Folarin Kehinde

President Bola Tinubu has urged the Senate to confirm the nomination of Justice Adamu Galumje (retd) for appointment as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB))Tinubu in his letter read at plenary yesterday by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio said the request was in compliance with section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The president said the nomination was informed by the vacancy created by expiration of tenure and subsequent retirement of the immediate past chairman of the CCB.

Akpabio after reading the letter referred the request to the Committee on Code of Conduct, Ethics and Privileges for further legislative action.Also, Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Alabo George as the Director-General of the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA).

George, who holds a PhD in Construction Management; an MSc in Quantity Surveying and Construction Engineering, and a B.Tech in Quantity Surveying is a fellow of the Certified Institute of Practising Professionals, USA; a fellow of the Association of Strategy Professionals, USA, and a member of other distinguished associations.

According to a release issued on Thursday by presidential spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, the president expects the new director general to discharge his duties with integrity, diligence, and dedication for the effective administration of the agency, and management of critical policies and programmes in line with the objectives of the administration.

In the same vein, the president has approved the appointment of Dr. Temitope Ilori as Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) for an initial term of four years.According to a release issued on yesterday by presidential spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, the president expects the new appointee to bring her wealth of experience and expertise into this seminal role.

This, he said, is to achieve the mandate of NACA which includes coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of the implementation of the Strategic National Plan for the control of HIV/AIDS/STDs, as well as the mobilisation of resources for an effective and sustainable response to HIV/AIDS/STDs.

Ilori, who is a senior lecturer in the Department of Community Medicine at the University of Ibadan, and a consultant family physician at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, was Commissioner for Health in Osun State from 2011 to 2014 and Chairperson of the Osun State Agency on Control of HIV/AIDS (O-SACA).Tinubu also approved the relocation of NACA to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. It was previously domiciled in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The relocation of NACA to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is to foster synergy and enhance collaboration in pursuit of the nation’s goal to achieve the 95-95-95 pathway for ending the AIDS epidemic.

“In line with his topmost priority of manifesting the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration across sectors, the president has expressed determination to consistently harmonise institutions within and between the different sectors in the country, ensuring improved coordination and synergy among agencies for efficient and qualitative service delivery to all Nigerians,” he said.

Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, on Monday, March 25, signed a law restricting social media access for minors under 14.

The bill will prohibit children younger than 14 from joining social media in the state, reports NBC News.

Those who are 13 years old and younger will not be able to open a social media account in the state, and 14- and 15-year-olds will need parental consent to use such platforms.

The bill, HB3, also directs social media companies to delete the existing accounts of those who are under 14.

Companies that fail to do so could be sued on behalf of the child who creates an account on the platform.

The minor could be awarded up to $10,000 in damages, according to the bill.

Companies found to violate the law would also be liable for up to $50,000 per violation, as well as attorney’s fees and court costs.

“Ultimately, [we’re] trying to help parents navigate this very difficult terrain that we have now with raising kids, and so I appreciate the work that’s been put in,” DeSantis said in remarks during the bill-signing ceremony.

DeSantis said: “We’re trying to help parents navigate this very difficult terrain that we have now with raising kids.”

Speaker of the Florida House, Paul Renner, said that social media is fraught with risks from traffickers and paedophiles, and that “social media platforms have caused a devastating effect on the mental well-being of our children.”

Most platforms require users to be 13 or older, though they do little in terms of enforcement.

Across the country, there has been rising concern about the effects of social media on child and teen development and learning.

But the law has also sparked concerns among those worried it sets a precedent for restricting free speech online.

DeSantis, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for president and dropped out in January, has argued many times that parents should have more control over decisions affecting their children, particularly in education.

Parental rights legislation in Florida and other states has sought to give parents more input in areas deemed controversial, especially education around LGBTQ topics in schools.

While the social media ban gives parents oversight on the matter, others say that the government should stay out of such fights altogether.

DeSantis previously vetoed a stricter social media ban, which would have blocked access for those under age 16.

Parental rights legislation in Florida and other states has sought to give parents more input in areas deemed controversial, especially education around LGBTQ topics in schools.

While the social media ban gives parents oversight on the matter, others say that the government should stay out of such fights altogether.

DeSantis previously vetoed a stricter social media ban, which would have blocked access for those under age 16.

A terrorist has been reportedly seen in a viral video displaying some money collected from his victims as ransoms and uploaded on Tiktok, a social network.

The video was shared by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in Lake Chad, in a series of posts on his X handle on Monday.

According to Makama, the user of the account has over 3000 followers, noting that some of them are bandits who openly show off their rifles and are dressed in military or police uniforms.

He further lamented that the Tiktok platform has given space for insurgents to promote their campaign of terror without any form of restrictions.

He wrote: “Audacity: Bandit on Tiktok flaunting and showing off ransom money he collected from his victims.

“The user of the account has 3000 followers, some of them are bandits who openly show off their rifles and are dressed in military or police uniforms.

“Tiktok platform has given room for insurgents to promote their campaign of terror without being restricted.”

Watch video below

The Nigerian Army is set to release more than 200 detainees cleared of links to the Boko Haram sect.

The detainees were arrested by the military in the heat of insurgency.

It would be recall that bandits recently released all the 287 pupils and students abducted from Kuriga in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Northwest Nigeria.

After, the release however, the government has stated categorically that no amount was paid for the release of the pupils.

Meanwhile, Daily Trust finding shows that they would be handed over to the Borno State Government for proper reintegration into the society.

The event will take place at Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri, the state capital, on Tuesday morning.

” Not fewer than 200 cleared Boko Haram suspects that are being cleared of any wrongdoing by security operatives, and they will be hand over to the Borno State Government for rehabilitation and reintegration.

“The handing over ceremony is set to be this morning (Tuesday) at 10: am at Giwa Barracks,” a source told Daily Trust.

The source said the State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Zuwaira Gambo, and her Information and Internal Security counterpart, Prof Tar Umar, will receive the clear detainees on behalf of the state government.

Neitizen has reacted that the release of the ex – Boko haram members could be connected to the release of the pupils.

The federal government has revealed allegation of bribery and corruption against Leno Adesanya, the promoter of Sunrise Power and Transmission Company, in papers filed before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

According to an online newspaper, TheCable, Olu Agunloye, a former minister of power, in his motion on notice, attached documents in which the federal government alleged that Adesanya offered money and women to ministers in the immediate-past Muhammadu Buhari administration in trying to secure favourable recommendations on the $6billion Mambilla hydroelectric power project.

In January 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Agunloye before a Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of fraud in the award of the contract in 2003.

Sunrise is in arbitration with Nigeria at the ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris, France, demanding $2.3 billion in compensation for the country’s failure to honour the contract which was awarded by Agunloye — a day after the federal executive council (FEC) asked the then minister of power to step down the memo.

Nigeria is alleging fraud and corruption of public officials involved in the original contract award and also in the subsequent settlement agreements reached in an attempt to settle the dispute.

Nigeria is likening the conduct of Sunrise and its promoter to that of P&ID officials in the failed gas supply and processing agreement (GSPA) of 2010.

Despite securing an arbitration award rising to $11 billion against Nigeria, P&ID could not enforce it.

A UK court set it aside because public officials got illegal payments in the contracting process and this fact, considered by the judge as significant, had been hidden from the arbitration tribunal.

The court also ruled that P&ID was illegally in possession of privileged internal documents of the Nigerian legal team during arbitration.

The P&ID case ended in victory for Nigeria — with the country’s legal team now hoping this would be a precedent in arbitration cases arising from suspicious and questionable contract awards.

In the motion of notice dated February 26, 2024 and marked FCT/ABJ/CR/617/2023, Agunloye attached Nigeria’s defence at the arbitration wherein the country alleged that Adesanya made repeated attempts to exploit and fraudulently extract huge sums of money from the country “on false pretences”.

“Mr. Adesanya repeatedly sought to undermine Nigeria’s defence of this Arbitration by all means possible without regard to legality. As detailed below, Mr. Adesanya attempted to bribe the former Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu, in the lead-up to the settlement meeting between Sunrise and Nigeria in London on 9 November 2019 by offering him money and women and sought to bribe the former Attorney General of Nigeria and Abubakar Malami, also with money and women, in order to take decisions favourable to Sunrise and influence Nigeria’s defence in this Arbitration,” the document reads, with screenshots of WhatsApp messages attached.

“A look at the pictures of smiling young women whom Mr. Adesanya blithely offered to Mr. Adamu in November 2019 during the settlement discussions and latterly the Attorney General as inducements, can leave no doubt about Mr. Adesanya’s character.

“The below extract of Mr. Adesanya’s WhatsApp message to Mr. Malami with a picture of a woman in November 2021, when Mr. Adesanya was lobbying Nigeria is illustrative,” he added.

Nigeria argued in the document that Adesanya is a man “who fully understands” how to game and take advantage of the weaknesses in the institutions of the Nigerian government.

“He wrongfully procures contracts that his companies are incapable of performing, colludes with key Government officials to obtain confidential Government documents, creates a semblance of credibility through document exchanges with Government officials, files claims against the Government, and then unlawfully seeks to pressure the Government to enter into settlement agreements with his companies in order to obtain a pay-out,” the document reads.

Global cryptocurrency exchange platform, Binance has reacted to reports that its official, Nadeem Anjarwalla, had escaped from detention in Nigeria.

Confirming the report, spokesperson for Binance, Samantha Fuller, said that Anjarwalla was no longer in Nigeria.

The crypto exchange said its concern continues to be the safety and well-being of its employees, and it is actively collaborating with Nigerian authorities to swiftly resolve the matter.

“We were made aware that Nadeem is no longer in Nigerian custody. Our primary focus remains on the safety of our employees, and we are working collaboratively with Nigerian authorities to quickly resolve this issue,” Fuller announced.

However, the spokesperson did not provide details on how the executive left Nigerian custody.

Meanwhile, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has confirmed the arrest of its official allegedly responsible for the escape of Anjarwalla.

A statement by Zakari Mijinyawa, head of strategic communication at ONSA, said “preliminary investigation shows that Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport”.

“The personnel responsible for the custody of the suspect have been arrested, and a thorough investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to his escape from lawful detention,” the statement reads.