THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has raised serious concerns over the involvement of some gemstone dealers and miners in the financing of terrorism and money laundering activities in Nigeria. News Point Nigeria reports that the anti-graft agency sounded the alarm on Monday during a one-day capacity building and sensitisation workshop for miners and dealers in precious metals and stones held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, while addressing participants, warned that certain individuals in the gemstone and mineral trade have become conduits for illicit financial flows that are fueling terrorism and economic…
Author: Maryam Garba
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THE Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has appointed former Editor of The PUNCH newspaper, Adedayo Oketola, as his Chief Press Secretary (CPS). News Point Nigeria reports that the commission announced Oketola’s appointment to journalists on Monday. He replaces Rotimi Oyekanmi, who served in the same capacity under the immediate past INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu. Oketola is a multiple award-winning Nigerian journalist, author, and strategic communications expert with over two decades of high-impact experience in journalism, editorial leadership, and media innovation. He served as Editor of The PUNCH, Nigeria’s most widely read and influential…
THE Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced the official opening of its online student loan application portal for the 2025/2026 academic session, allowing eligible students to apply for financial assistance to support their education. This was made known in a statement posted on NELFUND’s official X handle on Tuesday sighted by News Point Nigeria, titled “NELFUND Announces Opening of Student Loan Application Portal for 2025/2026 Academic Session.” According to the statement, the application window will run from Thursday, October 23, 2025, to Saturday, January 31, 2026. The Fund appreciated the cooperation of tertiary institutions across the country and urged…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, on Monday, praised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s strides in anti-graft fight, saying the agency secured 700 convictions and recovered N500bn fraud proceeds in two years. Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the opening of the 7th EFCC-NJI Capacity Building Workshop for Justices and Judges on Monday in Abuja, Tinubu said his administration remained committed to empowering anti-graft agencies to deliver tangible results, citing the EFCC’s performance as a clear example. According to a statement by the EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale sent to News Point Nigeria, Tinubu said the Commission had recorded over 7,000 convictions…
THE Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has appointed the immediate past Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, to lead its Election Observation Mission to the upcoming presidential election in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire scheduled for 25 October 2025. News Point Nigeria reports that the Mission will be deployed from today, the 19 to 29 October 2025 in line with the provisions of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. As Head of Mission, Professor Osinbajo will lead a team of eminent West Africans tasked with engaging key national stakeholders…
THE 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, NDHS, Report says Nigeria’s Total Fertility Rate, TFR, has declined from 5.3 children per woman in 2018 to 4.8 in 2024, marking a major demographic shift over the past five years. News Point Nigeria reports that the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja at the launch of the report. Salako said the decline reflects gradual gains in access to and use of family planning services nationwide. “Modern contraceptive use among currently married women increased modestly to 15 per cent in 2023 from…
THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued a draft guideline on the operations of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), mandating that banks refund customers for failed ATM transactions within a stipulated timeframe. Specifically, customers must be refunded for failed interbank (not-on-us) ATM transactions within 48 hours, while refunds for failed transactions on the same bank’s ATM (on-us) should be reversed instantly. In the event that an instant reversal is not possible due to technical issues, a manual reversal must be completed within 24 hours. The directive was contained in a circular entitled, ‘Exposure of the Draft Guidelines on the Operations…
THE Senate has disclosed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has requested additional time to clarify audit queries involving an alleged ₦210 trillion in unaccounted funds spanning seven financial years, from 2017 to 2023. News Point Nigeria reports that this revelation came from the Senate Committee on Public Accounts (SPAC), which is currently investigating discrepancies flagged by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation in NNPCL’s audited financial statements. In July, the committee had summoned the NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Bayo Ojulari, and given the company three weeks to provide detailed explanations on 19 separate…
RENOWNED diplomat, lawyer, and philanthropist, Barrister Kashim Musa Tumsah, MFR, has donated N1.5 million and brand-new laptops to three students of Nigerian Tulip International Colleges (NTIC), Mamudo, Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe State. The students distinguished themselves at the global TeenEagle competition held at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. News Point Nigeria reports that in addition, cash tokens were presented to the principal, Habibullah Jogi, English teacher Adamu Mukhtar, and Olympiad coach Mohammed Umar, in recognition of their efforts and contributions. The donation was announced on Monday at NTIC, where Tumsah was represented by Kaka…
THE Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has called on the government at all levels to desist from intimidating journalists with repressive laws. The NGE, in a statement to mark World News Day obtained by News Point Nigeria, urged the government to always respect the Freedom of Information Act by freely providing journalists with any requested information and, therefore, aligning itself with the United Nations Universal Day for Access to Information. “As we celebrate World News Day, we note the challenges journalism as a profession faces in Nigeria, most especially the growing attempt to suppress press freedom and freedom of expression.…
THE Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced significant progress in the Federal Government’s landmark Student Loan Initiative, revealing that over 510,000 students have accessed interest-free loans worth ₦99.5 billion since the programme’s launch on May 24, 2024. According to NELFUND’s Student Loan Disbursement Daily Status Report released on September 27, 2025 obtained by News Point Nigeria, the Fund has so far received 835,360 applications, with 510,378 students successfully benefitting from the scheme. The report detailed that ₦53.8 billion has been disbursed directly to 228 approved tertiary institutions to cover tuition and institutional charges, while ₦45.7 billion has been allocated…
A TOTAL of 106 Nigerians were among 660 foreign nationals arrested for drug trafficking in India last year. According to The Indian Express report sighted by News Point Nigeria, Nepalese nationals topped the list with 203 arrests, followed by Nigerians (106) and Myanmarese (25), the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) revealed in its annual report. The data also showed arrests of 18 Bangladeshis, 14 Ivorians, 13 Ghanaians, and 10 Icelanders for drug-related offences. Union Home Minister Amit Shah released the report during the 2nd National Conference of Heads of Anti-Narcotics Task Forces of various states and Union Territories. The two-day conference,…
MARYAMU Idris, Managing Director of NNPC Trading Limited, has been appointed as Nigeria’s National Representative to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). This was revealed in a statement by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) on Thursday made available to News Point Nigeria. The appointment positions her at the intersection of domestic oil management and international energy policy. NNPCL congratulated Maryamu Idris on the appointment. “We congratulate Maryamu Idris, Managing Director of NNPC Trading Limited, on her appointment as the National Representative for Nigeria at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC),” NNPC stated. In her…
THE National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2025 internal Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). News Point Nigeria reports that a total of 818, 492 candidates, representing 60.26 percent scored five credits and above including Mathematics and English. Announcing the results, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, said a total of 1,367,210 representing 685,514 male candidates and 681,696 female candidates registered for the examination. He said 1,358,339, representing 680, 292 male candidates and 678,047 female candidates sat for the examination. Professor Wushishi revealed that 1,144,496, representing 84.26 percent scored five…
GHANA has confirmed that it has started accepting West African nationals deported from the United States as part of Washington’s ongoing immigration crackdown, becoming one of the first West African nations to formalize such an arrangement. News Point Nigeria reports that President John Dramani Mahama made the disclosure on Wednesday, revealing that the first batch of deportees comprising 14 individuals, including Nigerians, a Gambian, and other West African nationals had already arrived in Accra. According to Mahama, the Ghanaian authorities are facilitating the safe return of these deportees to their respective home countries, ensuring they are not stranded upon arrival.…
THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Special Committee on Examination Infractions (SCEIi) has presented its report to the examination body, exposing how technology-driven malpractice is undermining Nigeria’s admission process. News Point Nigeria reports that presenting the report in Abuja to the Registrar of the Board, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Chairman of the Committee, Jake Epelle, said the team uncovered 4,251 cases of “finger blending” and 192 instances of AI-assisted impersonation through image morphing during its investigations into the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Beyond finger blending and Artificial Intelligence impersonation, the committee stated that it documented 1,878 false disability…
TENS of thousands of international students in the United Kingdom, including many Nigerians, have been issued fresh warnings to leave the country once their visas expire or risk deportation. According to a BBC report on Tuesday, the UK Home Office has launched a proactive enforcement campaign, sending direct text messages and emails to students reminding them of their immigration obligations. The unprecedented move comes amid what authorities described as an “alarming” rise in the number of student visa holders attempting to remain in Britain by filing asylum claims. The messages, which have already reached about 10,000 students with visas nearing…
THE United States Government has unveiled plans to impose stricter limits on visa validity for international students and foreign journalists, in what it describes as an effort to curb abuse and enhance national security. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the proposed rule would cap F visas the primary visa category for foreign students, at a maximum of four years. Currently, student visas generally cover the entire duration of an academic program, which in the case of doctoral degrees may extend well beyond five years. For international journalists, the validity of visas would be restricted to 240 days,…
THE Federal Government has destroyed more than 13,000 illicit and obsolete firearms across the country in the last four years, as part of sustained efforts to curb the proliferation of small arms and light weapons fueling insecurity. News Point Nigeria reports that the disclosure was made on Thursday by the Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police Johnson Kokumo, during the centre’s fifth arms destruction exercise held at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri, Abuja. Kokumo revealed that 1,316 assorted weapons were destroyed at the event, pushing the…
THE Federal Government earned a total of N392.7bn in income taxes from ten leading companies listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) in the first half of 2025, representing a 16.1 per cent increase compared to the N338.3bn remitted in the same period of 2024. The analysis, based on companies’ half-year financial statements filed with the Exchange, shows that the surge in tax inflows was largely driven by higher corporate earnings amid inflationary pressures and naira devaluation. The firms that contributed include Dangote Cement Plc, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Lafarge Africa Plc, BUA Cement Plc, International Breweries Plc, Julius Berger Plc, Nascon…