Author: Maryam Garba

THE Federal Government on Thursday said some universities in the country have offered to admit Nigerian students who returned from crisis-torn Sudan.  “We did it with Ukraine, when they came back, there were plans to continue education for them,” the chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily monitored by News Point Nigeria. “Although the medical students among them had issues because they found out that the level of their medical school was not even as high as that of Nigeria so it was difficult to place them where they wanted. But,…

THE Federal Government, on Monday, confirmed that some Nigerian students fleeing the conflict in Sudan were denied entry into Ethiopia, but stated that the situation was being handled. The Federal Government said Nigerian authorities in Ethiopia were addressing the issue, as they had sought clearance for the fleeing students, stressing that it was, however, risky for the students to have embarked on such a journey. The Director, Special Duties, National Emergency Management Agency, who doubles as the Chairman, NEMA’s Committee for the Evacuation of the Stranded Nigerians from Sudan, Dr Onimode Bandele, said that the students’ case was receiving the required…

THE Vice President of External Affairs, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Akinteye Babatunde, says the standard of living of Nigerian students in Sudan is quickly deteriorating. “The rising panic and tension in the state are building up; these students should be evacuated to states where the battle is not too intense,” Babatunde said during Channels Television’s breakfast show, Sunrise Daily, on Monday monitored by News Point Nigeria. He said that “if we are talking about the students’ living conditions in Sudan, it is worse than ever. They can’t go out to get anything, they can’t buy food, they can’t…

THE Commissioner for Information and Voter Education of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Festus Okoye, has said the commission lacks the power to declare wanted its Resident Electoral Commissioner in Adamawa, Hudu Ari. The REC had got into trouble for usurping the powers of the Collation Officer for Adamawa State to announce the result of supplementary governorship poll and errorneously declaring the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Aishatu Dahiru, aka Binani, as the winner of the poll. INEC had since written the Inspector General of Police to investigate and prosecute the REC, while the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari…

SOME Nigerian students stranded and trapped in crisis-ridden Sudan have said they in grave danger and are being surrounded by criminals. About 4000 Nigerians are trapped as a result of fighting between forces loyal to Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Hundreds have been killed since the fight broke out between the forces of the two rival generals in Khartoum, capital of Sudan. Fauziyya Idris Safiyo, a Nigerian student who managed to flee Khartoum to the border town of Gallabat on Sudan-Ethiopian shores, said the situation…

THE Kaduna State Government has said that no fewer than 214 persons were killed because of attacks by terrorists, communal clashes and reprisals across the state from January to March 2023. This was disclosed by the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan in the first quarter 2023 security report he presented to the state Security Council. Aruwan explained that 196 males, 14 females and four minors were killed, while 746 citizens were kidnapped during the period under review. He also said that Kaduna Central Senatorial District remains top on the list with 115 deaths. Receiving the…

THE Federal Government has declared Friday, April 21 and Monday, April 24, 2023, as public holidays to mark this year’s Eid Al-Fitr celebration. The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, according to a statement by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Shuaib Belgore, obtained on Wednesday. He congratulated all Muslims for the successful completion of the holy month of Ramadan. Ogbeni Aregbesola called on all Muslims to imbibe and practise the virtues of kindness, love, tolerance, peace, self-denial, sacrifice and good neighbourliness, as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).…

A POS operator simply identified as Alfa Rafiu has been arrested in Kwara State for allegedly squandering N280m mistakenly sent to his account. The suspect, our correspondent gathered, is a resident of Akuji compound, Abayawo area in Ilorin West Local Government Area of the state. According to sources familiar with the issue, Rafiu suddenly went on a spending spree after he received the alerts in batches of several million some weeks ago. “About two weeks ago, he received several bank alerts that scaled up to N280 million which he knew nothing about. “But instead of him drawing the attention of…

THE eight female students at Government Secondary School, Awon in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State have escaped from the hands of their abductors. News Point Nigeria reported that, the students were kidnapped by the bandits in the Awon general area on April 3rd, 2023. Confirming the development in a statement on Tuesday, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan said that the students escaped from a thick forest around the Kaduna – Niger interstate boundaries, and walked for days before arriving at a location (kept undisclosed for security reasons) where they were harboured.…

AS the 1444 Hijra (2023) Ramadan draws to an end, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has urged Muslims across the country to look for the new moon of Shawwal on Thursday. The Director of Administration of the NSCIA, Arc. Zubairu Haruna Usman-Ugwu, said this on Tuesday in a statement. “Consequent upon the advice of the National Moon-Sighting Committee (NMSC), the President-General enjoins the Nigerian Muslim Ummah to search for the crescent of Shawwal 1444 A.H. immediately after sunset on Thursday, 29th Ramadan…

THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has announced a total of 1,336 suspected cases of cholera, including 79 deaths, so far in 2023 (between January to March). The NCDC disclosed this in its latest cholera situation epidemiological report obtained by News Point Nigeria on Monday. The report revealed that 12 states across 43 local government areas reported the suspected cases, with a case fatality ratio of 5.9 per cent. The 12 states reporting cases in the country are Abia, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Kano, Katsina, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Sokoto, and Zamfara. Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by…

MINISTER of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has said that three main opponents of his party in the February 25 poll gave away the presidential victory to the President-Elect, Bola Tinubu by splitting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the 2019 presidential election. The former Lagos State governor, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics monitored by News Point Nigeria, said Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) all belonged to the same party, the PDP, in 2019 but they separated towards the 2023 presidential poll…

AFRICA’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has released its unaudited results for the first quarter ended March 31st, 2023, recording remarkable growth across all its major income lines. The Bank’s result which was released to the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX)  on Thursday, April 13, 2023 showed that gross earnings rose by 47.5 percent from ₦183.9 billion to ₦271.2 billion; while Interest Income which stood at ₦125.9 billion as at March 2022, grew by 53.4% to ₦191.9 billion in the quarter under consideration. The results further revealed that Operating Income rose by 39.6 percent to ₦175.7 billion, as…

NIGERIA’s President-Elect, Bola Tinubu has been named in the Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people for 2023. Time Magazine’s yearly list of the 100 most influential people in the world recognises people for changing the world, regardless of the consequences of their actions. The 2023 list released on Thursday categorised individuals into pioneers, leaders, titans, artists, innovators, and icons. Tinubu, who won the February 25 presidential election in Nigeria, was listed alongside United States President, Joe Biden; Brazil President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska; amongst other world leaders. The report described Tinubu,…

AGAIN, bandits killed nine including four local vigilante members at the Sabon Layi community, Birnin Gwari Local government area of Kaduna State on Wednesday morning. Locals said they saw the bandits patrolling the affected community on Tuesday, but there were no security operatives to chase them away. According to a BBC Hausa report monitored by News Point Nigeria Wednesday afternoon, about 25 locals were kidnapped in the area, while livestock belonging to the locals was rustled by the bandits. This is coming less than 24 hours after troops eliminated notorious bandit leader of the area, Isiya Danwasa. News Point Nigeria…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has arrived in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, for the commencement of an eight-day official visit. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement on Tuesday, said upon his arrival, he was received by the Deputy Governor Sa’ud Khalid Al-Faisal. The presidential spokesman said the President visited and prayed at the Prophet’s Holy Mosque this evening and greeted Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his two companions. He added that at the entrance of the Prophet’s Holy Mosque, the President was received by a number of officials. Editor’s…

JAMES Abiodun Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives, Ikeja Federal Constituency, has been named the preferred choice for the position of Chief of Staff in the incoming administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The choice was named by a chieftain of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and Director-General USIR North-West Project For Tinubu/Shettima, Hajiya UmmaSalma Isiyaku Rabiu in a press statement signed by the DG herself. According to the DG, who is also a member, Grassroot Engagement And Orientation, Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, James Faleke’s loyalty, competence, capacity and political reach makes him the best candidate for…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday condemned the “extreme violence” and killings of scores of people in Benue State within one week. The President, in a statement by one of his spokespersons, Garba Shehu, condemned the “use of terrorism as a tool in inter-communal conflicts”, directing that the attackers “be found and dealt with” swiftly under the law. He directed the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force and military commanders to enhance surveillance on every front and to immediately review the security management in the affected areas. The President also conveyed his grief and sympathy to the families of…

A former Deputy governor of Nasarawa State, Professor Onje Gye-Wado, has been abducted. The state Police Public Relations officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, in a press release confirmed the abduction early on Friday. He said Gye-Wado was whisked away Friday morning when gunmen broke into his residence in Gwagi village of Wamba Local government area of the state. According to the police spokesman, a search has been initiated by a police tactical team in collaboration with other security personnel to rescue the victim unhurt. Below is the full police statement on the abduction. Police Press Release April 7, 2023 CP Maiyaki…

THE House of Representatives has mandated the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to put on hold the release of 15 billion naira counterpart funding requested by the Federal Government, pending the approval of the Commission’s budget by the House. The was after a member of the green chamber, Unyime Idem, on Thursday, moved a motion drawing the attention of the House to the Federal Government’s request. According to the request, the Ministry of Niger Delta was to jointly finance an intervention and humanitarian programme of sums running into several billions of naira using the money recovered by the Economic and…