“NO ELECTRICITY, NO VOTE,” SOUTH AFRICANS THREATEN TO SHUN RULING PARTY ANC. (PHOTO)

Image
 “No electricity, no vote,” South Africans threaten to shun ruling party ANC Residents in Katlehong, a township outside Johannesburg, have resolved to boycott South Africa's upcoming local elections on November 4 due to long-standing failures by authorities to provide basic services like electricity. For over 20 years, around 180 households in the community have relied on illegal electrical connections pulled from neighboring areas to power their homes. Angry over the lack of formal grid infrastructure, residents are directing their frustration at the ruling African National Congress (ANC). "We have made a collective decision: no electricity, no vote," said community leader Lesiba Rankapole, 59. "We know it is illegal, but we had no choice because we cannot live without electricity. Our children cannot progress without electricity." "I was born ANC, but today I do not want anyone to tell me about the ANC because I am suffering," added 57-year-old resid...

DIEZANI ALISON-MADUEKE, ON MONDAY, APPEARED BEFORE THE SOUTHWARK CROWN COURT IN LONDON FOR A PRELIMINARY HEARING IN HER ONGOING BRIBERY TRIAL.(PHOTO).


 Nigeria’s former minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Monday, appeared before the Southwark Crown Court in London for a preliminary hearing in her ongoing bribery trial.


The matter was listed before Justice Thornton in Court 8, ahead of the commencement of the full trial scheduled for January 26, 2026.


Alison-Madueke was charged in August 2023 by UK authorities over an alleged £100,000 bribe. The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said it suspected the former minister accepted bribes in exchange for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts while in office in Nigeria.


She served as Nigeria’s minister of petroleum resources from 2010 to 2015 under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan and was elected president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2014.


In October 2023, Alison-Madueke was granted bail in the sum of £70,000 by a Westminster Magistrates’ Court, which described her as a flight risk. The court imposed additional conditions, including an 11pm to 6am curfew, the use of an electronic tag, and the provision of a £70,000 surety before she was allowed to leave the court premises.


Beyond the UK proceedings, Alison-Madueke has faced asset recovery actions in multiple jurisdictions. In January 2025, the Nigerian government and the United States signed an asset return agreement for $52.88 million recovered from the Galactica assets linked to the former minister.


The US government said that Alison-Madueke and her associates used proceeds from illicitly awarded contracts to acquire luxury real estate in California and New York, as well as the Galactica Star, a 65-metre superyacht.


In Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has also pursued the forfeiture of assets linked to the former petroleum minister.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

THE NEW OONI OF ILE-IFE,WILL NOT EAT THE HEART OF THE LATE OONI-PALACE CHIEFS.

SHAKIRA COVERS WOMEN'S HEALTH MAGAZINE,APRIL ISSUE.

AMBODE,SOYINKA & OTHERS AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF LAGOS AT 50 YEARS ANNIVERSARY AGAINST 2017.{PHOTOS}.