THREE days after an alleged airforce jet bombed and killed over 37 Fulani herders in Nasarawa, the military are yet to offer any kind of explanation for the unfortunate strike. All efforts to reach the Airforce for a comment by this newspaper were abortive as numerous text messages were not replied. Musa Danmadami, director of defence media operations, however, said on Thursday that the army’s counter-insurgency operations are professionally conducted. “Like I said earlier on, operations are being carried out across the length and breadth of this nation. It is not only in Nasarawa state, Niger state or Benue state…
Author: Amina Ibrahim
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THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Friday that it was ready to conduct a mock accredition of voters ahead of the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections. National Chairman of the Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this at a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners from the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT. He said the mock accreditation exercise, which will take place in about 436 polling units across the country, is aimed at testing the readiness of the Biomodial Voter Accreditations System(BIVAS). He said distribution of sensitive materials for the elections to the various States…
THE New Nigerian People’s Party, on Thursday, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of refusing to replace candidates who defected from the party to other platforms. The party lamented that despite orders of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court in Abuja directing INEC to accept the names of the fresh candidates submitted to it to replace those that withdrew their candidature and resigned from the party, the commission has refused to obey the order, one month to the elections. The ANPP candidates who left the party but were yet to be replaced by INEC included a former…
ATIKU Abubakar has promised a youth and women-inclusive government if elected as Nigeria’s president next month. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate made the promise on Thursday at the party’s campaign rally in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. “We want our youth to be where we are. We are here to bring you up, our youths and our woman – we are your parents – we are bringing you up so that you can succeed us,” Atiku said at the Ebonyi Township Stadium. “We are not going to be there forever. We want you to succeed us. For you to succeed…
THE Minister of Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola, revealed this at the 64th session of the State House Ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team, at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. A breakdown of details from the federal fire service showed that in 2015, 2016 and 2017, properties worth N15.7bn, N1.65bn and N5.18bn were lost in fire incidents. In 2018, 2019 and 2020, Nigerians lost N26.71bn, N16.46bn and N32.12bn respectively to fires. While N3.05bn and N46bn were lost in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Conversely, valuables worth N25.32tn were salvaged from various fire incidents nationwide, Aregbesola revealed. The breakdown is as…
AT least 159 Nigerians renounced their citizenship in 2022 alone, the ministry of interior has revealed. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore, revealed this on Thursday at the 64th session of the State House Ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team, at the Aso Rock Villa. According to Belgore, 150 Nigerians renounced their citizenship between 2006 to 2021. In 2022, however, 159 Nigerians renounced their citizenship. Meanwhile, the Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola, said the massive exodus of Nigerians out of the county in search of greener pastures is fueling high demands for passports. Aregbesola said in…
THE Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to a visa ban which the United States Government plans to put on any Nigerian trying to ‘undermine democracy’ in 2023. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken on Wednesday, said that some individuals have already been banned adding that they would be ineligible for the US visa. He stated, “We are committed to supporting and advancing democracy in Nigeria and around the world. Today, I am announcing visa restrictions on specific individuals in Nigeria for undermining the democratic process in a recent Nigerian election.” “Under Section…
THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in conjunction with the Nigeria Inter Bank Settlement Systems (NIBSS) Plc, the Bankers Committee and other financial ecosystem stakeholders would launch the National Domestic Card Scheme today. The new domestic card scheme is a robust in-country scheme tailored to address the specific requirements of Nigeria’s payment industry and provide innovative offerings to the Nigerian market and beyond. The scheme would transform the domestic and African payment landscape through the promotion of innovation in the payment, enhancement of interoperability domestically and internationally and improvement in the suite of products and solutions offerings by banks and…
THE Senate on Wednesday failed to consider and pass the N22.7tn Ways and Means restructuring request forwarded to it and the House of Representatives by the President Muhammadu Buhari. President Buhari had sent in the request sometime in December, 2022, for expeditious consideration. News Point Nigeria observed that consideration for it was neither listed on the order paper used for plenary both on Tuesday and Wednesday. Also, it was not mentioned by the Senate Leader, Abdullahi Gobir, who is also the chairman of the special committee set up for that purpose. The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, had last Tuesday, declared…
THE US government has announced visa restriction on Nigerians who “undermined” the country’s democracy. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, said that the sanctioned individuals, whose name he did not reveal, would be ineligible for US visas. The top-ranking diplomat also explained that some family members of those barred from the US may also be subjected to the same restriction. He stated, ”We are committed to supporting and advancing democracy in Nigeria and around the world. Today, I am announcing visa restrictions on specific individuals in Nigeria for undermining the democratic…
THE House of Representatives has urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited as the sole importer of petrol to urgently ease off queues in filling stations. The House on Wednesday also urged relevant security agencies to fish out oil marketers and other economic saboteurs that may be responsible for the fuel scarcity in the country. These resolutions were reached following a motion of urgent public importance by a legislator, Leke Abejide drawing attention to the lingering fuel crisis across the country. The green chamber mandated the relevant House committees to investigate the matter within 48 hours and deliver a…
THE International Press Centre (IPC) is making a case for bulletproof vests for journalists covering the 2023 elections. This is according to the Executive Director of the IPC Lanre Arogundade who spoke during the presentation of the outcomes of the organisation’s analysis of trends in reportage of the 2023 elections. At the event held in Abuja on Tuesday, the IPC chief said journalists are victims of election violence, adding that 250 journalists were attacked during the 2019 polls. “I don’t know whether that would be a violation of the Police Act and I don’t know if it is allowed. But…
THE All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has accused Naja’atu Muhammad, a former chieftain of the party, of being a mole. On Saturday, Muhammad, a former senator representing Kano central, said she has resigned from the ruling party and has quit partisan politics. The politician said she was committed to supporting individuals truly interested in addressing the root causes of Nigeria’s challenges. “Quitting party politics at this point in time is one of such steps,” she had said in a statement. “We all recognise that Nigeria is facing many challenges, including insecurity, poverty, inequality, and lack of access to…
NO fewer than 25,000 persons are said to be missing according to stakeholders as they meet to ensure that their families are not forgotten. According to a statement made available to News Point Nigeria on Monday by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the conflict in North-East resulted in the missing persons. The statement was signed by Aliyu Dawobe and Pat Griffiths, issued ahead of its Tuesday meeting with stakeholders co-hosted by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development as well as the National Human Rights Commission. The stakeholders said the “essence of the meeting…
DIRECTOR-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed, says 2,430, 445 people were displaced by the 2022 flood disaster that ravaged different parts of the country. He said this at the opening of a one-week strategic executive course for Nigeria Emergency Management Stakeholders on Monday in Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the course had as participants, heads of state emergency management agencies and heads of NEMA’s zonal, territorial and operational offices, among other partner agencies. Ahmed said that the capacity-building training was expedient at a time when the country was recovering from the impacts of the…
THE Police Service Commission, PSC, has asked the Accountant-General of the Federation to stop the capture of 10,000 constables who recently graduated from police training colleges on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel System. The commission stated that the decision was made because the new police officers had not been issued their letters of appointment and should not be enrolled on the payment portal. According to the Public Service Rules, public officers not captured on the IPPIS cannot be paid salaries and other emoluments. The development followed the alleged refusal of the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, to submit their names…
THIRTY six years since the national Qur’anic recitation competition (dawrah) began in the country, the first Sokoto indigene to clinch a first place was on Sunday co-opted into the Sultanate scheme of things by Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar. The competition started in 1986. The Sultan, who was visibly elated by the accomplishment of Nura Bello Abdullahi, an undergraduate of Computer Studies, pronounced the conferment of the title of Modibbon Sokoto (Preceptor of Sokoto), the first of its kind in the history of the Caliphate, on him “as a gesture of the Caliphate demonstrating our willingness to work with you.” In…
A FIRST-class traditional ruler in Plateau State, Isaac Wakili, who was kidnapped by gunmen in the early hours of Friday has regained his freedom. Some residents of the Shere community in the Jos East Local Government Area of the state where the monarch was abducted said he was rescued on Friday a few hours after his abduction. One of the residents, Philip Izam, who confirmed the release of the traditional ruler to News Point Nigeria in Jos on Friday added that he had been taken to the hospital for treatment. Izam said, “You know our traditional ruler was kidnapped by…
THE Federal Government on Thursday lifted the ban on wood and charcoal exportation. Minister of Environment, Mohammed H. Abdullahi, said this in Abuja during a stakeholders’ consultative meeting on the review of ban on charcoal and suspension of the export of processed wood and other allied products. Abdullahi said many businesses had been affected by the ban. He said the decision was taken by the government to enable the private sector and individuals to massively invest in plantations. “The ministry has observed that many businesses have been unintentionally affected, especially those converting waste to wealth for export by the ban.…
THE Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, has advised the Central Bank of Nigeria to reconsider the January 31 deadline for the old notes to remain in circulation in the country. Speaking while receiving the CBN Comptroller in charge of Sokoto State, Dahiru Usman, and some officials of the Apex bank on Thursday at his palace, the monarch observed that many people were still unaware of the redesigned naira notes, especially in the rural areas. He said, “We still have people who didn’t know that our naira was redesigned. They could reject the new naira notes when given. If they…