The Nigerian Senate has handed a six-month suspension to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.

This decision was made after a majority vote, aligning with the recommendations of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct.

The Senate also voted against reconsidering the suspension until the six-month period elapses or Akpoti-Uduaghan apologizes.

As part of the suspension, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s office will be locked, and she will be barred from accessing the National Assembly’s premises.

Her salaries and those of her legislative aides will also be suspended during this period.

To appeal the suspension, Akpoti-Uduaghan must submit a written apology to the Senate for violating its rules.

Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro endorsed the ethics committee report, stating that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s actions warranted disciplinary action, likening her to “a child” who needs correction.

He said, “As Nigerians, we have a tradition; if you beat your child with the right hand, you draw that child with the left hand.”

The suspension stems from a heated confrontation in the Senate last week, where Akpoti-Uduaghan protested the reassignment of her seat by Akpabio.

She had arrived at the session to find her nameplate removed and her seat reassigned, prompting her to challenge the move and accuse the Senate leadership of marginalizing her voice and attempt to make her invisible.

The Senate has suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months amid the sexual harassment allegation she levied against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions recommended her suspension on Thursday, March 6, 2024.

During the period of the suspension, the committee stated that her salary and security details will be withdrawn.

The committee also recommended that Senator Natasha should not be seen anywhere around the National Assembly during her suspension period.

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension stems from a controversy surrounding her sexual harassment allegation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The dispute began when Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, formally accused Akpabio of misconduct, submitting a petition before the Senate.

[Vanguard]

The crypto market today has made a comeback on its daily chart, with the market cap shooting up 4.89% to reclaim the $3 trillion mark. This bullish move has come ahead of the scheduled Crypto Summit. Despite the moonish numbers, the trade volumes went south by 20.30% since yesterday, highlighting caution among investors. The sentiments being bearish is also evident on the Fear & Greed Index, which stands at 30, cautioning about looming fear in the market.

Bitcoin Price Surges 6.23%

Bitcoin price has made a notable jump of 6.23% since yesterday, to retrieve its $92k milestone. Although the price took a step up, the trading volume dropped to $51.84 billion. BTC price rising up from its 24-hour low of $86,987.02 to current levels around $92k, has instilled faith among short-term traders.

Explore our in-depth Bitcoin Price Prediction 2025, 2026-2030 for insights on BTC’s next big move!

Altcoins Gain Big?

Ethereum price surged by 6.42%, climbing to $2,316.35, while XRP gained 4.02% to hit $2.54. Solana also followed suit, rising 5.52% to $149.98.

Check out our XRP Price Prediction 2025, 2026-2030 to understand XRP’s price trajectory.

Top Gainers

Among the biggest gainers, MOVE recorded an impressive 26.02% jump to $0.4983, followed by ONDO with a gain of +21.94% and Bitcoin Cash with +19.99% price surge. On the losing end, Story IP fell 8.48%, while Mantra OM dipped 1.51%, and XDC Network sank by 0.36%.

Subscribe to us, to stay updated with our daily market insights and in-depth price predictions.

FAQs

ByteDance Ltd., the Chinese technology conglomerate behind TikTok, plans to buy back employee stock at a valuation of approximately $312 billion.

The company is offering U.S. employees about $189.90 per share, according to a person familiar with the transaction.

The figure represents an uptick from the roughly $181 per share offered in a similar buyback six months ago, the individual said, requesting anonymity while discussing internal company matters.

The valuation boost comes despite ongoing uncertainty over TikTok’s future in the United States, where lawmakers continue to scrutinize its ownership and potential national security risks. Nevertheless, investor sentiment toward Chinese technology companies has improved in recent months, spurred in part by the rapid rise of DeepSeek, an artificial intelligence firm that has fueled broader optimism about the sector.

Additionally, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent public support for domestic tech firms has signaled a shift in policy, suggesting that Beijing may offer increased backing to an industry seen as crucial for both economic recovery and technological self-sufficiency. The endorsement has helped lift market perceptions of major players like ByteDance, despite regulatory and geopolitical headwinds.

What to know 

Several of ByteDance’s prominent investors, including SoftBank Group Corp., Fidelity Investments, and T. Rowe Price Group Inc., have adjusted their internal valuations of the company upward, with some exceeding $400 billion, according to reports. ByteDance declined to comment on the latest buyback plan, which was first reported by Reuters.

• The company has conducted similar repurchase programs in previous years, offering employees a means to liquidate their shares in the absence of an initial public offering. Last year, ByteDance set its buyback price at around $180 per share, equating to a $300 billion valuation, up from $268 billion in 2023.
• While TikTok remains ByteDance’s most recognizable global product, the company has also made significant strides in artificial intelligence. Its chatbot, Doubao, has attracted 75 million regular active users, and its vision-understanding model has been touted as 85% more cost-effective than competing technologies.
• These developments position ByteDance as a formidable player in the AI landscape, drawing comparisons to DeepSeek’s recent rise.
• Despite the challenges facing TikTok’s U.S. operations, ByteDance’s growing AI capabilities and increasing investor confidence suggest that the company remains a dominant force in the global tech industry.

Founded by Zhang Yiming, Liang Rubo, and a team of others in 2012, ByteDance developed the video-sharing apps TikTok and Douyin. The company is also the developer of the news platform Toutiao and the video-editing app CapCut.

eb Zhang is one of the richest individuals in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$45.6 billion as of October 2024, according to Forbes, and US$43.1 billion according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index. On November 4, 2021, Zhang stepped down as CEO of ByteDance, completing a leadership handover announced in May 2021,

[Nairametrics]

Some parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, are currently experiencing electricity disruption.

Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, confirmed the outage in a statement on its X account on Thursday.

According to the disco, the areas affected by the outage are Kajah estate, Navy estate, Mararaba Loko, Pyanko, Karshi, Gishiri, Lingu Crescent, Agape Hotel, Zenith Bank, FCDA Quarters, Polaris Bank, and Glov Regional Office.

The company said the power disruption was due to a technical fault on its feeder serving the affected locations.

AEDC said, “We regret to inform you that the power outage is due to a technical fault on the feeder serving these areas.

“Our dedicated technical team is working tirelessly to restore power as quickly aspossible.”

[DailyPost]

Celebrated author Chimamanda Adichie has reaffirmed her commitment to raising her sons with values that promote gender equality and respect for women.

In a recent interview with BBC’s Emma Barnett, Adichie emphasised the importance of shaping future generations and combating toxic masculinity.

“I’m determined to raise good men. I’m thinking about how to make them never feel entitled to women’s bodies,” Adichie stated.

Adichie stressed the need for boys to have positive role models, highlighting the disparity between the availability of strong female figures for young girls and the lack for boys.

She expressed her desire for good men to stand up and serve as role models.

“In general, little girls now have women in public life they can admire. But I don’t think boys have that in the same way. That space is instead occupied by noxious characters and ideas. I wish the good men would stand up,” she said.

The acclaimed author, known for her feminist advocacy through works like “We Should All Be Feminists,” believes that masculinity can evolve to align with equality.

“Culture doesn’t make us, we make culture. We can remake masculinity in a way that is compatible with equality. It can be done,” she asserted.

Adichie also reflected on the impact of motherhood on her life and creativity, admitting that becoming a mother influenced her writing process and led to a creative block.

“I don’t like to use the expression ‘writer’s block’ because I’m superstitious, but it happened when I became pregnant. Something changed, and I don’t think it was just physiological,” she said.

Her latest novel, “Dream Count,” marks her return to fiction after over a decade, tackling themes such as gender, race, and health with “radical honesty.”

[TheNation]

The Rivers State Judiciary has denied reports that the state Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, is set to embark on a year’s leave.

A media report claimed on Wednesday that Amadi announced the one-year leave amid the political crisis in the state.

The report claimed that the purported move is seen as a setback to the rumoured impeachment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of River State.

However, in a statement on Thursday, the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, David Ihua-Maduenyi, described the allegation as misleading, false and baseless.

He said the chief judge neither does not have any plan to embark on leave, advising the public to ignore such reports.

Ihua-Maduenyi stated that the rumoured recess is alien to the judicial officer’s calendar of vacations.

The statement reads, “The Rivers State Judiciary categorically and unequivocally refute this malicious, misleading, false and baseless allegation against the person and the office of the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Hon. Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi (DSSRS).

“For the records, the chief judge did not at any time announce nor intend to announce embarking on any recess or extended recess leave by whatsoever name called, as such leave is alien to the judicial officers calendar of vacations.

“The vacation calendar of judicial officers is of public knowledge, namely: Christmas vacation, Easter vacation and annual vacation.

“The public is hereby advised to utterly disregard this misguided publication aimed at causing ill-will, disaffection, and confusion in the state.”

[Punch]

Nigerian socialite Cubana Chief Priest has replied to actress Tonto Dikeh for seemingly commenting on his ongoing paternity dispute with Hellen Mutimu, a Kenyan lady.

The drama began when Mutimu accused Cubana of fathering her child after a brief encounter in Lagos. She has been calling him out since January, demanding a paternity test.

Dikeh appeared to have waded into the controversy.  In a now-deleted post, the actress questioned “why men are now avoiding paternity tests”.

“I was under the impression that it was women who were supposed to be avoiding DNA tests, so why are men the ones running now? The irony is unreal,” she wrote.

Cubana responded with an Instastory post, accusing Dikeh of sponsoring Mutimu’s claims against him.

The socialite also alleged that Dikeh is motivated by spite, claiming that she is angry because he declined her request for a favor in the past.

“Remember this accusation came first from gistlover and she donated 1 million to her and asked Nigerians to donate too,” he wrote.

“Make it make sense with the gistlover allegations. I have always known it was sponsored, the same way they tried to rope me in that my show was Mohbad’s last show, and I’m a suspect.

“My only crime was you asking me for favors and I declined. You go chase me enter gutter. My marriage is built on a solid rock it can never be like yours blackmailer T, Ceo Gistlover Nigeria limited.”

The film star however fired back at the socialite for saying her earlier post was aimed at him. She added that she has no interest in his personal life.

“I have no interest in your family dynamics,whether they stand on solid ground or not. But let’s not forget that on that same “solid rock,” you fathered a child you’re now running from in Kenya,” the post reads in part.

[TheCable]