You cannot shame the shameless
Hi Friend,
We're starting a monthly virtual town hall! Every month, we'll pick a topic to discuss for an hour, something that affects our day-to-day lives and that we might actually be able to resolve through open dialogue. The first session will be in May - see more details and share your discussion preferences here!
Someone (Hi Moyinoluwa!) sent me a really nice email where they asked to bring music recs back. I didn’t listen to any music while writing this, but Young Love by Mystery Jets and Laura Marling just popped in my head so, enjoy
In this edition
Schools are STEALING from students. disgusting
CBEX ponzie mess
Nigeria’s latest on power (not all bad news this time)
This edition is 1,400 words (approx. 4 min read)
There is nobody Nigerian institutions cannot steal from. Nawa
NELFUND, the organisation created to provide interest-free loans to Nigerian students by the FG, has disbursed over ₦32.8 billion as of February 2025. This includes ₦20.07 billion for tuition fees and ₦12.82 billion for monthly stipends to 169,114 students. However, many students have not received their loan allocation
So, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and NELFUND investigated this issue and discovered that some universities and banks are allegedly withholding the disbursed funds or delaying giving students access to them.
In some cases, schools are even still asking students to pay tuition fees out of pocket, even after loans have been paid on their behalf. Students couldn’t register for classes or sit exams because their tuition wasn’t cleared despite NELFUND’s claims of payment. Wickedness and shamelessness are this country’s middle name and last name.
NANS (the student union) called the actions deceptive and a betrayal of trust, warning that protests and legal action may follow.
NELFUND has asked that Students track their loan disbursement status through the NELFUND portal and report any irregularities to the appropriate authorities. Affected students have also been asked to report cases to NANS in their states.
Many students from institutions like Kebbi State University and Kwara State Polytechnic shared on social media that they were left in the dark or forced to pay fees unnecessarily.
NOA has asked its state offices to gather more student feedback and is working with NELFUND to ensure accountability.
There are growing calls for more transparency tools, like dashboards, so students can track their loan status directly.
The NOA is also working on broader reforms to promote national values, civic responsibility, and reduce corruption through new campaigns and programmes.
The news has refused to name and shame the banks and universities in cahoots but me and the ICPC will keep an eye out.
ICPC?
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the House of Representatives have launched an investigation to find the universities and banks involved in these fraudulent practices.
NELFUND has stated it will take legal action against any institution found guilty of blocking or diverting student funds.
What is killing my people?
Lassa Fever
The NCDC has confirmed 674 Lassa fever cases and 127 deaths across 18 states and 93 LGAs between January and April 6, 2025, from over 4,000 suspected cases.
The case fatality rate (CFR) is 18.8%, slightly higher than the same period in 2024. Most deaths were reported in Taraba, Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi.
Ondo, Bauchi, and Edo states alone account for 71% of all confirmed cases, with Ondo leading at 30%.
The virus is transmitted mainly through contact with infected rats and other rodents so keep those rats out of your house if you can
Meanwhile What happens when a country has 1 medical practitioner to100+ people - Man Seeks Justice After Radiotherapy at The University College Hospital Damaged His Sight - Punch
Terrorism
On the night of April 13–14, armed men attacked Zike village in Bassa LGA, Plateau State, killing 52 people. Mary John, a survivor, lost her son, daughter, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren in the attack. HumAngle
The attackers reportedly moved from house to house, stabbing and shooting residents, many of whom were killed in their sleep. Mary’s family was among them—her son Stephen and his children were killed, and her daughter-in-law’s hand was cut off.
Intelligence about the attack had been shared earlier that night, and a military base was nearby, yet there was no effective intervention. Locals accuse security forces of inaction and poor response despite prior warning.
Authorities and locals disagree on the framing of the violence: while the governor described it as a systematic and premeditated campaign, President Tinubu referred to it as a “communal clash.” Residents insist it's about land and displacement, not religion or mutual conflict.
Homes and barns were destroyed, and survivors are now displaced and trying to rebuild their lives. Due to the continued violence, and some have started relocating.
The government has increased patrols, introduced security restrictions, and created a peace committee, but no arrests have been made.
Money Woes
Inflation
Nigeria’s inflation rate rose to 24.23% in March 2025, up from 23.18% in February, mainly due to rising petrol, electricity and literally everything. While food inflation dropped slightly to 21.79%, the relief was short-lived. Analysts say February’s brief decline was due to temporary government import interventions - Channels
CBEX ponzie
CBEX (Crypto Bridge Exchange), an unregistered crypto platform operating under ST Technologies International Ltd, has vanished with N1.3 trillion from over 600,000 people, after promising 100% returns in 30 days.
CBEX presented itself as AI-powered and conducted frequent in-person seminars at multiple office locations across Lagos. They also used fake certificates (claiming links with the Nigerian Stock Exchange and EFCC) and elaborate marketing to gain credibility.
Many early investors reportedly made significant profits, leading to aggressive word-of-mouth referrals - the tale of every pyramid scheme
On Monday morning, angry investors stormed CBEX’s offices in Ibadan and Lagos, breaking in and searching for officials.
The office was completely deserted with no staff or security, despite once being pretty full a few days prior. The community groups they created to update investors on Telegram, were also all gone pretty instantly
Many victims were in tears; some had taken loans, sold property, or emptied life savings to invest. oof
Reports indicate that due to the crash, a pensioner died of shock, a doctor had been hospitalised over stress-related complications and a woman allegedly committed suicide after losing borrowed funds invested via her husband.
What are the authorities saying
SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) says CBEX was never registered or licensed to operate as a digital asset exchange in Nigeria, so they cannot help victims recover funds. The Commission urged Nigerians to always verify platforms on their official registration portal.
However the EFCC is on the case. EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale confirmed that CBEX was already flagged it as a potential Ponzi before CBEX showed their real face.
EFCC previously listed 58 Ponzi-style firms in March 2025 and had advised the public to steer clear (CBEX is not on the list, though)
Oyewale said the agency’s intelligence network and dragnet were active, and reassured Nigerians: “You will get your money back.” 🤞
Nigeria’s power sector struggles
Electricity
The Federal Government says Nigeria’s power grid is finally seeing some stability, thanks to a boost of 700MW in transmission capacity under the $2.3bn Siemens-backed Presidential Power Initiative. About 90% of the upgrades (10 transformers and 10 mobile substations) are already up and running.
For a country where the grid used to collapse anytime supply hit 5,000mw, officials now claim the system can handle up to 8,000mw without falling apart. It’s a low bar, but in Nigerian power terms, it’s progress. (a few days ago it rained and they didn't take light in my house. Was this because of the 8,000mw grid?)
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, also announced that Nigeria has also supposedly reached 6,003MW in available generation capacity.
Despite these numbers, most Nigerians still deal with blackouts, expensive diesel, and noisy generators, because generation ≠ distribution ≠ access. Power may be “available”, homes and businesses still don’t have light .President Tinubu’s administration says it's committed to fixing the sector with reforms via the Electricity Act 2023, expanded off-grid access, and policies to attract private investment.
Nigeria is cutting off Niger, the country
Nigeria’s government has decided to dial down how much electricity it sends to Niger Republic from 80 megawatts to just 46 MW.
Niger’s Energy Minister, Haoua Amadou, confirmed the drop and said it’s caused electricity production in the country to fall by 50%, with power cuts lasting for days, especially in Niamey.
Why the cut? The July 2023 military coup in Niger. Nigeria (and the rest of ECOWAS) tried to get the Niger military to concede - they hit back with sanctions, including a pause on energy exports. The sanctions were later lifted, but Nigeria didn’t go back to full supply.
Petrol
Dangote has reduced the price of its petrol from N880 to N865, and asked its direct sales partners, MRS, AP (Ardova), Heyden, Optima Energy, Hyde and Techno Oil to sell at N890 per litre from N920 per litre in Lagos.
But the petrol stations have not implemented this reduction despite seemingly benefiting from the supplier’s price drop.
In March, we reported that Dangote promised to refund customers who buy petrol at rates higher than the advertised prices from any of its key partners. So, someone contact them, please.
The floods are coming
Starting May 2025, the Federal Government is launching a nationwide flood awareness campaign
Over 1,200 communities in 176 LGAs across over 30 states are expected to get hit with serious flooding between April and November. Yikes.
In Abuja, they’re kicking things off in Dutse, then moving to Lokogoma, Lugbe, and other flood-prone areas. Other states will follow suit with their own campaigns.
During the launch of the 2025 Annual Flood Outlook, the Minister of Water Resources talked about how climate change is making floods worse and more frequent, especially in riverine and coastal states like Bayelsa, Lagos, Rivers, Cross River, and Ondo.
Last year alone, 1.3 million people were affected, 740,000 displaced, and 321 lost their lives to floods across Nigeria. Over 2,800 were injured, and thousands of farmlands were wiped out. A campaign won’t solve displacement, but it might save some lives?
NEMA’s Director General is pushing for grassroots education to teach communities how to evacuate, what to do when water levels rise, etc.
As part of the rollout, they’ve already been to places like Ikere and Ido Ekiti, working with local leaders and doing practical demos
Bottom line: floods are coming, but a bit of knowledge could save lives and properties.