News
Sanusi Remains Suspended as CBN Chief- Court

Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, suspended governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday, lost his bid to return to office as the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja declined to set aside his suspension by President Goodluck Jonathan.
The court, in its 84-page judgment, said it was bereft of the jurisdiction to reinstate the ousted CBN Governor, stressing that the nature of his suit bothered on a dispute between an employer and his employee, which it said only the National Industrial Court, NIC, has the statutory powers to adjudicate on.
However, before referring the case to the NIC, presiding Justice Gabriel Kolawole described as baseless Sanusi’s claim that he was not an employee of the Federal Government but that of the CBN.
He ruled: “When I read through the arguments of the plaintiff, I then asked myself, so whose employee is he?
“It is not in dispute that the CBN is an agency of the Federal Government and a statutory body created by the National Assembly.
“The appointment of the plaintiff was made in line with the CBN Act.
“By this, the plaintiff qualifies as a public officer in the public service of the federation. Therefore, the plaintiff’s appointment cannot be equated with that of specific public officers like judicial officers as he has argued.
“His appointment was not categorically captured in the constitution. Even at that, in the case of such judicial officers, the National Judicial Council, NJC, would have been joined as a necessary defendant.
“Going through the entire process, I asked myself again, why were the CBN and its acting governor, Dr. Sarah Alade, who the plaintiff contended was illegally appointed, not joined as necessary parties in the suit?”
Justice Kolawole noted that the non-joinder of the acting CBN governor would ordinarily have affected the outcome of the suit, saying the court would not have granted a relief that would adversely affect a party not before it.
Waving aside Sanusi’s argument that only a two third majority vote by the Senate could remove him from office, the court maintained that the fact that the plaintiff’s appointment was approved by the Senate did not make the National Assembly his employer.
It added that the Senate merely discharged its oversight function in line with the doctrine of separation of powers.
Nevertheless, Justice Kolawole held that Sanusi was able to establish a cause of action against President Jonathan and the Attorney General of the Federation, who were listed as 1st and 2nd defendants, respectively, in the suit.
The court, however, struck out the name of the Inspector General of Police on the premise that there was no cause of action against him.
He ruled: “In the final analysis, this court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter. All employees of the Federal Government can only litigate their matters which relates to employment at the NIC.
He said: “In line with Section 24(3) of the National Industrial Court, Act 2006, I hereby order a transfer of this case to the NIC.
“Therefore, it will be inappropriate for me to deal on the plaintiff’s suit on its merit, as doing so will be prejudicial to both the parties and the NIC. There will be no order as to cost.”
It will be recalled that Sanusi, who was ousted from office on February 20, went to court to challenge the powers of President Jonathan to suspend him on the basis of a report by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, FRCN, which indicted him of “financial recklessness and misconduct”.
News
TikTok Returns on Apple, Google US App Stores as Trump Delays Ban

TikTok returned to the U.S. app stores of Apple and Google on Thursday as President Donald Trump delayed a ban on the Chinese-owned social media app and assured the tech giants they would not be fined for distributing or maintaining it.
The popular short video app used by nearly half of all Americans went dark briefly last month, before a law took effect on January 19 that requires its Chinese owner ByteDance either to sell it on national security grounds or face a ban.
The following day, Trump signed an executive order seeking to delay the enforcement of the ban by 75 days, allowing TikTok to continue its operations in the U.S. temporarily.
Although TikTok resumed service after Trump’s assurances, Google and Apple kept the app removed from their U.S. app stores.
TikTok, the second-most downloaded app in the U.S. last year, said on Thursday that its latest app was now available for download.
The delay could have been because Google and Apple were awaiting assurances that they would not be prosecuted for hosting or distributing the app, according to analysts.
Trump’s directive said the companies, which run mobile application stores or digital marketplaces where users can browse, download and update apps, would not face penalties for keeping the TikTok app up and running.
TikTok had more than 52 million downloads in 2024, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
About 52% of its total downloads were from Apple App Store, while 48% were from Google Play in the U.S. last year, Sensor Tower said.
The law that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. assets or ultimately face a ban was signed by then President Joe Biden last April, triggered by national security concerns and fears that China could use the video-sharing app to spy on American users.
The U.S. has never banned a major social media platform and the law that passed last year gives the government sweeping authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps. Trump said on Thursday that his 75-day deadline on TikTok could be extended.
The turmoil at TikTok attracted several potential buyers, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, who have expressed interest in the fast-growing business that analysts estimate could be worth as much as $50 billion.
Trump has said that he was in talks with multiple people over TikTok’s purchase and would likely have a decision on the app’s future in February.
News
FG Order MDAs to Close Commercial Banks’ Accounts, Enforce TSA Policy

Federal government has directed all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) operating in states to close their accounts with commercial banks and fully comply with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy.

Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, accountant-general of the Federation,
The directive was issued by Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, accountant-general of the Federation, during a working visit to the Federal Pay Office in Benin, Edo State.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Thursday by Bawa Mokwa, director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to the TSA policy, Madein warned that no MDA should operate accounts with commercial banks unless expressly approved by the President and officially communicated by her office.
The statement reads:
“While reiterating the Federal Government’s commitment to the Treasury Single Account policy, the Accountant-General of the Federation urged the Federal Pay Officers to monitor and ensure that Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in the States do not operate any account with the commercial banks or circumvent any provision of the TSA policy.”
She further stressed that any exceptions must follow strict guidelines, requiring presidential approval and formal communication from the Office of the Accountant-General.
Madein also tasked Federal Pay Officers (FPOs) with ensuring compliance, upholding transparency, and maintaining professionalism in their financial operations.
She warned against actions that could undermine the integrity of the Federal Treasury and emphasized the need for accurate financial record-keeping.
As part of ongoing reforms, she revealed that the Federal Government is constructing new Federal Pay Offices in some states to address infrastructure and operational challenges.
She assured that her office remains committed to the welfare of its personnel while enforcing compliance with financial regulations, including the Public Procurement Act and the Constitution.
Her visit to the Benin Federal Pay Office was part of a nationwide tour to assess the operations and challenges of Federal Pay Offices across the country.
News
NBRDA Investigates Biocatalysts for Bioethanol Production

National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) is investigating the development of biocatalysts from underutilised bioresources through its Young Researchers Forum (YRF) research group for bioethanol production.
Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, director general, NBRDA sated this in an interview conducted in Abuja on Wednesday
Biocatalysts, which can be either bacteria or enzymes, are biological entities that accelerate chemical reactions.
An alcohol-based fuel derived from renewable resources such as plants and algae is called bioethanol. It can be blended with petrol or used in place of it to cut down on petroleum use.
He asserted that bioethanol is crucial and that Nigeria has the means to fully investigate its possibilities, noting that the production of bioethanol will be helpful in setting up bioethanol plants.
“However, the catalyst for the fermentation of sugar to produce ethanol is what we are after, and we have it locally.
“When we isolate the biocatalyst, it is going to be useful in helping to establish a bioethanol factory, which will function very well due to our varying weather conditions,’’ he said.
Bioethanol has similar uses to fuels used to generate other classes of energy like heat, motor power, transportation, and electricity, the NBRDA chief added.
According to him, bioethanol is the most widely used biofuel in modern civilisation, and the process of turning biomass into bioethanol is receiving a lot of attention.
“Biological energies are renewable fuels with minimal pollution and play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas pollution, and one of them is bioethanol, which is obtained from fermentation operations.
“The world’s attention to the use of bioethanol as an energy source is focused on reducing the cost of production and increasing the efficiency of the ethanol industry.
“By consuming ethanol fuel instead of fossil fuels, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions known to be the cause of global warming will be somehow reduced,’’ Mustapha said.
According to the D-G, the creation of the Young Researchers Forum (YRF) demonstrates the agency’s efforts to support nation-building.
He added that young biotech innovators chosen from across the agency’s departments will use the conference as a training ground and launching pad.
The YRF, according to Mustapha, was a manifestation of his wish to establish an institutional framework for mentoring that would close generational divides.
He stated that one of the projects the YRF would concentrate on was the development of biocatalysts for the manufacture of bioethanol.
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