Author: David Great

Nigeria, the United States, Britain and 17 other countries on Sunday signed the first detailed international agreement on how to keep artificial intelligence safe from rogue actors, a senior US said as the push for companies to create AI systems that are “secure by design” intensifies. Reuters reports that in a 20-page document, the countries agreed that companies designing and using artificial intelligence need to develop and deploy it in a way that keeps customers and the wider public safe from misuse. The agreement is non-binding and carries mostly general recommendations such as monitoring AI systems for abuse, protecting data from…

President Bola Tinubu has reappointed Mele Kyari, Managing Director of the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) as Group Chief Executive Officer. He also appointed his long standing friend, Pius Akinyelure as the non-executive board chairman in a statement by his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngegale. “In compliance with Section 59 (2) of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of a new Board and Management team for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) with effect from December 1, 2023,” the statement said The constitution of the NNPCL board and management team is the latest…

The UK’s first human case of swine flu strain H1N2, very similar to what has been circulating in pigs, has been detected, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Monday. Routine surveillance in general practitioner (GP) surgeries picked up the case after the person suffered a mild illness. The UKHSA said it is now carrying out contact tracing to prevent further spread of the virus. At this stage, it is unknown how transmissible the strain is or if there could be other cases in the UK. It is too early to say if the strain could have pandemic potential.…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State says it has resolved to challenge the Appeal Court’s ruling, affirming Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the winner of the March 18 governorship election. The Lagos State PDP publicity secretary, Hakeem Amode, disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Monday in Lagos. The party had earlier said that it would review the ruling of the Appellate Court before taking further action on the matter. According to him, justice has not been properly served in the PDP’s governorship candidate, Olajide Adediran’s (Jandor) petitions against Mr Sanwo-Olu’s re-election. “We are challenging the ruling of…

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has overseen the Federal Executive Council to approve the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) $1 billion concessionary loan to support financing the budget and improve foreign exchange supply. Olawale Edun, Nigeria’s Finance Minister disclosed this on Monday after the weekly cabinet meeting. The AfDB loan which comes with an interest rate of 4.2% over 25 years with an eight-year moratorium is one of the many loans taken by the Tinubu administration since the President was sworn-in on May 29, 2023. “(Federal Executive Council) approved a $1 billion concessionary loan for general budget support and to be…

Nigeria on Monday revised its 2024 budget upwards by 1.5 trillion naira to 27.5 trillion naira ($32.76 billion), the Minister of Budget and National Planning Atiku Bagudu said. The most populous Black nation also increased the oil price benchmark and lowered the naira exchange rate assumption. Bagudu told reporters after the Federal Executive Council meeting that the cabinet had revised its oil price assumption up by $4 per barrel to $77.96 and its currency value to 750 naira per dollar, from 700 naira. The minister had last month said the country planned to spend 26.01 trillion naira for its 2024…

President Bola Tinubu on Monday swore in the newly-appointed eight Permanent Secretaries, whose appointments he approved last Friday after they successfully scaled the Federal Civil Service’s selection process. The Permanent Secretaries took their oath of office just before the commencement of this week’s federal executive council meeting, presided over by President Tinubu. The new Permanent Secretaries include: Ndakayo-Aishetu Gogo; Adeoye Ayodeji; Rimi Abba; Bako Odoh; Omachi Omenka; Ahmed Umar; Watti Tinuke; and Ella Agbo. Tinubu vows to grant full university autonomy Also present at the FEC meeting are Vice President Kashim Shettima, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George…

The Police in Lagos state have 32-year-old former sales representative, Bashiru Olatunji, was on Monday dragged before a magistrates’ court in Ikeja, for alleged theft. The defendant is standing trial before Magistrate E. Kubeinje on a one-count charge of stealing. He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. The prosecutor, DSP Kehinde Ajayi, told the court that the defendant committed the offence between January and November at Kosoko Street, Ojodu Berger, Lagos State. Ms Ajayi alleged that the defendant, while still acting as a sales representative to his employer, one Deke Super Store at Ojodu Berger, stole N7,809,000. The money…

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, is scheduled to meet with the heads of aviation agencies in the country over recurring safety issues in the industry. Keyamo will meet the aviation agencies’ heads on Monday in Abuja, according to a statement by the ministry. The agencies include the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Federal Airport Authority Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Tinubu vows to grant full university autonomy The minister will meet with them “to discuss the recent accidents in the sector and will thereafter brief the…

A winter storm has left more than two thousand towns and villages in war-torn Ukraine without power Monday, the government said, piling pressure on the country’s fragile power grid. The energy infrastructure has been targeted systematically by Russian forces, and Kyiv has warned that Moscow is preparing fresh strikes on key facilities this winter. “In total, 2,019 settlements in 16 regions are cut off from the grid,” the interior ministry said. Israel-Hamas War: Biden calls for extension of truce as over 150 hostages get freedom In the southern city of Odesa, which has been subjected to repeated Russian strikes, authorities…