Author: Amina Ibrahim

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have suspended their planned strike scheduled to commence on Wednesday over the scarcity of naira notes. The labour unions made this known at the end of their National Executive Council meeting on Tuesday. Recall that the labour unions had threatened to embark on a nationwide from Wednesday, March 29, 2023 if issues like the cash crunch, fuel scarcity and electricity tariff increase are not addressed by the government. NLC President, Joe Ajaero said after receiving briefings from its state councils in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory,…

THE House of Representatives has asked the Federal Government to immortalise late elder statesman Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya. The House made the resolution on Tuesday, following a motion from the member representing Ijebu Ode/Odogbolu/Ijebu North East Federal Constituency, Kolapo Osunsanya. The Lower Chamber held a moment of silence in his honour and stated that a delegation would be sent to visit his family in Lagos. Diya’s death was announced in a statement by his son, Prince Oyesinmilola Diya, on Sunday morning. The late general, who was the chief of staff under the late head of state General Sani Abacha, died…

THE Peoples Democratic (PDP) has appointed Umar Damagum as the acting National Chairman of the party.  “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at an emergency meeting today, Tuesday, March 28, 2023, acknowledge the Order of the Benue State High Court, dated March 27, 2023, with regards to the Chairmanship position of our great Party,” the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said in a statement. “After a careful consideration of the Court Order and in line with Section 45 (2) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017), the NWC resolved…

THE Department of State Services (DSS) says it has intercepted criminal gangs in various parts of the country, recovering different kinds of weapons from them. A statement by the DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, on Sunday, said the secret police carried out a joint operation with sister security agencies in Kogi State on 26th March 2023. Afunanya said the security team intercepted a six-man criminal gang at Gegu Beki, along the Lokoja-Abuja Road during the operation. While the gang includes Col. AU Suleiman (rtd), Barr. MK Aminu, Kabir Abdullahi, Isah Umar, Kadir Echi, and Adama Abdulkarim, items recovered from the members…

THE United Kingdom has expressed displeasure over controversial comments made by Femi Fani-Kayode, a former minister of aviation and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In an interview with Nigeria Info FM on Sunday, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, faulted the APC chieftain for his statements and said a number of high profile Nigerians are currently on visa ban list. Fani-Kayode is also the APC presidential campaign council’s director of new media. News Point Nigeria reported that the United Kingdom, lastweek, said it had embarked on an exercise of collating information with the aim to impose…

OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have arrested a businessman, Molokwu Nwachukwu, who frequents China, Dubai, Pakistan, and Vietnam, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos for concealing thirty-six (36) parcels of cocaine in different parts of his check-in bags, hand luggage and two pairs of slippers, while heading to Southeast Asia. Molokwu was arrested at the screening point of the MMIA Terminal 2 while attempting to board his flight to Vietnam on Wednesday 22nd March. A total of thirty-six parcels of whitish powdery substance that tested positive to Cocaine with a gross weight of…

NIGERIA’s Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya has challenged Reuters to provide evidence to substantiate its claim of abortion of 10,000 pregnancies, massacre of children and other Sexual and Gender Based Violations leveled against the Armed Forces, News Point Nigeria reports that, the COAS issued the challenge while testifying before the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter Insurgency Operations in the North East, insisting that it appears that Reuters is acting a script to rubbish successes in the North East. Making reference to the Reuters report, he said “some people are gifted in writing…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it will issue certificates of return to newly elected governors, deputy governors-elect and State Assembly members-elect from Wednesday to Friday. In a statement made available to News Point Nigeria late Saturday, INEC National Commissioner, Festus Okoye said by the provisions of Section 72(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, the Commission is mandated to issue a certificate of return within 14 days to every candidate who has been returned elected under the law. “Pursuant to the above provision, the Commission has fixed Wednesday 29th, Thursday 30th and Friday 31st March 2023 for the issuance…

THE Department of State Services (DSS) has warned politicians to desist from peddling “hate speech” and all forms of “false narratives” to ignite violence or pit citizens against the President Muhammadu Buhari government or the incoming administration of the President-Elect, Bola Tinubu. In a statement on Saturday, DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya, said violence will consume politicians inciting the breakdown of law and order. The secret police warning followed a petition by the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo that the DSS invite the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi; and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, over their…

A SOLDIER in Niger State on Friday killed three Beninois in Babana area of Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State. The chairman of the LGA, Alhaji Suleiman Yarima, who confirmed the incident appealed to the people of Babana to remain calm over the killing of the family members and assured that the Nigerian Army was on top of the situation. He also assured the people that the law would take its cause. Speaking on the incident, a resident of the area, Audu Alkali, said that the three people were killed while returning from market. “The soldier killed three people,…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, Olu Falae and Peter Obi hail from different parts of the country, but there is one thing these three have in common: each one has challenged the outcome of a presidential election they contested. According to Section 134 of the Electoral Act, 2022, a party who intends to challenge the process and/or outcome of an election can do so on the basis of the elected individual not being qualified at the time of the election; invalidity of the election by reason of corrupt practices and non-compliance with the provisions of the Act; or the respondent not being…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says Mamman Nasir Ali, the son of a former Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Ali, has been arraigned for an alleged N2.2 billion oil subsidy fraud. The EFCC, in a statement Friday by the EFCC’s Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, added that its Lagos Zonal Command also arraigned one Christian Taylor before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos. The accused were reportedly arraigned alongside Nasaman Oil Services Limited on an amended 49-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence, contrary to Section…

THE Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Kayode Ariwoola was on Friday spotted observing his prayers at the Ansar-Ud-Deen Central Mosque in Abuja.  He went to the prayers from the Supreme Court, Abuja. This is coming in the wake of speculations that he is in London to meet president-elect Bola Tinubu.

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has confirmed the disbursement of naira notes from its vaults to commercial banks across the country as part of a coordinated effort to ease the circulation of banknotes of various denominations. The CBN has also directed all commercial banks to open for operation on Saturdays and Sundays. News Point Nigeria reports that, the Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department of the CBN, Dr. Isa AbdulMumin, disclosed this in Abuja, on Friday, March 24, 2023, stating that a substantial amount of money, in various denominations, had been received by the commercial banks for onward circulation to…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has announced that it will go after some outgoing public officials after May 29. The EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, disclosed this in an interview with Daily Trust, published Friday. Bawa who did not give names or the number of public officials that would be brought under the law disclosed that at least two ministries were currently under the radar of the commission for fraudulent activities that bordered on procurement processes. “Currently, we’re investigating two ministries where double payments were made. In one of the ministries, the double payments, cumulatively, were about 20 contracts of…

AT least 201 kidnapped victims have been rescued in the last two weeks in various military operations in Borno and Kaduna States. The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Musa Danmadami made the disclosure during the bi-weekly briefing at the Defence Headquarters on Thursday. Major General Musa Danmadami added that troops of Operation Whirl Stroke neutralised 14 terrorists, arrested 12 terrorist logistics suppliers rescued 16 abducted civilians. Meanwhile, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division and Commander Sector 1 Operation HADIN KAI, Major General Waidi Shaibu, on Tuesday, made an operational visit to 112 Task Force Battalion, MAFA, Borno State.…

THE national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suspended a former governor of Katsina and Ekiti states, Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina; Ayodele Fayose and former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, and two others for anti-party activities. The party also referred the Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, to its Disciplinary Committee over his reported anti-party activities. This was disclosed by the national publicity secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, in a statement on Thursday. He said, “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has after very extensive review of the affairs of our…

MEMBERS of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State on Thursday held a peaceful protest in the state capital to demand the declaration of their candidate, Isah Ashiru as the rightful winner of the March 18th governorship election held in the state. On Monday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Uba Sani winner of the poll. While Sani polled a total of 730,002 votes, his closest rival – PDP’s Ashiru – raked in 719,196 votes. Not satisfied with the outcome, the protesters, mostly women who were dressed in black attire, took…

THE presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of installing a third-party device to “manipulate” results of the February 25 poll in favour of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Bola Tinubu. Atiku lodged the allegation in a 66-page document with Petition No: PEPC/A/05/2023 filed before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja. Atiku and the PDP are first and second petitioners respectively while the INEC, Tinubu and the APC are first, second and third respondents respectively. The petition partly…

THE United Kingdom Government says it is compiling relevant information to take action against some individuals who engaged in or incite electoral violence and other anti-democratic behaviours in the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections in Nigeria. In a statement late Wednesday made available to News Point Nigeria, British High Commission said actions such as UK visa ban will be imposed on such individuals. The UK’s statement was released about 24 hours after the United States Government threatened to take “all available actions” against those who undermined the just-concluded elections in Nigeria. The statement was signed by the Senior…