A 20-YEAR-OLD student of the University of Ilorin, Sanni Hameedat, reportedly committed suicide after lending a boy she met on the social media platform, Snapchat, the sum of N500,000. According to Rubiks, the private hostel management she resided in before her demise, in a statement made available to this newspaper on Wednesday, Hameedat was undergoing her SIWES programme before the incident happened. The management asserted that the cause of her death was not unrelated to the pressure from the app agents, who were demanding fast repayment, coupled with her brother’s inability to assist her financially, which led to depression. “The…
Author: Maimuna Bashir Isa
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PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mrs Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi as the pioneer Mandate Secretary for the newly created Women Affairs Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA). This was disclosed via a post on FCTA official X handle (formerly Twitter) on Monday. FCTA wrote: “His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, has approved the appointment of Mrs. Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi as the Mandate Secretary for the newly created Women Affairs Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).” This newspaper reports that the hint about the creation of the Women Affairs Secretariat was revealed earlier this month when…
HAJIYA Halima (Baba) Ibrahim, mother of the immediate-past President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, is dead. Aged 86 years. Senator Lawan’s mother passed on this Saturday, October 14, 2023, at her residence in Gashua town, Bade local government area of Yobe State. A statement signed by the Media Adviser to Senator Lawan, Dr. Ezrel Tabiowo, a copy of which was sent to News Point Nigeria, said Hajiya Halima Ibrahim will be buried according to Islamic rites on Sunday, October 15, 2023, at Gashua town by 11am. “Funeral prayers will, thereafter, be said for the deceased at the Gashua…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has pulled the Federal Capital Territory Administration ( Facts) out of the Treasury Single Account (TSA). This, he said, would empower Nyesom Wike-led FCTA to use the territory’s Internally Generated Revenue IGR for the development of the nation’s capital. Wike, who disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja on Friday, also disclosed that the President has approved the creation of the FCT Civil Service Commission. This he said would allow the progression of staff of the FCT Administration. Civil servants in the territory have been complaining of the effects of the absence of such Commission for…
THE Federal Government will restart the TraderMoni scheme in November with each beneficiary getting N50,000 to support their business. While the interest-free loan scheme for traders – started in 2018 – has been on hold for some time, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Mrs Betta Edu said the government is set to relaunch it. Confirming that the scheme has not been scrapped, she said: “Now, for the first set, which we are starting in November, we are selecting one big market per senatorial district. That is 109 markets and we are going into the markets, capturing the…
OVER one million Nigerians have lost their jobs under the N-Power programme of the Federal Government following the indefinite suspension of the scheme by the government. The N-Power programme was established by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari to address youth unemployment as beneficiaries were paid N30,000 monthly stipend. It is a component of the National Social Investment Programme put in place by the previous administration through the on-boarding of 1.5 million unemployed Nigerian youths (mostly graduates), providing capacity building, targeted tenured employment and structured of-boarding unto various career paths. In February this year, figures obtained from the Humanitarian…
THE Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, says reforms are underway to simplify the passport application process with the possibility of Nigerians being able to begin submitting online applications as early as December. Speaking on Channels Televion’s Politics Today on Wednesday monitored by News Point Nigeria, Tunji-Ojo stated that one of the reforms the ministry is implementing in passport management is to put an end to the “chaotic” passport application process. “For me personally, I have said this to service providers; I said it today, I said it yesterday, and I have always told them, ‘You need to make life easy…
FORMER Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, appeared before a UK Court on Monday. The ex-minister, who was charged with receiving bribes in the form of cash, luxury goods, flights on private jets and the use of high-end properties in Britain in return for awarding oil contracts, was arraigned at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. According to Reuters, she spoke only to give her name, date of birth and address. She was not asked to formally enter a plea, although her lawyer Mark Bowen told the court she would be pleading not guilty. The charges against her, read out in court, all related to…
THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, has promised to dialogue with cattle breeders before going ahead to enforce the ban on cattle rearing in Abuja’s city centre. Wike also revealed plans to provide alternative means of transportation before enforcing the ban on commercial motorcycle operators in the city centre. The minister made the disclosure while addressing journalists on Saturday after inspecting some ongoing road projects in parts of the nation’s capital. He promised that his administration was committed to building a capital city that Nigerians could be proud of.
AS moblisation for the October 3 nationwide indefinite strike heightens, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has directed members, to ensure full compliance. The strike actions was announced by Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC. Specifically, NUPENG, said the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD; Petrol Stations Workers, PSW; Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers, LPGAR, and all other allied workers in the value chain of petroleum products distribution must comply with the strike from midnight of Tuesday, October 3. More details shortly…
THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has approved the immediate termination of the appointments of 21 heads of parastatals, agencies, and government companies of the FCT Administration (FCTA). News Point Nigeria reports that Wike, in a statement by his Director of Press, Office of the Minister, Anthony Ogunleye, on Wednesday, ordered the affected appointees to hand over the affairs of their offices to the most senior officers in rank. See the full statement below: FCTA PRESS STATEMENT The Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike CON, has relieved the heads of the following…
THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is worried over the recent hike in fees by varsities across the country, saying it may force many students out of school. Many public universities have in recent months increased their tuition fees owing to what they described as the country’s economic realities. While some of them have made a downward review after protests by students, the National President of ASUU Professor Emmanuel Osodeke is afraid parents/guardians would find it difficult to pay the new fees. “Today, universities are arbitrarily increasing tuition fees,” he said on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics monitored by News…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the implementation of 35% and 23% of salary increment for Staff of all Federal Tertiary Institutions. And also the FG will pay arrears from 1st January 2024. This decision was made following careful deliberations by the Presidential Committee on Salaries during its 13th meeting. The committee took into account the intricate stages of collective bargaining across various sectors, giving particular attention to the engagements between the Federal Ministry of Education and Tertiary Institutions-based Unions. The salary hike will be applicable to the following salary structures: I. Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Salary Structure (CONPCASS)…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is celebrating his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, at 63rd, describing her as “my trusted partner in every venture”. In a personal letter addressed to Senator Remi, the Nigerian leader praised his wife for standing by him despite the “uncertainty of dangerous, but principled stands against tyranny”. “Happy 63rd birthday to the love of my life, Oluremi,” the letter began. “My trusted partner in every venture, and the one special person who has consistently filled my days with joy and laughter over 36 amazing ye “Today is not only a day to mark another year of your purposeful life…
JUSTICE Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja has dismissed the suit filed by Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa seeking to stop the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) from probing him over the comment he made during the valedictory session of the 9th National Assembly. Senator Bulkachuwa had said his Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, “extended help” to some politicians during her time as President of the Court of Appeal between April 2014 and March 2020. The comment triggered condemnations from Nigerians with calls for his probe. The lawmaker had asked the…
THE new chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Dr Zacch Adedeji, said yesterday the nation is in a revenue crisis and requires urgent steps to change the narrative. Adedeji, who stated this while taking over the mantle of leadership of the agency from his predecessor, Muhammad Nami, noted that about 96 per cent of Federal Government revenue was spent on debt servicing last year, stressing that the situation is not sustainable. This is even as the former chairman of the revenue agency, Nami, said the FIRS generated N8.5 trillion in revenue into the federation account as of mid-September.…
ON Sunday, President Bola Tinubu appointed Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim as Minister of Youth. This was disclosed in a statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity. Ngelale said the appointment was subject to confirmation by the Senate Here are ten things to know about the new Minister of youth. 1. She is 37 years old, from Kwara State 2. She is a medical doctor and development practitioner 3. She served as Senior Special Assistant to the current Governor of Kwara State on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4. She served as National President of…
AS Nigerians continue to seek greener pastures outside the shores of the country, an investigation by this newspaper has revealed that no fewer than 281 Nigerian doctors are currently practising in other African countries. This is according to data obtained from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. Nigerian doctors are flooding these African countries and others despite the recent pronouncement by the World Health Organisation that Nigeria and 54 other countries face the most pressing health workforce challenges related to universal health coverage. The situation is said to be affecting the operations of the nation’s hospitals being deserted by…
NO fewer than two people have been killed and four others kidnapped by bandits in a fresh attack at Dogon Noma-Unguwan Gamu Community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Several residents of the community were said to have sustained injuries from gunshots during the attack. The police in the state are yet to confirm the attack, but a community leader at Kufana, Musa Yaro told News Point Nigeria that the incident happened in the early hours of Saturday when the bandits invaded the community and started shooting sporadically, during which they shot two people to death and took…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Hon. Zacch Adedeji as the new Acting Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, announced this in a statement on Thursday. He said the president directed the erstwhile FIRS Chairman, Mr. Muhammad Nami, to proceed on 3 months of pre-retirement leave, as provisioned by Public Service Rule (PSR) 120243, with immediate effect, leading to his eventual retirement from service on December 8, 2023. Ngelale added that by these directives of the president, the new appointment took immediate effect. “Hon. Zacch Adedeji is hereby appointed in…