174) students of DLHS exceeded expectations with flying colours by scoring 300 and above,” the school said in the post.

 

In another post, the school shared a video with the caption, “Behold the DLHS 2024 UTME heroes and heroines; one hundred and seventy four (174) students who scored 300 and above! Congratulations to the Champions.”

According to information from the school’s Facebook page, this year’s highest scorer, Ayeyemi Godsgift Ibukunoluwa, achieved a total score of 362 out of a possible 400 marks.

READ  CBN confirms Emefiele’s resignation 

 

Recall that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, on Monday, April 29, released the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results.

 

The board announced that 1,402,490 candidates out of 1,842,464 failed to score 200 out of 400 marks.

 

It also announced the decision not to disclose the names of the highest-scoring candidates in the just-concluded UTME.

 

The statement partly reads, “It is common knowledge that the Board has, at various fora, restated its unwillingness to publish the names of its best-performing candidates, as it considers its UTME as only a ranking examination on account of the other parameters that would constitute what would later be considered the minimum admissible score for candidates seeking admission to tertiary institutions.

 

“Similarly, because of the different variables adopted by respective institutions, it might be downright impossible to arrive at a single or all-encompassing set of parameters for generating a list of candidates with the highest admissible score, as gaining admission remains the ultimate goal.

READ  Two Senegalese lawmakers jailed six months for assaulting pregnant colleague

 

Hence, it might be unrealistic or presumptive to say a particular candidate is the highest scorer given the fact that such a candidate may, in the final analysis, not even be admitted.”

 

 

Continue Reading

Trending News