Tag: Nigeria

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, revealed on Friday that she has been diagnosed with cancer and that she is in early stages of treatment.

In a video message, filmed at Windsor on Wednesday, Catherine described her diagnosis as a “huge shock” adding that she and William have been doing everything they could to process and manage it privately for the sake of their young family.

This came two months after she had temporarily stepped away from public life following what Kensington Palace said at the time was surgery for a non-cancerous abdominal condition.

“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous,” she explained.

The 42-year-old princess stated that though the abdominal surgery was successful, the test after the operation discovered that she had cancer.

“My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventive chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.

“As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.”

Kate noted that she is getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help her heal.

She praised her husband, Prince William for being by her side as “a great source of comfort and reassurance” as well as the support she has received from the public.

“We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery,” she said.

She ended her heartfelt message by saying that she was also keeping “all those whose lives have been affected by cancer” in her thoughts.

“For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone,” Kate said.

In February, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles had been diagnosed with a form of cancer after his treatment for an enlarged prostate.

The palace had said the 75-year-old monarch “remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.”

Reacting to Princess Kate’s announcement on Friday, King Charles said he was ‘so proud’ of the Princess of Wales “for her courage* in revealing her cancer diagnosis.

Buckingham Palace said: “His Majesty is ‘so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did.

“Following their time in hospital together, HM has remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks”.

After King Charles, Princess Of Wales Down With Cancer is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

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The Super Eagles of Nigeria on Friday defeated Ghana 2-1 in an international friendly match in Morocco to begin Finidi George’s reign with a victory.

The Enyimba coach was named the interim coach of the team following the expiration of Jose Peseiro’s contract after he guided the team to a silver medal-winning outing in Ivory Coast.

Returning forward Cyriel Dessers sent Lawrence Ati-Zigi the wrong way from the penalty spot in the 38th minute, after Jerome Opoku handled a shot by Kelechi Iheanacho.

Ademola Lookman continued his goalscoring form for the Super Eagles after coming off the bench to add the second goal.

Stanley Nwabali was impressive in goal yet again for the team, making a series of saves to keep the Super Eagles in the game and also displaying confidence to lead the team from the back.

The result was an exact reverse of the scoreline when George, as a player, first featured for Nigeria against Ghana in an Africa Cup of Nations semi-final clash in Senegal 32 years ago.

Opoku would pick up a red card in the 57th minute for dissent, leaving the Black Stars with 10 men.

The Black Stars came close to restoring parity two minutes after Nigeria went in front, with Antoine Semenyo all by himself at the other end, but Nwabali proved the rock.

Both teams showed good composure and firm control at the Grand Stade de Marrakech, and Nigeria stretched her lead with six minutes left when substitute Ademola Lookman calmly slotted past goalkeeper Ati-Zigi and an onrushing defender after a good team move that involved fellow substitute Moses Simon and Alex Iwobi.

In four minutes of added time, Bright Osayi-Samuel brought down forward Semenyo well into the Nigeria box, and captain Jordan Ayew made no mistake from the spot.

The Super Eagles will play a second friendly against the Les Aigles of Mali at the same venue on Tuesday night.

Lookman On Target As Super Eagles Defeat Ghana 2-1 is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

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…Advocates Regional Grids, Cost-Reflective Tariffs For Private Sector Participation

A former Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji, has urged state governments to consider public-private partnerships (PPPs) as a way to procure and manage power infrastructure within their regions.

Nnaji made this call while presenting a paper titled “The Decentralization of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) and the Role of the States in Rural Electrification: The Private Investor’s Perspective” at the first quarter 2024 Nigeria Public-Private Partnership Network (NPPPN) meeting.

His advocacy comes on the heels of the passage of the Electricity Act of 2023, which empowers states to procure and manage their power infrastructure.

Nnaji, who is the CEO of Geometric Power LTD, said that while the ownership and control of power infrastructure have been decentralised, it wouldn’t be easy for states to independently venture into it due to the high costs, technological implications, and potential adverse competition if states seek to control the infrastructure individually.

He opined that the better option would be for states to take advantage of the decentralisation by partnering to establish regional grids due to the substantial cost involved.

“There are several states that believe that they can easily jump in and begin to develop power infrastructure, but the sort of financial requirement to build power infrastructure is quite a lot.

“In Nigeria, depending on the fuel source, it will cost about $1.5 million per megawatts… That is a lot just for 1MW and that is just to build the power plant, and you haven’t built the substations and all the other required infrastructure.

“So this is why it is very important that partnerships be strongly encouraged. Public Private Partnership is what delivers success; where states play their role and make their contribution.

“However, if the states decide that they want to be in control then we are going back to the NEPA days and that can be a serious problem,” Nnaji said on Thursday.

While lauding the decentralisation of electricity, he stressed the need for cost-reflective tariffs to encourage private sector participation and state enactment and enforcement of state regulations to curb power theft.

Earlier, the Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Michael Ohiani, stated, “Every hand needs to be on deck as the nation cannot witness significant development in the absence of adequate Power supply”.

Ohiani commended the 26 states in Nigeria that have enacted their PPP laws, emphasizing that the laws will incentivise private sector involvement in the states. He pledged to support members of NPPPN seeking to undertake PPP projects and states that want to enact their laws.

Geometric Power CEO Nnaji Urges States To Leverage PPPs For Efficient Electricity Distribution is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

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