Author: Hamza Rufai

THE Federal Government has warned that 148 Local Government Areas in 31 states of the federation, fall within the high flood-risk areas. This was disclosed in Abuja by Minister of Water Resources, Prof Joseph Utsev while presenting the general highlights of the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook prepared by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency on Tuesday. Utsev listed the high flood-risk areas as, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, and Yobe. The floods are expected between…

THE Federal Government paid about N205bn as electricity subsidy in the third quarter of last year, according to data obtained from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) latest report. The Commission’s third quarterly market report revealed the government incurred a subsidy obligation of about ₦205bn in 2023/Q3 (average of ₦68bn per month), which is an increase of ₦69bn compared to the ₦135bn (average of ₦45bn per month) incurred in 2023/Q2. This increase in subsidy payment, according to the report, was largely attributable to the government’s policy to harmonise exchange change rates due to the absence of cost-reflective tariffs across all…

FOLLOWING the emergency security meeting convened by Governor Abdullahi Sule, the government of Nasarawa has proscribed all ethnic vigilante groups operating across the 13 local government areas of the state. Similarly, the state government has equally given two-week ultimatum to all ethnic vigilante groups affected by the order to hand over their uniforms and weapons to the state Commissioner of Police, Shehu Nadada. The governor cited the powers vested on him via Section 97A of the Penal Code as well as other relevant laws. Through an Executive Order No. 1 of 2024, signed by the Governor and issued on Tuesday,…

MINISTER of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, on Monday challenged all the appointees from the North in the current administration to come out openly and defend President Bola Tinubu. Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, specifically called on Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Special Adviser to the President on political matters in the office of the Vice President, and other leaders to take a position in support of the government. He said this following what he perceived as comments against the federal government by Baba-Ahmed the former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF). In a Facebook post in Hausa, on Sunday,…

NIGERIA has become the first country in the world to roll out a new meningitis vaccine (called Men5CV) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in a historic move. According to WHO, this is especially important for countries like Nigeria where multiple serogroups are prevalent. The new vaccine uses the same technology as the meningitis A conjugate vaccine (MenAfriVac®), which wiped out meningococcal A epidemics in Nigeria. The vaccine and emergency vaccination activities are funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which funds the global meningitis vaccine stockpile and supports lower-income countries with routine vaccination against meningitis. WHO stated that the…

A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja has remanded Binance Holdings Limited’s executive, Tigran Gambaryan, in Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, pending the determination of his bail application. Justice Emeka Nwite gave the order after Gambaryan pleaded not guilty to the money laundering charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday. EFCC arraigned Gambaryan on an alleged money laundering charge following the dismissal of his objection by the court. Gambaryan was arraigned by the EFCC on a five-count charge before Justice Nwite. He was arraigned alongside the company (Binance) and Nadeem Anjarwalla who is now…

THE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has slapped Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc (AEDC) with a hefty fine of Two Hundred Million Naira (NGN200,000,000) for failing to adhere to its tariff guidelines, creating a stir among consumers and industry stakeholders alike. The fine comes in the wake of the Supplementary Order to the Multi-Year Tariff Order for 2024, issued on April 3, 2024, which AEDC has been found in violation of. In a detailed correspondence released by NERC and seen by this publication, it was revealed that AEDC improperly applied an approved tariff increase across all customer bands, contrary to the…

FOLLOWING the Wednesday deadline for the sales of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms, the ruling All Progressives Congress has raised N720m from 16 governorship aspirants jostling for the party ticket in Ondo State ahead of the April 20 primary election. The sales, which started on March 27, ended on Wednesday. The ruling party has pegged the Expression of Interest form at N10m, while the Nomination Form went for N40m. However, female aspirants and persons with disabilities were given concession to only procure the Expression of Interest form while the Nomination form was free for them. But at the close…

OUT of the 650,000 barrels per day, Dangote Petroleum Refinery has pegged a minimum of one million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) diesel for each marketer as it commenced sale of the product on Tuesday. Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) National president, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi, disclosed this to newsmen He said: “The least volume a marketer can buy is one million litres. Even now as I dropped the call someone was telling me they wanted to start selling.” He noted that there were strong indications that the refinery would commence the sale of the product on Tuesday.…

THIRTY children abducted by bandits at Kasai village in the Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State have been freed. The Police Public Relations Officer of the Katsina State Police Command, ASP Abubakar Sadiq, confirmed this to News Point Nigeria on Tuesday. He noted that their release followed a concerted effort by the command, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, which he believed yielded a positive result. Bandits had on Monday abducted the children, mostly girls, while fetching firewood in the bush. “Upon receipt of the report, the Command swung into action and launched an investigation to rescue the kidnapped victims…

THE Peoples Democratic Party has appointed executives whose tenure has expired as caretaker committees for their respective states, local governments, and wards. Recall that National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, during a meeting of the National Working Committee with state chairmen on Tuesday hinted that party leadership will review the tenure of 26 state chairmen, whose tenures had expired. He stated, “We are here to review the tenure of about 26 state chairmen, in terms of ward, local government and state. If you recall most of the current executives in the states were elected four years ago, where congresses were conducted…

THE Federal Government will on April 4 arraign Binance Holdings Limited and its two top officials: Tigran Gambaryan and fleeing Nadeem Anjarwalla, on allegations bordering on tax evasion.  Binance, Gambaryan, and Anjarwalla, listed as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively, are expected to be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja on a four-count charge. Anjarwalla, who had been in detention alongside Gambaryan, was said to have escaped from lawful custody. He escaped on Friday from the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague were detained. Though the Federal High Court Easter vacation began on…

THE Defence Headquarters has declared eight persons wanted over their roles in the recent killing of 17 military personnel in Delta State. The military released the list on Thursday at a briefing in Abuja. Those declared wanted are Prof. Ekpekpo Arthur, Andaowei Dennis Bakriri, Akevwru Daniel Omotegbo (Aka Amagben), Akata Malawa David, Sinclear Oliki, Clement Ikolo Oghenerukeywe, Reuben Baru, and Igoli Ebi. During the briefing, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, called on Nigerians especially residents of Delta and adjoining states to assist the military with credible information that would lead to the arrest of eight persons…

THE publisher of Kaduna-based Desert Herald Newspaper, Tukur Mamu, has written to the Attorney General of the Federation, demanding a retraction for profiling and designating him as a terrorist financier. This was contained in a letter dated March 25, 2024, written on his behalf by his lawyer, J.J. Usman (SAN), addressed to the AGF, which acknowledged copy was sighted by our correspondent in Kaduna on Tuesday. This newspaper reports that the Federal Government unveiled the identity of 15 entities, including nine individuals and six Bureau De Change operators and firms, allegedly involved in terrorism financing. Details of the development were…

SUSPECTS believed to be hoodlums have reportedly attacked a Customs office in Yauri Local Government Area of Kebbi State.  The hoodlums were said to have injured an officer, while property was also damaged in the process. This was according to a statement made available to newsmen by the spokesman for the command, Mohammed Salisu, on Saturday. He said the incident occurred on Thursday after the officers intercepted some smuggled items in the area. The statement read, “During the late hours of Thursday, March 21, 2024, at about 2310 hours, the combined team of Yauri outstation and surveillance were informed of…

THE Federal Government may save an estimated amount of over N5bn every quarter from the new policy banning officials of Ministries, Departments and Agencies from embarking on public-funded foreign trips for three months, according to an analysis of government budget data by this newspaper. The data was collated from the breakdown of funds earmarked for international travels in the 2024 budget by 103 MDAs. President Bola Tinubu had raised concerns about the rising costs of international travels borne by director, permanent sectaries and workers of the federal civil service. As result, the president in a letter dated March 12, 2024;…

WORRIED by the security challenges facing the country, 16 state governors have endorsed the establishment of state police. The National Economic Council (NEC) disclosed this on Thursday in a report submitted to the Council at its 140th meeting held virtually and chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima. The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Atiku Bagudu who briefed State House Correspondents virtually after the meeting said out of the 36 states, 20 state governors and the FCT were yet to make their submissions. However, he did not mention the states. The governors who submitted their memos also called for the…

SERVICE chiefs, on Wednesday, appeared before the Senate Joint Committee (comprising Army, Navy, Defence and Airforce committees) to begin an investigative hearing on the gruesome killing of military personnel in Okuama community in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, last Thursday. A minute silence was first observed for the souls of the slain soldiers. Given the sensitivity of the matter, the Chairman of the joint committee, Ahmed Lawan, disclosed that the investigative hearing will be held behind closed doors. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar,…

THE three tiers of government- the federal, state and local governments shared the total sum of ₦10.1tn from the Federation Account as statutory revenue allocations in 2023. Contained in the latest report by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) on the Federation Account revenue allocations for the year 2023, the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya, who announced the release of the report at the NEITI House in Abuja, said a breakdown of the revenue receipts showed that the Federal Government received about ₦4trn, representing about 39 per cent of the total allocation. The 36 states got about…

THE traditional ruler of Riruwai Village in Lame District of Toro Local Government Area, Bauchi State, Alhaji Garba Badamasi, was abducted and brutally murdered by suspected gunmen 24 hours later. Reports indicate that the gunmen on March 15, 2024, stormed the palace of Alhaji Badamasi, instilling fear among residents with their sporadic gunshots before forcibly taking him captive. This newspaper gathered that the abductors made no attempt to contact any of the family members of the late Badamasi for ransom, leaving the motive behind the heinous act shrouded in mystery. Tragically, after enduring a day in captivity, the lifeless body…