News
Concerns as FG Mulls Electricity Generation from Radiation
Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) Tuesday revealed that it is considering the possibility of producing electricity from radiation.
Prof. Lawrence Dim, director general, who stated this during the second technical meeting on Personal Dosimetry for Dosimetry Service Providers and Radiation Safety Advisers in Abuja, said that many countries are already utilizing radioactive materials for heating purposes.
But some Nigerians have warned that electricity from radiation might have unintended consequences.
Edward Essien, CEO, Holla Services warned that radiation can increase cancer rates and that Nigeria was not advanced to handle nuclear technologies
However, Dim, represented by Prof. Timothy Akpa, general manager, Radiological Safety, stated that as safety measures and consciousness in the industry improves, the world, including Nigeria, will use vehicles that are fueled by radioactivity.
The NNRA boss said that: “We are now starting to see how we can begin to use radiation in producing electricity. In many countries many radioactive materials are being used for heating purposes.
“Like I often say in the meeting, it may likely be that in the future as safety consciousness grow all over the world we will soon begin to use vehicles running on fuel of radioactivity and Nigeria cannot afford to be behind.”
He disclosed that the meeting was convened to address issues bordering on efficient and effective radiation worker, public and environmental monitoring of the duties of the Personal Dosimetry Service Providers (DSPs) and Radiation Safety Advisers (RSAs).
According to him, the dearth in the amount of DSPs and RSAs to cover the entire country birthed the maiden edition of the National Technical Meeting in 2008 and has yielded positive results as there has been a significant increase in the number of both DSPs and RSAs accredited by the NNRA to operate in Nigeria.
Dim noted that the number of DSPs and RSAs accredited by the authority currently stands at five and 17 respectively.
He explained that “Dosimetry is the measurement of dose. What do we mean by dose: the energy the body takes when you radiate the body. You measure it and make sure that the amount of energy that enters the body is not so much as to cause biological damage to the body.”
Asked to explain the essence of the meeting, Dim said that: “It is a requirement by IAEA that every country should have a system of dosimetry which they will use as a benchmark to know how much radiation that the people are getting. And that the people are not over exposed in the course of either medical examination in the course or in the work in the industry ionizing radiation.”
Meanwhile, a safety consultant, Dr. Modupe Olusegun, said that the idea of having the meeting was to bring the operators to have a feedback to the regulatory authority.
She noted that the essence was that the operator would take advantage of the meeting to table their areas of success and challenges.
She said that most of the clients in the industry are always keen about consultants when they are applying for licenses and disappear after securing the license.
Olusegun urged the NNRA to compel the clients (operators of nuclear activities) to cooperate with the nuclear safety consultants.
Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has awarded a total of N13 million in grants to three standout tech startups at the 2025 Techpreneur Summit held in Lagos, reinforcing its commitment to innovation and inclusive growth among Nigeria’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The winners include: BuyScrap, a digital marketplace for recyclable materials – N6 million; Qiqi Farms, which connects local farmers to hospitality and export markets – N4 million; Eco-Cyclers, a youth-led recycling initiative based in Enugu – N3 million
Alongside the grant awards, DBN also launched a new digital data asset, a first-of-its-kind platform aimed at enabling data-driven decisions within the MSME ecosystem.
The platform offers deep insights into business trends, sector-specific challenges, and growth opportunities—supporting smarter policymaking and targeted investments.
In his keynote address in Lagos, Tony Okpanachi, managing director/ CEO, DBN, described the event’s theme, “CTRL + SHIFT: Tech Empowered Movement for Naija,” as a strategic call to reimagine enterprise development in Nigeria.
“This isn’t just a keyboard shortcut,” he said. “It’s a mindset reset—powered by technology—to build a more inclusive, innovative, and resilient business landscape. From financing to innovation, DBN remains committed to enabling MSMEs to thrive.”
Okpanachi emphasized that the Summit aligns with DBN’s AMPLIFI Strategy, which integrates digital transformation, sustainability, and scalability into its core programs.
He highlighted initiatives such as the Digital Shift Workshops and the Eco-Innovation Challenge as key steps toward embedding innovation in Nigeria’s MSME sector.
Encouraging young innovators, he added: “The future belongs to those bold enough to imagine and build it. DBN is proud to support the ideas that will shape tomorrow.”
A major highlight was the unveiling of the DBN Data Asset—a digital platform designed to provide real-time, evidence-based insights into Nigeria’s MSME landscape.
The platform combines DBN’s proprietary data with external sources like the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to offer a comprehensive view of MSME performance by region and sector.
Jeremy Dan Okayi, DBN’s Head of Strategy, Policy & Innovation, described the platform as: “A reservoir of insight, potential, and direction—built on two years of collaboration and shared vision. This tool will support informed decision-making across the public and private sectors.”
News
FCCPC Shuts France, Belgium, and Italy Visa Centres in Abuja Over Alleged Consumer Rights Violations
In a bold enforcement action, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), supported by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has sealed off the visa application centres of France, Belgium, and Italy in Abuja over alleged consumer protection breaches and obstruction of regulatory investigations.
The affected centres—located at Mukhtar El-Yakub House in the Central Business District and operated by TLS Contact, a Teleperformance Company—were shut down following reports that they refused to accept formal correspondence from the FCCPC regarding a consumer complaint. The Commission cited further infractions, including obstruction of investigation and alleged assault of its officers during lawful duties.
Speaking to journalists at the scene, Mrs. Boladale Adeyinka, Director of Surveillance and Investigations at the FCCPC, explained: “This is an enforcement operation against TLS. On March 25, 2025, we served them a letter to address a consumer complaint, which they refused to accept. Instead, TLS officers assaulted our team, and in a subsequent visit on June 17, they also allegedly assaulted uniformed police officers.”
Citing Section 33 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), Mrs. Adeyinka emphasized that failure to comply with Commission directives constitutes a criminal offense, punishable by imprisonment, fines of up to ₦20 million, or both.
TLS has been ordered to appear before the Commission on June 20, 2025, to provide testimony, submit evidence, and make formal depositions. The company may be held liable for any financial losses suffered by applicants due to the disruption of visa services.
Despite multiple requests for comment, management at TLS Contact declined to respond as of press time.
Adedapo Segun, chief financial officer (CFO), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), has explained why there is a missing sum of N210 trillion in the company’s audited financial statement spanning from 2017 to 2023.
According to Segun, the missing funds are cash calls requested by joint venture (JV) partners and settlement to the JVs.
He spokeat a session of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts chaired by Aliyu Wadada.
Segun was responding to an alarm raised by the committee over missing N210 trillion in NNPCL’s audited financial statement.
Recall that Wadada issued a one-week ultimatum to NNPCL to account for the missing N210 trillion.
Reacting, Segun said, “The N103 trillion and N107 trillion are made up of joint venture cash calls that have been requested by the JV operators and JV cash call payments made by NNPCL, which are yet to be reconciled because governance procedures were not done at that time.
“That is why you see the description reflecting those two items would be washed out because they are two sides of the same transaction, which is the cash calls by JV partners and the settlement by NNPCL.”
However, Habu Sadeik, a financial analyst, in a post on X on Thursday, said Segun’s response was unsatisfactory.
Saidik faulted NNPCL’s response about the fund discrepancies, noting that something is not right with the audited financial statement.
“Forget about the senators’ lack of knowledge.
“The CFO’s response is not satisfactory. Are you saying that cash calls worth hundreds of trillions are just appearing on your FS only in 2024 without 31 disclosure?
“If it’s a cash call, why hasn’t the disclosure said so?
“Which cash call is over 100 trillion?
“Something is definitely not right, and I hope they retrospectively correct that FS.
“Someone somewhere did a chef’s work,” he wrote on X.
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