Power cuts interrupts Arise TV's broadcast while Rotus files report from AI conference in Abuja

Nigeria has grappled with electricity and power crisis for decades with no end in sight. The crisis has persisted despite the promises made by several administrations.

Leading up to the 2023 general election, power and electricity were a major campaign promise of the presidential candidates with the eventual winner, President Bola Tinubu promising to end the crisis.

To show he is dedicated to the task ahead of his administration, he put his presidency on the line, urging Nigerians not to vote for him if he doesn't fix the crisis.

One year down the line, the Tinubu-led administration is yet to have a grasp of it with the country experiencing a collapse of the national grid. In 11 years, the national grid has collapsed 141 times according to Vanguard.

With Nigeria's consumption set at 200,000mw, the country produces only 13,000mw of power.

The no-light syndrome was again on full display during a live report on Arise TV's Morning Show. While Rotus Odiri filed his report from the Artificial workshop hosted by the Ministry of Communications, Innovations, and Digital Economy in Abuja, there was power disruption which came as a surprise to both hosts and viewers. Power was restored a few minutes later while the reportage continued.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani said Nigeria would lead Africa and play a leading role in the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem, after the development of a national strategy on AI.

He made this known at the four-day stakeholders’ workshop on the national strategic plan for AI.

AI is the development, deployment and maintenance of computational systems that could replicate certain types of human intelligence.

The theme of the workshop was “Developing the High-level Strategy and Implementation Plan for a National AI Strategy for Nigeria.”

Tijani, said with what the government was investing on AI, Nigeria would lead Africa on AI.

“We can think local, but also then say what does it mean for the world as a whole. So, Nigeria is ready to become one of the leading countries in Africa when it comes to AI.