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2019: Outrage as Miyetti Allah Endorses Buhari

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By Dipo Olowookere

Some Nigerians have continued to react to the endorsement President Muhammadu Buhari for the 2019 presidential election by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).

On Thursday, the group chose Mr Buhari, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Atiku Abubakar.

National President of MACBAN, Mr Muhammadu Kirowa, who announced the endorsement of Mr Buhari, promised to mobilise about 20 million votes for the President in the February 2019 presidential poll.

Miyetti Allah is a group that has been accused of fuelling the farmers/herdsmen clashes in the northern part of the country especially in Benue and Taraba States.

For most periods these clashes occurred, President Buhari had not openly condemned the group, making some people believe they have the backing of Mr Buhari, who is said to be their patron.

The endorsement of Mr President by the Miyetti Allah group has now sparked reactions.

One of the critics of President Buhari, Mr Reno Omokri, while reacting to the endorsement, said, “This is for those who actually believe that herdsmen killings will reduce if @MBuhari gets a second term.

“A mouse that votes for the candidate that cats have endorsed is on a suicide mission. A word is enough for the wise.”

A Nigerian on Twitter with the name Sola Kuti and @SKSolaKuti Twitter handle said, “Miyetti Allah who expressly admitted to involvement in the killing of thousands of farmers across the country have (sic) endorsed Buhari.

“Now you can see why he will never do anything to stop them. Buhari Must Not Come Back!”

John Danfulani with the handle @john_danfulani said, “Buhari’s endorsement by Miyetti Allah may trigger endorsements from Boko Haram, Kidnappers & armed bandits. And federal institutions like EFCC, Nigeria Police, ICPC, Nigeria Army, Nigeria Air Force & Nigeria Navy.”

Dipo Olowookere is a journalist based in Nigeria that has passion for reporting business news stories. At his leisure time, he watches football and supports 3SC of Ibadan. Mr Olowookere can be reached via [email protected]

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Apostle Femi Lazarus Emerges Most Streamed Podcast in Nigeria on Spotify

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Apostle Femi Lazarus

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

A report released by Spotify has revealed that in 2024, Apostle Femi Lazarus was the most streamed podcast on its platform, closely followed by Motivation Daily by Motiversity.

Podcasts are one of Africa’s favourite ways to tell stories. With almost 4 billion minutes of podcast audio played in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024, the continent’s appetite for this content is loud and clear.

South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya listened to the most shows this year, with South Africa contributing over 2 billion minutes. If you started playing podcasts on one device today, it would make for about 30 centuries of listening.

“The numbers don’t lie. Podcasting is here to stay because it lets creators take control of their narratives and tell these stories on their terms while bringing their community along for the journey,” the Sub-Saharan Africa Podcast Manager for Spotify, Ncebakazi Manzi, stated.

Motivational shows around issues like managing finances, relationships, personal goals and health remain popular across the three leading countries. Shows like “The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett”, “Motivation Daily by Motiversity” and “The Success Addicted Podcast” have attracted listeners who want to get their lives in order and learn from the stories of inspirational people.

Audiences in Nigeria and South Africa embrace shows about spirituality. “Christian Motivation” had one of the most shared episodes in South Africa while “Apostle Joshua Selman” maintained his popularity in Nigeria for another year. As the continent’s second-largest podcast market, Nigeria listened to 700 million minutes in 2024 and it created half of the new shows published in Sub-Saharan Africa this year.

Even though spirituality dominated Nigeria’s top charts, the continued popularity of shows like “I Said What I Said” and “The HonestBunch Podcast” tell us that listeners also want conversation-style shows. Listeners in Kenya and South Africa also showed an affinity toward these shows.

A good laugh with friends

The “ShxtsnGigs” podcast, an opinion show hosted by two best friends James and Fuhad, tapped into audiences’ hunger for conversational shows. The humorous podcast has made its way to the top charts in six of the top 10 podcast-playing African countries. In Kenya, The 97s Podcast has been inspired by this approach where funny and frank chats between hosts Trevor, Frank and Dante have led the podcast to take the number-one spot in the country for the first time.

Kenya’s broader listening data shows that relationships are a meaningful taking point. Seven of the 10 most shared episodes in the country discuss love, sex lives and dating. Julia Gaitho’s “So This Is Love” holds three out of the top five most shared podcast episodes in the country. Her interviews resonated because she draws lessons from her guest’s stories about lost lovers.

Some listeners just wanted to laugh through the pain. Ensemble shows like “Mic Cheque Podcast” and “The Sandwich Podcast” made Kenyans feel like they were hanging out with a close circle of friends. When difficult topics come up, moments of infectious laughter help lighten the mood.

Women creators like Murugi Munyi, Julia Gaitho, Sharon Machira and Lydia K.M. take this comedic approach to a new level on shows like “The Messy Inbetween” and ‘It’s Related, I Promise’. This genre contributed heavily to the country’s 400 million podcast minutes streamed in 2024.

Below are the most streamed and shared podcasts for the year;

 

TOP SHARED PODCAST EPISODES IN SOUTH AFRICA

TOP SHARED PODCAST EPISODES IN KENYA

TOP SHARED PODCAST EPISODES IN NIGERIA

  1. Serial Killers – Killer Nurse Kristen Gilbert

  2. True Crime News: The Podcast – Pam Hupp charged with murder of Betsy Faria

  3. The Diary of a CEO – The Happiness Expert That Made 51 Million People Happier

  4. The Joe Rogan Experience – #2152 – Terrence Howard

  5. The Joe Rogan Experience – #2219 – Donald Trump

  1. The Sandwich Podcast – MAISHA YA STUNNA Ft (LIL MAINA)

  2. So This Is Love – Melody and Kev ep1

  3. So This Is Love – Mathew & Scarlet – S4 | E1

  4. So This Is Love – Njoki & Njue – S4 | E2

  5. Heart II Heart With Mike and Shiko – EP 1 | Genesis – How it all began

  1. David’s Christian Centre – Worship with Minister Dunsin Oyekan (A) | Mainland

  2. Apostle Femi Lazarus – Trauma

  3. Apostle Femi Lazarus – How To Deal With Pain That Is Not Going Away

  4. Success Addicted Podcast with the voice of Earl Nightingale ; Napoleon Hill ; Jim Rohn and many more – How To Start Working On Your Goals and Visions, Even If You Don’t Like This (Proven Strategies and Hacks) | Jim Rohn

  5. Apostle Femi Lazarus – Trauma & Marriage

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Watt Renewable Secures $15m Loan for Hybrid Solar Power Plants in Nigeria

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Oluwole Eweje WATT Renewable Corporation

By Dipo Olowookere

A $15 million debt facility has been obtained by Watt Renewable Corporation from the AfriGreen Debt Impact Fund to finance hybrid solar power plants to be built and operated by the former, especially in Nigeria.

WATT intends to use the projects to serve commercial and industrial clients in Nigeria, particularly in the telecommunication and financial services sectors.

By integrating solar hybrid solutions, the firm aims to significantly reduce diesel consumption and CO2 emissions, enabling its clients to achieve substantial energy cost savings while promoting environmental sustainability.

As a pioneer in renewable energy solutions, WATT continues to drive innovation in Nigeria’s energy sector.

The company’s robust roll-out plan includes deploying hundreds of hybrid solar power sites nationwide to meet the growing energy demands of commercial & industrial clients.

This strategic expansion aligns with WATT’s vision to revolutionize energy access across Africa, enabling sustainable development and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

The funds from AfriGreen provide the critical capital needed to accelerate WATT’s ambitious projects, strengthening its market position and empowering businesses with reliable and affordable energy solutions.

Business Post gathered that to mitigate the currency risk for WATT in the event of devaluation of the Nigerian Naira, AfriGreen is offering a local currency facility that matches the payment structure of the power purchase agreements.

“We are thrilled to partner with AFRIGREEN on this transformative journey to expand reliable and sustainable energy solutions across Africa.

“With this support, it enables us to accelerate our shared mission of providing hybrid solar power to businesses, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting economic growth while enhancing energy security for our clients,” the Managing Director of WATT, Mr Oluwole Eweje, said.

“We are delighted to support WATT in rolling out hundreds of hybrid sites across the country.

“This represents another key transaction for AFRIGREEN in Nigeria. The combination of high energy prices, good solar irradiation, and strong demand from industrial and commercial energy users makes this market particularly attractive for companies like WATT.

“By leveraging these favourable market conditions alongside WATT’s exceptional operational performance and a well-structured financing solution, we are setting the stage for a strong and lasting business partnership,” the Managing Director of AfriGreen, Mr Alexandre Gilles, stated.

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NMDPRA Denies Restricting Gas Supply to Gencos

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ANOH Gas Plant

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has denied issuing a directive that gas supply to power generating companies (GenCos) be halted.

In a statement on Wednesday, the authority also denied instructing wholesale gas suppliers to stop further supply of gas to companies due to failure in payment obligations.

The NMDPRA described reports stating that it has directed the stoppage of gas supply to GenCos over N2 trillion debt as “false and completely unfounded”.

“It has absolutely no bearing on the information shared at a recent stakeholders’ engagement held in Lagos between the Authority, the OPTS, IPPG and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry,” the NMDPRA said.

“The purpose of the engagement was to sensitise stakeholders on the requirements, opportunities and benefits associated with the implementation of the wholesale supply license as provided by sections 142 and 197 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

“It was a follow-up to an earlier stakeholder engagement held at the NMDPRA corporate headquarters in Abuja on November 27, 2024.

“The Authority wishes to reassure all our stakeholders and indeed the general public that at no time was the false statement made at that event and anywhere else, and are advised to completely disregard the publication as every effort is being made to ensure that the supply and distribution of natural gas and petroleum products to end users is seamless and unabated as we head into the festive season and indeed all through the coming year 2025.”

Recall that Nigeria’s national grid experienced another collapse on Wednesday, the 11th time in 2024 as Gencos couldn’t generate enough power, compounding issues facing the Nigerian power sector.

This was the first time in over a month as the last time the nation witnessed a nationwide shutdown in electricity supply was on November 7, 2024.

Before then, the country was experiencing an incessant collapse of the grid, which prompted the federal government to set up a team to address the issue.

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