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New Telegraph constitutes board, appoints new editors…

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The Board of Directors of Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited has constituted its board and effected changes in the management of the New Telegraph newspapers. The board in a statement issued on Sunday approved the appointment of Alhaji Idi Farouk, a for-mer Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), as the Chairman of the Board of New Telegraph.

Other board members include a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Solo Akuma; Rev. Emeka Abone; Mr. Olakunle Gidado, Managing Director, BP West Africa, and Managing Director/Editor-in- Chief of New Telegraph, Mrs. Funke Egbemode. Also, as part of efforts to reposition the newspaper, new appointments have been made to the executive management of the paper.

The Daily Editor, Mr. Yemi Ajayi is now the Managing Editor, Business and Strategy while the Deputy Editor, Daily, Mr. Emeka Obasi becomes the Managing Editor, Publication and Operations. The Sunday Editor, Mr. Emeka Madunagu, has been appointed the Managing Editor (South) while the Saturday Editor, Mr. Lawrence Ani, is the Managing Editor, North and Abuja. Also, the board approved the appointments of new editors for New Telegraph titles. Mr. Ayodele Ojo is the Daily Editor while Mr. Geoffrey Ekenna is the Deputy Editor, Daily/ Group Head of Newsroom. Mrs. Juliet Bumah is the new Sunday Editor while Mr. Waheed Bakare takes charge of the Saturday Telegraph. Mr. Felix Nwaneri is the new Group Political Editor. All the appointments take effect from December 1, 2015. Farouk is a former Director General, National Orientation Agency.

He has wide experience in private and public sectors. He was local government chairman and Commissioner for Information, Kaduna State. In 1999, he was appointed as Chief of Staff to Governor Ahmed Makarfi He had served on the board of governing council of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti and Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Limited.

Rev. Abone, a graduate of Business Administration from the University of Nigeria, is the Vice Chairman, First International Group. The board member is an Associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and Institute of Directors, Nigeria.

He began his working career with Oladeji Olagunji & Co., a Lagosbased firm of Chartered Accountants as Trainee Accountant in 1988. Thereafter, he worked with Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc., Ikeja as Assistant Cost Accountant and Universal Trust Bank of Nigeria Limited (UTB) and Fund Tech Finance and Investment Plc. as Head, Finance and Administration, a post he held until his appointment at SLOK Nigeria Ltd in November 1995 as Financial Controller.

Abone has attended numerous trade fairs in Indonesia, Malaysia and China. Akuma (SAN), a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Abia State, is the Managing Solicitor, Soloakuma and Associates. He is a 1985 graduate of Law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He has held several positions in the Body of Benchers, Council of Legal Education and Judicial Panels of Inquiry.

Akuma is the author of “Traversing the Path of Justice.” He is a recipient of the Member of the Order of the Niger (MON). Gidado is the Managing Director and Regional Lead for British Petroleum (BP) Global West Africa. He is responsible for overall leadership of BP IST West African presence and the delivery of BP supply and trading West Africa strategy. Gidado joined BP’s Natural Gas trading business in Houston Texas in 2006 before moving to London to serve as Chief of Staff to BP Global Gas Chief Operating Officer. Before he joined BP, he held senior commercial finance and accounting roles in Texaco Oil international and Cinergy Corp.

He also serves on the board of Nigermed, a BP/NNPC Joint venture in Nigeria. Egbemode, a 1988 graduate of English Studies from Obafemi Awolowo University, joined The Sun in 2007 as Editor-at-Large and was appointed Editor, Sunday Sun in March 2008. Before coming to The Sun, Egbemode had worked in various capacities in the newsrooms of The Punch, THISDAY, The Post Express and Independent Newspapers, where she was the pioneer Saturday Editor. Outside the newsroom, she also served in the public sector as Assistant Chief Press Secretary at the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) and Special Adviser (Media) to former Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Patricia Etteh. She is the author of INTIMATE AFFAIRS and CONVERSATIONS WITH MY COUNTRY.

She is the Vice President (West) of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE). Obasi is a 1985 graduate of History from the University of Benin. He was Diplomatic Correspondent/ Sports Editor, Champion between 1988 and 2004. Obasi was a board member of the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) and Media Adviser to a former state governor.

Ayodele, who until his appointment as Daily Editor, was the Deputy Editor, Daily and Head of Politics of the newspaper. The new Daily Editor, a graduate of Mass Communication and a versatile political reporter, began his career in 1998 with The Independent newspaper in Accra, Ghana. Over the years, Ayodele has worked with several newspapers and magazines in Nigeria functioning as Assistant Editor, Group Political Editor/Deputy Editor (Politics) and Editor. In 2013, he joined New Telegraph from National Mirror where he was the Deputy Editor (Politics). In April 2014, he was the Acting Editor of New Telegraph.

Between 2007 and 2015, Ayodele was Head of Politics of the defunct New Star, National Mirror and New Telegraph. Bakare, the new Saturday Editor, joined the defunct The Comet newspaper in 2000 and moved to The Punch in 2001 where he was Head of Punch Metro (2011), News Editor, Sunday Punch (2013), Feature Editor, Sunday Punch. (2013).

JULIET BUMAH

She is a 1997 graduate of English Language, University of Ilorin (1997). In 2014, he obtained a Master of Art in English Language from the University of Lagos. The new Sunday Editor, Bumah, is a journalist, copyeditor, literary critic and creative writer with over 19 years in the industry. She graduated from the University of Lagos with a BA (Hons) English in 1995 and also got her MA Litt from the same institution in 2000.

In 2002, she became the Art Editor of Daily Times and later edited Hints, a popular romance magazine, in 2008. From Hints, Bumah took her trade to The Punch, as Assistant Editor in charge of Feature and Living Desk in 2008. She was Feature Editor, Saturday Punch in 2011 and was moved to the Copy Desk, later to General News Desk (The Punch) and back to Saturday Punch as Feature Editor. She held that position until 2013 when she took up appointment as the Deputy Editor, Sunday Telegraph.

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EFCC Arrests Edo Accountant General, Julius Anelu, Two Others Over Huge Withdrawals At Close Of Obaseki’s Administration

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As the administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki drags to an end in Edo State, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested the Accountant General of Edo State, Julius Anelu, and two other government officials.

 

The arrested officials were said to be in custody for alleged huge withdrawals from the State’s derivation account.

 

The development comes as Senator Monday Okpebholo, had accused the Obaseki administration “of last-minute borrowings and looting.”

Quoting an impeccable source in the EFCC, PUNCH reports that of N24.6billion paid into the government’s account, but N14billion was left within one week after the money was deposited some weeks back.

 

“We made some arrests of about two to three persons, including the Accountant General of the state. We have been investigating the governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, since 2022 but this latest arrest was as a result of some withdrawals from the state’s derivation account.

 

“The amounts withdrawn were huge sums. For instance, about some weeks ago, N24.6bn was paid into that account. But in less than one week, about N14bn was remaining in the account. To save the state, we had to quickly move. We are not in any way doing that to ground the state activities”, said the source.

 

The EFCC is yet to officially react to the development as of the time of this report.

 

SaharaReporters reported in October that the reinstated deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu raised the alarm over alleged plans by his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki to steal money from the state treasury.

 

Shaibu had made this disclosure in a press briefing in Benin City, saying he had an offer of a financial reward to the tune of N1million to anyone who has information concerning alleged looting of government property as the administration winds down.

 

He had added that he had evidence to back the alleged looting in some quarters and last-minute borrowing from financial institutions.

 

He had also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Department of State Services (DSS) and other relevant agencies to look into the alleged misappropriation of funds meant for projects in the ministry of roads and bridges, ongoing Radisson Hotel project and last-minute appointments by the outgoing administration.

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NAFDAC raises alarm over circulation of fake condom

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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm on the circulation of an unregistered condom called Foula condoms.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the agency said the product, which is usually packed in 3s, was discovered in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital and in Zango, Kastina State.

NAFDAC said the discovery was made by the officials of the post-marketing Surveillance Directorate (PMS) while carrying out a Risk-Based Post Marketing Surveillance study on registered condoms in Nigeria.

It said unregistered condoms pose significant public health risks to users.

RISK

NAFDAC said the condoms are likely to lack the necessary quality and safety checks, leading to a higher likelihood of breakage or leakage, which can increase the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, and contribute to unintended pregnancies.

It said one primary concern is that unregistered condoms may not meet the strict standards for material durability and effectiveness enforced to ensure the condoms’ material strength and integrity, essential for providing reliable protection.

The Foula product is not registered by NAFDAC for use in Nigeria, and according to the agency, it is not labelled in English.

According to NAFDAC, the condom is “a dual-purpose method for both prevention of unintended pregnancy and protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).”

It said: “To be most effective, any barrier method used for contraception or preventing infection must be used correctly.”

“The illegal distribution or sale of unregistered condoms poses a risk as the safety, quality, and efficacy of the products are not guaranteed.”

The agency also said the purchase and use of poor-quality condoms will affect every aspect of condom promotion for the prevention of unintended pregnancy and protection against HIV and other”

“If condoms leak or break, they cannot offer adequate protection,” it said.

DIRECTIVE

NAFDAC said its zonal directors and state coordinators have been instructed to conduct thorough surveillance and remove unregistered products from circulation within their respective zones and states.

The agency also urged traders, healthcare professionals, and consumers to be cautious to prevent the importation, distribution, sale, and use of unauthorised products.

The agency urged that medical products and devices should be sourced exclusively from authorised or licensed suppliers, with careful attention given to verifying each product’s authenticity and physical condition.

“Similarly, healthcare professionals and patients are also encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of medicinal products or devices to the nearest NAFDAC office, or through the use of the e-reporting platforms available on the NAFDAC website.

“Furthermore, note that this notice will be uploaded to the WHO Global Surveillance and Monitoring System (GSMS),” the statement read.

 

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Olufemi Oluyede assumes office as acting Chief of Army Staff

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Major General Olufemi Oluyede has formally taken over as the Acting Chief of Army Staff in a handover ceremony held at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja on Friday.

The Defence Headquarters revealed this in photos from the ceremony shared on X.com.

The caption read, “Formal Taking Over Ceremony of the Acting Chief of Army Staff, Major General OO Oluyede.”

We had earlier reported that Oluyede would assume duties today (Friday).

He was appointed in an acting capacity by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, pending the return of the indisposed substantive COAS, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja.

Until his appointment, Oluyede reportedly served as the 56th Commander of the elite Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army, based in Jaji, Kaduna.

The 56-year-old Oluyede and Lagbaja were coursemates and members of the 39th Regular Course.

Oluyede’s appointment came a few days after the Defence Headquarters stated that the appointment of an acting COAS was not recognised under the Harmonised Armed Forces Act.

However, a notice on Thursday, signed by Group Captain Chris Erondu on behalf of the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, stated that the handover ceremony would be held at the Defence Headquarters conference room at 10 am.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, was among those in attendance at the handover ceremony.

See photos below:

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