Author: Hamza Rufai

THE Senate, on Tuesday, passed for first reading a bill to ban the use of foreign currencies for payments and transactions within Nigerian. The proposed legislation, aimed at ensuring all payments, including salaries and transactions, are conducted in naira, seeks to eliminate discriminatory practices and strengthen confidence in the local currency. This includes making it mandatory for exports to be paid for in naira. The bill was titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, No. 7, to Prohibit the Use of Foreign Currencies for Remuneration and for Other Related Matters.” It was…

THERE is confusion at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) as embattled chairman, Danladi Umar and the newly appointed chairman, Mainasara Kogo, are laying claim to its chairmanship. Inquiries by this newspaper indicate that both persons have officially visited and held discussions with staff of the tribunal without any clear directive on who is in charge. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had on July 13 appointed Kogo as the new chairman of CCT the same day he announced Omolola Oloworaran as the Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom). Although the staff complained about the lull in the work of the…

Inaugurates Committee To Engage AGF, National Assembly, Information Ministry CONCERNED about plethora of obnoxious and anti-media laws in the Nigeria’s legal book, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has inaugurated a five-man committee to work closely with the office of Minister of Information and National Orientation, National Assembly, the Attorney-General of the Federation/Minister of Justice, and other stakeholders – aimed at starting a process of amending the laws or outrightly repealing them. The committee members include, a pro-media rights activist and member of NGE, Richard Akinnola; a lawyer/former Editor of Punch Newspaper, Gbemiga Ogunleye; former Editor-In-Chief/Managing Director of The Guardian,…

FORMER Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, has called on the Federal Government to go back to the drawing board in governing the masses. Shekarau, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics monitored by News Point Nigeria, said the recent #EndBadGovernance protest was a clear message to President Bola Tinubu’s administration. “The last protests on the end of bad governance is a clear message. The agitation was not a regional, state affair. It was a national matter. I think it’s a very clear message to the President and the Federal Government. “Nigerians are saying ‘please go back to the…

THE Federal Government says it is working towards procuring essential medicines such as diabetets and hypertension drugs to provide succour for rising cost of medicines and healthcare products. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja during the commemoration of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day. Pate said that the three-year Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain was unveiled a year ago to save lives, reduce physical and financial pain, and produce health for all Nigerians. “In the medium and long term, the local manufacturing of pharmaceutical products…

THE National Economic Council (NEC) has received position reports on the establishment of State police from the 36 state governors. The NEC meeting was chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima and attended by state governors, deputy governors, ministers and some presidential aides. Briefing State House Correspondents shortly after the meeting which lasted for over 4 hours, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State said the state governors indicated an overwhelming support for the establishment of state police because of the security challenges bedeviling their states. However, he said the NEC postponed deliberation on the matter to January 2024. “Virtually every state…

TROUBLE brewing for FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike as the Senate on Thursday sought an investigation into the recent demolitions in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and has set up an investigative committee to look into the matter. News Point Nigeria reports that the committee will also invite Wike, to appear before it to explain the reasons behind the demolitions, which have left many residents without homes. The motion, which was moved by Senator Ireti Kingibe of the FCT Senatorial District, expressed concern over the illegal demolition of structures in the nation’s capital and called for an immediate stop to further…

MEMBERS of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) held an in-person meeting at the Forum’s Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday night. Fifteen governors, mainly of the All Progressives Congress (APC), were present at the meeting. Governor Alex Otti of Abia State elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) and his Anambra State counterpart, Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), were the only opposition governors in attendance. The agenda of the meeting was not made available to journalists but the governors have, for weeks, been confronted with the tax reform bills presented by President Bola Tinubu to…

THE Senate has directed the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to reinstate Engr. Aniekan Paddy Ukpe, a former District Engineer, whose appointment was terminated in March 2023. The Senate also ordered that he be paid all outstanding entitlements, stating that there was no evidence linking him to the vandalization of railway tracks under his jurisdiction. The decision followed the consideration of a report presented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, Senator Neda Imasuen (LP, Edo South). The report stemmed from a petition filed by Engr. Ukpe, alleging wrongful termination of his appointment…

THE Senate, through its Finance Committee, has issued a stern warning to government-owned agencies that fail to provide proper expenditure records from the 2024 fiscal year. Chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator Sani Musa, who issued the threat on Monday during an investigative hearing, underscored that the committee will withhold allocations to any agency that does not comply with its summons for scrutiny. In an interface with the Accountant General of the Federation, Missus Oluwatoyin Madein, the committee expressed dissatisfaction with the centralized payment system managed by the Office of the Accountant General also came under scrutiny as members frowned…

THE Nigerian Air Force has published the list of eligible applicants for the Zonal General Aptitude Test for its Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) 33/2024 Enlistment Exercise. Air Commodore Olusola Fakinboyewa, Director of Public Relations and Information, confirmed the development in a press release issued on Monday, It read, “This is to inform that the list of eligible applicants to attend the Zonal General Aptitude Test for Nigerian Air Force DSSC 33/2024 Enlistment Exercise has been published on the Nigerian Air Force Recruitment Portal.” According to the release, the test is scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 14, 2024,…

THE crisis rocking the People’s Democratic Party appears far from over, with the camp of former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, backing the embattled acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum. Some members of the party alleged that the Wike faction had finalised plans to suspend some of its opponents. A senior party member, who spoke on condition of anonymity to Sunday PUNCH, confirmed that the camp led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory was preparing to confront those against its efforts to maintain Damagum’s position. The source revealed that in the coming days, Wike’s faction would take measures such…

THE Federal Government has declared that both public and private healthcare facilities nationwide must attend to victims of gunshots with or without police clearance. The directive is contained in a statement issued by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on Saturday via its official X handle. The statement titled ‘Non-Compliance of Medical Facilities On The Gunshot Act 2017’, signed by the Director of Information, Patricia Deworitshe said the ministry had received complaints on rejection of gunshot victims by hospitals nationwide, which had resulted in loss of lives. It also said the order is on the directive of the Coordinating…

THE Senate has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the Tax Reform Bills, stressing that no aspect of the legislative process has been suspended or withdrawn. Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio stated during plenary on Thursday that the upper chamber remains focused on its mandate to represent Nigerians’ interests and will not be intimidated by external pressures. Against the backdrop of a point of order raised by the leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Akpabio dismissed reports in the media suggesting that deliberations on the bills have been suspended or withdrawn. Dismissing any attempts to pressure the chamber, the Senate…

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has appealed to the Federal Government not to systemically phase out the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) which has “transformed” tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria in the last three decades. ASUU warned that suffocating the funding source of TETFund to run the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) would destroy public education in the country. “The only source of funding is from TETFund, so when you destroy it, you have destroyed public universities,” ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily breakfast programme on Thursday. He alleged that some members of the…

THE Senate leadership has directed its Committee on Finance to suspend further action on the proposed tax bill pending the outcome of a high-level meeting with the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF). The Deputy senate president, Sen. BARAU Jibrin who made the announcement today during plenary disclosed that a special committee has been constituted to address contentious issues in the bill, with the meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, Dec 5th. The decision follows a series of deliberations by lawmakers aimed at resolving disagreements over key provisions in the proposed legislation. The contentious areas have sparked debates among stakeholders in…

DEPOSIT Money Banks in the Federal Capital Territory have increased their maximum over-the-counter withdrawal limit to N50,000 per day, findings by this newspaper have shown. A survey conducted by our correspondent on Tuesday revealed that banks, including Guaranty Trust Bank and Zenith Bank, have increased the withdrawal limit, enhancing it from N10,000 that was allowed to customers last month. At the GTBank branch located along the airport road, customers were allowed to withdraw N50,000 over the counter but a limit of N20,000 at its Automated Teller Machines. An official who spoke to our correspondent said the bank is now in…

THE green chamber experienced a rowdy session when a member of the house from Ekiti state, Akin Rotimi, touched on the controversial tax reform bills. The lawmaker in moving a motion for consideration of two reports had introduced himself as being from Ekiti state, the first state to adopt the tax reform bills. Rotimi chose to inform his colleagues about the stand of Ekiti federal lawmakers on the controversial four tax bills transmitted to the parliament on September 3, 2024. He said, Mr Speaker, I am from Ekiti State, the first state whose National Assembly caucus has unanimously endorsed the…

THE House of Representatives has urged the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, and the Ministry of Transportation to conduct a thorough investigation into recent boat mishaps in Nigeria. This is sequel to a motion of urgent national importance drawing attention to the recent boat mishap in Kogi state involving over 160 passengers, with only 24 rescued, approximately 54 confirmed dead, and an unknown number still unaccounted for. Honourable Unyime Idem who moved the motion, expressed worry that the recent surge in boat accidents has raised concerns about the safety of Nigeria’s waterways and the need for urgent intervention. The…

THE Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has said that it is wrong to say that governors of the 36 states are against the Tax Reform Bills, explaining that they only wanted to get clarifications in some areas. Speaking during Channels Televisions Townhall on the Tax Reform Bills on Monday monitored by News Point Nigeria, the governor hailed the bills but stated that there are questions that needed answers. “The issue of increasing the VAT from 20 per cent to 60 per cent at the point of generation, and I am happy that Taiwo said it has now changed not…