President Bola Tinubu arrived in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital, on Friday to participate in the 2024 Special World Economic Forum on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development.

This begins the second leg of his two-nation tour following his engagements in The Hague, Netherlands, since Wednesday.
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Over 1,000 leaders from business, government, and academia from more than 90 countries are expected to attend the high-level forum in Riyadh, which is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. ⁣⁣

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Talks would centre around actions taken since the inaugural Growth Summit held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2023. ⁣⁣
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“Tinubu and his entourage will use the opportunity of the gathering to discuss his renewed hope agenda for the country,” the President’s spokesperson, Mr Ajuri Ngelale, revealed in a statement he signed last Monday. ⁣⁣
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In Riyadh, the leaders are expected to address pressing global challenges across three main themes: revitalising global collaboration, fostering inclusive growth and catalysing action on energy for development.⁣⁣

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According to the SWEF concept note, the event serves as a platform to “bridge the growing North-South divide exacerbated by emerging economic policies, the energy transition and geopolitical shocks.”⁣⁣
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The two-day visit is Tinubu’s second in five months to the Gulf nation.⁣⁣
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Saudi Arabia has become his 19th foreign destination since assuming office 11 months ago.⁣⁣
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So far, he has visited Paris, France (thrice); London, the United Kingdom; Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (twice); Nairobi, Kenya; Porto Norvo, Benin Republic; New Delhi, India; Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; New York, the United States of America; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Berlin, Germany; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dakar, Senegal; Doha, Qatar and The Hague, The Netherlands.

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr. Innocent Barikor as the Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency.

He also appointed Ebitimi Amgbare as the Managing Director/CEO of the Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority.

The Presidency announced the appointments on Friday in a statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, titled ‘President Tinubu appoints chief executive officers of two agencies.’

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Barikor is an academic, politician and former Rivers State House of Assembly member from 2011 to 2015.

He succeeds Prof. Aliyu Jauro, who former President Muhammadu Buhari first appointed in February 2019.

In February 2023, Buhari reappointed Jauro for another four-year tenure to elapse in 2027.

Meanwhile, Amgbare is a retired naval officer and former commissioner in Bayelsa State.

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He succeeds Dr. Adeniyi Aremu, whom Buhari first appointed in January 2017. Aremu was reappointed for another four-year tenure in January 2021.

The President said he expects the new heads of these important agencies to “discharge their duties with utmost fidelity to the nation and unfailing adherence to the highest standards of professionalism, accountability, and excellent service to the people of Nigeria.”

The outgoing Vice Chancellor, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) in Bauchi State, Prof. Muhammad AbdulAziz has advocated that drug test should also be administered on lecturers and not only the students.

AbdulAziz stated this in Bauchi on Friday during the handing over ceremony while delivering his valedictory speech to the Senate of the University.

According to him, this would further sanitise the university system and promote sanctity as well as academic excellence.

“We have discussed with the Federal Ministry of Education and they want to introduce to all universities that before any student would be registered in the universities, he must undergo drug tests.

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“As such, if students would undergo drug tests, I felt that even some of us, the staff, need to undergo this drug test so that we know our status because we can not be asking our students to go for a drug test whereas we are not conducting the test.

“We also have to volunteer to have this test done to us because we have to sanitize the university. The character is very important for all of us

“If the students are to be subjected to drug tests to determine their mental health status, nothing is wrong if the lecturers too are subjected to the same test. That is the only way to check excesses in the University system,” he said.

He said that the modest achievements recorded in the areas of infrastructural development, academic content development and community services during his tenure could not have been possible without the support of all stakeholders in the system.

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He appreciated the federal government for the support rendered to the University through the Federal Ministry of Education and its various agencies like the National Universities Commission and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

Also speaking, the Acting Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Sani Kunya, said that the handing over marked the beginning of the responsibility the Senate of the institution bestowed on him.

He expressed gratitude to the Senate of the University for finding him worthy of the honour and to the Federal Government of Nigeria for the confirmation.

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“I want to assure you that your valuable confidence in me will not be disappointing.

“I shall do everything within my capability to build on the legacies of my predecessors in terms of maintaining and improving academic excellence,” he assured.