Author: Hamza Rufai

THE Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said that with the plan the Dangote Refinery has in place, Nigeria will not need to import premium motor spirit (PMS) by next month. Dangote said that the refinery, which has already started supplying diesel and aviation fuel in Nigeria, has the capacity to meet the diesel and petrol needs of West Africa and the aviation fuel demand of the entire African continent. The richest man in Africa spoke as a panelist at the Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali on Friday. “Right now, Nigeria has no cause to import…

GOVERNOR Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano state on Friday joined his North West counterparts on advocacy meeting with the officials of United Nations in Abuja. Those at the meeting along side Gov. Yusuf are Governors of Kaduna state, Uba Sani; Katsina state, Ummaru Dikko Radda; Jigawa state, Mohammad Namadi; Zamfara state, Dauda Lawan Dare and the Deputy Governor of Sokoto State who represented the  Governor. The Governors’ meeting with officials of the United Nations was compelled by unfolding developmental challenges bedeviling the states within the region and the urgent need to solicit for international interventions in the region across critical…

THE National Judicial Council under the Chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, at its plenary of the 105th Meeting held on 15 and 16 May 2024, resolved to issue warning letters to Justice Amina Shehu of Yobe State High Court, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court and Justice GB Brikins-Okolosi of Delta State High Court. A statement by the NJC Director of Information, Soji Oye made available to News Point Nigeria, Friday, says Justice Amina Shehu of Yobe State High Court was cautioned for issuing Writ of Possession Conferring Title on the Defendant in…

THE Speakers of the Houses of Assembly across 36 states in the country, on Thursday, backed the ongoing constitution review exercise for the creation of state police. The Speakers, under the aegis of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, took the stand in a communique issued at the end of their meeting in Abuja on Thursday. The communique was signed by Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Mr Adebo Ogundoyin, who is the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly. A bill for state police is currently being considered at the…

THE management of Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, led by its Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr, has announced May 24, 2024 as official date for the opening of portal for student loan applications. A statement by the NELFund spokesman, Nasir Ayitogo, said this marks a significant milestone in the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to fostering accessible and inclusive education for all Nigerian students. He said through the portal, students can now access loans to pursue their academic aspirations without financial constraints. “The portal provides a user-friendly interface for students to submit their loan applications conveniently. “We encourage all eligible…

RIVERS State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has said that most of the projects that were executed during the administration of his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, were not fully paid for, resulting in debts running into millions and billions. Fubara disclosed this on Tuesday during the unveiling of the 10.98km Aleto-Ogale-Ebubu-Eteo Road, also known as Old Bori Road in Eleme Local Government Area of the state by Abia State Governor, Alex Otti. He noted that the contractors who handled most of the projects for Wike’s administration are now returning for outstanding payments. He said, “This road was previously not completed but has now…

BANDITS have attacked a military camp in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, killed five soldiers and injured 11 others on Sunday. Our correspondent gathered that the terrorists also killed some civilians yesterday at Yarmalamai village. Premium Times quoted a military internal memo which stated that the incident occurred at about 2pm on Sunday. The memo said over 200 terrorists armed with sophisticated weapons and led by a terrorism kingpin, Ado Aleiru, attacked the military camp situated at the village of Yar Malamai. A member of a vigilante group, Aliyu Tukur, was also killed in the attack. The memo…

AN OFFICER of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) serving in the Federal Capital Territory, Abdulwahab Magaji, has reportedly shot himself dead in Kano. This newspaper gathered that Magaji killed himself with a pump-action rifle to his mouth at his residence located at Binta Street, Farm Centre, Kano. It was also said that Magaji’s family lodged a report about his tragic death to the police, prompting the officers flooding the scene of the incident. A family source was quoted as saying when the police arrived at the scene, the victim was rushed to a hospital, where he was confirmed dead. The…

ABDULAZEEZ Idris, a resident of Angwan Juma’a in Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and killing his 6-year-old cousin. The deceased identified as Aisha Saidu was on her way to Islamiyya school when she was abducted. She was said to have recongnised her cousin who in turn used a razor blade to slash her. Despite this, he went ahead to place a ransom demand of N8 million through an unknown caller who identified himself as the perpetrator. According to ASP Mansur Hassan, the state Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, the incident occurred on…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria to suspend the implementation of the controversial cybersecurity levy policy and ordered a review. This followed the decision of the House of Representatives, which, last Thursday, asked the CBN to withdraw its circular directing all banks to commence charging a 0.5 per cent cybersecurity levy on all electronic transactions in the country. The CBN on May 6, 2024, issued a circular mandating all banks, mobile money operators, and payment service providers to implement a new cybersecurity levy, following the provisions laid out in the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) (Amendment) Act…

THERE appears to be no respite for former Nigerian international, Tijjani Babangida, as his son who is about a year old has died from injuries he sustained in the fatal road accident that claimed the life of his father’s brother, Ibrahim Babangida. On Thursday, May 9th, 2024, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics gold medallist, his wife – Maryam, brother – Ibrahim, son – Fadil, and maid were involved in a ghastly accident along the Zaria-Kaduna road. While his younger brother Ibrahim died on the spot, Tijjani, who is also the president of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) and the…

THE Kazaure-Daura, Dutse-Kazaure and Daura railway projects will be completed by 2026, according to the Minister of Transportation, Sa’idu Alkali. The minister disclosed this when he inspected the projects during a courtesy visit to the Federal University of Transportation, Daura, Katsina State on Thursday. During the inspection, the minister said the projects were going as planned. “From the assessment of the last visit I have done, the contractor has done well and by the grace of God, we are going to put Kano -Kazaure segment by next year, and Kazaure to Daura and Dutse to Kazaure and eventually to Daura…

A MEMBER representing the Babura/Garki Federal Constituency of Jigawa State in the 10th Assembly of the House of Representatives, Hon. Isa Dogonyaro, is dead. In a statement signed by the House Spokesman and Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Rep Akin Rotimi, Jr. on Friday, the National Assembly said he died after a brief illness. “Hon. Isa Dogonyaro was a dedicated and passionate legislator who served his constituents and the nation with utmost commitment. He was a pillar in the House, contributing significantly to the development of legislation, particularly in the area of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Control,…

A FEDERAL High Court in Abuja has granted N100m bail each to a former Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika, his daughter, and two others. They are being tried over an alleged fraud to the tune of N2.7bn. According to the court, they are also to provide two sureties who must have landed properties in Abuja. The sureties, the court said, must also be responsible citizens. The sureties must depose to an affidavit of means. The court also restricted the defendants from traveling abroad without its permission. Justice Oriji ordered that the defendants should be remanded in prison custody if they…

THE Ministry of Defence, on Wednesday, handed over 20 newly acquired Armored Personnel Carriers to the Defence Headquarters to enhance the professional capabilities of troops of the Nigerian Armed Forces. This is contained in a statement by Dr Ibrahim Kana, Permanent Secretary of the MoD in Abuja on Thursday. The APCs were handed over to the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, by the PS. In his remarks at the handing-over event, Kana said that the step was geared towards bolstering the nation’s defence capabilities to effectively address emerging security challenges. He also that it was geared towards enhancing…

AT least 295 people were killed in road accidents during the first quarter of this year; a data-based survey conducted by Daily Trust has shown. Although the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) said this figure does not tally with its statistics, it failed to avail this newspaper with the official figure. The survey, which is based on incidents reported in major national dailies within the period in review, indicated that the accidents that occurred in 24 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between January and March also left 315 people with various degrees of injuries. The states where the…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria has released a comprehensive list of licensed Deposit Money Banks operating within the country. The list, which was made public on the CBN’s official website on Tuesday, provides insights into the banking landscape in Nigeria. Banks with international authorisation include: Access Bank Limited Fidelity Bank Plc First City Monument Bank Limited First Bank Nigeria Limited Guaranty Trust Bank Limited United Bank of Africa Plc, and Zenith Bank Plc Commercial banks with national authorisation include: Citibank Nigeria Limited Ecobank Nigeria Limited Heritage Bank Plc Globus Bank Limited Keystone Bank Limited Polaris Bank Limited Stanbic IBTC Bank…

THE Federal Government on Tuesday vowed to pursue the criminal case against the crypto platform, Binance, and its officials, to a logical end. Speaking against the backdrop of a bribery allegation made by the Binance Chief Executive Officer, Richard Teng, in a blog post published by the New York Times, top officials of the President Bola Tinubu administration described as false and unfounded the accusation that some individuals demanded $150m bribe in cryptocurrency to settle the criminal charge against the firm. The ew York Times on Tuesday reported that on a trip to Nigeria in January, Tigran Gambaryan, a compliance…

SENATE President Godswill Akpabio has said Nigeria has experienced more jailbreaks since the change of name from prison service to correctional centers. He stated this during plenary on Tuesday in Abuja, while commenting on two legislations billed for concurrence. They are the bill to repeal and enact the law establishing Revenue Mobilsation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, and bill to repeal the Fire Service Act and enact Federal Fire and Rescue Service. Senate Minority Leader, Abba Morro argued that there was no need to change the name because the “rescue component” is already part of the responsibility of the fire service.…

A FORMER Minister of Communication Adebayo Shittu claims that there were manipulations and fraudulent approvals under the immediate past government of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari. Shittu served as a minister under the Buhari government but believed many persons close to the former Nigerian president manipulated things to their favour, plunging the country’s economy into a downward slide. “Let me tell you, there were a lot of manipulations and we even heard that a lot of the so-called approvals did not emanate from President Buhari,” he said on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily monitored by News Point Nigeria while responding…