![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-300x200.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
The Federal Government says plans are ongoing to add additional 817 Megawatts (MWs) of electricity to the national grid to boost the power supply within the FCT and its environs.
Mr Sule Abdulaziz, the Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), said this in Abuja while inspecting ongoing projects in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Wednesday.
Abdulaziz said that the project which belonged to TCN and was referred to as the Abuja Feeding Scheme was being funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), a donor agency to boost the national grid.
He said when completed, it would contribute an additional 1. 465 transmission lines to the national grid, thereby, upgrading and reinforcing electrical power supply to the FCT.
“With the additional lines, TCN capacity of transmission lines will be higher than what is in existence and this means that in future, we can build some sub-stations without upgrading the lines,” he said.
According to him, the project will add five transmission substations, 143 kilometers of 330 Kilo Volts (KVs) and 81 kilometers of 132 KV transmission lines to Abuja.
“This is part of efforts to increase transmission wheeling capacity in the FCT and environs.
“The project is categorised into six lots and is far advanced in execution above 85 per cent in total completion by December,” he said.
The managing director said that the project was designed by the current administration to ensure that in the next 50 years, there would be no need for other substations in the FCT.
“This will be adequate and it will serve the population of Abuja,” he said.
“The government while making plans for the project has in mind that if the population of FCT increases within five to 10 years, there is a master plan that the station will serve the territory in the next 50 years.
“Construction of complete new 2x60MVA, 132/33 KV substation with 132KV line Bays at Wumba/Lokogoma including about 5km 132 underground XLPE Cable from New Apo Sub Station are ongoing,” he said.
Others are construction of 2x150MVA 330/132/33KV substation at New Apo where the managing director frown at the slow pace of work done by the contractor .
According to him, the contractor, General Electric has performed abysmally.
He said the contracts for all the substations were signed at the same time, and wondered why the slow pace of work.
“We have spent a lot of money to clear their containers which entered demurrage and this money is not part of AFD grant but TCN Internally Generated Revenue which could have been used for other projects.
“We are going to push them to finish the project on time,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that sites visited include: construction of complete new 2x60Mega Volt Ampere, and 132/33KV Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) Substation at Gwarimpa.
Others were the Kuje 132Kv Transmission line, the 3x60MVA, 132/33kv and 4x132kv Line bay GIS, and 33KV Metal Chad Switchgear at West Main Lugbe Substation.
