By Ogochukwu Isioma
President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nasiru Idris, has been declared the winner of the 2023 governorship election in Kebbi State.
Idris defeated Maj-Gen. Aminu Bande (rtd.) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to win the supplementary election held yesterday April 15, 2023 in the state.
He polled 409,225 votes to defeat PDP’s Bande, who came second with 360,940 votes.
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The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) and Eritrea have signed an agreement for $19.5 million in grant funding for the Desert to Power Eritrea 12MW Mini Grid Project.
Eritrea’s Minister of Finance and National Development, who is also the Bank Group Governor for the country, Dr. Ghiorghish Teklemichae, signed on behalf of the government during a 10 March signing ceremony. The Bank Group’s Deputy Director General for East Africa, Dr. Léandre Bassole, represented the institution.
The financing, to be sourced from the Bank Group’s Transitional Support Facility (TSF), will support the rollout of mini-grids that will generate 12MW of electricity across the regions of Teseney (6MW), Kerekebet (3MW), and Barentu (3MW).
The project will be implemented by the national Ministry of Energy, the Eritrea Electricity Corporation (EEC) and local companies under the supervision and guidance of a design and engineering technical consulting firm to be contracted.
“We are proud to say that Africa is working with Africa to bring change to Africa,” Minister Teklemichae said during the signing ceremony. “This is for the good of our people and we are ready to work with you.”
The project is expected to provide improved energy access to more than 235,000 Eritreans, 20 percent of them women and youth. Beneficiaries will include residential households, small-scale farms, agro-processing zones, and water supply systems. The project will additionally benefit over 160 schools and 90 health centers in the Gash Barka region.
To build local capacity and ensure project sustainability, 25 local companies will be trained and equipped with tools and machinery.
“The African Development Bank, your Bank, is here to work with you for you,” Deputy Director General Bassole said in his opening remarks. “Our main objective is that we will accompany countries to drive their own development.”
“Capacity building and knowledge transfer are critical to the success of the project’s implementation,” Deputy Director General Bassole said further. “This will be a continuous process.”
The project is aligned with the Bank’s Interim Country Strategy Paper 2022-2024 for Eritrea (https://apo-opa.co/4ioCBEo), which prioritizes developing quality and sustainable infrastructure to support agricultural value-chains for economic diversification and structural transformation.
The project also advances the objectives of the 2018 Eritrea National Energy Policy, which aims to increase electrification rates and ensure that renewable energy contributes 20% of electric power by 2030.
Photo album: https://apo-opa.co/3FuOJ8k
Media contact:
Christin Roby
Principal Regional Communication Officer, East Africa
Email: c.roby@afdb.org
Technical contact:
Antony Karembu
Principal Renewable Energy Specialist
Email: a.karembu@afdb.org
By Ogochukwu Isioma
The Adamawa State Governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Fintiri has broken his silence over the declaration of his main opponent, Hajia Aishatu Fintiri of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the Adamawa governorship election.
METROWATCHXTRA.COM recalls that INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), in Adamawa, Hudu Yunusa, had early Sunday morning, controversially declared Binani winner of the supplementary election held yesterday, without the complete results nor recourse to the Returning Officer.
The development has since sparked negative criticisms from stakeholders. It also saw the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) annulling the declaration and suspending collation for the election while the REC and Returning Officer for the election were summoned to INEC’s headquarters in Abuja.
In a broadcast condemning the REC’s actions, on Sunday, Gov Fintiri stated that Yunusa’s conduct was unfortunate, accusing him of working for “a gang”, while calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene.
His speech: “This morning, we all woke up to an illegal announcement by merchants of anarchy headed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner – Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, who since the beginning of this election is bent on pushing our collective patience to its limit.
“It is on record that we went to the polls for the first round of the election on 18th of March, 2023. Even when it was apparent that I was coasting home to victory, this same gang aided the confusion that rendered the election inconclusive.
”Yesterday Saturday, 15th of April, the rerun was held peacefully across the State. The appropriate officers commenced the process of the collation.
“The first round of the collation went well, with 11 LGAs collated before the process was adjourned to continue today.
“Just when we were waiting for the resumption of the collation, the REC this morning took up a task he is not constitutionally empowered to do by making an illegal announcement of the outcome of the election without result.
“This action is no doubt provocative, but in this situation, I appeal for calm as always. I assure you that as your leader, I will ensure NOBODY thwarts your democratic rights.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission has demonstrated its umpire status by first distancing itself from the act of the REC and assured that the right thing will be done.
“The right thing in this context is the conclusion of the collation at the designated location and the declaration of a winner by the Returning Officer in the person of Professor Mele Kyari.
“I must thank you for your resilience and resolve to not only exercise your democratic rights but to also protect it. We are on this until justice is done.
“Fellow citizens, once again, I call on everyone to remain peaceful and law-abiding trusting that the world is watching the enemies of democracy at the height of their shameless brigandage.”
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