By Okey Maduforo Awka

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the promotion of the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Livingstein Ikioye Orutugu, alongside 12 other Commissioners of Police, to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG).

The Commission also approved the promotion of 17 Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) to the substantive rank of Commissioner of Police (CP).

In addition, the PSC approved the promotion of 93 senior police officers to their next ranks following their successful performance in the recently concluded written examination and oral interview conducted at the Commission’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja.

The approvals were granted on July 1, 2026, at the PSC Corporate Headquarters in Abuja as one of the major resolutions reached during the Commission’s plenary meeting held the previous Wednesday.

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Recall that CP Orutugu was appointed Police Commissioner and posted to Anambra state from the Zone 13 Police Command more than a year ago.

The Chairman of the Commission, DIG Hashimu Salihu Argungu (Rtd.), mni, while congratulating the promoted officers, urged them to remain truthful, transparent, and accountable in the discharge of their new responsibilities.

He further advised the officers to maintain the highest level of professionalism in the course of their duties, avoid involvement in civil disputes, particularly land-related matters, and remain mindful that there is life after retirement.
“Guard your reputation and integrity. Let your actions speak for you and not against you,” he said.

A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has commended President Bola Tinubu for retaining His Excellency Kashim Shettima as Vice President for his second term.

Okechukwu, who is the former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), gave the commendation in a statement issued on Saturday in Enugu.

The APC Chieftain also advocated for the delegation of greater responsibilities to Shettima in overseeing the nation’s economic affairs.

Okechukwu said he was delighted that after all the speculation, rigmarole and political maneuvering surrounding the issue, President Tinubu graciously retained Vice President Shettima.

“May I commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for graciously retaining His Excellency Kashim Shettima as Vice President and humbly request that more powers be delegated to him to oversee economic affairs.

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“I am making this humble appeal based on the fact that the economic reforms of President Tinubu have yielded significant gains at the macroeconomic stability level.

“However, hunger and poverty remain pressing challenges, which invariably require the urgent delegation of greater economic responsibilities to the Vice President, given his background in rural development and economic management,” Okechukwu said

The APC Chieftain recalled that the International Monetary Fund (IMF), godfather of neoliberalism and leading advocate of neoliberal economic policies, noted in its 2026 Article IV Consultation on Nigeria that the country requires more inclusive growth.

He quoted IMF as saying “approximately 63 per cent of Nigerians now live below the national poverty line”.

Okechukwu stressed that while the President’s economic reforms had improved key macroeconomic indicators, greater attention must be directed toward translating those gains into tangible improvements in the living standards of ordinary Nigerians.

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“Shettima’s academic background in Agricultural Economics, experience in banking, and record in public service place him in a strong position to support efforts aimed at reducing poverty, promoting rural development, and ensuring that economic growth becomes more inclusive,” he added.

A Catholic priest from Nigeria who was on a pastoral mission to the United States of America has taken his own life after the expiration of his visa and following prevailing new visa policy of the USA.

Reverend Father Benjamin Okwy Madu (Father Ben) as he was fondly called by his parishioners, aged 54, took his own life Thursday evening, July 2, 2026 after he reportedly expressed unwillingness to go back to Nigeria because he had fallen in love with the community of Cape Ann, the city of North Shore including the parishioners.

Boston Archbishop Richard G. Henning sent a message to fellow priests confirming that Father Ben took his own life.

Local law enforcement and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office investigated the scene and noted that no foul play was suspected.

“Sincerely, it is not my wish to return home right now, but circumstances beyond my control have warranted that my time in the United States come to an end,” Father Ben wrote.

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“My heart is broken, yet my joy remains. I will miss the home I found away from home… I will deeply miss the seaside, where I often drive to after Mass to call my family and hear about their Sundays.” he was reported to have posted a farewell message on the parish newsletter.

Father Ben, a 54-year-old Nigerian national from the Diocese of Abakaliki, had been serving as a beloved hospital chaplain and parish priest on the North Shore of Massachusetts since 2021.

His R-1 religious worker visa was expiring, and he was ordered to return to Nigeria. Just days before his death.

The Boston Globe reported that he had expressed deep fears about what would happen to him upon returning to Nigeria, where clergy frequently face severe perils, including violence and kidnapping

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