By Suliah Lawal

Ayodeji, a young, rich, and handsome guy, had just finished secondary school and was preparing to write his IJMB at Ilorin. He was lucky to meet a girl he fell in love with, Rasheedah.

She was young and beautiful but wasn’t financially stable. Deji was living happily with his friends until Rasheedah told him to rent his own apartment so they could have privacy.

Deji, who was head over heels for his girlfriend and was financially stable, didn’t object but gave in. They started living like a couple, as she wanted; she was caring, loving, and supportive.

 At first, she wasn’t asking him for money, but as time went on, she started asking for it, knowing how frequently he got paid. Ayodeji got tired of her asking, so he gave her his credit card to use whenever she needed something.

Greedy Rasheedah started spending lavishly, buying wigs, chocolates, and expensive things for herself; it didn’t worry Deji because he knew the money would get replaced. They both got admission into the same university, same level but different courses; Rasheedah couldn’t complete her fees, so Deji did it for her.

They started living separately for a while, then she packed her bags and moved into his apartment.

The same life began to happen as the only means of income for Deji started to crash; his paying clients went broke, affecting Deji. His girlfriend started taking loans on his behalf so she could spend without caring about how he would pay them back. Life turned harder for Deji daily, and he found joy in smoking.

Meanwhile, Rasheedah, who didn’t go out before, started going out frequently and behaving weirdly. She had already gotten herself a final-year lover, whom she claimed was a friend when Deji confronted her; she came home late from class, went out anytime she wanted, and didn’t even cook anymore.

Deji, who had just finished smoking, went out to get things he needed but was unfortunately caught by the police for wearing an army hoodie.

He was arrested but got released after paying a huge amount of money. Rasheedah didn’t bother to check on him during this tough time but rather blamed him for smoking.

Deji started having weird feelings about her and began to doubt her love, so he paid a friend of hers to watch over him. In the long run, he got evidence and felt hurt.

Deji confronted her, and they had a huge argument over it; during the process, Deji slapped her, and her phone fell and spoilt. She left for her hostel that night.

Rasheedah’s other boyfriend, who was a cultist but still in love with her, went to Deji’s house to get back at him, unaware that Deji had already told his drug dealer, who was a cultist, that people were coming for him.

They confronted each other, but Rasheedah’s boyfriend was humiliated because he wasn’t a registered member yet.

That same day, at the same spot, Rasheedah packed her bags and left Deji’s apartment, saying she had been using him for two years. The statement broke Deji, and he cried to his friends.

Things got worse for Deji; he wanted to get back at Rasheedah, but later left her due to the love he still had for her. Life wasn’t unfair to him; he couldn’t continue schooling, so he had to leave and get back on his feet again.

By Matthew Denis

Respite is on the way in the power sector as the Federal Government has borrowed a whopping sum of $500 million from the World Bank to strengthen electricity distribution in the country.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by Head Public Relations Bureau of Public Enterprise, Amina Tukur Othman, and made available to NewsDirect on Thursday.

The DisCos have over the years been marred by liquidity issues thus affecting the quality of service.

This has thus prompted the intervention of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Fidelity Bank, Transcorp Group, amongst others over the years to take over some of the companies that were on the brink of collapse.

The statement read, “In a strategic move to address the identified gaps in the Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos), the Federal Government of Nigeria has secured a $500 million loan from the World Bank.”

According to the statement the loan was approved during Former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration on February 4, 2021, by the World Bank Board of Directors.

“This funding supports the Nigerian Distribution Sector Recovery Program (DISREP) aimed at improving the financial and technical Performance of the DisCos.

“The Distribution Sector Recovery Program (DISREP) is designed to enhance the financial and technical operations of the DisCos through capital investment and the financing of key components of their Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs), which have been approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).”

It stated further that key areas of improvement include, Bulk procurement of customer/retail meters and meter data management systems, Implementation of a Data Aggregation Platform (DAP).

“Strengthening governance and transparency within the DisCos, Program Components as the DISREP comprises two main components Program for Results (PforR) and Allocation $345 million.”

“The Purpose which is to support the implementation of selected PIP components and implementation: Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE)Investment Project Financing (IPF): Allocation: $155 million.”

It further added that the purpose is to finance the procurement of meters, a Data Aggregation as the DISREP loan, particularly the Investment Project Financing (IPF) component, is expected to significantly benefit the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

…as Tinubu commissions Wuye flyover bridge

FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike has maintained that the exclusion of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) propelled rapid developments in the city.

The FCT Minister spoke on Wednesday at the commissioning of the Wuye bridge interchange, linking Wuse and Wuye Districts by President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking at the inauguration, President Tinubu reassured Nigerians of his administration’s resolve to prioritize their welfare and make it the centerpiece of his national development agenda.

He also reaffirmed his commitment to building a nation where no one is left behind, emphasising that his administration views government as a continuum.

“The best way to achieve greatness is to look forward, aspire for great results, and not be hindered by obstacles. We must see opportunities in obstacles and seize them,” the President stated.

Highlighting ongoing investments in essential services such as water supply, electricity, and road networks, the President said his administration has laid the groundwork for economic growth, social progress, and improved quality of life for residents of the Federal Capital Territory.

He said the completion of the Wuye project would significantly improve traffic flow within and around the district.

“This facility enhances the security of our people, making them the central focus of our development efforts, which is the essence of democracy.

“Our determination to succeed and extend happiness to the teeming population, and bring about prosperity and tangible value of immense proportions to our people is the primary objective of this government,” the President added.

President Tinubu, while commending FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, and his team for completing a project that was initiated in 2009, expressed his willingness to make personal sacrifices for the welfare and prosperity of Nigerians.

“Your resilience, patience, and unwavering support have been instrumental in making this possible. Projects and results are not realised by chance. They come through thoughtful planning and execution. I am very proud of this achievement,” the President said.

In his remarks, Barrister Wike said residents of the FCT had lost hope in the completion of the interchange bridge, linking Wuye and Wuse districts, but now have a reason to rejoice because of the support from the President.

“The FCT is working due to the President’s significant support. This project, initially awarded in 2009 at a cost of N34 billion, was revised to N74 billion before this administration took office on May 29, 2023,” the Minister said.

Highlighting the 15-year struggle to complete the bridge and the difficulties faced by people and businesses during this period, Wike said, “Thanks to the President’s determination, we have restored hope with this project’s completion.”

According to the Minister, the wide array of projects being inaugurated in the FCT during President Tinubu’s first anniversary would not have been possible without the exclusion of the FCT from the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

“Moving us out of TSA made these achievements possible. I sincerely thank you, Mr. President, for this approval,” Barrister Wike concluded.

President Tinubu also inaugurated the Defence Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) new office complex in Abuja.

He was represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio at the inauguration of the new DIA complex.