General
Peter Obi Not Fit to Advise FG on Vaccine Procurement—Group
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A few days ago, the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, while speaking with Arise Television, said the federal government does not need N400 billion to procure COVID-19 vaccines.
The vice-presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general elections had said he would help the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led national government to negotiate the purchase of the jabs for not more than N150 billion.
But a group known as the APC Mandate Defenders has lambasted the politician for his comments, describing him as ignorant.
The group, in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by its national publicity secretary, Mr Ifeanyi Emeka, claimed Mr Obi has formed the habit of making himself a cheap hero through peddling of falsehoods, outright misinformation and blame game even when he is alleged to have some skeletons in his cupboards.
According to APC Mandate Defenders, the former Governor “is not the right person to advise the federal government over what to do concerning vaccine procurements and distribution because as Governor for eight years, he contributed to the sorrowful state of the primary healthcare centres in Anambra State as a result of his unconstitutional refusal to conduct local government elections throughout his tenure.”
The organisation said “if Mr Obi had conducted local government elections and allowed elected council chairmen to use their federal allocations for developments, all the primary healthcare centres in the 21 local government areas of his state which are in the ‘residual list’ of the Constitution and whose workers have the immediate responsibility of distributing vaccines to the people at the grassroots level; the cost of vaccine procurements and distribution would have been reduced to the barest minimum.”
“But because Mr Obi and others in his category failed to do the needful, the task of vaccine procurement, distribution and development of critical infrastructures at the local government levels now fall on the neck of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency which is under the control of the federal government,” it added.
The statement the federal government is not only fighting to procure vaccines and inoculate the population, but it is also fighting to procure cold chains, train personnel and other things that fall under the purview of states and local governments in the country.
”Besides, vaccine procurement is not really the issue, but distribution and storage, as well as building capacity, are the things that matter.
“For Instance, apart from Pfizer vaccines which require ultra-modern cold chains of minus 70-80 degree Celsius which is even colder than the winter, the federal government will still use some part of the estimated N400 billion for the procurement and deployment of cold chains to about 8,812 wards in the 774 local government areas across the country where the vaccines would be stored before distribution.
“This is because only a few of the over 10,000 Primary Health Care Centres in the country have functional cold chains and other facilities.
“So, next time, before Mr Obi goes to any national television to advertise his ignorance on any government plan in his characteristic way of playing to the gallery and seeking cheap popularity among unsuspecting members of the public, he should endeavour to consider many factors which his inability to correct some of them when he was in office contributed to the sorrowful state of the primary healthcare centres across the country,” the group said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies (DisCos) generated N196.13 billion in revenue in March 2026, despite billing customers a total of N246.43 billion during the month, according to the latest commercial performance report released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The figure represents a slight decline from the N196.68 billion collected in February, highlighting persistent challenges in revenue recovery across the power distribution segment, even as energy supplied to the grid continued to improve.
NERC’s March 2026 fact sheet showed that electricity billing rose by 1.71 per cent from N242.29 billion recorded in February, reflecting increased energy deliveries and customer charges. However, collection efficiency declined to 79.59 per cent from 81.17 per cent in the previous month, indicating that a significant portion of billed revenue remained uncollected.
The regulator disclosed that DisCos received 293.76 million kilowatt-hours of electricity during the review period, representing a 6.02 per cent increase compared to February. The development suggests a modest improvement in power availability across the distribution network.
Despite the increase in energy supplied, revenue recovery remains uneven across the industry. NERC reported that the average approved tariff for March stood at N124.30 per kilowatt-hour, while actual collections averaged ₦100.75 per kilowatt-hour, resulting in an overall revenue recovery efficiency of 81.05 per cent.
Among the eleven DisCos, Ikeja Electric emerged as the strongest performer, posting a revenue recovery efficiency of 99.30 per cent. Eko Electricity Distribution Company followed with 95.73 per cent, while Benin DisCo recorded 85.18 per cent.
At the lower end of the performance table, Kaduna Electric recorded the weakest recovery rate at 35.65 per cent. Jos DisCo and Yola DisCo also struggled, achieving recovery efficiencies of 53.53 per cent and 58.58 per cent, respectively.
Ikeja Electric also led in collection efficiency with 96.38 per cent, ahead of Benin DisCo at 90.97 per cent and Eko DisCo at 87.68 per cent. Kaduna, Jos and Yola remained the poorest performers in this category, underlining the persistent commercial and operational challenges facing power distributors in parts of northern Nigeria.
In terms of billing efficiency, Eko DisCo ranked first with 92.30 per cent, followed by Port Harcourt DisCo at 90.36 per cent and Ikeja Electric at 87.76 per cent. Yola DisCo recorded the lowest billing efficiency at 58.68 per cent.
The latest figures underscore the mixed realities within Nigeria’s power sector. While electricity supply and customer billing continue to improve, revenue collection remains a major obstacle to the financial sustainability of the industry.
Analysts note that stronger metering penetration, improved customer confidence, reduction in energy theft and more efficient collection systems will be critical if DisCos are to close the widening gap between electricity supplied, billed revenue and actual collections.
The March performance report comes as regulators and industry stakeholders intensify efforts to strengthen the commercial viability of the electricity market, attract fresh investment and improve service delivery across the country.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Interswitch has entered into a partnership with Geneva-headquartered banking software provider Temenos to offer managed banking services to financial institutions across the continent, deepening its push into banking technology.
The partnership will see Interswitch adopt Temenos’ banking technology across core banking, digital banking, payments, wealth management, and financial crime management.
This will enable the firm to provide cloud-hosted and on-premises managed services to lenders on the continent. The service will initially target Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and other African markets.
“This is a pivotal moment for Interswitch as we accelerate our expansion beyond payments and reimagine digital banking for Africa,” Mr Jonah Adams, managing director for Digital Infrastructure and Managed Services at Interswitch, said in a statement.
By combining Temenos’ software with its existing footprint across the continent, Interswitch is positioning itself as a technology partner that can help banks upgrade critical systems without having to manage the complexity of large-scale technology deployments.
“By adopting Temenos’ cloud-native, composable platform, Interswitch gains the flexibility and scalability to accelerate its next phase of growth and deliver banking services that meet the needs of African markets,” Mr Adams added.
For Temenos, the deal strengthens its presence in Africa through a partner with deep relationships across the banking sector. It lost one of its banking customers, Sterling Bank, in 2024 after the tier-2 Nigerian bank switched to SEABaaS, a new custom-built core banking application.
“Interswitch is an important new customer and partner for Temenos in Africa,” said Mr William Moroney, Chief Revenue Officer at Temenos. “Interswitch’s strong presence across the continent also extends our reach and further strengthens our ecosystem and partner network.”
Founded in 2002, Interswitch built its reputation as one of Africa’s largest payments companies through products such as Quickteller and Verve, its domestic card scheme.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group and Singapore-based Wilmar International have agreed to combine their Nigeria and Republic of Benin operations into a 50:50 joint venture aimed at building a dominant integrated food and agribusiness platform across West Africa, targeting a market estimated at $12 billion.
The proposed merger will consolidate operations across several value chains, including agriculture, oil palm plantations, edible oils, edible nuts, rice, food manufacturing, and distribution, creating one of the region’s largest end-to-end food production and supply chains.
Under the arrangement, both firms will integrate their complementary strengths, with Wilmar contributing global expertise in palm oil, speciality fats, and large-scale agribusiness operations, while TGI brings established local manufacturing capacity, consumer brands, and an extensive distribution network across Nigeria and neighbouring markets.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Wilmar International, Mr Kuok Hong, said the partnership would enhance both firms’ ability to serve Africa’s expanding consumer base, describing Nigeria and Benin as strategic growth markets.
“For more than four decades, TGI Group has built a leading position in Nigerian food manufacturing and distribution. This partnership will leverage Wilmar’s global scale and expertise as well as TGI’s local knowledge to deliver innovative food solutions across Africa,” added TGI Group founder and chairman, Mr Cornelis Vink.
On his part, Vice Chairman of TGI Group, Mr Farouk Gumel, said the deal reflects confidence in Nigeria’s long-term economic prospects, adding that it would deepen domestic value addition, strengthen food security, support smallholder farmers, and create jobs.
Adding his input, Wilmar’s Africa Head, Mr Santosh Pillai, described the transaction as a strategic fit, noting that the combined entity would have the scale, local insight, and operational depth needed to better serve consumers in the region.
The companies said the transaction is expected to be completed in the 2026 financial year, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions.
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