Author: Amina Ibrahim

A SERVING Deputy Director of the Niger State Ministry of Land Transportation, Umar Shehu Farouk, has been sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. Farouk was sentenced by the State High Court in Minna for demanding and receiving gratification of N11 million from a contractor. He was charged with a seven-count offence bordering on gratification and conferment of corrupt advantage upon himself. A statement issued by ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, revealed the development on Friday. Our soourcr reports that the ICPC Prosecutor, Osuobeni Ekoi Akpos, told the court how Farouk committed the offence. He said while serving as the Deputy Director of…

GOVERNOR Babagana Zulum of Borno has approved an 8-day addendum to the 2022/2023 schools academic calendar in the state. The state Commissioner for Education, Mr Lawan Wakilbe, who confirmed this on Friday in Maiduguri, said the approval was to enable staff and eligible students exercise their civic rights. He said that government declared eight days holidays for the upcoming general elections in February, to also enable the usage of schools as Collation Centres. NAN reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed the Presidential and National Assembly elections for February 25, while governorship and state assembly elections will…

KADUNA State Fire Service said an inferno which occurred in the early hours of Friday has killed one Mohammadu Sani, his wife, Raulatu Sani, his son, Hashim Sani (8) and an infant, Fatima Sani. Mohammad Umar, Commander of the service in charge of Zaria Zone made this known in an interview with newsmen in Zaria on Friday. Umar said the outbreak occurred at around 1.00am on Hajiya Maituwo St., Low Cost Area Zaria, Zaria Local Government. He added that the fire service was called after the fire had already destroyed substantial part of the house. However, Umar added that the…

FIVE United Nations agencies have called for urgent action to protect the vulnerable children in Nigeria and 14 other countries worst hit by the food and nutrition crisis. A press statement issued by the World Health Organisation on Thursday noted that conflict, climate shocks, ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and rising costs of living are leaving an increasing number of children acutely malnourished while key health, nutrition and other life-saving services are becoming less accessible. The statement read in part, “Currently, more than 30 million children in the 15 worst-affected countries suffer from wasting – or acute malnutrition – and eight…

WITH just over a month to February presidential election, three of the main protagonists will next week mount the podium at the Royal Institute of International Affairs- Chatham House – to talk about their prospects and readiness. Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, kick starts the Africa Programme event series tagged “Nigeria’s 2023 elections” on Monday afternoon, when he will talk about “a vision for policy change and institutional reforms.” News Point Nigeria gathered that, Tuesday will be the turn of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). His brief is to discuss the electoral…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the timeframe for the collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) nationwide. Instead of ending on Sunday, January 22, 2023, the nation’s electoral body said the collection of PVCs will now continue until Sunday, January 29, 2023. The National Commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC, Festus Okoye, who disclosed this in a statement, said the Commission was determined to ensure that registered voters have ample opportunity to collect their PVCs ahead of the forthcoming general elections. Okoye stated that the Commission was encouraged by the turnout of registered voters and…

ALMOST 24 hours after a soldier allegedly shot a tanker Driver along Zaria-Kano Highway, thousands of travellers are still stranded on the road News Point Nigeria gathered. The Protesting tanker drivers blocked the road on Wednesday around 3:30 pm shortly after a soldier attached to a construction company reportedly shot the victim following an altercation. The incident happened near Tashar Yari in Makarfi town along the highway. Efforts to clear the road on Wednesday by representatives of Police and NURTW failed as the angry tanker drivers remained adamant. The Sector Commandant of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Lawal Garba, lamented…

THE Department of State Services, DSS, has confirmed the arrest of the former presidential spokesman, Dr. Doyin Okupe. DSS said he was arrested on the instruction of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The confirmation was made via a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the DSS, Dr. Peter Afunanya, in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria. Afunanya said: “Doyin Okupe was intercepted by the DSS at Terminal 1 of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, this morning (Thursday) at the instance of the EFCC. “He has long been handed over to the Commission, which requested for the…

BARELY two months to the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the total number of registered voters for the elections to the 18 registered political parties in Nigeria. The registered voters’ list was handed over to the representatives of all the political parties by INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu at a meeting with political parties held at the Commission’s Conference Hall, Maitama, Abuja on Wednesday. A closer look at the Registered Voters’ list shows that out of the 93, 469, 008 persons who are on the register, 49, 054, 162 are male while 44, 414, 846…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has said Boko Haram a plot to destroy Nigeria. The President stated this while receiving Executive members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), led by the Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, at the State House, Abuja. He faulted the ideology of the terrorist group which barred people from seeking knowledge thereby affecting the intellectual growth of citizens. President Buhari said the gains recorded in security would be further consolidated, and more attention would be given to the economy, before handing over on May 29, 2023. The President said the security situation had improved over…

THE United States was facing another major aviation disruption on Wednesday as the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a halt to all domestic flight departures after the system providing pilots with pre-flight safety notices went offline. The FAA said in a statement it had ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures until 9 a.m. Eastern Time while it tried to restore its NOTAMS — or Notice to Air Missions — system. “We are performing final validation checks and repopulating the system now,” an earlier FAA statement said. “Operations across the National Airspace System are affected. We will provide frequent updates as…

WIFE of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Amina Titi Atiku Abubakar has vowed that women, children and people living with disabilities will be empowered if her husband takes over power in 2023. She made the vow during the Respect Her Vote Summit 2023 and the launch of the SHE 2 Orange Nigeria project in Abuja. Amina said she has been a mother to so many children and promised that she would not relent in demonstrating that attribute if her husband wins the presidential seat. She said, “I have been a mother to so many Nigerian children…

THE Nigeria Immigration Service has disclosed that it has commenced the deployment of Assistant Comptroller Generals to some zonal offices with a higher number of unclaimed passports to ramp up the collection of over 140, 000 produced but unclaimed passports across the country. The Comptroller General of Immigration, Isah Idris, made this known in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the NIS, Anthony Akuneme, on Tuesday. Idris stated that Lagos State topped the list of uncollected passports with about 40,000 produced passports yet to be claimed by applicants. He said, “Lagos State topped the list of uncollected…

PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, on Tuesday, said he was encouraged by the United Kingdom’s strong interest in helping Nigeria recover in every facet of its life. Atiku stated this on his verified Twitter handle while reflecting on his visit to the UK to meet some of its government officials. The PDP candidate had traveled to the UK on Monday on the invitation of the British government. During the course of the two-day visit, Atiku will engage British government officials and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Atiku revealed that he met with senior UK…

THE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has confirmed that seven of its personnel alongside five other persons were ambushed and killed at Kuriga mining site, Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The NSCDC Director of Public Relations, Mr. Olusola Odumosu told journalist on Tuesday in Abuja that the five others were from a sister security agency and local vigilance group. He said that one NSCDC personnel escaped the attack with injuries and is currently undergoing treatment. Odumosu said that the attack which occurred on Monday at about 10 a.m, was unfortunate and a big loss to…

THE immediate former Wazirin Bauchi, Muhammadu Bello Kirfi, has said that he will remove the state Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, from office the same way he brought him to power. Kirfi, an elder statesman, stated this for the first time after he was sacked by the state government as Wazirin Bauchi. The state emirate council said it sacked the former Waziri because of what it described as “disloyalty and disrespect toward the state governor”. A letter signed by the Council Secretary, Alhaji Shehu Mudi Muhammad and dated 3rd January 2023 disclosed his removal. But speaking during a media chat with…

AGGRIEVED students of Taraba State University in Jalingo, the state capital, took to the streets on Monday to protest as unpaid lecturers boycotted the school’s semester examinations billed to commence today. The students were supposed to start their examination today but the inability of the lecturers to get paid impeded the process. In protest, the students blocked all roads leading to the institution, hindering vehicular movement around the axis. They also burnt tyres and chanted solidarity songs. The students later blocked the Jalingo-Wukari Expressroad hindering vehicular movement. Business activities were also brought to a halt. The students’ leader at the…

A RENOWNED professor of law and former legal adviser to the former Nigerian president, General Sani Abacha, Prof. Auwalu Yadudu has lost his wife, Hajiya Zainab Auwal Yadudu. According to a short message sent by the professor, a former dean, Faculty of Law at the Bayero University Kano, his wife died in the United State of America on Sunday. He said the late Hajiya Zainab, who he had spent over four decades with died in the hospital while reciting Kalimah Ashshhada, adding that arrangements are underway to bring her body to Nigeria for the funeral. Allahu Akbar, I have just…

THE Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has dismissed reports of the suspension of train services on the Itakpe-Warri axis following an attack by gunmen on Ekehen Train Station in the Igbuebem Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo State. The Managing Director of NRC, Fidet Okhiria, told Channels Television via telephone that the train services have not been suspended, contrary to reports making the rounds. He confirmed that there was an attack which the police and the NRC are currently looking into, but said the incident has not disrupted operations at the station. “As I speak to you now, a train is…

A COALITION  of civil society organizations have backed the call by the Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, urging the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Assembly to investigate the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) over 2022 hajj operation finances and contracts. Governor Ganduje made the call in Kano recently while receiving the 2022 Hajj Operations report from the management of Kano Pilgrims Welfare Board, led by the Chairman of the Board, Professor Abdullahi Pakistan, and Executive Secretary of the Board, Abba Danbatta. Mr Ganduje said,…