Headline

Nigeria Missing As Africa Agrees Nuclear Energy Is Best Alternative Power Source

Published

3 years ago

July 27, 2023

Nigeria, the giant of Africa, was conspicuously absent on Thursday, as African leaders gathered in St Petersburg, Russia, to discuss ways nuclear power can help solve the continent’s perennial energy crisis.

Overlay-clever

However, representatives of other countries present, unanimously agreed that the continent has a better option in nuclear energy against the prevalent hydro power source, to light up Africa again.

They also agreed that the continent needs regional co-operation to pursue aggressive reformation of their different power sectors with nuclear energy.

The positions were taken at a session: “Nuclear technologies for the development of African continent” at the ongoing Russia-Africa Economic Forum in St Petersburg Russia.

Panelists to the session who reached the conclusion, included Alexey Likhachev, Director General, State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM; Ibrahim Uwizeye, Minister of Hydraulics, Energy and Mining of the Republic of Burundi; Doto Mashaka Biteko, Minister of Minerals of Tanzania.

Others are Zhemu Soda, Minister of Energy and Power Development of Zimbabwe; Amged El-Wakeel, Chairman of the Board, Nuclear Power Plants Authority of Egypt; Fidele Ndahayo, Chief Executive Officer, Rwanda Atomic Energy Board; and Princess Mthombeni, Founder, Africa4Nuclear, Nuclear Communication and Technology Specialist of South Africa.

Asked why Nigeria was not invited to such important discussion, considering the country’s precarious energy situation, organisers of the event said the relevant agencies did not just respond to the call.

The leaders took turns to present their level of power efficiency and X-rayed how nuclear energy can engender wealth creation, energy efficiency, technology sovereignty and advanced medicine.

Egypt, Rwanda

According to El Wakeel, nuclear energy has helped Egypt in many ways including clean water, health, agriculture and electricity even as the country still needs to further advance its economy, using the technology.

For Fidele Ndahayo, Rwanda has almost achieved universal access in electricity, but still needs nuclear energy to sustain their achievement.

“We are almost 70 percent in electricity penetration. However, we are reliant on hydro power and with what we know, hydro is almost unreliable. We need nuclear energy to sustain our efforts for a longer time.

“Besides, small modular technologies are making waves across the world and we want to be there from the inception.

“We are not going to wait for other countries to develop with it while we play catch up later. We want to be there from development stage.

“It has potentials to develop our agriculture, health, education and technology development sectors.”

Tanzania

What excites Biteko of Tanzania is that the country is rich in Uranium which is the conductor of the nuclear energy and the technology will help the country add to its Gross Domestic Product GDP.

“Uranian will foster the increase in our GDP as we want to use technology to add at least 10 percent to GDP. We are inviting everyone who wishes to be part of our growth.

“Secondly, we are thinking of how to use uranium to link our agricultural development, health, education and move our teeming youths out of the labour market and totally improve wealth and general livelihood of the people of Tanzania”, he said.

Burundi

For Ibrahim Uwizeye, “My country, Burundi suffers from huge deficit of electricity. For a country of more than 20 million people, less than 20 percent electricity penetration is not encouraging.

“Hydro power is not being able to produce sufficient megawatts of the power we need. So, we welcome Rosatom to come and invest in our country in this area. Without improving the power generation, we are not going to be able to attract industrialists in our country.

“Besides, like my colleague from Rwanda has said we also need to use it to attack lack of development and wealth creation in our country. But before that, we need to improve generation and that is where we need Rosatom’s nuclear power energy prowess.”

Responding, Likhachev said the issue of intergovernmental cooperation resonates with Russia and the country is willing to help Africa achieve energy sufficiency.

He also promised that wherever Russia enters into agreement in Africa, it will also develop programmes that will lead the country to technology sovereignty.

“Technically, we give every country the opportunity to have high percentage of the participation in what we are doing with them, just to give them technology sovereignty,” he added.

South Africa

But, it was Princess Mthombeni who advised African leaders to shun wrong narratives against nuclear energy and consider it the nerve centre of every development of every country of the world.

“In any industrialised economy, there is always different opinions on development techniques and measures.

“But one clear point to know is that energy remains a focal point and the nucleus of development for countries of the world.

“Russia is offering nuclear power which is fundamental to development in Africa. But, unfortunately, there is a lot of resistance. African leaders should ask why?

“Perhaps many European countries highly involved in hydro power business, using it to drive their agenda of manipulating governments in Africa are weaving up campaigns against what nuclear power can offer.

“This has caused apathy among mainstream media in Africa towards accepting nuclear power.

“So we need an alternative media to counter the narratives and consistently create virile awareness and campaign, if only to help Africa plug into what can unlock wealth creation in their economies,” she advised.
VANGUARD

Headline

Woman Passes Out After Receiving 100 Strokes Of Cane

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

A woman has passed out after she and her partner were each flogged 100 times in public for engaging in sex outside marriage under strict Sharia laws in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was later carried away after the punishment was carried out in Banda Aceh, located at the northern tip of Sumatra island on Thursday.

A masked official dressed in brown robes administered the caning before members of the public who gathered to witness the punishment.

Her partner was also seen wincing in pain while receiving the lashes.

The pair were among several individuals punished for violating Sharia regulations in the province.

Authorities from the Banda Aceh Sharia Court and the Prosecutor’s Office handed down punishments ranging from 25 to 100 lashes for offences including extramarital sex allegedly arranged through online applications.

Aceh remains the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia operating under Sharia law, where unmarried couples are prohibited from having sexual relations.

Caning is commonly used in the province as punishment for offences such as gambling, alcohol consumption, same-sex relations and sex outside marriage.

Under Aceh’s Sharia regulations, child rape offenders face some of the harshest penalties, including up to 200 strokes of the cane, a prison sentence of as long as 200 months or fines equivalent to two kilograms of gold.

The punishments are usually carried out publicly as a way of shaming offenders in addition to inflicting physical pain.

Such canings are often conducted outside mosques or in open public spaces, with residents watching and taking photographs during the exercise.

Human rights organisations have continued to condemn the practice, arguing that it causes emotional trauma and violates international human rights standards.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly criticised the punishments, saying they conflict with Indonesia’s constitution and global legal obligations.

Amnesty said in a statement: “Caning contravenes Indonesia’s constitution and is in clear violation of international human rights law and standards.

‘It constitutes a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and can amount to torture in violation of the UN Convention against Torture and other international covenants, to which Indonesia is a State Party.’”

Despite the criticism, local authorities have defended the punishments as part of Aceh’s religious and cultural identity, insisting they serve as a deterrent against immoral behaviour.

Earlier in January, another couple in the province reportedly received 140 lashes each after being found guilty of drinking alcohol and engaging in sex outside marriage.

(Daily Mail)

Headline

Senegal’s President Sacks Prime Minister After Months-long Feud

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government following months of rising political tension between the two former allies.

The decision was announced in a surprise decree read on national television by a presidential aide, stating that Faye had “ended the duties” of Sonko and “consequently those of the ministers and secretaries of state who are members of the government”.

Sonko, who remains a highly influential figure among Senegal’s youth, responded on social media, saying he would “sleep with a light heart”.

The political fallout comes at a time of growing economic strain in the country, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) putting Senegal’s public debt at 132% of its GDP.

His removal followed a tense parliamentary session on Tuesday, where Sonko openly criticised President Faye’s handling of the debt situation.

The development is striking given that Faye’s rise to power was largely tied to Sonko’s popularity and political backing.

Sonko would almost certainly have contested the presidency himself in 2024, but was barred from the race due to a defamation conviction. Instead, he threw his support behind Faye, rallying voters with the slogan “Diomaye is Sonko, Sonko is Diomaye”.

The alliance helped unseat former President Macky Sall in a dramatic electoral victory, despite both men having been released from prison only days before the vote.

Tensions between the two leaders had been building for months, with Faye reportedly accusing Sonko of excessive dominance within the ruling Pastef party, while Sonko accused the president of weak leadership and failing to defend him against critics.

(BBC News)

Headline

Six Nigerians Arrested In Thailand Over AI-Powered Romance Scam

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Six Nigerian nationals have been arrested by the Thailand Police Force for allegedly operating an AI-powered deepfake romance scam syndicate from a luxury condominium along the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi Province, following a cocaine trafficking investigation that exposed their activities.

Thai authorities said the operation began after police arrested a Nigerian suspect identified as Patrick and three associates in April over alleged drug trafficking offences. During the raid, officers reportedly seized assets valued at about 2.5 million baht.

Investigators said financial transactions linked to the suspects led them to several foreign nationals living in a high-end riverside condominium near Phra Nangklao Bridge in Nonthaburi. Police discovered that many of the occupants were staying in groups of five or six per apartment under student visas despite not being enrolled in any educational institution or engaged in lawful employment.

According to Thai police, officers executed search warrants on three condominium units on May 22. The suspects allegedly refused to open their doors, forcing authorities to break into the apartments.

Videos circulating on X captured the moment police officers forcefully gained entry into one of the apartments before arresting the suspects.

During the operation, one suspect reportedly attempted to escape by climbing over a balcony, while another was found hiding on the bathroom floor while allegedly sending warning messages to occupants in neighbouring units.

Police recovered 18 mobile phones, three laptop computers and three bank passbooks from the apartments. Authorities said some of the phones were still logged into active conversations with victims at the time of the raid.

Investigators alleged that the syndicate specialised in romance scams targeting older Thai women by using AI-generated faces and manipulated video calls to create fake online identities.

The suspects allegedly posed as pilots, United States military officers, doctors and engineers to gain the trust of victims before requesting money under false pretences.

Police said the fraudsters typically claimed that valuable packages or gifts sent to victims had been withheld by customs officials and required payment of clearance fees before release.

Authorities also said they recovered scripts for sexually explicit conversations allegedly used to emotionally manipulate victims into transferring funds. Investigators claimed the group relied heavily on artificial intelligence technology to generate realistic Western faces for fake video interactions.

Thai police said all six suspects are currently facing preliminary charges bordering on illegal association and immigration overstay, while additional fraud and romance scam charges are expected to follow as investigations continue.