President Bola Tinubu has appointed chief executive officers for the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), the Solid Minerals Development Fund/Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Initiative (SMDF/PAGMI), and the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD).
Prof. Abdullahi Yusuf Ribadu, a visiting professor at the NUC, was also appointed by Tinubu as the organisation’s executive secretary.
Ribadu is an expert in veterinary reproduction and was a vice chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Yola, and the Sule Lamido University, Jigawa State.
Tinubu also announced the appointment of Prof. Salisu Shehu as Executive Secretary of the NERDC.
Shehu is a renowned academic in educational and human psychology. He was instrumental in establishing the School of Continuing Education at Bayero University, Kano, and was the vice-chancellor of Al-Istiqamah University, Kano.
Tinubu also appointed Jabiru Salisu Abdullahi Tsauri as the National Coordinator of NEPAD.
Jabilu Tsauri holds a master’s in international affairs and diplomacy from Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, Kaduna State.
He is an administrator with expertise in legislative affairs, global affairs, and democratic governance and vast experience in public service.
Furthermore, the President appointed Yazid Shehu Umar Danfulani as the executive secretary of the SMDF/PAGMI.
Danfulani holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in arts and management from the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom.
He also has experience in banking, computing, and business administration. He once worked at the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and was also a commissioner for commerce and industry in Zamfara State.
The President stated that he believes the appointees’ experience and track record will bring a new sense of commitment, progress, and positive outcomes to fulfil Nigerians’ expectations of their respective organisations.
![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")
