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By Iheanyi Chukwudi The newly constituted board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has been officially inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu. At the inauguration on Thursday at the State House in Abuja, President Tinubu announced the appointment of Bayo Ojulari as Group Chief Executive Officer and Ahmadu Musa Kida as Non-Executive Chairman. The 11-member board has distinguished professionals from across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, combining extensive industry expertise with balanced regional representation. They included Adedapo Segun and Bello Rabiu representing the North West, Yusuf Usman for the North East, and Babs Omotowa, a former Managing Director of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), representing the North Central region. Austin Avuru serves as Non-Executive Director for the South-South, while David Ige and Henry Obih represent the South-West and South-East respectively. Mrs. Lydia Shehu Jafiya, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will serve on the board as the ministry’s representative, with Aminu Said Ahmed representing the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. All appointments are effective retroactively from April 2, 2025. Their swearing-in took place in the President’s office shortly before he departed for the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Summit at the Banquet Hall. Prominent government officials present at the event included the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; and the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.

By Madu Obi The Anambra State Police command has arrested six suspected criminals and declared manhunt for another person it described as a notorious criminal and gunrunner known as ‘Kiss Me’. They were said to be terrorizing Oko Community in Orumba North local government area of the state. The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Tochukwu Ikenga said that one English pistol and vandalized electric cables were recovered during the raid on their hideout According to him, the operation was carried out by a joint security team comprising the Police and operatives of the Anambra State Vigilante. A statement by the PPRO said: "The security team has sustained its offensive in the area, arrested six suspects over armed robbery and vandalism in Oko community and environs. "The operatives have also declared a manhunt for a notorious cultist and gunrunner known as *Kiss me*. They have also recovered one English pistol and vandalized electric cables in separate operations in the area. Two suspects namely: Anagor Chinedu, 25 years and Anagor Rapuluchukwu, 23 years, were arrested at Ifite village, Oko and one English Beretta pistol was recovered. The suspects confessed to being members of beggars' confraternity and mentioned their armourer as ‘kiss me’. Meanwhile, the operatives have launched a manhunt operation aimed at dislodging the criminal group." Ikenga said that in another development, the operatives responded swiftly to a distress call of some miscreants sighted vandalizing electrical wires at the permanent site of the Federal Polytechnic Oko and arrested four suspects: Chukwuka Usulor, Chukwuemeka Michael, Ikenna Oke and Ebuka Okeke. He said the operatives recovered assorted quantities of cable wires.

By Iheanyi Chukwudi The National Universities Commission (NUC), has granted the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) full accreditations for it's programmes in law, engineering, sciences and other fields. This was even as the Vice Chancellor, Prof Aloysius Michaels-Okolie, has commended the state Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, for committing huge resources in the education sector, stating that the commitment helped to equip the state university with modern learning facilities. Confirmation of the accreditations was contained in a letter addressed to the ESUT Vice Chancellor, Prof Michaels-Okolie, by the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu. NUC's letter expressed the Commission’s satisfaction with ESUT’s adherence to academic standards and its ability to provide quality education. The letter showed that faculties that were fully accredited following its October/November 2024 accreditation of academic programmes in Nigerian universities included the Faculties of Law, Engineering, Sciences, Environmental Science, Education and Administration. Reacting to the development, the Vice Chancellor said the result of the accreditations was a testament to the institution’s resilience and commitment to academic excellence, and its determination to producing high-quality competitive graduates that will fit into the emerging global market where technology and innovation are driving the space. Prof. Michaels-Okolie also attributed the accreditation to the Governor’s deliberate efforts and support for education in the State, pointing that Enugu State was the highest spender in education in the country. He said, “Governor Mbah is a pivotal force playing a major role and acting as an instrument and catalyst for transforming ESUT into a premier university of science and technology in Africa. The Governor’s intervention has enabled our institution to access the necessary resources and infrastructure to deliver quality education." The varsity boss extolled the governor for his leadership’s programmes for the youths aimed at improving human capital development, wealth creation and eradication of poverty in the state. He explained that the recent review in the university’s fees was not designed to serve as punitive measure or as school fees increment, but was merely adjusted to reflect the demands of economic realities and the hyper-inflation in the country. Furthermore, he called on students and parents to eschew misinformation about the ongoing interest-free students loan by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), stressing that the loan was meant for all students of federal and state tertiary institutions, including those in the South East.