Generators in Lagos emit an estimated 43 million tons of CO2 equivalent a year

Generators in Nigeria's Lagos State produce an estimated 43 million U.S. tons (39 million tonnes) of carbon dioxide equivalent pollution each year. They're a part of an unreliable electricity system that leaves residents and businesses dependent on burning fuel for power.
Here's what to know

The national grid has been supplying only about 20% of Lagos State's electricity demand, according to Punch. To fill the gap, roughly 4.5 million fuel-burning generators have been in operation across the state, said Biodun Ogunleye, the state's commissioner for energy and mineral resources, as Punch relayed.

The generator count and annual emissions estimate came from research conducted in 2024 by Sustainable Energy for All alongside the Lagos State Government. Ogunleye presented the findings at a panel focused on city regeneration and urban renewal.

Noise and air pollution were among the most concerning consequences Ogunleye attributed to generator use. Reliance on fuel-burning generators has also left residents and businesses grappling with higher energy bills.

More background

Discussing productivity in cities, Ogunleye used the phrase "the invisible constraint" to describe unreliable electricity, according to Punch.​​ To address the situation, Ogunleye called for dependable energy infrastructure in the places where people already live.

To ensure reliable supplies, Ogunleye would link utility planning with land use, and services would be required to meet measurable standards.

What's being done?

Under two potential energy projects that Ogunleye described, neighborhood-scale energy infrastructure would provide more of the capacity required to supply both businesses and households.

Victoria Island Power, a commercial district upgrade under development, has 40 megawatts of planned embedded capacity. A dedicated, 7.8-mile (12.6-kilometer) underground feeder network is also planned to supply businesses in the area, according to Punch.

The other project would bring the dormant Akute independent power plant back into use. The existing facility had 26 MW of base contracted capacity and was due to undergo rehabilitation in 2026, providing power for public services.

For Ogunleye, these district-scale projects can help address local residents' reliance on millions of individual generators as primary power sources.

"An older city does not need a new identity. It needs a new operating system. Renewal is not the demolition of the past. It is the restoration of the city's ability to serve the future," Ogunleye concluded.

By Daniel John, TDC

Video - Nigeria and Sahel states seek renewed security cooperation

Nigeria is seeking closer military cooperation with Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to strengthen regional efforts against terrorism. The proposed partnership aims to revive intelligence sharing and coordinate cross-border operations, which have been disrupted by political divisions following the three countries’ withdrawal from ECOWAS.

CGTN Africa

Nigerian Army destroys suspected criminal hideouts in Old Oyo National Park

Troops of the Nigerian Army have recovered an AK-47 rifle and destroyed suspected criminal hideouts during a security operation in the Old Oyo National Park, where armed groups have been accused of operating.

The operation conducted on November 7 and 8 by troops of Operation IGBO DANU II under the Army’s 2 Division, also led to the recovery of a Dane gun and an empty magazine, while the body of a suspected criminal was discovered during a follow-up operation.

The Nigerian Army disclosed this in a statement published on its official website on Monday, saying the operation was carried out in collaboration with hybrid forces.

It stated that troops encountered suspected criminal elements inside the park on 7 November, but the suspects fled as the soldiers advanced towards them.

The troops subsequently recovered an AK-47 rifle, an empty magazine and a Dane gun, which the Army said had further weakened the capabilities of the fleeing suspects.

“On 7 November 2026, troops conducting operations within the park engaged suspected criminal elements who fled upon sighting the advancing troops,” the Army said.

During a follow-up operation the following day, soldiers discovered the corpse of one of the suspects who had fled during the initial encounter.

The Army also said the troops destroyed temporary shelters believed to have been used as hideouts by criminal elements operating within the forest.

It added that the operation was part of efforts to dismantle criminal networks, disrupt their activities and prevent armed groups from using forested areas as safe havens.

“Exploitation of the general area is ongoing to track fleeing elements and prevent their regrouping,” the statement added.

The Army did not identify the deceased suspect or disclose the exact location of the encounter within the national park. It also did not provide details about the origin of the recovered weapons.

The operation followed the launch of Operation IGBO DANU, also known as Operation Forest Flush, in January 2026, which targeted bandit enclaves in Kwara State.

Park’s security concerns

The latest operation comes amid growing security concerns over the use of the Old Oyo National Park as a hideout by suspected kidnappers and other criminal groups.

On 15 May, 46 pupils and teachers were abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and taken into the national park.

The difficult terrain reportedly posed challenges to rescue efforts before security agencies eventually freed the victims on July 10, after 56 days in captivity.

The rescue operation involved the military and other security agencies and was reportedly driven by intelligence gathering and efforts to dismantle the kidnappers’ networks, informants and hideouts within the park.

PREMIUM TIMES reported in October that the the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Army’s 2 Division, Auwalu Mahmuda, a major general, announced that the military had taken over the entire park as a training ground to prevent criminal groups from using the forest as a hideout.

The latest operation forms part of Operation IGBO DANU II, a military campaign aimed at flushing out armed groups and denying them safe havens in forested areas.

By Abubakar Abdulrasheed, Premium Times

Gunmen kill 11 relatives of security volunteer in northwest Nigeria, abduct 13

Gunmen killed a local security volunteer and 10 of his relatives, burned their ​bodies, torched their home and abducted 13 ‌others in a weekend attack on a village in northwestern Nigeria's Zamfara state, police said on Monday.

Many ​northwestern states in Nigeria have groups ​of volunteers who help defend villages and ⁠towns from armed gangs, as the security forces ​are stretched fighting Islamist militants and the gangs, ​known as bandits.

Police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar said the gunmen attacked the volunteer in Gidan Taba in Maradun district, ​after he repeatedly helped security forces fend ​off incursions by criminal gangs into the community

"They considered ‌him ⁠an obstacle to their activities," Abubakar said.

According to Abubakar, the attackers killed the man, a member of a government-backed vigilante group, before murdering ​10 other ​members of ⁠his family and setting their house on fire.

Abubakar said security forces have ​been deployed in the area and ​are ⁠working to secure the hostages' release.

Northwest Nigeria has for years faced attacks by the bandits, who ⁠raid ​villages, kill residents, abduct people ​for ransom and loot homes.

Reuters

Nigeria rules out ceasefire with Islamists, vows sustained military offensive

Nigeria's military on Thursday ruled out any ceasefire with ​Islamist groups Boko Haram and Islamic ‌State West Africa Province, adding it would press ahead with operations against insurgent and ​other armed groups.

Attacks by Boko Haram ​and ISWAP on military positions in ⁠northeastern Nigeria have surged in recent weeks ​despite years of military operations aimed at ​containing the 17-year-old insurgency in the region.

Speaking at an intelligence briefing in the capital Abuja, ​military spokesperson Major-General Samaila Uba said ​recent gains, including insurgents killed, suspects arrested and hostages ‌rescued, ⁠showed security forces were sustaining pressure on armed groups.

"I want to make it clear that there is nothing like ​a ceasefire ... ​considering the ⁠successes recorded across our operations, it is clear that we ​are not relenting," Uba said.

He ​also ⁠said Nigeria is in talks with neighbouring Sahel states that left the West ⁠African ​bloc ECOWAS on security ​and diplomatic cooperation.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters