GOVERNOR Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state just casted his vote at his hometown of Tambuwal. The Governor, who arrived and voted at the Government Girls Day Secondary School, Tambuwal polling unit at about 12:46 pm, observed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff and the materials for voting didn’t set up shop on schedule. This delay, he also observed was not just in his unit but across the state “from the reports I got while waiting here.” He also noted that there was no adequate deployment of security personnel to man the polling units in the state, a…
Author: Bala Muhammad
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THE 14th Emir of Kano, Khalifa Muhammadu Sanusi II, on Wednesday berated Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje over the latter’s comment on President Muhammadu Buhari’s New Naira Policy. News Point Nigeria reports that, Khalifa Sanusi stated this while addressing some followers and a select journalists at his Lagos home over the weekend. According to the Khalifa, who is also the leader of the Tijjaniyya Order in Nigeria, Governor Ganduje has no moral right to criticize President Buhari’s policies as the governor was part of the people defending such policies. Recall, Governor Ganduje lashed out at the administration of President Buhari over…
AHEAD of Wednesday’s hearing by the Supreme Court of the case between the Federal Government and three Governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, regarding the Naira swap policy, APC, National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has met with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. The barely one-hour meeting which was held at the APC National Secretariat on Monday also had in attendance the plaintiffs, Governors Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state; Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State. A reliable source close to Governor Matawalle told News Point Nigeria that,…
THE Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof Ishaq Oloyede, has said a total of 1.6 million candidates have registered to sit for the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as sale of UTME forms ends on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. News Point Nigeria reports that, Prof Oloyede, who disclosed this in Abuja on Monday during a monitoring tour of the registration in Abuja led by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Andrew David Adajo, said the board had apprehended about 15 people who go against conduct of the UTME registration processes. JAMB commenced the sale of…
THE National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, is holding an emergency meeting with state governors on the party’s platform. Earlier, it was not totally clear what the agenda for the meeting was today, however, News Point Nigeria learnt that the development might not be unconnected with the growing friction between President Muhammadu Buhari, and some aggrieved governors over the naira redesign policy, which has subjected Nigerians to untold hardship in the last few weeks. Further affirming the speculation, Senator Adamu in his opening remark stated that recent developments necessitated the need for the invitation he…
THE All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential flagbearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has assured that his government would never deviate from the essence of democracy by ensuring that true democratic principle of government of the people, by the people and for the people is put in place. Tinubu made the promise at the APC Presidential rally in Maiduguri, even as he insinuated that the Naira redesign and fuel scarcity – which are anti people – are attempts by some people to sabotage his election victory. He vowed to run a government of hard work, honesty and accountability, noting that the people of…
DR John Abebe, the in-law to the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has bagged seven years imprisonment for forgery and laundering. Justice Mojisola Dada of Ikeja Special Offences Court gave the verdict on Saturday with an option of fine to the tune of N50 million to be paid within 30 days in lieu of imprisonment. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned Abebe, who is the younger brother to the late former First Lady, Stella Obasanjo before the court for forgery. The EFCC, in the charges, claimed that Abebe “knowingly forged” a November 30, 1995 letter written by BP Exploration Nigeria…
THE Zamfara State Police Command has arrested a 20-year-old boy for allegedly masterminding abduction of his mother and three others and collecting the sum of N30m as ransom. The state police spokesperson, SP Mohammed Shehu, while addressing journalists in Gusau, the state capital, on Friday, said the suspect, Thomas Yau, informed the police that he connived with four other and N10m was paid by each of the kidnap victims, including his mother, totalling N30m ransom. Shehu said, “On February 12, 2023, the Zamfara Police Command, through its community policing engagement, acted on intelligence information that led to the bursting of…
A PAIR of lawmakers have called on the United States to rescind a nearly $1 billion helicopter sale to Nigeria, saying that allegations of a forced abortion program have renewed concerns on human rights. News Point Nigeria reports that, the US Congress had delayed the sale over concerns about the Nigerian army’s commitment to protect civilians as it battles a jihadist uprising in the northwest, as well as the bloody repression of protests against police violence in 2020. But President Joe Biden’s administration approved the sale of the 12 Viper attack helicopters last year, saying the equipment would promote security…
A COMBINED team of troops of the Nigerian Army and Navy have neutralized seven bandits during clearance operations in the Kasso general area of Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. While confirming the development,Samuel Aruwan,Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Kaduna State, said operational feedback to the Kaduna State Government revealed that the troops embarked on the operations, and made contact with bandits around Ungwan Rimi village in Kasso, near a river. “The troops promptly engaged and subdued the bandits after an intense gun duel. Seven bandits were confirmed neutralized during the operation, with the high possibility…
THE ruling All Progressives Congress on Friday morning released its primary election timetable for the governorship office in three states namely Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo States. News Point Nigeria gathered that, the timetable was approved for release by the party after a series of meetings with its National Executive Committee and the National Working in Abuja. A closer look at the new primary election schedule published on Friday shows that, other than dates and venues, it wasn’t really different from the previous ones used for the timetable deployed last year for other states’ primary. Unlike in the category of the…
THE Department of State Services has written to the Federal Ministry of Transportation confirming that its intelligence revealed that the Boko Haram terrorists are planning to launch a fresh attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train service. The Ministry of Transportation, in an internal memo obtained by News Point Nigeria on Thursday, therefore wrote to the Federal Minister of Defence, Maj Gen Bashir Magashi, asking for security reinforcement to forestall the terrorists attack. The letter dated, February 3, 2023, and titled, “Re: Threat by Boko Haram terrorists to attack the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service” was signed by Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, the transportation Minister.…
THE United States Government has returned $954,000 stolen by the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, to the state government through the Federal Government. US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard announced the development at a press briefing on Thursday afternoon in Abuja. She said the official salary of the former governor during his tenure as a public servant from 1999 to his impeachment in 2005 did not match the said amount. “However, during that time, he accumulated millions of dollars through abuse of office, money laundering,” she said. Alamieyeseigha died in October 2015 at the age of 62.…
KADUNA State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Wednesday alleged that some Federal Government officials are seeking out-of-court settlement over the controversy trailing the naira redesign by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Earlier on Wednesday, the Supreme Court adjourned the suit filed by state governments to challenge the naira redesign policy of the apex bank till February 22. In a statement released a few hours after the apex court’s adjournment, El-Rufai dismissed reports that some governors had held a meeting with the Federal Government over the issue. The governor, in a statement by his media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye made available to…
THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed February 20 to rule on a bail application that was filed by Ali Bello, a nephew of the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello. Bello is facing trial over his alleged complicity in a three billion fraud. News Point Nigeria reports that, Bello was arraigned on February 8, 2023, alongside Abba Adauda, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege and Iyadai Sadat, who are facing 18 count criminal charges before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ahmed Raji on Tuesday asked the court to admit to bail,…
GUNMEN suspected to be bandits, on Tuesday morning, attacked Mahuta town of Dandume Local Govt Area of Katsina State, killing two persons and abducting over a dozen women and children. A source close to the district head of Mahuta told News Point Nigeria that, the bandits attacked the village early hours of Tuesday on their trademark motorcycle barge. According to him, the bandits conducted a house to house attack in the town, shooting male occupants who tried to resist capture of their wives, after gathering over a dozen women and children, they shot their way out of the town. The…
THE National Population Commission has said the 2023 census will cost more than N400 billion. The Head, NPC Public Affairs Department in Plateau State, Jick Lawrence, revealed this on Monday during a one-day capacity-building workshop for journalists on effective reporting of census in Jos. He revealed about N100 billion had so far been spent on arrangements ahead of the April exercise. He said, “Over N400 billion has been earmarked to be expended on the 2023 census. About N100 billion has so far been expended on preparations ahead of the exercise, census is a very big and capital-intensive exercise.” He explained…
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, are expected to visit Imo State on Tuesday for the former’s inauguration of road projects as the latter continues his campaign. Ahead of the both events, Governor Hope Uzodimma on Monday inspected the newly completed and reconstructed MCC-Toronto dual carriageway to be commissioned by Buhari as well as the Dan Anyiam Stadium, the venue of the rally. During the inspection tour in Owerri, the state capital, Uzodimma said all is set to host the President who will be visiting Imo for the second time in five months.…
THE Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has warned that the continuous scarcity of the N200, N500 and N1,000 new notes may lead to economic recession as well as severe food inflation. The Forum, in a communique issued at the end of its meeting on Saturday, lamented that though the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), said the Federal Government would comply with the order of the Supreme Court of Nigeria nullifying the February 10 deadline for the validity of three old notes, Nigerians have not experienced any change so far. “The inability to use the new notes has had…
THE Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to “promptly seek authorisation from the ICC Chamber to commence an investigation into the situation in Nigeria in relation to the growing cases of pre-election violence.” In a statement on Sunday, SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare warned that if cases of pre-election violence were not addressed, it may escalate and lead to post-election violence in the country. The rights group wrote a petition dated February 11 and sent to the ICC Prosecutor, Mr Karim Khan. It urged Khan to “urgently send the ICC legal team to…