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.…
Author: Maryam Garba
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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…
THE National Examinations Council (NECO) has dismissed reports circulating on social media and online platforms that it is currently recruiting new staff, describing the claim as false and a fraudulent attempt to swindle unsuspecting Nigerians. In a statement issued on Wednesday by its Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani made available to News Point Nigeria, the Council clarified that it has not embarked on any recruitment exercise and has no immediate plans to do so. “The attention of the National Examinations Council (NECO) has been drawn to an online publication purporting that the Council is planning to recruit…
THE Federal Government has issued a fresh flood alert to nine northern states, warning that heavy rainfall between August 25 and 29, 2025 could trigger devastating floods in several communities. The warning was contained in a circular signed by Usman Abdullahi Bokani, Director, Erosion, Flood and Coastal Zone Management Department, Federal Ministry of Environment, made available to News Point Nigeria in Abuja on Monday. According to the statement, the National Flood Early Warning Center (FEW Center) identified Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara States as high-risk areas, with several towns placed on red alert. Bokani explained…
THE National Pension Commission (PenCom) has blacklisted seven Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs) over alleged breaches of its residential mortgage guidelines, directing Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) and Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs) to immediately halt all applications involving the affected institutions. In a circular dated August 11, 2025, signed by the Head of Benefits and Insurance Department, Obiora Ibeziako, PenCom ordered PFAs and PFCs to discontinue processing equity contribution applications submitted by the listed PMBs. The sanctioned banks are: Jigawa Savings & Loans Limited FHA Mortgage Bank Limited Delta Trust Mortgage Bank Limited AG Mortgage Bank Limited Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank Plc…
THE Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) on Friday sealed the gates of the upscale Efab Metropolis Estate in Karsana, trapping several high-profile residents inside, over an alleged ₦600 million tenement rate debt dating back to 2022. The enforcement, which began around 8 a.m., saw more than 20 AMAC officials, supported by security operatives, padlock the estate’s vehicular entrances while allowing only pedestrian passage. The dramatic action left residents including serving lawmakers, prominent businessmen, and retired Supreme Court Justice Paul Adamu Galumje, stranded and furious. One resident, identified as Barrister Nwosu, condemned the move as an illegal act of detention. “I…
THE newly appointed Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Engr. Abdullahi Garba Ramat, has vowed to ensure electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) and Generation Companies (GenCos) strictly adhere to market rules. Speaking on assumption of office at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Ramat declared that his tenure would not be “business as usual” for operators in the power sector. “We will set the ball rolling. Nigerians know the challenges they face, and this time, it will not be business as usual. The distribution companies and the generation companies must do the right thing. This is my message to them,”…
THE police in Benue State have confirmed the rescue of six law students who were kidnapped along the boundary between Benue and Taraba states on July 28, 2025. The students were traveling to the Nigerian Law School in Adamawa State before they were abducted. In a statement issued by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Udeme Edet, on Friday, the police said the six law students were traveling from Anambra State to resume at the Yola Campus of the Nigerian Law School when they ran into the kidnappers along the Benue-Taraba boundary. “Please be informed that the police have successfully…
The Minister of Labour, Muhammadu Dingyadi, has appealed to the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives to suspend their ongoing strike, saying that it is not the best solution to industrial disputes. The Minister urged the Association to embrace dialogue while the government continues to work on addressing their concerns. In a statement on Wednesday, the Head of Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Labour, Patience Onuoha, noted that the Minister held a meeting with the association on Tuesday in a bid to stop the industrial action. The statement added that the meeting will continue on Friday…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has honoured 200 former members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for their exceptional performance during the 2020–2023 service years, offering them immediate employment in the Federal Civil Service, ₦250,000 each, and postgraduate scholarships up to PhD level. Speaking through the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, at the Combined President’s NYSC Honours Award Ceremony held at the Presidential Villa’s Banquet Hall, President Tinubu applauded the awardees for demonstrating values such as discipline, patriotism, integrity, teamwork, and selflessness. “In appreciation of their service to the nation, all the awardees will receive ₦250,000…
A STAGGERING $29.29 billion was spent by Nigerians on foreign healthcare services during the eight-year administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, a detailed analysis of data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revealed. This translates to an average of $3.66 billion per year, indicating an unrelenting appetite for medical tourism during a time when Buhari repeatedly vowed to reform and invest in Nigeria’s collapsing healthcare sector. Ironically, the highest single-year health-related outflow occurred just months after Buhari assumed office in 2015. The figures, culled from the CBN’s quarterly statistical bulletins under the category “Health-Related and Social Services,” capture…
AT least One in six children in Katsina State reportedly die before celebrating their 5th birthday, a stark reminder of urgent need to strengthen child survival interventions in the state. This figure represents 159 per 1,000 live births, with the state population estimated to be 9.64 million, where about 4.5 million of them are children. The Chief of UNICEF Field Office Kano, Rahama Rihood Farah, disclosed this on Tuesday during a Media Dialogue on Child Sensitive Budgeting and Planning organized by the UNICEF Kano Field Office in collaboration with Katsina State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. He said despite…
PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has confirmed he will contest the 2027 presidential election. Obi added that he was willing to serve a single four-year term if elected. He made the declaration on Sunday night while speaking during a live session on X Spaces, where he answered questions from supporters both in Nigeria and abroad. In a statement released on Monday by his spokesman, Ibrahim Umar of the Peter Obi Media Reach, Obi dismissed claims of a possible joint ticket with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. However, he admitted being open to coalition…
OFFICE of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) has said President Bola Tinubu has no plan to remove George Akume as the SGF. A statement issued yesterday by the Director of Information and Public Relations in the office, Segun Imohiosen, described the reports of Akume’s removal as “false, misleading, and entirely baseless.” The statement reads: “The attention of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has been drawn to rumours circulating online and in some media outlets regarding the alleged removal of the SGF, Senator George Akume, by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed receiving letters of intent from 110 associations seeking registration as political parties. Chairman of the Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this on Wednesday, noting that the requests are being processed in line with the relevant laws and the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines. “As of Monday, 23rd June 2025, the Commission has received letters of intent from 110 associations that wish to register as political parties. We are diligently processing the requests in line with the procedure outlined in the law as well as our regulations and guidelines. We have acknowledged all requests…
THE National Hajj Commission of Nigeria on Saturday announced the airlifting of more than 14,000 Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia. A report from the NAHCON Command and Control Centre in Makkah, which was posted on the Commission’s official X handle, said a total of 14,014 pilgrims from Sokoto and the Federal Capital Territory were airlifted from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The report said, “Flynas flight, XY9082, departed Jeddah for Sokoto at 07:51 hrs (local time) today. On board were 422 Sokoto pilgrims accompanied by four officials, bringing the total number of pilgrims airlifted so far to 13,589 across 32 flights. “Subsequently,…