TENSIONS flared at the National Assembly on Tuesday as the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Baro Inland Port project summoned top officials from the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to explain why the multi-billion-naira facility, commissioned in 2019, remains idle. News Point Nigeria reports that at the centre of the probe is the continued dormancy of the Baro Port in Niger State, despite reported investments exceeding ₦5 billion. Lawmakers described the project as “a potential scandal,” demanding full disclosure of contract details, disbursements, and proof of value delivered. “Let’s stop playing games,” said committee chairman Saidu…
Author: Hamza Rufai
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FORMER lawmaker, Senator Dino Melaye, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing the party’s inability to rescue Nigeria from what he described as “prevailing political cankerworms”. Melaye, a former senator for Kogi West, made this known on Thursday via a post on his official X handle, where he shared a signed resignation letter addressed to the PDP chairman in Ward 1, Aiyetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. In the letter dated July 4, 2025, Melaye said the decision became “imperative due to the lack of potency and capacity by the party to deliver the Nigerian…
THE Federal Government on Wednesday announced a 50 per cent increase in scholarship grants to Nigerian students across all tertiary levels. It said the “landmark reform of Nigeria’s national scholarship programme, its most ambitious overhaul in more than a decade,” was aimed at easing the financial burden on students and families, while enhancing access to quality education for all. The Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, who announced this in a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter), said the decision was in line with the government’s unwavering commitment to building a more inclusive and knowledge-driven nation. Alausa said, “Through the…
THE Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has temporarily suspended all foreign training programmes, citing the surging costs of overseas education, fluctuating foreign exchange rates, and the troubling trend of Nigerian scholars absconding while abroad. Announcing the decision during the commissioning of five landmark projects at Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU), the Chairman of TETFund’s Board of Trustees and former Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, explained that the decision was driven by a commitment to prioritise more impactful, home-based academic interventions. “Due to high foreign exchange rates and the rising cost of overseas training as well as the unfortunate trend…
THE Forum of Former ANPP Members has issued a sharp rebuttal to statements made by Mr. Vitalis Ajumbe, describing his recent press comments as “false, misleading, and politically toxic.” The group accused Ajumbe of stoking unnecessary tension within the All Progressives Congress (APC) and misrepresenting both history and party loyalty. In a joint statement signed by Umar Dauda Duhu, Ph.D., Forum Chairman, and Hon. Rasaq Folorunso, Secretary, the Forum categorically disassociated itself from Ajumbe’s claims made during a media engagement in Abuja, where he allegedly said that former members of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) would exit the…
THE Nigerian Senate has issued a three-week ultimatum to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to clarify glaring discrepancies amounting to a staggering ₦210 trillion in its audited financial records, spanning a seven-year period between 2017 and 2023. News Point Nigeria reports that the directive was given by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday during a public hearing held at the National Assembly in Abuja. The lawmakers, visibly concerned by what they described as “alarming and unverifiable” figures, demanded a comprehensive, reconciled explanation from the company within 21 days. At the center of the controversy are questionable…
THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended the appointment of Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, as its new national chairman, amid widespread criticism and concern from opposition parties over his previous role with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). News Point Nigeria reports that Yilwatda’s emergence was ratified during the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the ruling party, held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday, July 24, 2025. He replaces former chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who stepped down on health grounds. The former academic, who once lectured engineering at the Federal…
AN escalating humanitarian crisis has claimed the lives of at least 652 severely malnourished children in northern Nigeria within the first half of 2025, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Friday. The international medical charity warned that the malnutrition emergency in the region has grown far worse than anticipated, driven by drastic cuts in foreign aid, rising insecurity, and crippling economic conditions. “Northern Nigeria is currently facing an alarming malnutrition crisis. Unfortunately, 652 children have already died in our facilities since the beginning of the year due to lack of timely access to care,” MSF said in a statement. MSF…
THE National Executive Council meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has ended, with the party fixing its national elective convention for November 2025. At the meeting which held in Abuja on Thursday, the party fixed November 15 and 16, 2025 for the convention in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. “NEC approved the year 2025 Elective National Convention Schedule of Activities and Timetable. Under the approved Timetable, the Elective National Convention to elect the next set of National Officers of our Party will hold on Saturday, 15th to Sunday, 16th November, 2025 in Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital, a communique…
THE Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC), has approved the elevation of 57 legal practitioners to the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). At its 169th plenary session held today in Abuja, the LPPC, under the distinguished Chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, approved the elevation of 56 advocate appointees and a single appointee under the academic category. Only two female legal practitioners were conferred with the rank this year; they are the Chairman of the NBA 2024 Annual General Conference Planning Committee, Mrs Oyinkan Badejo-Okusanya and Mrs Chinyere Ekene Moneme. Other names on the…
THE House of Representatives has commenced its annual recess, adjourning legislative activities till September 23. The motion to proceed on the two-month break was moved, seconded, and unanimously adopted by members during plenary. Speaker Abbas Tajudeen announced the decision during the closing session on Wednesday, July 23, at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja. This customary break, a regular feature of the National Assembly’s legislative calendar, allows lawmakers to dedicate time to constituency activities, oversight functions, and personal engagements. Speaker Abbas encouraged members to utilise the period to reconnect with their constituents, address local concerns, and monitor ongoing federal projects…
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should zone its presidential ticket to the South in 2027 in the spirit of equity, fairplay and justice, one of the founding fathers of the party Prof. Jerry Gana said yesterday. He also said that for the opposition party to grow, emphasis should be on youth inclusion. Gana, a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT), spoke on why the party should return to the vision of the founding fathers during the Consultative Conference held at the Nigeria Airforce Conference Center in Abuja. Party elders were locked in sober reflection on the fate and future…
THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has once again reduced the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS), lowering it from N895 to N890 per litre, marking the second reduction within one week. News Point Nigeria reports that the fuel stations operated by NNPCL across Kubwa Expressway, Gwarimpa, and Wuse Zone 4 in Abuja have already adjusted their pumps to reflect the new rate. This price drop comes shortly after an earlier adjustment last week, signaling a possible trend of marginal reductions as part of broader market shifts. In a competitive move, retail partners of Dangote Refinery including AP…
THE Senate on Wednesday formally received four lawmakers who have defected from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), further strengthening the party’s hold on the upper chamber. The defectors include: Senator Ekong Samson (Akwa Ibom South), Senator Etim Bassey (Akwa Ibom North East), Senator Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East), and Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi (Osun Central). The Senate subsequently relaxed its rules to allow the presence of some high-profile APC officials, including the party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru; Chairman of the APC in Osun State, Tajudeen Lawal; members of the House of Representatives, and former…
FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over perceived threats to opposition leaders, warning that any threat to Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, must be seen as a threat to all democratic actors. This reaction follows a contentious warning issued by Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State, who insisted that Obi must inform his government and obtain security clearance before entering the state. The debate was further intensified by the backing of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who reinforced Okpebholo’s stance during the inauguration of the revamped Edo Line Transport Company in Benin City.…
A SENATE probe into the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)’s alleged failure to account for over ₦210 trillion between 2017 and 2023 hit a roadblock Tuesday as the company’s Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Bayo Ojulari, failed to appear before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts for the fourth time. Ojulari, who was expected to address the committee on the massive financial discrepancies, was instead represented by the Chief Financial Officer, Dapo Segun, who cited a last-minute presidential summons as the reason for the GCEO’s absence. The excuse, communicated in a letter dated July 22, 2025, and read by…
SENATE President Godswill Akpabio has extolled former President Muhammadu Buhari as a leader who served Nigeria without mismanaging the nation’s treasury. Akpabio, who stated this at an expanded Federal Executive Council meeting in honour of Buhari in Abuja on Thursday, said even the former president’s critics would agree that he did not embezzle public funds while in office. He said, “And let us be honest, he was tough. He was a soldier who did not flinch under fire, a leader who did not flee from responsibility, and above all, a Nigerian whose loyalty to this nation was never up for…
THE Federal Capital Territory High Court, said on Thursday, that the international passport of the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, was not in its custody but in the custody of the Federal High Court, Abuja. At the resumed hearing of the alleged money laundering case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against the former governor, Justice Maryann Anenih held that the court would have considered the application for the release of the defendant’s travel document if it were to be in its custody. She said even if the request to retrieve the international passport were…
THE headline inflation for June 2025 moderated to 22.22 per cent relative to the May 2025 headline inflation rate of 22.97 per cent. This was disclosed by the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday. According to the latest Consumer Price Index report released by the Bureau, the year-on-year figure reflects a 0.75 percentage point decline from the previous month and a significant 11.97 percentage point drop when compared to June 2024, which recorded an inflation rate of 34.19 per cent. The decline in annual inflation is being recorded against the backdrop of a rebased index, with 2024 as the new…
THE Nigeria Police Force has commenced disciplinary proceedings against 151 senior officers over various allegations of misconduct and ethical breaches, in a move to reinforce accountability and professional discipline within its ranks. The review commenced on Monday, July 14, and will conclude on Friday, July 25, 2025, at the IGP Smart Conference Hall, Force Headquarters, Abuja. The officers, selected from commands and units nationwide, are appearing before the Force Disciplinary Committee (FDC) over alleged violations ranging from professional misconduct to breaches of internal regulations. The Force Disciplinary Committee is the police’s internal body responsible for investigating cases involving senior officers…