President Bola Tinubu has authorized the appointment of Mr. Olatunji Bello as the new Chief Executive Officer/Executive Vice-Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).

According to a statement by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, the appointment is contingent upon Senate confirmation.

Mr. Bello brings a wealth of experience as a lawyer, administrator, and distinguished journalist to his new role.

He previously served as the Secretary to the Lagos State Government and holds a Master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos.

Additionally, he obtained his Law degree from the same institution and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002.

The statement partly reads “the President expects that the new Chief Executive Officer of this important agency will ensure the holistic realization of the Commission’s mandate of protecting and promoting the interest and welfare of Nigerian consumers, and ensuring the adoption of measures to guarantee the safety and quality of goods and services.”

Mr. Olatunji Bello, whose journalism career commenced at Concord Newspapers in 1985, has held significant editorial roles including Group Political Editor, Sunday Concord Editor, and Editor of National Concord.

In addition to his journalistic achievements, Mr. Bello has served as Commissioner for Environment under multiple administrations in Lagos State.

Bandits have tragically killed Professor Yusuf Saidu, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research, Innovation, and Development at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS).

The university confirmed the incident in a statement released on Monday, revealing that Professor Saidu was attacked while traveling from Sokoto State to Kaduna State.

The university described his death as a significant loss, praising his integrity, religious devotion, dedication, and courage.

The statement reads “The death has occurred of Prof. Yusuf Saidu, the current Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research, Innovation, and Development at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

“He was attacked and killed by bandits on his way to Kaduna from Sokoto State. A man of integrity, religion, dedication, and courage.”

The university community has been plunged into deep mourning over the loss of Professor Saidu.

In their statement, they prayed for the repose of his soul and extended their condolences to his family and colleagues.

It added “May Allah accept his soul and forgive his sins. This is a painful loss to all members of the University community and the academia at large.”

Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has accused the Muhammadu Buhari administration of mismanaging the first $100 million tranche of a $500 million World Bank loan intended for women’s empowerment in Nigeria.

She voiced these concerns during an appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Monday, alleging that the funds allocated for the ‘Nigeria For Women Project’ were not utilized according to the project’s objectives.

According to report, the women’s project represents a strategic collaboration between the World Bank and the Nigerian Government aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of Nigerian women.

In a statement, the World Bank described the loan as a scale-up financing initiative for the women’s project, which received initial approval on June 27, 2018, with funding amounting to $100 million.

During her interview, Minister Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye criticized the Buhari administration for its management of the disbursed $100 million, alleging that the expenditure did not align with the governance goals outlined in the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The minister also mentioned that a revised structure has been submitted to the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, for restructuring, paving the way for the commencement of fund disbursement.

She said, “About the Nigeria For Women Project, let me first tell Nigerian women to clap for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who came in after the first $100 million had been expended. When he came into the office, he looked at it with me and we were not satisfied with how the money was used. Let me make it clear, this is not a grant, it is a loan and when monies are given out as loans, they must be managed well so that the money can be paid back. if we don’t manage it well, how do we pay back the loan?

“When money is a loan, we expect whoever is given the loan to be allowed to utilise it properly in a way that the money will be paid back, so Nigeria will not continue owing all the time. So, the first $ 100 million, when I came in, I was not satisfied.

“It didn’t augur well with the Renewed Hope agenda. It was mainly for advocacy, meetings, and consultancy, and that was it and they shared it among the states. But remember, the project is called Nigeria For Women Project. It is supposed to be meant for projects for women, but that was not the case.”

“Fortunately, I quickly raised a new structure on how that money will be utilised so there won’t be more issues of advocacy, meetings and consultancy, which to me is a way of lavishing the money. So we took a new structure to him (Tinubu), he looked at it and he signed a memo, approving it for restructure.

“I quickly wrote to the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and I’m waiting for the new template to be restructured because Nigerian women are concerned, and we can work with the old structure.

“The former structure was there and women continued suffering. $500million is not a small amount of money, and I can assure you that it can change the lives of every woman who is vulnerable in this country, and I have planned myself from the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, awaiting the new structure.

“What did I do? I created a portal, and we have started onboarding women from the communities we partner with all the traditional rulers and commissioners across the nation and they have started onboarding the vulnerable women from communities.”