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SERAP Accuses Tinubu of Harassment After N1bn DSS Suit

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SERAP

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has accused President Bola Tinubu and his government of state harassment.

The group made this allegation after the Department of State Services (DSS) instituted a legal action against the rights organisation for N1 billion over claims that the secret police invaded its office a few weeks ago.

SERAP, in a statement over the weekend, said two officials of the DSS filed a defamation lawsuit against it over the matter last week.

It urged the President to direct DSS to immediately withdraw the defamation lawsuit against the organization and its management staff.

In the open letter dated October 19, 2024, and signed by its Deputy Director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “We are seriously concerned that your government seems to be weaponizing the DSS and misusing defamation laws as a tool of repression and to target those who defend human rights.

“Rather than addressing the allegations of widespread corruption in the oil sector and the worsening economic situation in the country, and reducing the cost of governance, your government is targeting those who campaign for actions in these areas.

“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are immediately taken following the receipt and/or publication of this letter.

“If the lawsuit is not immediately withdrawn, we will be prepared to defend our organization and management staff in court and to join your government and DSS in the lawsuit. This may include calling witnesses to ensure justice, end impunity for rights abuses, and achieve legitimate public interests in this matter.

“We have since 2004 pursued several public interest cases against the governments of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari. This is the first time any government will weaponize the country’s security agencies to intimidate and target our organization.

“The defamation lawsuit is brought by two named DSS officials but their names are unknown to our organization. The lawsuit by these officials is apparently instigated and sponsored by the DSS under your watch.

“It is critical for human rights defenders, activists, journalists and other citizens to be able to organize and freely exercise their human rights without the threat of baseless lawsuits by your government or its security agencies and/or their proxies.

“Weaponizing the security agencies to intimidate, harass and silence human rights defenders, activists, journalists and other civil society actors will weaken representative democracy, deepen impunity and undermine the rule of law.

“Rather misusing the security agencies to crackdown on human rights defenders, activists, journalists and other civil society actors, your government ought to take steps to thoroughly, independently, impartially, transparently and effectively investigate the allegations raised by SERAP.”

“We are disappointed that your government has so far failed to respond to our recommendations calling on you to direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to immediately reverse the apparently illegal and unconstitutional increase in the pump price of petrol across its retail outlets.

“Your government has also failed to probe the allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the NNPC, including the spending of the reported $300 million ‘bailout funds’ collected from the Federal Government in August 2024, and the $6 billion debt it owes suppliers, despite allegedly failing to remit oil revenues to the treasury and to prosecute suspected perpetrators,” SERAP added.

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

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Lagos to Get New Building Code in 2025

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3-storey building collapses mushin2

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Lagos State Government has expressed its readiness to get a brand-new Building Code next year, to achieve the high-performance standards needed to make Lagos a sustainable and Smart City.

The government’s readiness was disclosed at the Lagos State Executive Council Retreat on the Domestication of the Lagos Building Code, organised by the Office of the Special Adviser on e-GIS and Urban Development, held at Ikeja GRA on Wednesday.

Speaking during the retreat, Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu emphasised the need for more collaboration among all the ministries and agencies in the built sector, to ensure the state development in line with global best practices.

He said the motive behind the Lagos Building Code is to have a building regulation that would make Lagos much more resilient.

“We (Lagos State Government) are the first to domesticate the National Building Code, which is the creation of the Federal Government. We are not doing anything outside the vision at the sovereign and sub-sovereign levels. But what is unique about our own is the fact that all the cabinet members see the need to have an input because it would be an outcome that would affect lives and different ministries and agencies.

“So, there is a need for everybody to have a say, and at the end of the day, collectively we will resolve to have a way.

“What we are trying to do is for Lagos State to do what is obtainable internationally: have a building regulation in which we have a standard of construction in design, manner of land use occupancy, and use of building materials, which we believe would eventually improve and help with health, safety, and occupancy issues.

“It is all about building sustainably, making Lagos a lot more resilient and able to absorb shock in the future and able to stand in the comity of developed cities and city-states as we see in various parts of the world,” he said.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on eGIS and Urban Development, Mr Olajide Babatunde, stated that the Lagos Building Code is to complement the existing regulatory framework and provide a comprehensive solution to the challenges of land use, physical development, and urban planning.

Mr Babatunde said the Lagos Building Code will regulate building control, planning permission, and address the issues of setbacks; take care of the safety and sustainability of the environment; and also prevent the collapse of buildings.

“We have been working on the domestication of the National Building Code, and by next year, we are going to have our own brand-new Lagos Building Code. We have worked with professional bodies and people from academia, market women, and the public in general, and through a participatory approach, we can come out with a document that is acceptable to everyone and useful to the entire state,” he said.

Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Mr Olufemi Daramola, described the Lagos State Building Code initiative by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration as the next step to Green Lagos that will enable the state to plan buildings properly and ensure durable infrastructure in the state.

During the retreat, members of the Lagos State Executive Council brainstormed and advocated aggressive sensitisation for residents of the State on the Lagos Building Code before implementation.

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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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