Headlines
Keir Starmer Officially Assumes Duty As UK Prime Minister
Britain’s Head of State, King Charles III, officially appointed Labour leader Keir Starmer as Prime Minister during an audience at Buckingham Palace on Friday.
A photograph released by the Buckingham Palace showed the monarch shaking hands with Starmer, whose party won a landslide election victory. The king earlier accepted the resignation of Conservative leader, Rishi Sunak.
“The King received in audience The Right Honourable Sir Keir Starmer MP today and requested him to form a new Administration,” a palace statement read.
“Sir Keir accepted His Majesty’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.”
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak has apologised to the public after his Conservatives were trounced by Labour in the UK general election, and said he would step down as party leader.
The 44-year-old former financier gambled on going to the country six months before he had to, hoping that better economic data would swing public support back towards the Tories.
But Thursday’s vote indicated that Britons wanted to send a clear message to the party by kicking them out of power after 14 years of economic hardships, Brexit upheaval and Tory infighting.
“To the country, I would like to say first and foremost, I am sorry,” he said outside the Prime Minister’s residence at Downing Street, before heading to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation as prime minister to King Charles III.
“I have given this job my all, but you have sent a clear signal that the government of the United Kingdom must change. And yours is the only judgment that matters.”
“I have heard your anger, your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this loss.”
The scale of the defeat made it inevitable that Sunak — the conservative party’s fifth leader since 2010 — would have to step down as Tory head as well.
But he said that he would stay on in the role until the arrangements are made for an internal leadership contest, which is expected to be a fight for the ideological soul of the party.
Sunak saw a record number of his top ministerial team lose their seats, including defence secretary Grant Shapps and House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt.
His immediate predecessor as Prime Minister, Liz Truss, also lost her seat.
Sunak, an observant Hindu who is Britain’s first Prime Minister of colour — wished his successor Keir Starmer well, calling him “a decent, public-spirited man who I respect”.
“One of the most remarkable things about Britain is just how unremarkable it is that two generations after my grandparents came here with little, I could become prime minister,” he added.
“And that I could watch my two young daughters light Diwali candles on the steps in Downing Street. We must hold true to that idea of who we are,” he added.
President Bola Tinubu has dismissed five ministers from his cabinet and appointed seven new ones as part of a cabinet reshuffle.
The President re-assigned 10 ministers to new portfolios and nominated seven new ministers for Senate confirmation.
He dismissed Uju-Ken Ohanenye as Minister of Women Affairs, Lola Ade-John as Minister of Tourism, Tahir Mamman as Minister of Education, Abdullahi Gwarzo as Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, and Jamila Ibrahim as Minister of Youth Development.
Among the nominees, Tinubu selected Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Nentawe Yilwatda as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, marking the official end of suspended Betta Edu’s tenure.
Other nominees include Maigari Dingyadi for Minister of Labour and Employment, Jumoke Oduwole for Minister of Industry, Idi Maiha for the newly established Ministry of Livestock Development, Yusuf Ata for Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, and Suwaiba Ahmad for Minister of State for Education.
“The appointment of Shehu Dikko as Chairman of the National Sports Commission.
“The appointment of Sunday Akin Dare as Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation working from the Ministry of Information and National Orientation,” the President said.
The President appreciated the outgoing members of the Federal Executive Council for their service to the nation while wishing them the best in their future endeavours.
He then charged the newly appointed ministers and their reassigned colleagues to see their appointment as a call to serve the nation.
Source: Nairametrics
The Federal Government on Wednesday withdrew the money laundering charges preferred against Binance Holdings Limited executive, Tigran Gambaryan.
Binance, its U.S. head of financial crime compliance, Gambaryan, and the exchange British-Kenyan regional manager for Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla, were facing money laundering charges to the tune of $35 million brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were initially both detained in the custody of the office of the National Security Adviser.
Anjarwalla, however, fled lawful custody on March 22, 2024, while his counterpart, Gambaryan, was arraigned in April.
Following his arraignment, the court ordered his remand to Kuje Correctional Facility.
The Senate, on Tuesday, set up an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate allegations of drug trafficking against Senator Oyelola Yisa Ashiru, who represents Kwara South Senatorial District.
The setting up of the investigative committee came after Ashiru raised Order 42 of Senate Rules, which borders on personal explanation, noting that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) accused him of involvement in drug trafficking, which led to the arrest of some of his aides.
Ashiru argued that the allegation against him by NDLEA is baseless and unfounded, stressing that the agency is angry because he contributed to a proposed bill on the establishment of a drug-related agency on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
He urged the Senate to take action on the matter, saying that the allegation was an infringement on his person and his privilege as a sitting senator.
He explained: “Mr. Senate President, I come under Order 42 – personal explanation. My personal explanation is NDLEA’s malicious reaction to my debate on a bill seeking to establish an institute on drug awareness and rehabilitation.
“I expressed my concern on this bill for so many reasons. For the reason that there are a lot of information from my constituency on the negative effect of drug consumption and trafficking to the extent that one of my constituents has ascertained that in the last two years, he can count up to 50 people who have lost their sanity due to consumption of drugs.
“Equally, they are visible examples of drug barons who are making money through distribution of drugs in my constituency and other constituencies too.
“We have observed that there are increase in drug related crime. Because of these and many other reasons, I strongly contributed on the floor of the Senate that the Senate should look into the operation of NDLEA and advise that issue of corruption among operatives should be looked into to the extent that after debate, I supported the establishment of another agency that will take care of rehaibilitation.
“Mr President, I come under Order 42 to clear insinuation published especially by Daily Trust that Senator Ashiru is involved in distribution of drugs. In my life, I am 68 years now, I assert that I cannot even identify cannabis or any drug. Beyond taking water, I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink caffeine, I don’t even take carbonated drinks,” the senator submitted.
