AHEAD of the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba has ordered the restriction of all forms of vehicular movement on roads, waterways, and other forms of transportation, from 12 am to 6 pm on election day. However, those on essential services such as officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), electoral observers, accredited media and observers as well as emergency responders are excluded. “This directive excludes the Federal Capital Territory as no election is being conducted therein,” said Force Spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi. “Similarly, the IGP reiterates the ban on all security…
Author: Amina Ibrahim
Read More
TROOPS of Joint Taskforce of Northwest Operation Hadarin Daji have neutralized several bandits following a clearance operation around Kagara, Gidan Fadama, Gangara, Tseika, Malamawa and Zango Kamarawa general areas, under Talata Mafara and Shinkafi Local Government Areas in Zamfara state. News Point Nigeria learnt that, troops on Tuesday and Wednesday, embarked on clearance operations on several bandits’ camps in these areas, engaged the terrorists in fierce gun battle, killed several bandits and destroyed their camps and hideouts. The troops of Operation Hadarin Daji also recovered 1 Rocket Propeller Grenade (RPG), 1 PKT Machine Gun with several live ammunitions, 3 AK-47…
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, have withdrawn a fresh application they filed to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow their agents to participate in the process of sorting out ballot papers that were used for the presidential election that held on February 25. Both PDP and Atiku, who are separately challenging the outcome of the election, told the Presidential Election Petition Court that they were no longer interested in the application and have filed a notice of discontinuance. According to a source who spoke to News Point Nigeria on condition of…
THE World Health Organization (WHO) has included Nigeria and 54 other countries on its Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List 2023. The global health body stated that the countries face the most pressing health workforce challenges related to universal health coverage. “In particular, these countries have: 1) a density of doctors, nurses and midwives below the global median (i.e., 49 per 10 000 population); and 2) a universal health coverage service coverage index below a certain threshold,” WHO said in the report released March 8. “To account for the disruptions caused to health services by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied appointing a former Commissioner in Lagos State, Femi Odubiyi, as the head of its Information and Communications Technology Department. In a statement on Tuesday, the Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, debunked claims made by former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Bode George that the electoral body appointed Odubiyi to its payroll. Okoye said the claim by the PDP chieftain is false, adding that INEC staff were non-partisan and have not occupied any political position in the past. “Nothing can be farther from the truth,” Okoye said.…
THE lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, is confident that the relationship between the President-elect, Bola Tinubu and the 10th National Assembly will be hitch-free. Ndume, who briefed journalists in Abuja on Monday, said the incoming administration of Tinubu will be what he described as a National Assembly government. This to him is because both Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, as well as All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu and Secretary, Iyiola Omisore, are former members of the National Assembly. After a meeting between the APC leadership and the National Assembly members elected on the…
THE Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has debunked speculation that he is lobbying to be appointed as Chief of Staff to the President-Elect, Bola Tinubu. Gbajabiamila, who has been representing the Surulere I Federal Constituency of Lagos since 2003, is a key loyalist of Tinubu’s. While other elected members of the 10th House of Representatives were at the International Conference Centre (ICC) to collect their certificates of return, the Speaker was noticeably absent last week. As a result of his absence, there were reports that Gbajabiamila was lobbying to be appointed as chief of staff to Tinubu.…
FOLLOWING the compliance of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the Supreme Court’s ruling validating the old naira notes, Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, says citizens can now heave a sigh of relief as more cash is expected in circulation. On Monday, the apex bank asked money deposit banks to dispense and accept old naira notes until December 31, as stipulated by the apex court. Governor Matawalle, in a swift response, described the CBN’s directive as a victory for Nigerians. In statement by his spokesman, Zailani Bappa, the governor maintained that the suit instituted against the naira redesign policy…
THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday said old N200, N500, N1,000 banknotes remain legal tender till December 31, 2023. The apex bank’s Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Isa AbdulMumin disclosed this in a statement on Monday. This is coming 10 days after the Supreme Court ruled that old naira notes should co-exist with new ones till the end of the year. “In compliance with the established tradition of obedience to court orders and sustenance of the Rule of Law Principle that characterized the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, and by extension, the operations of the Central Bank of…
THE President-elect, Bola Tinubu, has revealed that he has no preferred candidates for the leadership of both chambers who will constitute the 10th National Assembly. Tinubu, who was represented by the Vice President-Elect, Kashim Shettima, disclosed this at the meeting with new members-elect to the National Assembly. A member-elect for Bungudu/Maru Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, Abdulmalik Bungudu, revealed this to our correspondent shortly after the meeting. Bungudu, who spoke in the Hausa language, revealed that Tinubu told attendees that he had no preferred candidates for any of the principal offices of the 10th NASS. According to him, “For now,…
THE Presidency on Monday said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has no reason not to comply with the Supreme Court order on naira redesign on the excuse of waiting for directives from President Muhammadu Buhari. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement, said the President never told the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami; and the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele to disobey any court orders involving the government and other parties. The highest court of the land had on March 3 ordered that old N200, N500 and N1000 notes…
THE Senate has postponed its earlier scheduled plenary to Tuesday, March 21, 2023. The Red chamber at its last sitting had due to the governorship elections adjourned plenary to Tuesday, March 14, 2023. The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, shifted the plenary to March 14 to enable senators vying for governorship positions to participate in the campaigns and elections. He said, “We have to adjoin for all of us to participate in the campaigns and elections of the governors and states assembly members.” However, a copy of a memo signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Chinedu Akubueze, announced a new…
THE Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele has debunked news on him launching fresh plot on the President-elect, Mr.Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He attributed such a news story which was published in today’s edition of The Nation newspaper as fake. The Governor disclosed this today in a statement signed by the Acting Director Corporate Communications, CBN, Mr. Isa Abdulmumin. Emefiele said:”The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been drawn to a story published in The Nation newspaper of Monday, March 13, 2023 edition, alleging that the Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele has launched a…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday said over 170,000 polling unit results of the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections have been uploaded on its Result Viewing Portal (IReV). The Commission also said the reconfiguration of the Bimodal Voter Registration Systems (BVAS) would be completed by Tuesday in preparation for the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections. “As at the last time, over 170,000 of those results have been uploaded,” INEC National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, stated on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, monitored by News Point Nigeria. “As you are aware, we are reconfiguring the BVAS for…
AMID the lingering scarcity of new naira notes as a result of the recent currency redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and its attendant hardship on the citizens, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari for disobeying the Supreme Court judgment ordering the recirculation of the old naira notes till December 31, 2023. The Northern socio-political group described the President’s action as a damage to his credentials as a democrat and a stickler for the rule of law. In a statement issued by its Secretary General, Murtala Aliyu on Sunday, the ACF lamented that…
THE Central Bank of Nigeria says residents of rural and unbanked areas can no longer swap old notes for new ones through its cash swap programme. The CBN Acting Spokesperson, Isa Abdulmumin, disclosed this, noting that the programme had fulfilled its mandate. He said, “The programme has stopped. The cash swap was not in perpetuity and has a lifeline.” However, the Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria had described the programme as ineffective, insisting that participation by stakeholders was minimal. The CBN had said the cash swap programme was aimed at enabling citizens in rural areas or those…
WITH the postponement of the governorship and state assembly elections to March 18, several universities have extended their resumption dates for academic activities. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced a one-week delay of the elections earlier scheduled for March 11 for reconfiguration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used during the presidential and National Assembly elections two weeks ago. In separate notices, students and staff of several universities were informed of the new resumption of academic activities. A source at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria told News Point Nigeria that the earlier resumption date of…
JUSTICE Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja on Friday held that only the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is empowered by law to determine the mode of collating and transmitting election results. In a judgement, Justice Nwite stated that only INEC has the prerogative to direct how the Polling Unit Presiding Officer should transfer election results, including the total number of accredited persons and results of the ballot. Justice Nwite further held that the collating and transferring of election results manually in the 2023 general elections cannot be said to be contrary to the relevant provisions of the…
THE commencement of the 2023 national housing and population census earlier slated for March 29 is likely to be affected by the postponement of the governorship and state assembly elections. This is according to the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Mr Nasir Kwarra, who was speaking at a meeting with the resident representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Abuja. The state elections which were earlier scheduled to hold on March 11, have now been scheduled for March 18 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Although no specific date is fixed for the commencement of the exercise,…
THE corpse of a four-year-old boy, Eleazar Ishiya, has been found inside a manhole adjacent to Mr Biggs at the Jabi area in Abuja three days after he was declared missing. Family sources said the boy was declared missing on Friday, March 3, at Filin Ball, Jabi Daki Biyu, and his corpse was discovered three days after. A witness, Joel Joseph said, “When we saw his body inside the manhole, his grandmother attempted to jump inside but I took hold of her and pushed her away. I jumped inside the pit where I found the body already rotten. His tongue,…