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The Federal Government is taking steps to establish a national electricity complaints call centre that will give consumers across Nigeria a direct channel to report service challenges, seek redress, and track complaints to resolution.

The Minister of Power, Chief Joseph O. Tegbe, disclosed this at the commissioning of a 3-megawatt hybrid solar power project and Renewable Energy Workshop and Training Centre at Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja.

Tegbe said the initiative was designed to strengthen accountability, responsiveness and consumer confidence in the power sector.

“My office is working on a call centre where electricity complaints across the country can be lodged and resolved,” the Minister said, adding that the initiative would also create sustainable job opportunities for young Nigerians.

The Minister also announced plans for a dedicated reporting channel for vandalism of critical electricity infrastructure, enabling Nigerians to alert the authorities to incidents involving transformers, transmission towers and other power assets for faster intervention.

He said the Federal Government was working with the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to tackle the destruction of electricity infrastructure.

Tegbe urged Nigerians, particularly members of the university community, to see the protection of power infrastructure as a shared responsibility and to report vandalism promptly.

The commissioning of the hybrid power project provided the backdrop for the Minister’s call for greater public participation in protecting investments in the power sector.

Delivered under Phase II of the Federal Government’s Energising Education Programme by the Rural Electrification Agency, the project is designed to support teaching, research, laboratories and digital services.

At the same time, its 388 streetlights will enhance visibility and security across the campus.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, said the establishment of the Renewable Asset Management Company would help ensure that renewable-energy assets are properly managed, maintained and protected after commissioning.

The planned complaints centre and vandalism reporting channel form part of the Federal Government’s broader effort to build a power sector that is more responsive, accountable and connected to the people it serves.

For the Federal Government, the next phase of power-sector reform is not only about building infrastructure, but ensuring that Nigerians have a clear channel to report problems, public assets are protected, and action follows complaints.

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The Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has granted a pardon to a popular native doctor, Chidozie Nwangwu, popularly known as “Akwa Okuko Tiwara Aki”.

Soludo signed an order for his immediate release on Friday and pledged to work with him for the betterment of Anambra State.

Nwangwu was convicted in February and sentenced to 11 months in prison following a plea bargain at the Awka High Court after pleading guilty to charges related to the practice of “Okeite” and other related matters.

The court had also ordered the destruction of his shrine in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.

He was among eight native doctors arrested in 2025 following the passage of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025.

He was charged with involvement in the promotion of money rituals, quick wealth and the use of human parts for rituals.

He was later handed an 11-month prison sentence and incarcerated at the Nigeria Correctional Service facility in Amawbia, Anambra State. He was also given the condition of renouncing his fetish practice and promising to become an ambassador for youth reformation.

Nwangwu accepted the conditions and had been serving his prison term until Soludo pardoned him under the prerogative of mercy, making him Ambassador for Youth Reformation in Anambra State.

The Special Adviser to the governor on Youth Reformation, Dr Nelson Omenugha, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying the governor had visited the prison in fulfilment of his duties when he made the announcement.

Omenugha said, “Thank you, Mr Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, for graciously extending your hand of mercy to Chidozie Nwangwu (Akwa Okuko Tiwara Aki) and giving him a new responsibility as Ambassador for Youth Reformation.

“This is the heart of Youth Reformation: not just punishment, but correction, restoration, a new purpose and a new Onye Anambra.”

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, SaharaReporters has exclusively learnt.

A top source close to the Presidency revealed on Friday that Tinubu would not be attending the annual gathering of world leaders, which begins next week.

“Tinubu will not be attending the UN General Assembly,” the source said, without disclosing the reason for the President’s decision.

The development comes after weeks of reports and official statements indicating that Tinubu was scheduled to attend the UNGA and deliver Nigeria’s national statement during the General Debate.

A provisional list of speakers obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had indicated that Tinubu was scheduled to be the 10th speaker during the morning session on the second day of the high-level General Debate on Wednesday, September 23.

He was expected to address the assembly between about 11:30 a.m. and noon New York time, or between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Nigerian time.

The 81st session of the UN General Assembly opened on September 8, while the high-level General Debate is scheduled to hold from September 22 to 28 at the UN headquarters in New York.

The expected attendance of Tinubu had also been confirmed publicly by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim.

“The president was able to give us his word. Now, he will come to UNGA this September,” Ibrahim had said recently.

The envoy had said Tinubu’s participation would provide an opportunity for Nigeria to showcase reforms being implemented by his administration to the international community.

Ibrahim also said the President was expected to use the UN platform to engage international stakeholders on border policing in West Africa, describing the region’s porous borders as a major security challenge.

“So, border policing will be fine. These are the kind of things that the UN is established for,” the ambassador said.

He said the Federal Government was collaborating with the UN on a regional border-policing initiative and planned to seek broader international support for the effort during the assembly.

Ibrahim had also disclosed that there could be a meeting between Tinubu and U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UNGA.

Tinubu’s reported decision not to attend the gathering means Nigeria’s representation at the General Assembly will now have to be determined by the Presidency. Tinubu will likely be represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The President attended the 78th UN General Assembly in person in 2023, while Vice-President Shettima represented him at the 79th and 80th sessions in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

Shettima delivered Nigeria’s national statement at both sessions.

The latest development also follows Tinubu’s recent overseas engagements.

On August 30, SaharaReporters reported that Tinubu departed Abuja for Europe to begin a three-week annual leave, with London as his first destination.

According to a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the trip was described by the Presidency as a working vacation.

Tinubu subsequently travelled to France, where French President Emmanuel Macron hosted him to a private dinner at the Élysée Palace.

Tinubu said after the meeting that his conversation with Macron reaffirmed the strong friendship between Nigeria and France and their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation.

“Our conversation reaffirmed the strong friendship between Nigeria and France, as well as our shared commitment to deepening cooperation and building a mutually beneficial partnership between our two nations,” Tinubu said in a post on his official X account on Friday.

“I thank President Macron for his warm hospitality and friendship,” he added.

Meanwhile, Singapore has invited Tinubu to visit the country as it seeks to strengthen its relationship and deepen cooperation with Nigeria.

Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, disclosed this in a statement by the Nigerian Mission House at the United Nations in New York.

According to Ibrahim, Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, visited the Nigerian Permanent Mission House and delivered a letter from Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam inviting Tinubu to visit Singapore.

The UNGA 81 is being held under the theme, “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”

The annual high-level gathering brings together heads of state and government, ministers and senior officials from around the world to deliberate on global issues, including international peace and security, climate change and sustainable development.