Author: Maryam Garba

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has directed the transition committee headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, to ensure that the achievements of the HIV programme are clearly highlighted in transition notes for the incoming administration. The President issued the directive during an audience with the Director–General of National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr. Gambo Aliyu; the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Molly Phee; and Ambassador of the United States to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard. According to a statement issued by the Special adviser to the President, Femi Adesina on Monday, the President…

JUSTICE Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court Abuja on Monday adjourned till 14th February for ruling on the bail application filed by Ali Bello, a nephew to the Kogi State governor, and three others on an alleged N3 billion fraud charge brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Justice Egwuatu had on February 8, adjourned for ruling on the bail application filed by the defendants after they had pleaded not guilty to the 18-count charge At the day’s sitting, counsel to the defendants Ahmed Raji (SAN), told the court that the EFCC had filed a…

AHEAD of the 2023 general elections, President Muhammadu has declared that the eyes of the nation and global community are on the Nigeria Police Force and all law enforcement agencies. News Point Nigeria reports that, the President stated this on Monday when he commissioned the newly-procured NPF operational assets, vehicles, crowd control, and anti-riot equipment at the Force Headquarters in Abuja. President Buhari who on Friday briefed by the Inspector General of Police Alkali Baba on the operation order and action plan for the polls expressed confidence in the level of preparedness of the police for the exercise. By the…

A MEMBER of the Integrity Group and former Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, has berated the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Governor Simon Lalong, over his claim that the G-5 governors led by Nyesom Wike were supporting the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu. Reacting to the claim in a statement on Sunday, Jang stated that Nigerians no longer took anything coming from Lalong seriously. The statement, which was signed by his Media Consultant, Clinton Garuba, said, “Obvious sign that Lalong is daydreaming is him thinking that the G5 PDP governors and allies including former Governor…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has denied that it admitted a lack of capacity to print new Naira notes. In a signed statement by its Director, Corporate Communications, Osita Nwanisobi issued and made available to News Point Nigeria on Saturday, the apex also denied that it is planning to shut down some banks as alleged by a voice note that circulated since Thursday. The statement reads in full: CBN Debunks False Claims About Capacity of NSPMC Plc, Alleged Threats To Close Some Deposit Money Banks The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been drawn to a…

WITH two weeks to go until Nigeria’s presidential elections, major shortages of cash and fuel have plunged the nation into crisis. As well as provoking outrage among ordinary people, the shortages threaten to upend the February 25 presidential poll while throwing its organisation into doubt. In response to the situation, President Muhammadu Buhari is holding a state council meeting with governors, former heads of state, and the chairman of the National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu. It began when authorities replaced the old naira notes with new ones, of different colours, a move aimed at reducing the volume of money…

A FRESH poll by Bloomberg News has placed Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi as the leading presidential candidate ahead of this month’s election. The pre-election poll conducted for Bloomberg News by Premise Data Corp said the former Anambra governor was the preferred candidate for the nation’s top job, beating the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). “Two-thirds of respondents said they intend to vote for Obi, a third-party candidate, in elections scheduled for later this month. The results of the survey conducted for Bloomberg News by Premise Data Corp. were published…

THE Edo State Government has distanced itself from the comments and moves by the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and some other governors against the currency swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). In a statement by Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, the state government said the Kaduna State Governor does not speak for Edo State and urged for “guided utterances and inferences in such critical matters, especially in the heat of the political season”. “The Edo State Government distances itself from the comments and moves by the Governor of…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has filed a motion before the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, asking for a stay of execution of the judgment of the Kogi State High Court delivered on December 12, 2022 and the consequential order made on Feb. 6th 2023, in the suit between the commission and Ali Bello. In the judgment of Feb 6th, Justice Rukayat Ayoola of the Kogi State High Court,had granted the application for commital to prison of the EFCC chairman, AbdulRasheed Bawa for disobeying an earlier court order made on 12 December 2022. The court also…

FOLLOWING uncouth comments trailing the decision of the Apex Court to listen to and act on the demand of the triumvirate Governors on naira swap, Governor Bello Matawalle has carpeted the attacks as mere political vendetta. In a statement on Thursday made available to News Point Nigeria, the governor said he is fully convinced that those against their action and subsequent triumph at the Supreme Court are either misguided or blinded by political chauvinism. “I and my Kaduna and Kogi states counterparts found it necessary to approach the Supreme Court in order to save the economy of Nigeria from being…

AHEAD of the February 25 presidential election, former President, Olusegun Obasanjo says Nigeria’s polls are crucial in determining who pilots the nation’s affairs for the next four years. He called on Nigerian voters to take the elections with all the seriousness it deserves, saying their voices matter. “In less than three weeks, we will be electing a leader that will pilot the affairs of Nigeria for the next four years from May,” Obasanjo said while hosting the members of the Board of Trustees of the African Democratic Congress at his penthouse residence located within the premises of the Olusegun Obasanjo…

THE Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, on Tuesday, attended a meeting with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele. Yakubu was accompanied by 11 INEC National Commissioners. In his address, the INEC Chairman noted that the meeting was because of the apex bank’s unique role in the conduct of elections. However, this meeting is particularly focused on the recent cash withdrawal policy of the CBN. In November 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the redesigned N200, N500, N1,000, restating the CBN’s plans to end the circulation of the old notes by…

AHEAD of the 2023 general elections, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has arrested 516 illegal immigrants in Kaduna State. News Point Nigeria gathered that, they were arrested during a mop-up operation by Immigration officials in the Zaria area of the State. The state Immigration Controller in Kaduna State Liman Sani Kila told newsmen that the illegal immigrants who are from Chad, Niger, and Togo were arrested following actionable intelligence. He also disclosed that the Service had earlier this year recovered more than one thousand Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from illegal immigrants during a sting operation in various parts of the…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a bank’s operations manager in Abuja for hoarding N29m worth of new naira notes. Nigeria’s apex bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), fixed February 10 as the deadline for swapping the old naira notes with the new ones. But there is a scarcity of banknotes, a development that led to the intervention of security agencies. The EFCC, which is one of the agencies, said it arrested the unnamed bank staff in one of its operations. “An Operations Manager of a leading Commercial bank in Abuja Central Area was on Monday,…

THE Supreme Court has affirmed the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan as the authentic Candidate of Yobe North Senatorial District. In the lead judgement, Justice Centus Nweze faulted the approach of Bashir Machina in commencing the suit at the Federal High Court Damaturu division by way of originating summons and without oral evidence to prove allegations of fraud. In the majority decision, the apex Court also set aside the decision of the Appeal Court, Gombe Division, which affirmed the decision of the trial court that declared Machina the Senatorial Candidate for Yobe North. But in a dissenting decision by Justices Emmanuel…

THE Dangote Industries Limited is the major sponsor of the ongoing 44th Kaduna International Trade Fair which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture(KADCCIMA). The Trade Fair, which was officially declared open at the weekend, has as it theme: “Promoting Value Addition for Economic Growth and Development”. Speaking, President of KADCCIMA Alhaji Suleiman Aliyu described the partnership with Dangote as very important for deepening commercial activities in the country. He said that the support of the Dangote Group towards the success of the Fair cannot be quantified. Speaking to newsmen, the Director…

NIGERIAN singer, Temilade Openiyi, known professionally as Tems won the ‘Best Melodic Rap Performance’ category on Sunday night for her role in ‘Wait for U’, the 2022 hit song by Future, featuring Drake. Tems is the first female Nigerian artiste to win a Grammy award. Tems rose to prominence after she was featured on Wizkid’s 2020 single “Essence,” which reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 Tems got some international recognition after she featured with DJ Khalid which increased her income and event charges. Although she’s new in the industry, her net worth is an estimated $100,000. However, Burna boy…

THE Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila says the lawmakers may reconvene if the hardship occasioned by the naira swap continues. While the lawmakers are on break and are expected to resume after the general elections, the scarcity of the new naira notes and the attendant consequences may force the House of Representatives to reconvene, according to Gbajabiamila. “Many have argued on the independence of CBN, the autonomy of CBN. That does not make CBN above the law. The constitution gives the House the power to issue an arrest warrant against anyone, we can summon anybody, and that…

THE National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has fixed Friday, February 10, 2023 for a fresh governorship primary election in Taraba State. This comes after the Supreme Court on Wednesday nullified the primary in which Senator Emmanuel Bwacha emerged as the APC governorship candidate in the forthcoming general elections. In a letter dated February 2, 2023, the National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Muhammad Argungu, told the Taraba State Chairman of the party that the exercise will be held at Jolly Nyame Stadium in Jalingo, the state capital. “We are in receipt of the judgments of the Supreme Court in…

THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has arrested officials of two commercial banks in Abuja and Osun State for alleged sabotage as the scarcity of new naira notes lingers. A statement by the ICPC spokesperson, Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, said the arrests were in continuation of its clampdown on elements frustrating efforts to make the redesigned naira notes available to members of the public. Ogugua said an Abuja-based bank official was taken into custody for her “deliberate refusal” to upload cash into her branch’s automated teller machines (ATMs), though the cash was said to have been available…