Author: Peter Noah KC

AHEAD of the 2023 general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari has renewed calls to foreign government representatives not to meddle in Nigeria’s internal affairs. The President made this known when he received Letters of Credence from Ambassadors of Switzerland, Sweden, the Republic of Ireland, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of Senegal, and the Republic of South Sudan at the State House. President Buhari further stated that Nigeria is working closely with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to deal with insecurity in the region and also implement strategies to contain the spate of unconstitutional changes in government in…

THE Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday morning arrested Doyin Okupe at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos. Okupe, a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), was billed to fly to London via Virgin Atlantic before he was apprehended by DSS personnel. DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya in a statement said Okupe was intercepted at the instance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Okupe, a former presidential aide, later confirmed his arrest at the Lagos airport and release on his verified Twitter Handle. He said, he has been released by the EFCC, and senior officials of the…

THE Obi-Datti Media Office has cleared the air on the circumstances surrounding the liquidation of Next International (UK) Ltd, one of the companies of Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi. For failing to submit its annual accounts, authorities in the United Kingdom, struck off the company largely owned by Obi. The company was reportedly removed from the record in September 2021, following a first and second gazette notice of a “compulsory” strike off of the entity. In the UK, a compulsory strike-off is imposed on a company by creditors or by the Companies House for non-submission of annual accounts or failure…

SOME stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State on Wednesday boycotted the presidential campaign rally held in the state capital. The stakeholders were at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu to welcome the presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and disappeared from there. The stakeholders were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Geoffrey Onyeama; former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; former Governor of the state, Mr Sullivan Chime; and former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Chief Eugene Odo among others. Briefing journalists, Chime said that the stakeholders were at the airport to receive the…

THE Federal Government disbursed about N173.2bn for the equalisation of over 11.6 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, between 2019 and 2022, data obtained from the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources on Tuesday showed. PMS price equalisation is done by the Federal Government through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, in which the NMDPRA ensures price uniformity of petroleum products via the reimbursement of marketers for trucking products to filling stations anywhere in Nigeria. A document obtained by our correspondent from the FMPR in Abuja, on the scorecard of the ministry since 2019, showed that…

THE Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has threatened to go on a nationwide strike if the federal government does not meet its demands. The association in a letter to the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire on Monday, and signed by its president, Dr Emeka Innocent Orji, said processes for the strike would commence if the issues are not addressed before its January 2023 National Executive Council (NEC) meeting slated for January 24th to 28th. The letter read in part, “Sir, our January 2023 National Executive Council meeting has been scheduled for January 24th to 28th, 2023, and we can…

THE Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Kalu says he will stand as surety for the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu if granted bail again. Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, also believed the Federal Government will respect the next court judgement on the bail of the embattled IPOB leader. The federal lawmaker said he is close to the family of Kanu in the Afaraukwu Ibeku area of Abia but the IPOB leader and his family did not listen to his counsel. He, however, said he won’t abandon the family during their…

THE Edo State Police Command has said one more victim from the Igueben train station abduction has been rescued, taking the total of passengers rescued to seven. The police made this known on Tuesday, hours after it said six of the abductees were rescued about 48 hours after the attack on Saturday. Over 30 intending passengers were kidnapped on Saturday afternoon when gunmen attacked a train station in Igueben in Edo. Saturday’s attack occurred months after terrorists attacked a moving train in Kaduna State on March 28, 2022. Scores of passengers were kidnapped and others killed in the dastard attack…

GUNMEN, who abducted 31 Edo train passengers on Saturday have allegedly demanded N620m  ransom for their release. News Point Nigeria gathered on Monday that the terrorists had presented their demands to the families of the abductees. The Executive Director, Esan Youth for Good Governance and Social Justice, Benson Odia, disclosed that the kidnappers were demanding N20m for each victim. This was as the police anti-terrorism squad and the Nigerian Railway Corporation on Monday met to strategise on ways to rescue the train passengers. Speaking with reporters stated that the demand was absurd, calling on the authorities to intensify efforts in rescuing…

ON Monday, the President of Igueben Area Customary Court, Mrs Precious Aigbonoga, was abducted by gunmen around Ugoneki axis on her way to Court in Igueben Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo. The Chairman of the Lion Bar, Chief Nosa Edo-Osagie, in a statement by Mr Festus Usiobaifo, the Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Benin branch, expressed sadness over the abduction. Edo-Osagie, while condemning the act in strong terms, expressed worry over bandits operation in the area and kidnapping of Aigbonoga, who he described as an easygoing, gentle, and hardworking judicial officer. Meanwhile, the Dream Team is…

THE Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has said that he will not feel bad to buy petroleum at N300 per litre. He said this in Abuja on Monday while responding to questions from journalists during the 16th edition of the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration Scorecard (2015 – 2023). He said: “You asked if we can achieve N40 per litre? I will say ‘yes’ but this is dependent on if we are able to also achieve, within this period, improvement in exchange rate. “If we can achieve one dollar to one naira exchange rate within this time, we…

THE Edo State Commissioner for Communications and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare has revealed that,  security operatives have arrested one of the suspected kidnappers involved in the abduction of many passengers at the Igueben train station, in Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State. The commissioner disclosed this during a press briefing in Benin City, adding that one out of the many persons who were kidnapped at the train station has escaped from the kidnappers. He said: “After an estimated number of 32 persons were kidnapped, the Police, vigilante, and local hunters swung into action, combing the bushes around the vicinity. One…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission has said that youths constitute the highest number of registered voters who will cast votes in the 2023 general election. The National Commissioner of INEC in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye, stated this in Awka, on Saturday, during the Commission’s engagement with identified groups on the roles of the youth ahead of the 2023 general election. Okoye said from INEC’s records, the youth hold the ace for the determination of the outcome of the 2023 elections. He said out of a total of 9,518,756 valid newly registered voters between June 28,…

NATIONAL Vice Chairman of APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on Friday, received in audience, the leadership of 250 Presidential Support Groups based in Akwa Ibom State, with a charge on them to ensure the victory for the party at all levels in the forthcoming general elections. A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Jackson Udom, quoted the former Senate Minority Leader while receiving the groups in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area of the state as saying, ” I am highly elated with these groups. I am even more elated that you have all resolved to work for…

THE timely intervention by operatives of the Plateau State Police Command on Friday night prevented suspected kidnappers from abducting the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Yakubu Sanda. In a statement signed by Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Alfred Alabo, the incident occurred on the Speaker’s arrival at his residence in Federal Low-Cost Area of Jos South Local Government Area (LGA). Sanda was said to have been accosted by three gunmen who attempted to forcefully gain entrance into the house, but they were prevented by security personnel on duty. The PPRO stated that the timely response of the…

A PEOPLES Democratic Party candidate for Pengana Constituency in Plateau State House of Assembly, Mathew Akawu, is dead. It was learnt that Akawu died in a hospital on Friday morning after a brief illness. A family source who confirmed the development in Jos on Friday said that the former school principal died a few hours after returning from a traditional festival in his Bassa Local Government Area of the state. The family member said, “It’s true that we lost the PDP candidate this Friday morning. “He went for their traditional festival in Bassa and came back. But shortly afterwards, he…

ABOUT 32 players from the Cameroon U-17 team have failed Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) screening aimed to verify their age. According to BBC, the test was mandated by Samuel Eto, the president of the Cameroonian FA. MRI screening is a scan of the players’ bone density to accurately ascertain their true age. Out of the initial squad of 30 players who camped in Mbankomo, Yaounde, 21 players failed that test. Another 11 players have also failed the scan done on Tuesday. Jean Pierre Fiala, the coach of the team, is faced with the dilemma of putting together a squad ahead…

NIGERIA will keep its petrol subsidy until mid-2023 and has set aside N3.36 trillion to spend on it, Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed said on Wednesday. News Point Nigeria gathered that Africa’s biggest economy spent N2.91 trillion towards a petrol subsidy between January and September 2022, a cost the government has blamed for dwindling public finances. President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday,  signed the 2023 budget of N21.83 trillion into law after lawmakers increased the size by 6.4% and raised the oil price assumption. “Petrol subsidy will remain up to mid-2023 based on the 18-month extension announced early 2022,” Ahmed said.…

VICE-Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, has hailed his predecessor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, for his contributions to the party’s campaigns. Speaking on Wednesday at PDP campaign rallies at Ogbe-Ijoh in Warri South-West and Udu Local Government Areas of the State, Okowa stated that the PDP is happy with the way the former Governor is reconciling members of the party. “The work you (Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan) are doing in reconciling members of our party, we are happy with it and we can’t thank you enough,” Okowa told Uduaghan. At the rallies, the…

THE presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso says it is wrong for any person who is considered a statesman to go about endorsing candidates ahead of the February 25 presidential election in Nigeria. “I want to advise our leaders: they should stop disgracing themselves. We have so much respect for them. If you say you don’t like me, no problem,” the former Kano State governor said on Wednesday in Benin City, the Edo State capital. Kwankwaso was hosted by Governor Godwin Obaseki at the Government House ahead of his presidential campaign flag off in the…