The Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has officially launched a self-service kiosk aimed at transforming customer interactions, improving convenience, and strengthening revenue assurance. The unveiling ceremony, held in Kano, represents a major step in the company’s broader digital transformation strategy and its commitment to customer-centric innovation.

Delivering his keynote remarks, Dr. Abubakar Shuaibu Jimeta, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of KEDCO, described the initiative as a landmark achievement that reflects the company’s vision of digitizing its operations and placing customers at the heart of its services.

“Whatever we do, customers come first. We are here to launch something that is part of our vision – bringing digitization into our business. Convenience is what sails,” Dr. Jimeta said.

He stressed that every strategy and partnership pursued by KEDCO is designed to directly benefit customers. According to him, once customer satisfaction is achieved, “everything else falls into place.” Dr. Jimeta further revealed that the company plans to expand the kiosks across all franchise areas, underscoring KEDCO’s openness to partnerships and collaborations that align with its vision.

Speaking on the financial implications, Alkasim Othman, Chief Finance Officer of KEDCO, explained that the power sector often grapples with liquidity and efficiency challenges. He noted that the kiosk system is a practical response to these issues.

“In the power sector, we often ask: can they do it quickly? Today’s launch is a response to that experience. It improves customer experience and revenue assurance. Innovation does not replace people – it empowers them,” Othman stated.

He emphasized that the kiosks would not only ease customer transactions but also strengthen KEDCO’s financial sustainability by ensuring timely payments and reducing revenue leakages.

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The launch was made possible through collaboration with FUCIL Datatech Limited, KEDCO’s technology partner. Its Chief Executive Officer, Chioma Iwuagwu, reaffirmed the company’s dedication to delivering secure, scalable, and customer-focused digital solutions.

“We are proud to support KEDCO in building robust digital infrastructure. Our relationship with KEDCO has been long and impactful. Together, we will sustain revenue assurance and show commitment to digital transformation,” Iwuagwu said.

She added that the partnership is geared toward building a technologically advanced electricity distribution system that ensures ease of payment and convenience for customers, while also supporting Nigeria’s broader digital economy goals.

The self-service kiosk is expected to significantly reduce queues, streamline bill payments, and provide customers with faster access to services. By embedding technology into its operations, KEDCO is positioning itself as a forward-looking utility company capable of meeting the evolving demands of modern consumers.

The unveiling ceremony reaffirms  KEDCO’s vision to leverage innovation, strategic partnerships, and customer-focused strategies to transform electricity distribution across its franchise areas. Stakeholders expressed optimism that the initiative would set a new benchmark for service delivery in Nigeria’s power sector.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed February 20, 2027, for the conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, with governorship and State Houses of Assembly polls scheduled for March 6, 2027.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, announced the dates at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, formally unveiling the commission’s timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections.

The announcement comes against the backdrop of concerns over the delayed passage of the amended Electoral Act currently before the National Assembly. Stakeholders have expressed apprehension that uncertainty surrounding the legal framework could complicate preparations for the next electoral cycle.

INEC had earlier, on February 4, disclosed that it had concluded work on the election timetable despite the pending amendment. The commission said it had forwarded the proposed schedule to lawmakers to guide legislative considerations.

However, the electoral body cautioned that certain activities outlined in the timetable may be subject to adjustment depending on when the amended Electoral Act is eventually passed and assented to.

The release of the dates signals the formal commencement of preparations for the 2027 polls, providing political parties, aspirants and other stakeholders with a clearer framework for planning, even as attention remains focused on the evolving legal landscape that will govern the elections.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa & Abbas Yushau Yusuf

February 13 marks exactly 50 years since General Murtala Ramat Muhammed was assassinated in a failed coup attempt that shook Nigeria to its core. His death on that Friday morning in 1976 was not merely the killing of a Head of State; it was a brutal reminder of how fragile political power can be when the barrel of a gun becomes the pathway to leadership.

Half a century later, Nigeria stands under democratic rule, yet the memory of coups still lingers like a warning siren in the nation’s political subconscious.

Muhammed himself came to power through a military coup in 1975, toppling General Yakubu Gowon. His own assassination less than seven months later, during an abortive coup led by dissident officers, reinforced the inherent instability of governance born out of force. Coups promise swift correction, but they often deliver cycles of uncertainty, repression and further violence.

The danger of military coups to democracy is not theoretical; it is historical fact. Military regimes centralise authority, suspend constitutional order and weaken civilian institutions. Even when they promise reform, they operate outside the consent of the governed. The culture they breed — command-and-control politics — can outlive their uniforms, seeping into civilian administrations long after soldiers return to the barracks.

Nigeria’s post-independence history reads like a ledger of interrupted transitions: 1966, 1975, 1983, 1985, 1993. Each intervention reset the political clock but deepened structural fragilities. Civil institutions were stunted. Political parties became vehicles of patronage rather than ideology. Trust between citizens and the state eroded.

Today, the guns are silent, and ballots have replaced bullets as instruments of power. Yet the shadow of military interruption remains instructive, especially at a time when frustration with democratic governance is rising across the country.

The uncomfortable truth is that democracy, while intact procedurally, is struggling substantively. Elections are held regularly, but economic hardship persists. Institutions exist, but public confidence in them is thin. The Constitution guarantees rights, yet citizens often feel unheard in matters of security, employment and welfare.

This disconnect between democratic form and democratic outcome creates a dangerous vacuum. When people begin to question whether democracy delivers tangible improvement to their lives, nostalgia for “strongman efficiency” can quietly resurface. It is a perilous sentiment. History shows that military rule may appear decisive, but it rarely produces sustainable prosperity or inclusive governance.

The lesson from Murtala Muhammed’s assassination is not simply about the vulnerability of leaders; it is about the vulnerability of systems built without deep institutional roots. Democracies collapse when institutions are hollowed out, when the judiciary is weakened, when legislatures lose independence and when accountability becomes selective.

Equally, democracy fails when it becomes distant from the daily struggles of the masses. Nigeria today grapples with inflation, unemployment, insecurity and widening inequality. For many citizens, the promise of 1999 — that civilian rule would bring stability and opportunity — feels deferred. This perception does not justify military intervention, but it does expose the urgent need for democratic renewal.

A coup does not cure governance failure; it compounds it. It replaces flawed accountability with none at all. It silences dissent rather than addressing its root causes. The real antidote to democratic disappointment is not regression to authoritarian shortcuts but reform within constitutional boundaries.

Fifty years after Murtala Muhammed’s assassination, Nigeria’s greatest safeguard against instability is not the strength of its armed forces but the credibility of its democratic institutions. The military must remain firmly subordinate to civilian authority, while civilian leaders must govern in ways that justify that authority.

Democracy cannot survive on ritual alone. It must deliver justice, equity and measurable improvement in citizens’ lives. When it does not, cynicism grows. And when cynicism grows unchecked, history’s darker chapters begin to look deceptively attractive.

The anniversary of 1976 should therefore serve as both memorial and mirror — a memorial to a turbulent past and a mirror reflecting present responsibilities. Nigeria has paid dearly for power seized by force. The challenge now is ensuring that democracy does not lose legitimacy through neglect, inequity or arrogance.

The gun once interrupted Nigeria’s future. The ballot must not be allowed to lose its meaning.

General Murtala Muhammad’s legacy will continue to remain fresh in the memory of patriotic Nigerians.

The constitutional democracy Nigeria is enjoying today is the brainchild of the late General Murtala Muhammad, who addressed the nation with vigour and instilled confidence.

His phrase “Immediate effect” remains the phrase successive Nigerian leaders have used to command respect and to show Nigerians they are very serious about formulating and implementing policies for the progress of all.

Despite military rule being an aberration, General Murtala Muhammad’s assassination was backward and retrogressive to the development of Nigeria, which many will continue to mourn for decades to come.

As General Murtala Muhammad clocks five decades after passing to the great beyond, the Nigerian Government should mandate a topic for Nigerian children in the country’s civic education curriculum so that those yet unborn will feel the impact of Nigeria’s great leader lost to the hands of retrogressive assassins on that fateful Friday, February 13th, 1976, which is exactly five decades today.

Adieu, great son of Nigeria and great son of Kano.