Author: Hamza Rufai

THE Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has appointed Abdul-Azeez Suleiman as its new Director of Publicity and Advocacy. According to a statement by Professor Danjuma Doknan Sheni, Director General of the Forum, his appointment followed an extensive search for the most suitable candidate who will also double as its spokesman. The statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday reads: “Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, a seasoned journalist with an impressive track record, brings a wealth of experience to his new role. Having held various editorial positions in renowned national newspapers such as the Daily Trust, Summit, and The Road, Suleiman has consistently demonstrated his professionalism…

THE National Judicial Council may on Friday send the names of 11 successful candidates to President Bola Tinubu for appointment into the Supreme, this newspaper gathered on Tuesday. It also gathered that 22 shortlisted justices were screened on Tuesday at the Committee Room of the NJC in Abuja from 9am to 6pm. One of our correspondents learnt that the screened justices were divided into priority and reserved candidates. The priority candidates include Justice Jummai Sankey; Justice Stephen Adah; Justice Mohammed Idris; Justice Abubakar Umar; Justice Chidiebere Uwa; Justice Obande Ogbuinya; Justice Ugochukwu Ogakwu; Justice Moore Adumein; and Justice Habeeb Abiru.…

OFFICERS of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone B of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) in Kaduna State have impounded 61 smuggled Sports Utility Vehicles, textile products and drugs with a total Duty Paid Value of N2.8 billion. The FOU Comptroller, Dalha Wada, on Tuesday, said the smuggled vehicles were impounded from smugglers at different locations in the North-Central and North-West zones as a result of the intelligence drive and improved strategies to raise the service’s operational performances. The comptroller also raised the alarm that some smugglers had devised new methods to evade arrest by hiring bandits in the northern region…

A FEDERAL Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, has adjourned an alleged procurement fraud case involving ex-Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele. The court adjourned the trial of the ex-bank chief to January 18 and 19, 2024 for continuation of trial. Emefiele is standing trial on a six count amended charge on alleged procurement of vehicles to the tune of N1.6bn. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was granted bail on November 17, 2023 to the tune of N300m and two sureties and remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, pending when he meets his…

THE Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has nullified the election of the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yusuf Liman, and ordered a rerun in five polling units (PUs). News Point Nigeria reports that the State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal had on September 30 nullified the victory of Liman representing Makera State Constituency and ordered a rerun in 42 polling units. This followed a petition filed before the Tribunal by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Solomon Katuka, challenging the election of Liman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In his petition, the PDP candidate…

NO fewer than 32 bills have been tabled before the Senate and the House of Representatives for the creation of new universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, News Point Nigeria gathered. The Academic Staff Union of Universities and other experts, however, warned the government against the establishment of new institutions while failing to fund the existing ones. This newspaper reports that Nigeria has a total of 52 federal universities. The official data from the National Universities Commission also revealed that the country has 63 state universities and 147 private universities. The National…

THE Federal Government has initiated a process to resolve challenges bordering on the supply and pricing of Liquefied Petroleum Gas in the country’s domestic market better known as cooking gas. A statement by Louis Ibah, spokesman for the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said the minister waded into the issue following a rise in the price of LPG per kg from about N700 to above N1,100 in some parts of the country. He said the meeting, at the instance of the minister, which was held at the NNPC Towers Abuja recently had in attendance top officials of…

THE President/Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said that the $20bn Dangote refinery in Lekki, Lagos would start with the refining of 350,000 barrels per day of crude oil. Dangote, who disclosed this during a special interview with the Financial Times, also stated that the refinery would receive about six million barrels of crude in December 2023. “We’re starting with 350,000 barrels a day, “Dangote told the Financial Times, adding that a deal had already been clinched for the “first cargo of about 6mn barrels” for delivery next month. Dangote said he believed the refinery could reach its…

ARMED bandits on Friday abducted over 100 persons, mostly women and children in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State. News Point Nigeria reports that the bandits raided four villages of Mutumji, Sabongari Mahuta, Kwanar Dutsi and Unguwar Kawo, all under the Maru Local Government Area for failing to pay levies imposed on the communities. Sources from Mutumji told our correspondent that the bandits invaded the community around 8pm after prayers and started shooting sporadically, forcing residents to scamper for safety. Residents said a bandits’ kingpin operating in the area, Damina, had imposed N110 million naira “harvesting levy” on…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, on Friday, appointed Dr. Aba Ibrahim and Dr. Muda Yusuf to serve as members on the Board of the Nigeria Customs Service for a term of four years as representatives of the organised private sector. Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this in a statement on Friday titled ‘President Tinubu appoints two Nigeria Customs Service Board Members.’ According to Ngelale, the President wishes the new appointees well in their deliberations, and “expects that the views and perspectives of the private sector are fully articulated.” This, he said, will ensure that the objectives of…

THE Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has lamented the manpower challenge in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), saying an officer does the work of two persons. While there are about 370,000 officers in the Force, IGP Egbetokun told men and officers of the Kwara State Police Command that efforts are being made to rewrite the narrative. “We’re paying attention to manpower. I know that there’s a shortage of manpower in your command. I know the stress that I went through while I was the commissioner of police here in making sure that the job was done. I know…

THE National Economic Council on Thursday announced plans to channel at least $1.52bn donor funds into 36 special agro-industrial processing zones across the nation, aiming to create over 18.1 million jobs, including 100,000 farmers nationwide. The first phase, which now runs in Kano, Kaduna, Kwara, Ogun, Oyo, Imo, Cross River states as well as the Federal Capital Territory, will gulp over $520m and is set to conclude by 2028. Twenty-six states have expressed interest in joining Phase II of the programme, where the $1bn funding from the AfDB and other partners will be channelled. The states will begin documentation for…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Ambassador Desmond Akawor to serve as a Federal Commissioner of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), pending the confirmation of the Nigerian Senate. This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Thursday. The statement reads in full: PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENT TINUBU APPROVES APPOINTMENT OF RMAFC FEDERAL COMMISSIONER President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Ambassador Desmond Akawor to serve as a Federal Commissioner of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), pending the confirmation of the Nigerian Senate.…

THE Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the judgement of the Gombe State Governorship Election Tribunal, which dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the re-election of Governor Inuwa Yahaya of the All Progressives Congress. News Point Nigeria reports that the delivering judgement on Thursday, the Court agreed with the Tribunal that the PDP’s case lacked merit. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on March 18 announced Governor Yahaya of the APC winner of the Governorship Election with 342,821 votes. Muhammad Jibrin Barde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was said to have scored…

THE Court of Appeal Abuja has eversed the sack of the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule by the State Election Petitions Tribunal in its judgment delivered on October 2. Delivering judgment, the three-member panel led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, held that the Tribunal was legally bound to act on witness statements filed along with the petition or front-loaded within 21 days stipulated by law. The Appellate Court held that the Tribunal, led by Ezekiel Ajayi, acted in grave error in using witness statements on oath not front-loaded as required by law to arrive at the unjust conclusion of nullifying the…

THE Board of Jaiz Bank Plc has approved the appointment of a seasoned banker, Haruna Musa, as the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the Bank. Haruna’s appointment takes effect following the receipt of the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on November 21, 2023. Mohammed Baba Kandi, the head of Corporate Communications., in a statement said the new MD/CEO’s cognate experience in the banking industry spans over 27 years. He is an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Bayero University, Kano, and Cranfield University, United Kingdom. He is currently in the final stage of a PhD programme…

THE  Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar has joined other members of the Ministerial Committee constituted by the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit to find a lasting solution to the war in Gaza, in London, today, Tuesday, November 21, 2023, where the Ministerial Committee held an official meeting with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, David Cameron. In his remarks at the meeting, Tuggar once again condemned the disproportionate use of force against civilians in Gaza, he stated, “At the centre of this crisis is the disproportionality of the use of force. It…

THE Appeal Court sitting in Abuja has fixed Thursday for judgment in the Nasarawa State governorship election dispute. Governor Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had filed an appeal against the verdict of the tribunal which sacked him and declared David Ombugadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Sule winner of the governorship election but Ombugadu headed for the court. According to INEC, Sule polled a total of 347,209 votes to defeat his closest opponent, who secured 283,016 votes. In a split decision on October…

THE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb Maitama Yusuf Tuggar, says with the Siemens gas deal between Nigeria and Germany, Nigerians will experience improved electricity supply by the first half of 2024. Tuggar spoke virtually from Berlin, Germany, on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday monitored by News Point Nigeria. Former President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2018 promised to expand Nigeria’s electricity capacity which is currently at 4,000 megawatts to 25,000mw by 2025 when he inked a deal with Siemens Energy in Germany under the Presidential Power Initiative but the project has not been actualised. However, the minister, who is…

THE Defence Headquarters has refuted the report that the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has died. Earlier on Tuesday, there was a report by few newspapers claiming that Musa had died. However, a swift reaction by the DHQ in a post on X disclosed that the Defence Chief is well and alive. It described the report as false publication adding that the Chief of Defence Staff is hale and hearty. “Contrary to recent false publication, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, is alive and well,” DHQ wrote. “Please rely on credible sources for accurate information,”…