President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the names of members of the inaugural Governing Board of the North West Development Commission (NWDC) to the Senate for confirmation.
This was announced in a statement on Saturday signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy.
According to the statement, the nomination follows Tinubu’s signing of the North West Development Commission Bill into law on July 24, marking a crucial milestone in the Commission’s establishment.
Tinubu nominated ambassador Haruna Ginsau (Jigawa) as Chairman of the Commission and Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji (Kano) as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission.
Other members of the board include Dr. Yahaya Umar Namahe (Sokoto), Hon. Aminu Suleiman (Kebbi), Sen. Tijani Yahaya Kaura (Zamfara), Hon. Abdulkadir S. Usman (Kaduna), Hon. Engr. Muhammad Ali Wudil (Kano), Shamsu Sule (Katsina), and Nasidi Ali (Jigawa).
The statement also adds that “the nominated board members are expected to contribute their wealth of experience and expertise to the Commission’s mandate of developing the North-West region.
“The NWDC will focus on catalysing significant growth, economic empowerment, and social development in the region.
“President Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to supporting the NWDC in its mission to bring sustainable development to the North West is steadfast.”
![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")
