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Religion / Chris Oyakhilome's Malaria Vaccine Conspiracy Theories By BBC by nlfpmod: 7:11pm On Apr 21

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRuvgUWbN0A?si=noAAdiBsNPy4dzAW

Chris Oyakhilome: Nigerian pastor pushing malaria vaccine conspiracy theories

Dressed in his signature closed-neck suit, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome stared directly into the camera, declaring that "there was never a proof that vaccines ever worked".

Everyone had been "lied to" about vaccination, he said in the sermon broadcast on his church's YouTube channel in February.

Known as "Pastor Chris", the sixty-year-old is one of Africa's best-known evangelical preachers.

The BBC has reviewed dozens of his sermons from 2023 and 2024 and found that he has been spreading anti-vaccine messages to his followers, specifically targeting the new malaria vaccine as it is being distributed in African countries.

Malaria is a huge problem in Africa. About 95% of malaria-related deaths occurred on the continent in 2022, with children under five accounting for around 80% of the deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In the last six months, Pastor Oyakhilome's company has also produced at least five 20-minute anti-vaccine documentaries broadcast in church services or shared on his video streaming platform, evading social media companies' policies against anti-vaccine content.

The announcement last year of the rollout of a vaccine against malaria - after decades of trying - was hailed by experts as a major achievement that could save tens of thousands of lives.

According to the UN children's agency, Unicef, successful pilot vaccine campaigns since 2019 in Kenya, Ghana and Malawi caused a 13% drop in the deaths of children of eligible age.

But medical experts fear the influential pastor's far-reaching sermons might negatively affect vaccine take-up in Africa.

In August last year, he warned in a sermon of "an evil agenda that has been long in the making".

He then spread a conspiracy theory popular in the anti-vaccine community - that vaccines are a way of "depopulating the world".

He also falsely said that "malaria was never a problem to those in Africa".

"Spreading false information about vaccines, especially from influential figures like religious leaders, can contribute to the perpetuation of myths and misconceptions, further fuelling vaccine hesitancy.

"This can have devastating consequences for public health, particularly in the WHO African region where vaccine-preventable diseases occur frequently," a WHO spokesperson said.

Pastor Oyakhilome's remarks were included as one of the disinformation trends "to watch" ahead of the malaria vaccine rollout in a report released in March by the WHO-backed The Africa Infodemic Response Alliance.

We asked the pastor about his statements against vaccination through his company's and church's e-mails. We did not receive a response.

He founded the Christ Embassy church in Nigeria's main city, Lagos, in the 1990s and went on to amass hundreds of thousands of followers around the world.

In 2011, he was featured in Forbes magazine as one of Nigeria's richest pastors with an estimated net worth of $30m to $50m (£24m to £40m).

According to the magazine, the pastor's diverse business interests included newspapers, magazines, a local television station, a record label, satellite TV, hotels and extensive real estate.

His empire, named LoveWorld Inc, has since grown. It now includes a streaming service, a messaging app with over a million downloads on Google's app store and a microfinance bank.

Once a week, Pastor Oyakhilome preaches at the church's huge camp ground in Asese, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

When the BBC visited the church last November, hundreds of pastors from different nationalities filled its auditorium for an annual conference. Flags of dozens of countries were displayed inside.

His "massive online teachings and healing services" have a global attendance of "7 billion people", according to the Christ Embassy's website - this is highly unlikely given that the planet's population is estimated at eight billion.

Winnifred Ikhianosin, 25, is a regular at the church. She told the BBC she refuses to take vaccines.

"The man of God told us," she said. "And I have also done my research."

According to Ada Umenwaliri, associate director of the African Studies Centre at the US-based University of North Carolina, Pastor Oyakhilome has a "stronghold on his followers who are looking up to him".

"Pastors and religious leaders will always play a significant role in the choices their followers make," she added.

But poverty and the lack of health infrastructure in Africa could enable churches to have a greater hold over people when it came to vaccination, she said.

In an article published on the Nigerian news site, The Cable, last year, writer Julius Ogunro, who attended the pastor's church for over a decade, said: "We need to sound the alarm now. The agenda [that] Pastor Chris is pushing is potentially dangerous and has nothing to do with the Christian faith."

One name is repeated frequently by Pastor Oyakhilome: Bill Gates. The billionaire is one of the malaria vaccine's biggest backers, but has also been subject to vaccination conspiracy theories for years.

In a sermon in August 2023, the pastor broadcast a clip from a TED talk Bill Gates gave in 2010 as an example of "those who have an agenda for depopulation of the world".

While giving a talk on reducing carbon dioxide emissions, Mr Gates said: "First, we've got population. The world today has 6.8 billion people. That's headed up to about nine billion. Now, if we do a really great job on new vaccines, health care, reproductive health services, we could lower that by, perhaps, 10 or 15%."

His declaration was taken out of context by Pastor Oyakhilome. Mr Gates did not advocate for the world's depopulation.

He has clarified in the past that he saw population growth and health improvement as complementary: "When health improves, families choose to have less kids."

Mr Oyakhilome also said that the World Mosquito Program facility in Colombia belonged to the Gates Foundation, accusing it of producing genetically modified mosquitoes as a strategy for depopulation.

The mosquito factory, established to reduce the ability of mosquitoes to transmit viruses, belongs to a non-profit group of companies owned by Monash University in Australia, and it has stressed that its method do not involve the use of genetically modified organisms.

Pastor Oyakhilome is no stranger to anti-vaccine disinformation. Recently he has also targeted the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, meant to protect women against cervical cancer.

"They have something else up their sleeve. It's not about cancer," he said during a service aired on 2 September 2023.

Nigeria began the mass vaccination campaign for girls in October 2023 in a bid to drastically reduce cervical cancer rates.

The disease claims the lives of over 8,000 women in Nigeria every year. In 2021, a major study funded by Cancer Research UK found the HPV vaccine was cutting cases of cervical cancer by nearly 90%.

In the past, Pastor Oyakhilome made multiple unfounded claims about anti-tetanus injections, polio vaccines, and other childhood immunisations.

The pastor also falsely stated that the messenger RNA vaccine alters the DNA.

But the vaccine does not alter people's DNA. It takes part of a virus's genetic material - or messenger RNA - to make the immune system learn to recognise it and produce antibodies.

During the Covid pandemic, Pastor Oyakhilome's church received a £125,000 ($155,000) fine from the British media regulator Ofcom.

It said his network Loveworld, broadcast in the UK, showed "misleading and potentially harmful statements about the coronavirus pandemic and vaccines".

Mr Ogunro, the writer who left the church, said he was worried about the pastor's influence.

"His claims about vaccination scare me. We need to find a way to regulate preachers like him."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67577223.amp

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Sports / Olympics Tribute To Apollo & Zeus (Paris 2024) by nlfpmod: 5:44pm On Apr 20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2dwbuoQCgE?si=P5_caAfaug9LJj2C

“Apollo, God of sun, and the idea of light, send your rays and light the sacred torch for the hospitable city of Paris. And you, Zeus, give peace to all peoples on earth and wreath the winners of the Sacred Race."

The Olympic Games

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Family / Police Arrest Grandmother For Locking Up Her 3 Grandchildren In Lagos by nlfpmod: 8:04pm On Apr 19
All thanks to vigilant neighbours who alerted the police, these children were rescued by police officers from Ikotun Division after being locked up in a room for days by their grandmother. The children are now in safe hands while their grandmother is in police custody. Investigation is ongoing.

See something, say something!

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Jobs/Vacancies / Sim Shagaya Looking For A Researcher On The 3-Wheel Vehicle Market In Nigeria by nlfpmod: 7:26pm On Apr 19
I’m looking for an extremely talented individual to do some detailed analytical macro and microeconomic research on the three-wheel (keke/tuk-tuk/rickshaw) vehicle market in Nigeria over the course of one month.

Must be able to do original/on the ground research and desktop analysis.

Consulting fee is $5-7k for the month of work.

If interested, please email a sample of your similar previous work, the sorts of specifics questions you’ll be looking to answer doing this work and a LinkedIn to hello@honeybadger.fund

Please respond by 5pm Monday 22/4/24 Nigeria time. I intend to make a decision one week thereafter.

Thank you for your consideration!

Sim Shagaya
Chancellor, Miva Open University

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Business / Releasing Money As High As ₦2,500,000 Is Dangerous - Police To POS Operators by nlfpmod: 5:17pm On Apr 19
This is an advice to POS operators, releasing money as high as #2,500,000 is dangerous, especially when they are being accompanied by armed men who could be kidnappers.

Saying it's business or whatever you call it. We had a case where the kidnappers confessed that they forced their victims to transfer ransom money to POS and later meet them and get cash. Do you say oh it's my business and I am not culpable? Avoid being held for conspiracy.

Whoever comes to you for that huge amount of money should go to the bank for cash or even do transfer. Even CBN policy forbids such huge withdrawals. Are POS operators bigger, stronger, or wiser than CBN? Even if you must release it, do a video of the so-called customers and people who accompanied him. If they have genuine intentions, they won't be afraid of being recorded on camera.

SP. Bright Edafe
Public Relations Officer (PPRO)
Delta State Police Command

42 Likes 5 Shares

Agriculture / Poultry Workers Bury Eggs To Steal Them (Video) by nlfpmod: 11:23am On Apr 19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0vuHob-G2o?si=xYi1W6kG1Zi6fBbB

Poultry farmers BEWARE of your farm workers . Here is another method the wicked farm work use in hidding Poultry eggs .

Voice of the Farmers

4 Likes 1 Share

Religion / Tinukevibes Slams 'Hausa' Muslims Offended By Her Dance Video In Saudi Arabia by nlfpmod: 10:12pm On Apr 18

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Politics / Those Obstructing Our Operations Risk A 5-Year Jail Term - EFCC by nlfpmod: 1:27pm On Apr 18
EFCC PRESS STATEMENT

We Will No Longer Tolerate Obstruction of Our Operations

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission wishes to warn members of the public that it is a criminal offence to obstruct officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties.

Section 38(2)(a(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act makes it an offence to prevent officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties. Culprits risk a jail term of not less than five years.

This warning becomes necessary against the background of the increasing tendency by persons and groups under investigation by the Commission to take the laws into their hands by recruiting thugs to obstruct lawful operations of the EFCC.

On several occasions, operatives of the Commission have had to exercise utmost restraint in the face of such provocation to avoid a breakdown of law and order. Regrettably, such disposition is being construed as a sign of weakness.

The Commission, therefore, warns that it will henceforth not tolerate any attempt by any person or organisation to obstruct its operation as such will be met with appropriate punitive actions.

Dele Oyewale
Head,  Media & Publicity
April 17, 2024

EFCC Nigeria

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Celebrities / Korra Obidi Denies Cheating On Her Ex-Husband While Pregnant by nlfpmod: 8:25am On Apr 18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFkxk5R7-mE?si=k3bdlGy50voNCNXd

The messages were doctored — Korra Obidi debunks her ex-husband’s recent allegations of sleeping with her friend's fiance while 5 months pregnant

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Business / It's Not Our Intention To Defend The Naira - Cardoso Speaks On Foreign Reserves by nlfpmod: 10:13pm On Apr 17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUF3Ule4j04?si=VfgDlxZPXcc2y3tI

The CBN Governor, Yemi Cardoso, has addressed concerns regarding the decline in Nigeria's foreign reserves. He clarified that the CBN under his leadership does not have plans to depend the Naira and emphasized that Nigeria has financial obligations that must be met.

Cardoso also mentioned that $600 million entered the country yesterday.

Imran Muhammad

24 Likes 6 Shares

Family / "My Husband Buys Chicken From Fastfood, Eats Alone, Hides Payment Receipts" by nlfpmod: 8:47pm On Apr 17
My hubby said due 2 economic situation of tins we should only eat meat wen there is festive period dat thins cost. We hv only 1 child, do u no dat my hubby uses his money 2buy chicken 4rm chicken Republic & eat alone, l got 2no wen I was washin his clothes,he hides d payment receipts in one of his pocket.

Credit: Sisi Yemmie

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Business / CBN Reduces Banks' Loan To Deposit Ratio From 65% To 50% by nlfpmod: 5:01pm On Apr 17
The Central Bank of Nigeria has announced a review of the loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) for banks, from 65 percent to 50 percent to align with the current monetary tightening.

The CBN disclosed this in a circular on Wednesday titled ‘Re: Regulatory Measures to Improve Lending to the Sector of the Nigerian Economy’, signed by Adetona Adedeji, its acting director of the banking supervision department.

https://www.thecable.ng/just-in-cbn-reduces-banks-ldr-to-50/amp/

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Religion / Muslims 'Offended' By Tinukevibes_ Dance In Saudi Arabia (Video) by nlfpmod: 4:45pm On Apr 17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vroNLIIh65g

PS MUSLIM UMMAH LET'S REPORT
@tinukevibes_ ⚠️ We are in a generation full with cursed individuals; this ignorant Yoruba girl went to the middle of the holy land(Kaaba), Saudi Arabia dancing to a music.. did you remember one Ignorant man that went there wit @officialABAT's poster?

Hon. Abubakar Sadiq Bapetel

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Celebrities / Re: "I Was Giving My Baby Mama $500k A Year, But She Said It Wasn't Enough": 50 Cent by nlfpmod: 4:15pm On Apr 17
Music/Radio / Whitemoney Stuns Timaya During Recording Session In Studio (Video) by nlfpmod: 3:27pm On Apr 17

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Career / Re: Everything To Know About The Special Boat Service (SBS) by nlfpmod: 8:58am On Apr 17

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Career / Re: Everything To Know About The Special Boat Service (SBS) by nlfpmod: 8:57am On Apr 17

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Career / Everything To Know About The Special Boat Service (SBS) by nlfpmod: 8:55am On Apr 17
WHO ARE THE SBS?
A Thread:

The special boat service (SBS) is a special operation unit of the Nigerian Navy. It was modelled after the royal Navy special boat service. It is considered to be one of the most elite naval special forces units in Africa. It was established in 2006.

The establishment of the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service (SBS) was motivated by the imperative to address the persistent attacks on Nigeria's oil facilities by militant groups and criminal elements in the Niger Delta.

It is predominantly focused on, but not restricted to; littoral and riverine operations, including reconnaissance and surveillance; covert beach reconnaissance in advance of an amphibious assault; recovery or protection of ships and oil installations subject to hostile state or non-state action; maritime counter-terrorism; and offensive action.

The Basic Operating Course (BOC) is the foundational training program that shapes individuals into skilled SBS operatives, known for their elite capabilities. The course comprises three distinct phases, each focusing on crucial aspects of their operational readiness Operatives undergo training in range classification, handling of explosive and demolition weapons, map reading, and intelligence techniques. Upon successful completion of the BOC, operatives are bestowed with the special forces honour badge, serving as a symbol of their exceptional training and distinguishing them as elite members within the Naval personnel.

On 21 April 2020, ten SBS commandos boarded the Tommi Ritscher, a container ship captured by pirates off the shore of Benin. Benin authorities gave the SBS commandos a letter of commendation.

On 12 July 2021, 25 officers of the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service completed a five-week Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) alongside a team of U.S. Army Special Forces.

They also had a joint training exercise with the 42 commando royal marines.

Credit: Daoptimist Gallant Daletian

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Politics / Keep Your Dollars Closer! - Aisha Yesufu by nlfpmod: 7:07pm On Apr 16
Keep your dollars closer!
Your one thousand dollars will buy one thousand dollars worth of things whether Naira decides to go either way.
And no matter the disastrous policy Tinubu’s illegitimate government decides to embark on you still have your one thousand dollars to use!

Aisha Yesufu

92 Likes 16 Shares

Career / Layoffs And Job Security Force Nigeria’s Tech Workers To Traditional Industries by nlfpmod: 12:49pm On Apr 16
Until August 2023, Bayo Samuel worked as a product designer at a Lagos-based edtech startup. However, a failure to raise fresh funding forced the company to lay off several employees to reduce operational costs. Samuel was one of the affected workers. It felt like my world crashed,” the 26-year-old, who had worked at the company for two years, told TechCabal.

After five months of job hunting, while living on his savings, he was hired as an analyst at an investment bank, which paid less than his previous role, where he earned ₦500,000. “The money isn’t great, so I have had to adjust my lifestyle. But it is better than being jobless.”

Samuel is one of the many Nigeria’s tech workers who are now pursuing careers in traditional industries, representing a reverse in the generational shift of young graduates who entered the tech industry due to promises of mouthwatering salaries and flexible working conditions. A major appeal of the tech industry is its low barrier to entry, unlike traditional industries that often require a level of educational qualification and skill set.

Traditional industries offer a level of stability and structure. People want a growth plan and structured opportunities. This trend is very benefit-driven,” Chibuzo Ihentuge-Eric, a tech recruiter and human resource specialist, told TechCabal.

Nigeria’s tech industry has witnessed impressive growth in the past decade with the rise of homegrown successful startups like Paystack and Flutterwave and billions of dollars in venture capital funding. But a global tech downturn has forced investors to write fewer checks. Nigerian startups raised $398.2 million in 2023, a 66% decline compared to the previous year.

With less funding due to tough macroeconomic conditions, startups had no option but to cut costs to stay afloat. This sometimes, unfortunately, includes laying off staff. In February, Spleet, a property tech startup that raised $2.6 million in 2022 from investors, laid off an undisclosed number of employees following inflationary pressure on its business. Nigeria’s headline inflation rose to 31.70% in the same month.

Tech layoffs mean Nigeria’s tech workers are flooding an already constrained job market for a fresh start. The country’s unemployment rate is projected to cross 40% this year as the country battles an economic recession.

“People have no option; they have to take what they see. I think people now prioritise job security over job satisfaction,” said Emmanuel Faith, a people leader and talent manager.

Unlike Samuel, *Sulaimon Kehinde wasn’t laid off from his role as a senior product manager at an early-stage fintech. He resigned from the company in July 2023, citing its toxic work culture and the fear of losing his job. “I was really after job security. I wanted to switch to a more established company with processes in place,” he told TechCabal.

He had a side gig, working as a contract product manager for a retail marketplace app but later resigned to focus on his job search. In November 2023, he secured a role as a product portfolio officer at a capital markets infrastructure firm, which tripled his pay. He earned around ₦300,000 a month at his former workplace.

The work culture is way better. The company prioritises employee well-being and offers perks such as gym subscriptions, health benefits, quarterly bonuses, and travel allowances. You’d typically get these at growth-stage startups,” Kehinde said.

The switch in career transcends beyond startups but also tech-enabled companies.

*Remi Adewunmi worked as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) administrator at a traditional bank for eight years. Though he had a “rich and eventful experience,” he left to become a partner at a real estate venture where he oversees IT services and implementation. According to him, the new role offered better remuneration and working hours.

My experience from tech prepared me for this. The pay in my new role is much better. I earn at least 40% more than my previous annual salary,” he said.

Faith, the talent manager, believes any traditional industry that hires tech professionals is lucky: “One thing tech workers bring to the table is the fast pace of execution. This might also be a challenge, considering the nature of traditional industries. They [tech talent] may have challenges with dealing with bureaucracy and the ranks of decision-making.”

Nigerian startups lack established growth plans, which traditional industries often have in place, according to Ihentuge-Eric. To retain talent, the tech industry should work on comprehensive career development plans for employees. “When it’s known that the industry is big on developing talent, then people might consider staying,” she said.

https://techcabal.com/2024/04/13/nigeria-tech-workers/

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Politics / Re: Army Graduates First Female Officer From UK Military School by nlfpmod: 11:51am On Apr 16
Politics / Electricity Consumers Decry Low Supply As DisCos Prioritise Band A by nlfpmod: 10:47am On Apr 16
Electricity consumers categorised under Band C, D and E have decried the sudden reduction in power supply after the increase in tariff for those under Band A feeders.

Band A customers receive 20 to 24 hours of electricity supply daily; B, 16 to 20 hours; B and C, 12 to 16 hours; D, 8 to 12 hours; B and E, four to eight hours.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had, on April 3, announced an increase in tariff for customers in B from N68 per kilowatt watt hour to N225 to allow a cost reflective tariff while the distribution companies (DisCos) to provide a premium of 20 to 24 hours of electricity.

Daily Trust had reported that the DisCos had struggled to sustain the 20 hours minimum supply leading to over 37 apologies by the DisCos for its shortfall.

Some of the DisCos had blamed technical faults from the Transmission Company of Nigeria.

Sources confirmed to Daily Trust that the DisCos now prioritise Band A customers to avoid sanctions by the NERC.

The situation is further compounded with low electricity generation, forcing the DisCos to ration 3,265 megawatts as of 3:49 pm yesterday.

Abuja Disco got the highest allocation of 611mw followed by Ikeja Disco, 603mw; Eko Disco, 513mw; Ibadan Disco, 329mw; Benin Disco, 223mw; Enugu Disco, 197mw; Port Harcourt Disco, 195mw; Kano Disco, 184mw; Kaduna Disco, 177mw; Jos Disco, 155mw and Yola Disco, 78mw.

Customers lament low supply

Christy Emmanuel, a resident of Federal Housing in Lugbe, Abuja, said: “The supply we get now is below eight hours despite being on Band C which means we are supposed to get a minimum of 16 hours of electricity daily. When the electricity is supplied now, it is mostly at night when you’re sleeping and it won’t be useful as we are all sleeping.”

Damilola Akanbi, said the same situation was the same in his estate at Life Camp as they were not getting eight hours of electricity per day despite being on Band B.

A resident of AMSSCO Platinum Estate in Galadimawa, Abdullahi Ahmed, in a WhatsApp group posted: “Please what’s happening? Since morning on Sallah day, we haven’t had supply for 5 hours, till now, we are in darkness. You reclassified our estate from Band A to B (not less than 16 hours supply), but for almost 65 hours, we have been in darkness. We have made complaints since Sallah day but to no avail.”

A resident of Kabala West in Kaduna, Ibrahim Yusuf, who said his area is on Band C, said the area had been suffering from poor electricity supply since the Sallah celebration.

“It was on the third day of Sallah, on Friday that we were given eight hours of electricity supply,” he said.

DisCos prioritising Band A customers

While Daily Trust could not reach the spokesperson of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company as she neither answered phone calls nor replied to text messages; an official of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company confirmed that the DisCos were prioritising Band A customers to avoid sanctions from the NERC.

The official, who asked not to be named, said the situation was compounded with the low generation of power supply.

The minister said if we do not give Band A customers the required supply, they will sanction us. The supply is little. As of today, the supply is little over 3,000 and they are saying whatever is available, we should give Band A not less than 20 hours. So, how will the others get?

“If we don’t give the Band A, we are going to be sanctioned. We can’t be rationing fairly as we are not the ones who generate it
,” he said.

TCN tackles DisCos on low supply

Meanwhile, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has denied reports from the Ibadan, Benin and Yola DisCos for being the cause of power shortage to their Band A customers.

The General Manager of TCN, Ndidi Mbah, in separate statements during the weekend, said the TCN was not to be blamed for the earth fault at Amukpe and tripping due to an XLPE cable puncture at Effurun, both at TCN substations.

She noted that on April 11, 2024, the Amukpe 33kV feeder tripped at 2:31pm and was restored by 4.08pm within 1 hour and 54 minutes.

She said the cause of the outage, which was clearly under BEDC purview, was an instantaneous earth fault caused by stormy weather, which was restored on trial reclosure after the rain had subsided.

For Ibadan DisCo, Mbah said the feeders mentioned in its publication were not within the TCN network.

Abandoning services to other bands makes no sense– Experts

The Chief Executive Officer at Sage Consulting & Communications, Bode Fadipe, said the removal of subsidies for Band A consumers that made it mandatory to meet DisCos’ service commitment does not mean they should abandon their responsibilities to customers on Bands B, C, D and E.

“The DisCos’ decision does not make economic sense. The revenue generated from the bands makes a huge bulk of what sustains the sector. This is because they still have the volumetric advantage because they take 60 percent of the load on the grid.

“So, you can’t discard them. Band A alone can’t take care of the financial needs of the sector. No DisCos, in its right senses, would ignore the other bands and no regulator will encourage or advocate that,” he said.

He noted that the DisCos have a service responsibility to those below Band A as the availability of subsidy in those categories should not mean the DisCos do not have a responsibility towards them.

Founder, Spark Nigeria, Chinedu Amah, said: “These users have always had this level of supply prior to this time; the new emphasis on Band A is removing subsidy from those who had been profiled to have the capacity to pay.

“I think the whole process should be toiled for optimised supply; the industry should grow from identifying weak links to improved service levels through intentional partnerships. The customers really don’t care about who is at fault; they want improved services.”

https://dailytrust.com/consumers-decry-low-supply-as-discos-prioritise-band-a/

1 Like

Politics / Re: DSS Arrests Aisha Galadima by nlfpmod: 10:20am On Apr 15
Politics / Yoruba Nation: Modupe Onitiri Abiola Declares Secession From Nigeria (video) by nlfpmod: 3:06pm On Apr 14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yRvO36w6IQ?si=zzhq4rw5WpvKT-m1

Genesis of how the invasion started: Watch the self-proclaimed President of Yoruba Nation, Ms. Modupe Onitiri Abiola, declare their secession from Nigeria.
Oyo Affairs


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Iul1oc2bgQ?si=l-C744LDLfzcVRcJ

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Health / Fawaz Alabi Drowns At Ibeshe Beach In Lagos by nlfpmod: 8:36pm On Apr 13
An activist known as Fawaz Alabi has drowned in Lagos.

He went to the beach on Salah day, April 10, to celebrate with friends but went missing during the outing.

His body was recovered Friday, April 12, on the shores of Ibeshe beach in Lagos.

https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2024/4/activist-fawaz-alabi-drowns-at-ibeshe-beach-in-lagos-2.html

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Travel / Kwara Road Flooded (Video, Photos) by nlfpmod: 7:13pm On Apr 13

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Politics / Nigeria Struggling To Find Oil Buyers For 30 Cargoes by nlfpmod: 8:16am On Apr 13
Nigerian Unsold Oil Starts to Build Up as Buyers Take Their Time
*Backlog of unsold cargoes builds amid turnarounds, competition
*Angola’s sales fare better thanks to strong buying from India


Nigeria’s crude for May loading has been very slow to find buyers so far, with more than half of the scheduled cargoes yet clear.

More than 30 of the nation’s cargoes are still looking for buyers, according to traders specializing in West African crudes.

A total of at least 53 are scheduled to load from Nigeria next month, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Most of the consignments are one million barrels.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-12/nigerian-unsold-oil-starts-to-build-up-as-buyers-take-their-time?cmpid%3D=socialflow-twitter-africa&utm_medium=social&utm_content=africa&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic

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Phones / Meta Tests AI Chatbot On Whatsapp, Instagram, Messenger by nlfpmod: 7:49pm On Apr 12
Meta has confirmed to TechCrunch that it is testing Meta AI, its large language model-powered chatbot, with WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger users in India and parts of Africa. The move signals how Meta plans to tap massive user bases across its various apps to scale its AI offerings.

The social media giant has been scrambling to roll out more AI services in the wake of big AI moves from other major tech companies, OpenAI and more.

Meta announced plans to build and experiment with chatbots and other AI tools in February 2023. India, where users have recently started noting the appearing of the Meta AI chatbot, is a very important market for the company: it is home to more than 500 million Facebook and WhatsApp users, making it Meta's largest single market.

Developing markets, where smartphone users are growing faster than developed markets like the U.S. (where growth has plateaued), are also a big target for Facebook to try out more services to engage audiences. Users in Africa are also reporting signs of Meta AI appearing in WhatsApp.

Meta confirmed the move in a statement. “Our generative AI-powered experiences are under development in varying phases, and we’re testing a range of them publicly in a limited capacity," a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Meta unveiled Meta AI, its general-purpose assistant, in September 2023. The AI chatbot is designed to answer user queries directly within chats as well as offer them the ability to generate photorealistic images from text prompts. In the case of Instagram, there's evidence it's also being used for search queries.

Meta has been somewhat late to the game for building and rolling out AI tools to its users. In part, its teams assumed that generative AI tech was not quite ready for prime time. OpenAI clearly proved that wrong, putting MetaAI on the back foot.

"The availability of ChatGPT somehow captured the attention and enthusiasm of the public," said Yann LeCun, the Turing Award winner who is Meta's chief AI scientist, speaking earlier this week at an "AI Day" that the company organized at its offices in London. "What was surprising to people like me about ChatGPT was not the technology or the performance of the system. It was how much interest it gathered from the public. That surprised everyone. It surprised OpenAI, too." Meta, he explained, thought that AI chatbots, based on its own efforts to launch them, "were not particularly welcome... in fact, some of them were trashed by people." Now, he described the company, and the wider tech community, as "more open, and more comfortable with releasing models."

And that's what Meta is doing now. More pragmatically speaking, though, there are three reasons why Meta may be forging ahead with its AI strategy.

First, for user retention (users now expect to see and want to use AI tools in their apps; if Meta doesn't offer them the worry is that those users will move away).

Second, for investor retention (investors want strong earnings, sure, but in tech they also want to see signs that Meta is committed to backing in and building what many believe will be the next generation of computing).

Third, for its own pride (it's been setting the pace for so much in areas like mobile apps, social media and advertising for the last decade, and it has outsized talent on its bench, including the celebrated AI academic Yann LeCun. Is it really going to jump the shark and miss all of this?!).

Instagram and WhatsApp's massive global user base, boasting billions of monthly active users, to be sure presents Meta with a very unique opportunity to scale its AI offerings. By integrating Meta AI into WhatsApp and Instagram, the Facebook-parent firm can expose its advanced language model and image generation capabilities to an enormous audience, potentially dwarfing the reach of its competitors -- at least on paper.

The company separately confirmed earlier this week that it will be launching Llama 3, the next version of its open source large language model, within the next month.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/techcrunch.com/2024/04/11/whatsapp-trials-meta-ai-chatbot-in-india-more-markets/amp/

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Career / Princess Owowoh Graduates In UK As First Female Officer Cadet From Nigeria by nlfpmod: 7:04pm On Apr 12
History made!

Princess Owowoh becomes the first-ever female officer cadet from Nigeria to graduate from the UK’s @RMASandhurst

24-year-old Officer Cadet Princess is an inspiration to many young women who dream to lead!💫

"It is a profound honour to be the first Nigerian female officer to commission from the esteemed @RMASandhurst. As I look ahead to the future, I am committed to representing Nigeria with pride, and to making a positive difference in the world."

UK in Nigeria

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Politics / Sowore Falsely Accuses Tinubu Of Abusing The Naira by nlfpmod: 5:09pm On Apr 12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5xY8O7J6I0?si=HNFK1Mof8Y82AnjG

As posted by Omoyele Sowore:

This @officialABAT abusing the Naira at a party, spraying Wasiu Ayinde @k1theultimate, I hope @officialEFCC will prosecute him for this crime someday the same way @BobriskyIdris was prosecuted. #RevolutionNow

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Politics / Re: Tinubu Names Uzoma Nwagba, 36, CREDICORP Managing Director/ceo by nlfpmod: 12:28pm On Apr 12

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