President Bola Tinubu has approved Ismael Ahmed’s appointment as the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, PCNGi.
The PCNGi, according to a release, is an important component of the administration’s post-subsidy palliative care programme.
The appointment was announced on Friday in an official State House press release signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Advisor to the President on Information and Strategy.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Barrister Ismael Ahmed as the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi),” the statement read.
The PCNGi was established as a strategic response to the withdrawal of gasoline subsidies, with the goal of increasing Nigerians’ access to cleaner, cheaper energy choices. As Executive Chairman, Ahmed is responsible for overseeing the initiative’s nationwide activities.
“Ahmed will coordinate the operations of the presidential initiative, which is designed to alleviate the effects of removing fuel subsidies by offering cheaper, more affordable, and cleaner energy options,” Onanuga stated.
Ahmed, 45, earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Abuja (2005) and was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 2006.
He later received a master’s degree in international relations, communications, and diplomacy from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2008.
He formerly worked as former President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on the National Social Investment Programme from 2018 to 2022, according to the statement.
“The PCNGi is a component of the Tinubu administration’s palliative intervention programme,” the statement emphasised.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
