By Francesca Hangeior

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated six Diaspora Nigerians named by President Joe Biden among the 400 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in the United States.

This prestigious recognition, established by former President Bill Clinton in 1996, is the highest honour bestowed by the United States Government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers.

This year’s awardees, announced by President Joe Biden on January 14, 2025, are employed or funded by 14 participating United States Government agencies.
The Nigerian honourees include Azeez Butali, Gilbert Lilly, Professor of Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa, Ijeoma Opara, Associate Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioural Sciences), Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, and Oluwatomi Akindele, Postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Others are Eno Ebong, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biology at Northeastern University; Oluwasanmi Koyejo, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University, and Abidemi Ajiboye, Executive Vice Chair of the Case School of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University.

In a statement, President Tinubu commends the trailblazing Nigerians for their remarkable achievements in science, technology and engineering.

The President notes that recognising the exceptional talents underscores Nigerians’ vast potential to excel both at home and on the global stage.
Signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the statement says the President looks forward to the honourees sharing their multidisciplinary expertise to benefit Nigeria’s development efforts under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

By Francesca Hangeior

Suspended Labour MP Mike Amesbury has admitted to assaulting a man during a late-night dispute in Cheshire.

According to GB News, the Runcorn & Helsby representative pleaded guilty to a charge of assault by beating at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

The incident occurred on Main Street, Frodsham, at 2:48 a.m. on October 26, 2024. Amesbury, 55, punched 45-year-old Paul Fellows during the altercation, which was caught on video and widely circulated on social media.

In the wake of the assault, the Labour Party suspended Amesbury and removed the party whip in late October.

The MP was formally charged on October 29, after prosecutors received evidence of the incident three days earlier.

By Francesca Hangeior

President Bola Tinubu has expressed his condolences to the Lagos State Government and the All Progressives Congress over the death of an elder statesman and former head of service, Akinsanya Ajose.

Ajose, a native of Badagry Local Government Area of the state, died early on Thursday, January 16, 2025, at the age of 78.

He joined the Lagos Civil Service in 1979 and became head of service in 2004. He was a member of the Lagos State Governance Advisory Council.

“He was an astute administrator and dogged civil servant. When I appointed him as the head of the service, he became a rallying point. He had a considerable influence on the workers. He was pivotal in getting the civil service behind our policies and initiatives.

“Even after his tenure as the head of service, we remained very close because of his leadership qualities and because he was an important partner in development,” the President remarked, in a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

While commiserating with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the government, and the people of the state, Tinubu prayed for strength and support for Ajose’s family and the deceased’s eternal rest.

Ajose was born on February 10, 1946, in Badagry. After his primary and secondary education in Nigeria, he went to the United States of America where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and Science from the University of Illinois, Chicago, in 1973.

In 1974, he received a Master’s in Social Science from the Governors State University, United States.