Author: Maimuna Bashir Isa

THE Federal Government has announced that over 5.5 million vulnerable households across the country are currently benefiting from its Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme, as part of ongoing efforts to cushion hardship and tackle poverty. News Point Nigeria reports that the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during the official launch of the ECOWAS Social Protection Framework and Operational Plan. Represented by the ministry’s Director of Social Development, Valentine Ezulu, the minister revealed that the government is preparing to enroll an additional 600,000 households before the end…

WITH political activities already intensifying ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force have jointly warned political parties and their supporters against embarking on early campaigns in clear violation of the Electoral Act. News Point Nigeria reports that INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, speaking at a high-level roundtable in Abuja on Wednesday, lamented what he described as a “disturbing trend” of premature political campaigns, noting that the law explicitly restricts such activities to 150 days before polling day. Yakubu pointed to Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which states that…

THE Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCT), has commenced its seven-day warning strike. News Point Nigeria reports that the ARD-FCT President, Dr George Ebong, made the announcement in Abuja, saying the decision followed resolutions reached at the end of its emergency general meeting held on Friday, September 5. He said the decision is hinged on the attitude of the FCT Administration, despite rounds of extensive dialogue in addressing persistent and unresolved issues affecting the association. Some of the issues raised by the association include lack of manpower, the psychological impact of long working hours on doctors which has…

THE Federal Government has stepped into the escalating dispute between the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, summoning all parties to a conciliation meeting in Abuja to avert a looming nationwide strike. Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, in a statement made available to News Point Nigeria on Sunday, confirmed that the intervention was aimed at defusing rising tensions over allegations of anti-union practices at Africa’s largest refinery. NUPENG had, on Friday, announced plans to begin a nationwide industrial action on Monday, September 8, 2025, threatening to halt petroleum loading across…

NIGERIAN billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, has revealed how his daughter, Temi Otedola, convinced him to acquire not one, but two luxury mansions in Dubai in the build-up to her wedding with Afrobeat star, Mr Eazi. News Point Nigeria reports that the wedding, which captured global attention, was celebrated in Monaco, Dubai, and Iceland, making headlines for its opulence and style. But behind the glamour lies a touching father-daughter story of persuasion and indulgence. Speaking during the wedding festivities, Otedola disclosed that despite being courted by Dubai real estate agents for over 15 years, he had never been tempted to purchase…

THE Federal Government has intensified surveillance at all points of entry into Nigeria following confirmation of a fresh outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Director of Port Health Services at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Akpan Nse, disclosed in an interview with News Point Nigeria on Friday that stricter border checks, expanded health screening, and reinforced staff deployment had been put in place nationwide. Health authorities in the DRC declared an outbreak of Ebola in Kasai Province earlier this week, reporting 28 suspected cases and 16 deaths,…

AS Muslims across the world commemorate the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Hon. Abdullah Mahmud Gaya, Independent Non-Executive Director of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), has urged Muslims to reflect deeply on the virtues, values, and exemplary life of the noble Prophet. In a goodwill message issued by his Media Office  made available to News Point Nigeria in Kano, to mark this year’s Maulud Nabiyy, Gaya described Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as a timeless role model whose teachings remain a guide for humanity. “As we celebrate the birth of our noble Prophet Muhammad (SAW), let us reflect…

A NIGERIAN undergraduate, Mercy Oluwagbenga, has shared harrowing details of her ordeal while working in Libya, revealing that she was beaten, exploited, and forced to donate blood for the sick mother of her employer. Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday monitored by News Point Nigeria, Oluwagbenga, who hails from Kabba in Kogi State, recounted how she was trapped in domestic servitude and denied wages for months. According to her, the abuse began when she started pressing for her unpaid salary. “The first place I worked was okay within three months. The first month, I asked them for…

THE National Youth Service Corps resumed payments for arrears on Wednesday, marking the first disbursement since the last payment on June 3, following a two-month break. News Point Nigeria reports that this payment relates to the new N77,000 monthly allowance recently approved by the Federal Government. Recall that on April 5th, the Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, assured that corps members who recently completed their service will receive the new N77,000 monthly allowance approved by the Federal Government. Speaking during the Batch A 2025 Pre-Mobilisation Workshop in Abuja, Nafiu said, “Once funds are released to us to offset…

THE full list of subjects in the newly introduced school curriculum has surfaced online after the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, shared it on Wednesday. Olusegun, in a post on his X handle, displayed an unsigned and unmarked image said to contain the subjects for Junior Secondary School and Senior Secondary School. “The new curriculum for Nigerian Schools which will commence from the next session in September 2025 has been released,” he said. The curriculum, which was unveiled by the Federal Government on Sunday, introduces compulsory digital literacy and basic entrepreneurship at the JSS level,…

THE Federal Government has unveiled plans to privatise 91 public enterprises in a renewed push to strengthen Nigeria’s economy, generate more revenue, and create jobs. News Point Nigeria reports that the Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Ayodeji A. Gbeleyi, disclosed this during a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, stressing that the fresh wave of privatisation was aimed at ensuring optimal performance and repositioning key sectors of the economy. Among those lined up, two Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) and one power generation company (GenCo) have been earmarked for Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) on the Nigerian…

AT least 23,659 persons remain unaccounted for across Nigeria, leaving 13,595 families trapped in uncertainty and anguish, according to new figures released by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The data obtained by News Point Nigeria was released over the weekend in Yola by Benson Lee, ICRC Family Link Officer, during activities marking the International Day of the Disappeared, a day set aside to remember victims of forced disappearances and support their families. Lee explained that Nigeria’s crisis of disappearances is deeply tied to years of violent conflict and insecurity in the Northeast. He revealed that 67% of…

THE Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy has commenced talks with the Swiss government on cultural cooperation and the repatriation of Nigerian artifacts currently housed in Swiss museums, including monolits and bronze pieces. During a courtesy visit to Minister Hannatu Musa Musawa Esq., in Abuja on Friday, the Swiss Ambassador H.E. Patrick Felix Egloff expressed Switzerland’s willingness to enter into bilateral agreements and cultural diplomacy. “This is the first time that a Swiss ambassador is meeting with a Nigerian Minister of Art and Culture. “There is a lot happening, and we would be very interested to build more…

THE Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced a sharp increase in the cost of obtaining international passports, with the new charges set to take effect from September 1, 2025. In a statement issued on Thursday made available to News Point Nigeria, the Service’s Public Relations Officer, A.S. Akinlabi, disclosed that the revised fees affect only applications made within Nigeria. Under the new pricing structure, the 32-page passport with a five-year validity will now cost ₦100,000, while the 64-page passport with a 10-year validity will cost ₦200,000. This represents nearly a 100 percent increment compared to previous fees. However, passport fees…

THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 50-year-old widow and mother of one for allegedly attempting to traffic 1.3 kilograms of cocaine using a fake pregnancy as cover. The suspect, Mrs. Ifeoma Ezewuike, said to be the owner of Golden Star Creation, a fashion business in the Ago Palace Way area of Okota, Lagos, was apprehended on Friday, August 22, 2025, at a bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba, while trying to move the consignment to clients in Abuja. A follow-up raid on her residence uncovered 200 grams of a cutting agent used in processing cocaine. “In her…

THE Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Dr. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has revealed that she currently has no official office to work from, underscoring the infrastructural challenges facing the ministry. Onyejeocha made this startling disclosure on Thursday during an interview with the African Independent Television (AIT) monitored by News Point Nigeria, where she explained that the space initially allocated to her has been reassigned to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation. “This is the Ministry of Labour and Employment but even the Minister of State doesn’t have an office because the place I am staying currently, the Permanent…

THE Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa Esq., has outlined key challenges and strategic interventions to enhance the growth and development of Nigeria’s creative economy and tourism sectors. The Minister made this known while declaring open the 2025 Ministerial and Sectoral Retreat, organized by the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, held on Wednesday at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja. In her keynote address, Minister Musawa identified limited funding access, poor infrastructure, piracy issues, security concerns, and inadequate data on job creation estimates as major challenges hindering the full realization of these…

THE National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has secured a permanent headquarters in Abuja after nearly three decades of operating without one, marking a major milestone in the agency’s history. The development was confirmed on Tuesday when the NFVCB management team, led by its Director-General, Dr. Shuaibu Husseini, paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, to express gratitude for her pivotal role in making the acquisition possible. Dr. Husseini revealed that the new office space, a property confiscated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since 2017, was…

THOUSANDS of international students, including hundreds of Nigerians, face imminent deportation from the United States after the U.S. State Department revoked more than 6,000 student visas over alleged violations of immigration laws, criminal offenses, and overstays. A report by the department, sighted by News Point Nigeria, confirmed that the mass revocation was carried out under the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown on immigration and foreign students. Although the U.S. government did not provide country-by-country figures, the report noted that hundreds of Nigerian students are among those affected, with many flagged for overstaying their visa terms, committing burglary, and, controversially, offering “support…

NIGERIAN battling kidney disease have received a major lifeline as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a subsidy reducing the cost of dialysis in federal government-owned hospitals from ₦50,000 to just ₦12,000 per session. The announcement was made on Monday by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, via a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle. According to Dare, the policy is already being implemented in federal medical centres and teaching hospitals across the six geopolitical zones, with more facilities expected to join before the end of the year. The hospitals where the intervention is…