Author: Amina Ibrahim

NIGERIA’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.23 per cent on a year-on-year basis in the second quarter of 2025, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The latest figure shows an improvement from the 3.48 per cent growth recorded in the same quarter of 2024, indicating continued recovery and resilience in the economy. According to the report obtained by News Point Nigeria, the agriculture sector grew by 2.82 per cent in real terms during the period under review, an increase from the 2.60 per cent recorded in the second quarter of 2024. The industry sector…

THE Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has restored electricity supply to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) following an intense public outcry over a power blackout that reportedly caused the deaths of patients on life support in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). In a statement made available to News Point Nigeria, KEDCO confirmed that power to AKTH’s main campus was reconnected and assured the public that the hospital remains on a top-priority 33kV Zaria Road feeder, which it said enjoys an average of 22 hours of electricity daily under Band A service. However, the company also used the opportunity…

THE Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) has issued an urgent plea to the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) to immediately restore power supply to the hospital following an abrupt disconnection that has reportedly led to the deaths of several patients on life support. In a statement signed by Hauwa Inuwa Dutse, Head of the hospital’s Information Unit, AKTH management expressed deep sorrow over what it described as a “preventable tragedy.” “The management of AKTH is saddened by the death of some patients in critical care after KEDCO abruptly disconnected the entire hospital from electricity supply over pending bills which the…

THE Governing Council of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has moved to reassure stakeholders that the ongoing process to appoint the institution’s next Vice-Chancellor will be transparent, fair, and merit-based, urging the public to disregard social media reports suggesting otherwise. In a statement issued on Thursday made available to News Point Nigeria, and signed by Ibrahim Sheme, NOUN’s Director of Media and Publicity, the Council dismissed online speculations claiming that a potential candidate for the top job had been disqualified because their name was not included on a congregation list. “The names of members on the so-called congregation…

THE Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has summoned all domestic airlines operating in the country to an emergency meeting in Abuja to address persistent flight disruptions, unresolved refunds, and poor passenger treatment. NCAA’s Director of Public Relations and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday made available to News Point Nigeria, noting that the meeting will hold on Wednesday at the authority’s headquarters in Abuja. According to Achimugu, the regulatory body intends to confront airlines with critical issues that have sparked widespread passenger complaints and public outrage. “The NCAA has invited all domestic airlines to a…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu may give priority to ambassadorial postings in G-20 countries when he unveils his long-awaited list of nominees, according to one of his spokespersons, Dr. Daniel Bwala. News Point Nigeria reports that Bwala, writing on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, explained that the delay in announcing Nigeria’s new ambassadors was due to funding challenges affecting the country’s foreign missions. He however assured that the matter would soon be resolved. According to him, the President’s likely strategy is to ensure that Nigeria strengthens representation in G-20 countries, given their pivotal role in global economic affairs and their…

THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has released an updated assessment of the devastating floods that have swept across Nigeria in 2025, confirming 231 deaths, 607 injuries, and 315,762 people affected nationwide. The floods, which have inundated communities in 86 Local Government Areas across 25 states, have also left 114 persons missing, with tens of thousands displaced from their homes. According to NEMA’s latest 2025 Flood Dashboard published on Saturday sighted by News Point Nigeria, the scale of the disaster has disrupted livelihoods, destroyed homes, and deepened humanitarian needs in affected regions. The agency reported that at least 113,367 people…

THE Federal Government has approved a fresh allocation of ₦1,854,277,768 to fund the education, rehabilitation, and reintegration of the Chibok schoolgirls rescued from Boko Haram captivity. The Ministry of Education, in a statement issued on Thursday by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade made available to News Point Nigeria, said the intervention will sustain the Chibok Girls Rehabilitation Programme through 2027. The package covers tuition, accommodation, vocational training, psychosocial support, and other welfare services for the freed girls, who remain under federal care more than a decade after their ordeal. “Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President…

THE Federal Government has issued a fresh flood alert, warning that 107 local government areas across 29 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are at risk of severe flooding between September 1 and September 15, 2025. The advisory, released on Monday in Abuja by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA) made available to News Point Nigeria, is based on projections from the 2025 Annual Flood Outlook, real-time hydrometric data, river stage forecasts, and satellite monitoring. According to the statement signed by NiHSA’s Director-General, Mr Umar Mohammed, more than 631 communities and over 50 critical infrastructure points, including highways and…

THE Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has given the Federal Government a 10-day ultimatum to meet its outstanding demands or face a nationwide strike. In a communiqué issued after an Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting held virtually on Sunday, the doctors expressed frustration over what they described as repeated government failures to honour agreements. The statement was signed by Tope Osundara, NARD President; Oluwasola Odunbaku, General Secretary; and Omoha Amobi, Publicity and Social Secretary. The ultimatum expires Wednesday, 10th September 2025. The association recalled that it had earlier issued a three-week ultimatum in July, but in the spirit…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed concerns raised by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over voter registration figures released in its first-week report of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise. News Point Nigeria reported that the ADC had faulted the numbers from Osun State, describing them as “suspicious” and inconsistent with demographic realities, after nearly 400,000 new registrations were reportedly recorded in just seven days. In a statement on Thursday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, warned that such anomalies, if unchecked, could undermine public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process. But in a swift response, the…

FORMER Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that he will not contest for any political office in the 2027 general elections, stressing that his renewed involvement in politics is strictly to support credible leadership across all levels of government. News Point Nigeria reports that El-Rufai made the declaration in Kaduna on Thursday during a reception organised for new members who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under the leadership of Aliyu Bello. The outspoken former governor, who left office in 2023, said his original plan was to retire from partisan politics.…

THE Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit, Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, has assured that the Police Service Commission (PSC) will be empowered to execute its constitutional mandate without interference. Bala Usman gave the assurance on Monday in Abuja when she led a high-powered delegation on an engagement visit to the PSC headquarters. The meeting was aimed at identifying areas of support to enhance effective service delivery in line with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda of strengthening national security. Speaking during the visit, Bala Usman emphasized that the Central Results…

THE Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) forecasts heavy rainy and thundery weather conditions across Nigeria from Monday to Wednesday. The Agency in a post on it’s X handle disclosed that thunderstorms with moderate rainfall are expected over parts of the northern states, including Jigawa, Zamfara, Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Yobe, and Katsina, starting Monday morning, with afternoon rains extending to Kebbi, Adamawa, and Taraba. “Flash floods are possible in Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina, Kaduna, and Kano States during this period. “Central states like Niger, Benue, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Plateau, and Nasarawa will see morning cloudiness and light to moderate rainfall, with…

THE National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued a public alert over newly discovered critical security vulnerability in embedded SIM (eSIM) cards, now being deployed by attackers to potentially hijack phone numbers or subscriber data, intercept communications, and deploy malicious applets. The vulnerability affects more than 2 billion devices globally and poses significant risks to communications security. In a statement on Friday made available to News Point Nigeria, the Agency warned that the flaw could expose billions of smartphones, tablets, wearables, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices worldwide to large-scale cyberattacks. According to the agency, the flaw originates from…

THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced the sudden death of Ambassador Taofik Obasanjo Coker, Nigeria’s Consul-General in Buea, Republic of Cameroon. According to an official statement signed by the Ministry’s Spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa made available to News Point Nigeria, Ambassador Coker passed away on Saturday, August 16, 2025, after a brief illness. The statement described the late diplomat as a hardworking and dedicated public servant who represented Nigeria with “distinction, commitment and professionalism” throughout his career. “His untimely death is a great loss to the diplomatic community and the nation at large,” the Ministry said. Before his appointment…

A PROFESSOR of Linguistics at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Christine Iyetunde Ofulue, has said that Nigerian Pidgin is globally growing fast due to its exceptional scale and reach. She stated this on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 in Abuja while delivering the university’s 35th inaugural lecture with the theme, “Reclaiming Marginalised Voices: Intersections of Diversity and Educational Spaces.” While Ofulue, a staff in the Faculty of Arts of the NOUN, asserted that all languages are equal, she also said Nigeria stands as Africa’s most linguistically diverse nation, with around 540 distinct languages across three major language families; Afro-Asiatic,…

OPERATIVES of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have rescued 25 women from a human trafficking ring. In a statement, NAPTIP spokesman Vincent Adekoye said the women suspected to be victims of labour exploitation were en route to Saudi Arabia before they were intercepted in Abuja, Nigeria. The unsuspecting victims were picked up in front of a popular hotel in the highbrow area of Wuse II, Abuja, where they had gathered, awaiting their trafficker. During interrogation, the victims, whose ages range from 17 to 43 years, claimed that they were recruited from Kano, Jigawa, and…

THE Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Tanko Sununu, on Monday said the Federal Government was committed to alleviating poverty in the country. Sununu, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily monitored by News Point Nigeria, said over two million poor households had been captured in the social net as they would receive the government’s cash transfer soon. “In the next few days to come, before the end of August, we are going to reach out to 2.2 million households. “The process is such that the National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) will now harvest…

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to return allegedly diverted funds from the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and to urgently constitute the Governing Board of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), warning that failure to comply could trigger nationwide industrial unrest. In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday after its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting, NLC President Joe Ajaero accused the government of diverting 40 percent of workers’ contributions into the national treasury as “revenue,” in clear breach of the statutes establishing the NSITF. The CWC said the action undermines…