Author: Maimuna Bashir Isa

THE National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has received 36 Nigerian migrants, including children deported from Sweden. During the returnee profiling, the Federal Commissioner, NCFRMI, Alhaji Tijani Ahmed, stated that deportees are usually contacted because they have overstayed in their host country or have an expired VISA. Ahmed, who was represented by Amb. Catherine Udida, the Director Migration Affairs in the Commission, said on Wednesday that the government of Sweden must have reminded the returnees of their irregular status. He explained that the Swedish authority would “give them two or three trials of opportunities for them…

THE Presidency on Friday said France will return $150 million ‘money’ of former Head of State, Late General Sani Abacha. In a statement, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said President Bola Tinubu commended the European country for the decision. Receiving the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Catherine Colonna, the highly-elated President hailed the strengthening of bilateral relations between Nigeria and France, noting that this progress followed his visit to Paris after his inauguration. “Thank you for the good news on the return of Abacha loot. We appreciate your effective cooperation…

THE Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed, on Wednesday afternoon, led his other colleagues to meet with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, in Abuja over the political situation in Rivers State. Mohammed was at the meeting alongside Governor Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Governor Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), and Governor Kefas Agbu (Taraba). The mediation meeting with Wike was agreed upon by the governors after their meeting on Tuesday night. The Forum had agreed to meet with the FCT minister to reconcile the issues happening between him and his successor in Rivers State,…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has denied a report suggesting that it plans to redenominate the country’s legal tender, the Naira, with effect from January 2024. The rebuttal followed the wide circulation of a text message suggesting that the Bank plans to redenominate the Naira. In a release signed by the Director of Corporate Communication, Dr Isa AbdulMumin, the Apex bank said: “We are concerned that this narrative, which we had refuted before now, appears to be gaining traction with several debates on the implication of such a policy for the Nigerian economy. “We wish to reiterate that the…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has written the House of Representatives seeking the approval of the sum of N2,176,791,286,033 as 2023 supplementary budget to address labour wage adjustments, security and more. The President also sent the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework & Fiscal Strategy Paper to the House of Representatives. On Monday, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the 2023 supplementary budget of N2.1 trillion. While speaking after the FEC meeting in Abuja, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, said the budget is to fund urgent issues. “The council considered a request for supplementary appropriation which is a second…

THE Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has submitted a warrant of arrest and request to the Crown Prosecution Services of the United Kingdom for the immediate extradition of a former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Allison-Madueke. This newspaper exclusively gathered that the request made on the orders of President Bola Tinubu followed a written official request by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to the office of the AGF earlier in October. A top Federal Government source revealed that in making the extradition request, the office of the AGF cited Section 2 (2) of Nigeria’s…

HADIZA Bala Usman, former Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has fired back at ex-Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi. Speaking at the annual lecture organised by The Niche, an online publication, Amaechi accused Bala Usman of documenting false narrative in her book titled: “Stepping on Toes: My Odyssey at the Nigerian Ports Authority.” In the book, she chronicled her emergence and struggles while she served as managing director of NPA. Amaechi said he had been refraining from responding to the claims in her book, stating the lies were just too many. He claimed that as managing Director of NPA with…

THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has refuted the reported  rejection of Nigeria’s bid to be elected into the United Nations Human Rights Council by a section of the media. According to a statement signed by the Minister’s Special Assistant, Media and Communication Strategy, Alkassim Abdulkadir, Thursday, the article was published in bad faith with several inaccuracies, misrepresenting the context and position of the country. The statement read in fulll: PRESS RELEASE RE: Nigeria’s Rejection At The UNHRC The Vanguard Newspaper on October 26, 2023, published an article entitled “Nigeria’s Rejection at the UNHRC” in which it was erroneously reported that…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has excluded the name of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipre Sylva, from the final list of candidates ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State. The amended list which was uploaded on the commission’s website on Tuesday was signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony. Sighted by News Point Nigeria on Wednesday, the column for the names of the APC candidate and his running mate, Joshua Maciver, was left blank with “court order” remarks on it. According to Oriaran-Anthony, the action of the commission was in…

THE Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared N903.4 billion September 2023 Federation Account Revenue to the Federal Government, States and Local Government Councils. This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the FAAC meeting for October 2023, according to a statement by its Director, Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa. “N903.480 billion total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of N423.012 billion, distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N 282.666 billion, Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue of N10.989 billion and Exchange Difference revenue of N 186.813 billion,” FAAC said. According to the statement, in…

MINISTER of Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike has ordered the demolition of the popular COVID-19 market in Area 11, Abuja. Director of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Osi Braimah, disclosed this while speaking with journalists during the demolition of shanty stores built in the market. “The removal of shanties and illegal settlements in Area 11 and some parts of the city is to curb the incessant insecurity faced by residents. “This is an ongoing exercise by various agencies of the FCT; AEPB has been given a marching order by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to scale up demolition of…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Shaakaa Chira as the substantive Auditor-General of the Federation, as recommended by the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC). This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Friday. The statement read in full: PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS NEW AUDITOR-GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION By powers vested in him by Section 86 of the 1999 Constitution (Amended), President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Shaakaa Chira as the substantive Auditor-General of the Federation, as recommended by the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC). The…

THE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has threatened to shut down illegal motor parks operating in the capital city Abuja over rising ‘one-chance’ robbery in the city. The Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, made this known on Thursday during a chat with journalists in his office in Abuja. There have been reported cases of ‘one-chance’ robbery and kidnapping in Abuja for weeks with fear gripping some residents over the activities of criminals who disguise as commercial vehicle operators to attack and rob unsuspecting victims. Asked on steps taken by the FCTA to guarantee the safety of lives and properties…

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…

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…