Author: Hamza Rufai

THE Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says it is set to upwardly review traffic offence fines from the least N2,000 to a high oh N300,000. Mr Kalu Emetu, DRTS Director of Public Relations, made this known on Monday during an enlightenment exercise embarked upon by the service in some selected motor parks in the FCT. Emetu said the service took the decision of imposing stiffer penalties to serve as deterrent and reduce traffic offences in the territory. “We are hoping that this development will go a long way in forcing motorists to deem it necessary…

NO fewer than 333 million children across the world live in abject poverty, a report by the World Bank, done in conjunction with the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund, UNICEF, has stated. The report titled ‘Global Trends in Child Monetary Poverty’ noted that most of the affected children are in Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America among others. Speaking on the development, Luis-Felipe Lopez-Calva, the Global Director for Poverty and Equity, World Bank, said, “A world where 333 million children live in extreme poverty – deprived not only of basic needs but also dignity, opportunity or hope – is simply…

HOUSE of Representatives candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party(NNPP) for Ofu/Idah, Igalamela-Odolu/Ibaji Federal Constituency of Kogi State, Egbunu Yusuf Amanabo has dumped his party for the ruling All Ptogressives Congress (APC) ahead of the forthcoming November 23 Governorship. Amanabo also indicated that he will collapse all his structure in the four Local Governmemt of Ofu, Idah, Igalamela-Odolu and Ibaji for the Ododo/Oyibo campaign organizatoon. Speaking shortly after a closed door meeting with Governor Yahaya Bello and the deputy Governorship Candidate of the APC, Joel Oyibo he said he has collapsed his structure for the Ododo/Oyibo campaign organization. “I have…

THE Federal Government may spend about N1.68tn as subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, from September to December this year, an analysis of data provided by oil marketers and the sector has shown. PMS dealers stated on Thursday that the pump price of petrol should be between N890 to N900/litre based on the fall of the naira against the United States dollar and the surge in the price of crude in the international market. Petrol currently sells at between N598 and N617/litre depending on the location of purchase, fuelling suspicion that the commodity is being subsidised by the…

GOMBE State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON has embarked on a mission to secure investment opportunities and development partnerships for the state’s socio-economic growth. During his visit to the Nigeria Consul General in New York, Ambassador Lot Peter Egopija, on the sidelines of the ongoing 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Governor Inuwa highlighted the immense potential of Gombe State and its readiness to tap into global opportunities. The Governor informed Ambassador Egopija of Gombe State’s agricultural richness and the presence of two major dams in the state which are essential for irrigation and hydropower generation. This valuable…

THE Revenue Mobilisation Allocation And Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) says a total of N5,244,037,636,561.60 has accrued into the Federation Account for the period between January and June 2023. News Point Nigeria reports that the figure was captured in the monthly report to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the caption ‘CBN Federation Account Component Statement’. The RMAFC Chairman, Mr Mohammed Bello Shehu, in a statement on Wednesday, said out of the total gross revenue inflows into the Federation Account, the sum of N627,301,922,426.35 was NNPCL JV Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) due, captured and…

DIRECTOR-GENERAL of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Abbas Garba Idris has announced his resignation as the director general of the agency. Idris, who has been the director general since the creation of FEMA in 2013, while announcing this yesterday at the 22nd management meeting of FEMA, described the meeting as the last for him as DG of the agency. According to him, as the pioneer director general, he ensured that management and staff were able to nurse the agency from inception in 2013 to one of the best among its peers in Nigeria through sheer determination,…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) as Special Adviser On Political issues in the office of Vice-President Kashim Shettima. News Point Nigeria reports that, the spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has been appointed as the special adviser on political issues to Vice-President Kashim Shettima. Baba-Ahmed is the elder brother of Datti Baba-Ahmed, the running mate of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi in the February 25 election. Baba-Ahmed, who disclosed his new appointment in a post on his X handle on Monday, said he is…

THE Zamfara State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Sokoto has fixed Monday 18th September 2023 to deliver Judgement. The tribunal is set to deliver its verdict on the petition filed by the former governor of the state, Bello Matawalle challenging the validity of the election that brought in Dauda Lawal as the governor of the state. Matawalle, who is now Minister of State for Defence, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of subverting his victory at the polls, for failure to include the results of some ward areas, which if added, will give him victory with a wide…

SOME football coaches in Katsina State have undergone a four-day coaching training fully sponsored by the state government. The training was in collaboration with London Based Football Company (You Vs You) headed by Ahmed Mohammed, the Chairman of Katsina Football Academy. At the end of the training on Friday, the coaches asked parents to give their children time for football and other aspects of sports for them to become better players and excel. The training held at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, Katsina, drew participants from across the three senatorial zones of of the state – Funtua, Daura and Katsina. Twenty…

A SEVEN-MAN panel of inquiry constituted by the acting Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, has yet to unravel the circumstances that led to the death of a 100-level Course 9 police cadet, Sulaiman Jika, who died on the premises of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State. The Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja, Abiodun Alabi, who heads the panel, told our correspondent in an interview recently that investigation into the matter was still ongoing. News Point Nigeria had reported that Jika dropped dead at POLAC on Saturday, September 2, following a brief…

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees believes the par party will get justice in the Supreme Court over the February 25 presidential election won by Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In a 12-hour marathon judgement on September 6, the Presidential Election Petitions Court dismissed the petitions filed by PDP, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM); the Labour Party (LP) as well as their presidential candidates challenging Tinubu’s victory. The five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani not only dismissed the consolidated petitions of the PDP, the APM, and the LP, but it also…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu yesterday, directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to create a platform for quarterly reconciliatory meetings with foreign airlines to address the backlog of trapped funds in excess of $600 million. This came as leading aircraft manufacturer, Airbus Industrie, on the sidelines of the summit, predicted that Nigeria’s domestic air traffic was set to increase by five per cent annually for the next two decades. This is even as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) criticized Nigeria over multiple charges imposed on airlines operating in the country. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who disclosed…

THE Federal Government has issued a flood alert, saying 13 northern states will likely witness heavy rainfalls that may lead to flooding between September 13 and 17. In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Environment through its National Flood Early Warning Systems (FEWS) Central Hub, listed 50 communities across the North to be affected. Some of the states identified are Kano (Sumaila and Kunchi), Kebbi (Argungu), Katsina (Bindawa, Jibia, Kaita, and Katsina), Niger (Kontagora, Mashegu, and New Bussa), Kwara (Kosubosu), Zamfara (Kaura Namoda and Shinkafi), and Bauchi (Bajoga, Darazo, Kirfi, Azare, Jama’are, Itas, Misau). Others are Taraba (Bali, Donga,…

THE Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has denied having any rift with the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma. This follows reports (not by News Point Nigeria) that Abbas and Uzodimma were at loggerheads over the appointment of the lawmaker representing Ideato North/South Federal Constituency, Ikenga Ugochinyere as the chairman of a supposedly “juicy” committee in the House. The Speaker, in a statement on Wednesday by his media aide, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, debunked the claims of an issue with Uzodimma, who is also the Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum. Both Abbas and Uzodimma are All Progressives…

PARTS of Abuja, the nation’s capital, were thrown into chaos on Tuesday when two factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) clashed on Sapele Crescent, off Ladoke Akintola Boulevard in Garki II. Gunshots were reported during the conflict, which heightened the tension in the area. The exact number of casualties, if any, could not be confirmed at the time of filing this report. This conflict underlines the escalating tension within the NURTW, a development that observers say requires urgent intervention to prevent further breakdown of law and order. According to sources, a clash broke out when supporters…

THE Kaduna State Police Command says it has killed four suspected kidnappers and arrested 13 others during sting operations in different parts of the state. Disclosing this while parading the suspects, the acting Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Manir Hassan, told journalists that the suspected kidnappers were killed during gunbattle in different locations in Kaduna State, while the arrests were based on intelligence reports about the suspects’ nefarious activities. According to the police spokesman, among the suspects is one Auwal Saidu, a private security guard, who allegedly masterminded the abduction of his boss from his residence and later…

A YOUNG Nigerian lady (name withheld) has died aboard Egypt Air flight en route to London, United Kingdom. The lady was said to have left Nigeria for London onboard Egypt Air MS 876 flight to Cairo on Monday through the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, but died on board. A family source who confirmed the incident however said the corpse was dropped in Cairo, the Egypt Capital by the airline. “The family said the Airline didn’t inform them, but rather they got a message from the consular office in Cairo informing them of her death on board the flight.…

THE House of Representatives has summoned the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to appear before it to respond to allegations made by a private security company, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, alleging that the company hired its services to secure pipeline but denied it access to the same pipelines. News Point Nigeria reports that, the House Adhoc Committee which commenced investigation into crude oil theft in the country was not pleased that the NNPCL failed to honour its earlier invitation and gave another chance to the management and other vital stakeholders that did not attend the opening session. Meanwhile,…

MINISTER of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, has appealed to Nigerians to continue to pray for the current administration, particularly those at the helms of nation’s security. Badaru, who made the appeal at his office in Abuja when he received a delegation from his State, Jigawa led by the governor, Malam Umar Namadi, said with the complex nature of security challenges and other aspects of national development, “one could only but ask for prayers to succeed.” According to him, though the task before them was enormous, they were determined to surmount the challenges, urging Nigerians to support them in all ramifications including…