Headlines
Jeff Bezos Dethrones Elon Musk, Regains World Richest Man Position
Jeff Bezos has regained his spot as the planet’s richest person.
The Amazon founder, 60, reclaimed the title after edging out Tesla CEO Elon Musk, 52, by $2 billion, according to the new Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Jeff – whose net worth is currently estimated at $200 billion – last held the top spot of the league table in 2021, and according to CNN, Tesla shares plunged more than seven per cent on Monday (04.03.24).
The outlet added dad-of-10 Elon – who bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 before rebranding it X – has lost nearly $31 billion in the past year, with his net work currently listed at $198 billion.
In contrast, Jeff’s total worth has increased by $23 billion over the past year, according to the Bloomberg index.
Amazon founder Jeff first held the title of world’s richest person in 2017, when he beat 68-year-old Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
Gates now sits at the No. 5 position ($150 billion), while Arnault is third ($197 billion) and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is fourth ($179 billion).
Over the weekend, Bill and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, 39, were at the pre-wedding celebration of the son of another Bloomberg index billionaire Mukesh Ambani, 66, who sits at 11th in the ratings of the globe’s wealthiest individuals with an estimated net worth of $115 billion.
SpaceX founder Elon had been the reigning title-holder in the table since May 2023, when he was placed above luxury goods giant LVMH’s 75-year-old CEO Bernard Arnault.
Jeff and Elon have had a famous years-long rivalry, especially when it comes to their space race with their rocket companies.
Elon’s SpaceX was founded in 2002 – two years after Jeff launched the Blue Origin exploration company.
They have since been in bitter competition to be the first man since 1972 to put humans back on the Moon.
Source: kdhnews.com
The Presidency has dismissed claims that Vice President Kashim Shettima’s recent comments were directed at the political situation in Rivers State or President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s constitutional decisions on the matter.
In a statement on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, the Presidency described the reports as a “gross misrepresentation.”
The statement clarified that Vice President Shettima’s remarks at the public presentation of a book by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), were misconstrued by some online platforms and individuals.
“These reports have distorted the Vice President’s comments in pursuit of a mischievous agenda,” it stated.
“They twisted his account of how the administration of former President Jonathan considered removing him as Borno Governor during the insurgency to falsely link it with current events in Rivers State.”
The Vice President, who spoke at the launch of OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block in Abuja on Thursday, was said to have referenced the past solely to commend Adoke’s professionalism while in office, and to reflect on Nigeria’s constitutional evolution regarding federal and state relations.
“For the avoidance of doubt, President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office. The constitutional measure implemented was a suspension, not an outright removal.
“This action was taken in response to the grave political crisis in Rivers State at the time, with the governor facing a looming impeachment and the State Assembly complex under demolition,” Nkwocha clarified.
The Presidency insisted that the action taken by President Tinubu in declaring a state of emergency and suspending the Governor was fully in line with Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which authorises such measures when there is a breakdown of public order requiring extraordinary intervention.
According to the statement, the President’s proclamation invoking Section 305(2) was subsequently ratified by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the National Assembly, confirming the legitimacy and constitutional propriety of the decision.
“The action of President Tinubu in suspending Mr. Fubara and others from exercising the functions of office averted the governor’s outright removal. To conflate suspension with removal is misleading,” the statement further noted.
Nkwocha also stressed that Vice President Shettima’s comments were delivered extemporaneously and intended to underline the importance of public accountability and historical documentation.
He referenced the Vice President’s mention of past public servants, including Adoke and former Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, to illustrate principled leadership.
“His remarks were not in any way a criticism of President Tinubu’s actions, which the Vice President and the entire administration fully support and stand by without reservation,” the spokesman stated.
The Vice President, the statement added, remains in “loyal concert” with President Tinubu and is committed to implementing all constitutional measures necessary to safeguard democracy and uphold order across the country.
Concluding, the Presidency called on media organisations and political actors to desist from misrepresenting public remarks for sensational or partisan purposes.
“We urge media organisations and political actors to desist from the destructive practice of wrenching statements from context in order to fabricate nonexistent conflicts,” Nkwocha said.
Headlines
Akpabio Relieves Natasha of Committee Chairmanship Position, Appoints Akwa Ibom Senator As Replacement
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has replaced suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora/Non-Governmental Organisations.
In her place, Akpabio named Senator Bassey Aniekun Etim (Akwa Ibom -East).
The Senate President, who made the announcement on the floor in Abuja on Thursday, did not give any reasons.
The committee position had remained vacant since March when the Senate suspended the Kogi-Central Senatorial District lawmaker for six months for flouting the Senate’s rule on the seating arrangement and seat allocation.
The suspended lawmaker, at a point, chaired the Senate Committee on Local Content before Akpabio reassigned her to the Committee on Diaspora/NGO, shortly before she ran into trouble with the Senate over her conduct on seat allocation.
The Supreme Court has affirmed the 2024 governorship election victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo.
In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, the apex court ruled that the appeal lacked merit. It upheld the earlier judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had both declared Okpebholo the validly elected governor.
