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Tinubu Appoints 32 New Ambassadors
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent the names of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, days after he sent the first batch of three names.
In two separate letters to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu asked the Senate to consider and confirm expeditiously 15 nominees as career ambassadors and 17 nominees as non-career ambassadors.
There are four women on the career ambassadors’ list and six women on the non-career ambassadors’ list.
Among the non-career ambassador designates are Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia, a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta), former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmud Yakubu, former Ekiti first lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo, and former Enugu governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
Others are Tasiu Musa Maigari, the former speaker of the Katsina House of Assembly, Yakubu N. Gambo, a former Commissioner in Plateau State and former deputy executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
Professor Nora Ladi Daduut, a former senator from Plateau; Otunba Femi Pedro, a former deputy governor of Lagos State; Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, a former aviation minister from Osun State; and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State are on the nomination list.
Also on the list are former First Lady of Oyo, Fatima Florence Ajimobi, former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande, former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent, former governor of Abia, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, businessman, lawyer and Senator from Ondo State, and the former ambassador of Nigeria to the Holy See, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu from Benue State.
Among the nominees for career ambassador and high commissioner-designates are: Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu (Abia), Yakubu Nyaku Danladi (Taraba), Miamuna Ibrahim Besto (Adamawa), Musa Musa Abubakar (Kebbi), Syndoph Paebi Endoni (Bayelsa), Chima Geoffrey Lioma David (Ebonyi) and Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun).
The other nominees are Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah (Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), Ambassador Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Ambassador Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kawara) and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).
The new nominees are expected to be posted to countries with which Nigeria maintains excellent and strategic bilateral relations, such as China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, and to Permanent Missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union. All the nominees will know their diplomatic assignments after their confirmation by the Senate.
Last week, President Tinubu sent three ambassadorial nominees for screening and confirmation. The nominees were Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun). All three are in the pot for posting to the UK, USA, or France after their confirmation.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said more nominees for ambassadorial positions will be announced soon.
News
FG introduces compulsory drug tests for secondary school students
The guideline outlines a comprehensive framework aimed at reducing the growing prevalence of substance abuse among students and creating safer learning environments across schools nationwide.
The federal government is introducing mandatory drug tests for students in secondary schools nationwide.
According to the new policy, all newly enrolled secondary school students will be subject to mandatory drug integrity testing at the moment of entry.
The directive is contained in the National Implementation Guidelines Against Drug and Substance Use in Schools in Nigeria for secondary schools.
The guideline outlines a comprehensive framework aimed at reducing the growing prevalence of substance abuse among students and creating safer learning environments across schools nationwide.
According to the document, the policy is designed to “create a conducive environment for teaching and learning in the institutions by reducing the negative effect substance abuse has on the mental health and academic performance of students/learners.”
The guideline states that “all new students/learners shall be subjected to drug tests and other measures approved by the schools/learning centres at the point of entry,” adding that the process must be carried out “in collaboration with approved federal/state health facilities and procedures.”
News
Instagram drops end-to-end encryption for private messages
With E2EE removed, Instagram will now be able to access the contents of direct messages, including text, images, videos, and voice notes.
Users of Instagram will no longer be able to send ultra-private direct messages, after parent company Meta switched off end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for the platform’s messaging service worldwide.
The move marks a major reversal for Meta, which had previously positioned E2EE as the “gold standard” for user privacy.
E2EE ensures that only the sender and recipient can read messages, but it has long been criticised by child safety campaigners who argue it can make it harder to detect abuse and illegal content.
As a result, the decision has been welcomed by child protection groups but strongly criticised by privacy advocates.
With E2EE removed, Instagram will now be able to access the contents of direct messages, including text, images, videos, and voice notes.
No fewer than 16 people have been confirmed dead after an 18-seater passenger bus plunged off a bridge in a horrific accident along the Okene-Osara-Lokoja Road in Kogi State.
The tragic incident occurred in the early hours of Friday in Osara, Adavi Local Government Area.
According to the Kogi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lawal Fagge, two passengers survived the crash but sustained severe injuries and are currently receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.
Fagge, who confirmed the details in a telephone interview with Arise News, attributed the accident to excessive speeding by the driver.
He commended officers from the Zariagi Unit of the FRSC for their swift response, as they promptly rescued the survivors and evacuated the injured to medical facilities.
The bodies of the deceased victims have been recovered and deposited at a morgue in Lokoja.
The latest road tragedy has once again sparked concerns over the rising cases of reckless driving and over-speeding on Nigeria’s major highways.
Road safety authorities are urging motorists to observe speed limits and adhere strictly to traffic regulations to avoid preventable loss of lives.
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