Author: Amina Ibrahim

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it has put in place a “robust” plan for the supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, from mid-February to March. The company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Garba Deen Muhammad, in a statement on Monday, noted that the plan is part of its concerted efforts to sustain the supply of petroleum products nationwide. “Latest updates released on Monday show that NNPC Limited has a total of 1.805 billion litres of PMS stock, representing 805.35 million litres in all the land depots nationwide and 1,000.20 million litres on marine vessels,…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday released a summary polling unit and collation centre agents submitted by political parties for the general election 2023. News Point Nigeria reports that, a total of 1,574,301 party polling units agents and 68,057 collation agents were submitted to INEC by political parties across the country. In summary, the ruling All Progressives Congress deployed 176,223 polling units agents nationwide; the Peoples Democratic Party has 176,558 nationwide; and the New Nigeria Peoples Party has 176,200 nationwide. Kano State had the highest number of 145,393 party polling unit agents from the three political parties of APC,…

THE Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the appointment of Naja’atu Muhammad as the North-West coordinator of the Police Service Commission (PSC). News Point Nigeria reported that, the PSC had appointed Muhammad, a former Director of the Civil Society Directorate of the APC PCC as one of the coordinators to supervise the conduct of police officers during the February 25 and March 11 general elections. Muhammad had openly criticised the APC flag bearer, Bola Tinubu after she joined the camp of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. The APC PCC, in a…

WITH the general elections barely a few days away, the Nigeria Police Force has trained officials and other stakeholders on curbing electoral violence in the country. The one-day seminar for strategic police heads, military departments, other security agencies and stakeholders involved in election security management was on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba. Baba said the Force would work closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure preparedness to deliver on its mandate of providing full security coverage before, during, and after the 2023 general election. “As part of the plans to ensure that officers of the NPF…

JUSTICE Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, granted Ali Bello and three others bail in an alleged N3 billion fraud suit filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). News Point Nigeria reports that the, ruling against a counter-affidavit by the EFCC counsel opposing the bail request, the judge held that the charges against the defendants were bailable and that it was to enable the defendants charged with an offence to prepare adequately for their trial. Bello was on February 8, 2023, arraigned alongside Abba Adauda, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege and Iyadai Sadat, on…

THE United States Embassy in Nigeria has alerted its citizens in Nigeria on possible protests and restricted movements on February 25 and March 11. In a notice on its website, the Embassy advised its nationals to avoid rallies as “they can turn violent with little or no notice”. The Embassy also advised American citizens in Nigeria to have three days of food and water at home in case movement restrictions are extended beyond election days. The notice was titled, ‘Security Alert – Possible Protests Leading to Elections and Restricted Movements on Election Days’. “The Government of Nigeria will restrict the…

THE National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu and the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) on Sunday called for compliance by the Federal Government to the Supreme Court order on the naira swap policy. News Point Nigeria reports that, the call comes on the heels of a meeting between Adamu and the APC governors in Abuja over a policy that seemingly deepens the rift between the Presidency and governors under the party. The Supreme Court granted an interim injunction suspending the Central Bank of Nigeria’s February 10 ultimatum for the old N200, N500, and N1,000 as legal tender,…

NO fewer than 18 nurses of Nigerian descent are currently facing charges in Texas, United States following allegations of fake educational qualifications, News Point Nigeria learnt. This is according to a statement published on the website of the Texas board of nursing which was obtained by our correspondent on Sunday. In the statement, a total of 23 practising nurses were caught in a grand fraudulent diploma/transcript scheme as revealed by an ongoing investigations. The investigations tagged ‘Operation Nightingale,’ was described as a multi-state coordinated law enforcement action involving the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General…

AHEAD of the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections, the Nigeria Immigration Service has redeployed 30 state comptrollers and 11 Assistant Comptrollers Generals across the country. Affected by the fresh posting are 11 Assistant Comptrollers General in charge of the various zones as well as 30 Comptrollers posted to new states. This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Immigration Public Relations officer, Tony Akuneme and made available to News Point Nigeria, Sunday. According to the NIS spokesman, the states affected were mainly those that bordered Nigeria with neighbouring countries – Yobe, Adamawa, Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara, Oyo, Lagos…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured that the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly polls will hold nationwide despite the cash crunch and protests in some parts of the country. Following the re-design of the N200, N500 and N1,000 by the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerians have been experiencing difficulty having access to the new notes. With this development, there have been fears that the general elections might be postponed or suffer glitches. But INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has allayed those fears, saying the commission is working closely with the CBN and security agencies. “The Central Bank…

A 44-YEAR-OLD Nigerian medical doctor with extensive experience supporting developing countries in tackling infectious diseases, Obinna Onyekwena, has been appointed as a deputy director in disease advocacy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington. Established in 2000 by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife, the foundation works to help improve people’s health in developing countries with the ultimate aim of giving them a chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In his new role, Obinna will be responsible for leading the foundation’s strategies and portfolio of investments for increasing political commitment, resourcing, and…

TEN states have asked the Supreme Court to set aside the pronouncement of President Muhammadu Buhari banning old N500 and N1,000 notes. The governors, in Suit No SC/CV/162/2023, filed on Friday by their counsel, A.J. Owonikoko (SAN), want the apex court to declare the President’s directives in his Thursday’s broadcast as unconstitutional. The plaintiffs in the suit are the Attorneys General (AGs) of Kaduna, Kogi, Zamfara, Ondo, Ekiti, Katsina, Ogun, Cross River, Sokoto, and Lagos states while the defendants are the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), as well as the AGs of Bayelsa and Edo states. The…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has denied reports making the rounds that it has authorized deposit money banks to collect the old N500 and N1,000 banknotes. In a statement by Osita Nwanisobi, CBN’s Director of Corporate Communications on Friday, the apex bank said for the avoidance of doubt the CBN is only reissuing and recirculating the old N200 banknotes and which is expected to circulate as legal tender for 60 days up to April 10, 2023, in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s national broadcast on Thursday. The CBN advised members of the public to disregard any message and/or information…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has denied claims by some individuals and governors that his administration is working towards an interim govt or even worse, working to truncate Nigeria’s democracy. In a signed statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, made available to News Point Nigeria, Friday, President Buhari said, “The talk of interim government and truncation of democracy is way off the mark. Those who peddle it stand to gain nothing- nothing at all -but the creation of panic and the incitement of the public against the federal government.” The statement reads in full:…

THE Nigeria Police Force has warned against attacks on banks and described such action as armed robbery. This warning came on the heels of attacks on bank facilities in several parts of the country following the naira crunch. But the Force spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi has cautioned against such, saying it will be resisted. “We complain banks don’t attend to us yet we go to their facilities and set them ablaze, destroy ATMs. How do you want them to serve you better if you have destroyed their facilities?” he said in a recorded video posted on the NPF’s Facebook page Friday.…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari insists that the cashless policy and Naira swap by the Central Bank have short and long term benefits for the country in dealing with insecurity and corruption, but agrees that the apex bank should take the recommendation of a parliamentary Committee to rectify identified problems. His comments came as the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, gave him an assurance that N200 currency notes taken out of circulation will be moved back from today. News Point Nigeria reports that, the President who spoke at the State House when he received briefing from members of the House of Representatives…

THE Federal Government has published the names of 8,611 Nigerians who are yet to collect their issued passports from the Nigeria Immigrations offices across Nigeria. The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Interior, revealed the names on its website with the link shared on its official Twitter handle. This was also retweeted by the minister, Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday afternoon. News Point Nigeria had earlier reported that the Nigeria Immigration Service said over 148,000 passports were awaiting collection nationwide since 2020. The NIS Public Relations Officer, Anthony Akuneme, also noted that the NIS could not reach the owners, some of…

PRESIDENT General Muhammadu Buhari, has disclosed that out of the banknotes held outside the banking sector, N2.1 trillion had been successfully retrieved since the beginning of the naira redesign policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Buhari disclosed this on Thursday during a national broadcast to Nigerians. “I have been reliably informed that since the commencement of this program, about N2.1 trillion out of the banknotes previously held outside the banking system had been successfully retrieved. “This represents about 80% of such funds. In short to medium and long terms, therefore, it’s expected that there would be lowering of…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release old N200 notes into circulation to co-exist with new N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes for 60 days – to April 10. The President, who made this known in a nationwide broadcast on Thursday, directed the CBN to allow the new notes available to all citizens. The President apologised to Nigerians over the difficulty experienced in the implementation of the naira redesign policy. “To further ease the supply pressure, particularly on our citizens, I have given approval to the CBN that the old N200 bank notes be released…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari will address Nigerians on Thursday by 7am, presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina has said. The President’s nationwide broadcast is coming amid strong reactions and protests to the lingering cash crunch experienced by millions of Nigerians across the country in the last few weeks. Adesina, however, did not state the subject the President will be addressing during the broadcast. “President Muhammadu Buhari will make a national broadcast on Thursday, February 16, 2023, at 7 am. “Television, radio stations, and other electronic media outlets are enjoined to hook up to the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority and Radio…