Author: Amina Ibrahim

THE Nigerian Police Force has detailed how a group of police officers corruptly obtained a total of ₦43,160,000 from a cargo worker at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja last year. A statement by the NPF Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Ogunjobi on Wednesday, said the incident which occurred on August 2023, found Inspector Ekende Edwin, Inspector Esther Okafor, and Sergeant Talabi Kayode, all attached to the Zone 7 Headquarters culpable of the crime. The officers, led by Inspector Esther Okafor on the instruction of DSP Peter Ejike, unlawfully arrested Andrew Ejah, an employee of FATFAD Cargo Nigeria Limited, who…

NIGERIA’s Okonjo-Iweala has been reappointed as the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This is her second term in office. Her present stint will end on 31 August 2025. She was first elected as the WTO DG on February 15, 2021. Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and the first African to head the WTO was the only candidate in the race and had been all but assured a second term. The organisation’s 166 members “today agreed to give incumbent Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala a second term as director-general,” the WTO said in a statement. The 70-year-old Nigerian’s reappointment was approved by…

THE Federal Government has vowed to eliminate Malaria following a loss of $1.1bn annually to the health crisis. Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister for Health & Social Welfare made this declaration at the inaugural meeting of the Advisory on Malaria Elimination in Nigeria ( AMEN) held in Abuja. He described malaria as not just a health crisis, but also an economic and developmental emergency that must be eliminated. In his remarks, the Coordinating Minister stated that the federal government is resolute in its commitment to eliminate malaria. The launch of an advisory body, he pointed out, is therefore…

NIGERIA’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.46% (year-on-year) in real terms in the third quarter of 2024, latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has shown. The growth rate is higher than the 2.54% recorded in the third quarter of 2023 and higher than the second quarter of 2024 growth of 3.19%. According to NBS, the performance of the GDP in the third quarter of 2024 was driven mainly by the services sector, which recorded a growth of 5.19% and contributed 53.58% to the aggregate GDP. The agriculture sector grew by 1.14%, from the growth of 1.30%…

STUDENTS across several tertiary institutions in Nigeria rejoice as they receive alert of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). The NELFUND, established by the Students Loan Act 2023 is managed and administered by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through the money deposit banks. It aims to facilitate the mobilisation of funds to provide interest-free loans to students of tertiary institutions. Beneficiaries are expected to begin a repayment process of 10% of their salary to be deducted at source two years after the completion of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), while self-employed beneficiaries are required to remit the same…

A FORMER Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has sought to amend her suit before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court Abuja, challenging the order obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for final forfeiture of her seized assets. At the Resumed hearing, no counsel appeared for the EFCC. Justice Ekwo asked her counsel if he had received processes from the anti-graft agency and he responded in the affirmative. The lawyer, however, informed the court that they had filed a motion to amend their processes and that the commission had been duly served. Justice Ekwo subsequently adjourned…

THE Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has reiterated its resolve to sustain a seven-day warning strike and consider further actions if the Federal Government fails to address its demands. The MDCAN President, Prof. Muhammad A Muhammad disclosed this during a news conference in Kano on Tuesday, following the commencement of the nationwide strike on Monday. Speaking to journalists, Prof. Muhammad explained that the warning strike was a decision reached at an extraordinary virtual National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on November 11, 2024. The meeting followed the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum issued to the government, which,…

THE Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike has approved the immediate payment of N70,000 new national minimum wage for staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA). A statement signed by the Ag. Head of Civil Service of FCT, Grace Adayilo on Monday, said the approval was in a bid to ameliorate the plight of workers under the employ of the FCTA. The head of the service disclosed that the minister also granted approval for payment of 3]three months arrears for all staff of the administration with effect from November 2024. The statement further added that the move was…

VICE-CHANCELLOR of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Olufemi A. Peters, has been presented with an esteemed award by the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria in recognition of his exceptional leadership and invaluable contributions to the advancement of biotechnology education, research, and innovation. According to a statement by the Director, Media and Publicity, NOUN, Ibrahim Sheme, presenting the award in Abuja on Monday, the BSN said: “Under Prof. Peters’ guidance, NOUN has played a pivotal role in fostering scientific progress and promoting the development of biotechnology in Nigeria. “His unwavering commitment to academic excellence and the nurturing of future…

THE Federal Road Safety Corps said more than 3,767 people lost their lives in 7,011 road crashes between January and September 2024. The FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, stated this in Bauchi on Sunday, during the flag-off of the 2024 Road Traffic Crash Cictims Remembrance Week at St. John’s Evangelist Cathedral Church. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 2024 World Road Traffic Crash victims remembrance week is tagged: “That Day”, to tell the stories of the day traffic collisions stopped or changed the course of the victim’s lives forever. Represented by the Bauchi State Sector Commander, Istifanus Ibrahim,…

THE Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to “stop using the NBC Act and the Nigeria Broadcasting Code to impose fines, threaten to impose sanctions, harass and intimidate the broadcast stations and other independent media houses in the country.” The court declared that “the NBC and its agents lack the legal power and authority to impose penalty unlawfully and unilaterally, including fines, suspension, withdrawal of license or any form of punishment whatsoever on independent media houses for promoting access to diverse information on issues of public importance.” The judgment was delivered in June…

THE National Judicial Council (NJC) has suspended Justice G. C Aguma of the High Court of Rivers State and Justice A.O Nwabunike of the Anambra State High Court from performing judicial functions. They were both suspended for the period of one year without pay and placed on watch list for two years thereafter. According to a statement by the council on Friday, the decision was taken at the 107th Meeting of the NJC chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun on 13 and 14 November 2024. A total of 5 serving Judicial Officers were sanctioned for…

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) says it has reached the mark of 1.8 million barrels per day of crude oil production. The state-owned oil company which made the announcement on Thursday, also stated that it is set to hit the two million barrels per day target set by President Bola Tinubu by December 2024. The company also revealed that it is now producing 7.4 million standard cubic feet of gas to power the gas infrastructure especially the AKK. This is an improvement from 6.1 mmscf earlier in the year. The NNPCL noted that the accomplishment which aligns with…

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Gas Marketing Limited, a subsidiary of NNPCL, has executed a Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement with the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, Lagos. The agreement, signed by the Managing Director of NGML, Justin Ezeala, and the President/Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, on Tuesday at the Corporate Head Office of Dangote in Falomo, Lagos, outlined the supply of natural gas for power generation and feedstock at the refinery. “This major milestone is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s policy of utilising Nigeria’s abundant gas resources towards revamping the nation’s industrial growth and…

THE Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria says over 30,000 of its members are set to buy Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in bulk News Point Nigeria gathered. IPMAN also revealed that the price of petrol from the $20 billion Lekki-based plant was N940/litre and N990/litre when purchased using ships and trucks, respectively. Our correspondents further gathered that the independent oil marketers might not import petrol again following the deal to begin direct lifting from the Dangote refinery. Speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, IPMAN President, Abubakar Garima, said the pump prices of petrol…

A NIGERIAN man wanted by the Rhode Island authorities on charges of murder, causing serious bodily harm to a child, and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution has been added to the U.S. Marshals Service’s “15 Most Wanted” list. A reward of up to $25,000 is offered for information leading to his arrest. According to a report on the U.S. Marshals Service’s official website, Olalekan Abimbola Olawusi, 48, was charged with first-degree murder and two counts of causing serious bodily injury to a child after emergency personnel in Providence found his 3-month-old son with severe injuries at a residence on 3…

THE new Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has abolished the 18-year admission benchmark for tertiary institutions in the country. News Point Nigeria reports that the minister also hinted at the possibility of reviewing the nation’s education policy. However, the minister stated that there would be no reversal of the Federal Government’s decision to void over 22,700 degree certificates obtained by Nigerians from some “fake” universities in neighbouring Togo and the Benin Republic. Alausa spoke on Wednesday at his inaugural ministerial press conference, which is ongoing in Abuja. He stated that practical education will help to address the unemployment situation…

ABUJA-BASED Human Rights Radio has gone off air to protest the arrest of minors during the #EndBadGovernance protest. Ahmed Isah, owner of the station, announced this  while featuring on the Berekete family, a breakfast programme. Isah, who used to anchor the radio program every week day, was not in the studio in the morning, due to what he described as a shock he experienced since the condition of the children became known after they were arraigned on Friday. He called in through the phone around 8 20 am in the live program, where he expressed his anger about the development,…

THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has warned Nigerians to avoid the recall of Nivea Black & White Invisible Roll-on deodorant, 50ml. NAFDAC issued a warning against the product labelled as providing 48-hour protection in African climates, following an equal warning from the European Union Rapid Alert System for Dangerous Non-Food Products in Brussels. In a notice released on Thursday, NAFDAC stated that the product’s batch number is 93529610. “The recalled Nivea product is reported to contain 2-(4-tert-Butylbenzyl) propionaldehyde, a chemical prohibited in cosmetic products due to its potential to cause harm to the reproductive system,…

THE attention of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has been drawn to a story making the rounds that certain persons have been using the University’s portal to contact students directly, showing them their current status and requesting money to clear their outstanding carryover courses. According to a statement signed by the Director, Media and Publicity, NOUN, Ibrahim Sheme, Thursday, a screenshot of a chat purporting to be between the University and one of the affected students was shown to the Management. The Management wishes to inform all the NOUN students and the general public that the University is…