Author: Maryam Garba

VICE-CHANCELLOR of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Olufemi Peters, has stated that the model of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) remains the future of education globally. This is just as the university matriculated 23,344 new students who enrolled for various undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programmes. Peters was speaking at the 27th Matriculation Ceremony on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, where he welcomed the teeming fresh students to the university. The ceremony, held virtually and at various NOUN study centres nationwide, also witnessed oath-taking by the students. The Vice-Chancellor explained the transformative power ODL and highlighted its exceptional feature…

THE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced a new initiative, which will allow students to resit their WASSCE papers as early as January and February 2025. This marks a significant shift from the previous system, where candidates had to wait for the next private exam cycle. The Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, John Kapi, disclosed this while speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show in Ghana on Tuesday, December 31st. He explained that the new programme, referred to as WASSCE PC1, provides a faster route for students to improve their grades. “Students who access their results now and realise they…

TELECOMMUNICATIONS operators in Nigeria have threatened to shut down their services in some parts of the country in 2025 if the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) does not consider their demand for tariff increase. The operators disclosed this through a statement signed by the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, on Monday. According to Adebayo, the survival of the telecom sector demands immediate and bold reform for its sustainability, adding that tariffs must be increased to reflect the economic realities of delivering telecom services at a minimum for industry sustainability. “If nothing is done, we…

FORMER Minister of Women Affairs, Uju-Ken Ohanenye, on Wednesday said she has no regrets over some actions she took as minister. Since her appointment in August 2023, Ohanenye has been marred by controversy in office, including her threat to sue the United Nations (UN) for allegedly mismanaging funds meant for Nigeria. She was fired by President Bola Tinubu on October 23, alongside four other ministers at the time – Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Youth Development), Tahir Mamman (Education) and Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo (Housing and Urban
Development). Two months later, she weighed in on some issues regarding her stay in…

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated ex-President Muhammadu Buhari on his 82nd birthday, wishing him good health and peace of mind. Jonathan, in a goodwill message, he signed and made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja commended Buhari’s considerable contributions to the nation’s unity and development. “I also seize this opportunity to acknowledge your commitment to the development and progress of our country,” he said. Jonathan also prayed that God grants Buhari good health, more wisdom, and joy.

THE Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times, Musikilu Mojeed and the CEO of the Media Trust Group, Ahmed I. Shekarau, have been re-elected President and Secretary of the Nigerian chapter of International Press Institute (IPI)  respectively. Mojeed, Shekarau and four other officials, elected unopposed and sworn in on Thursday, will direct the affairs of the Nigerian affiliate of the global media body for the next three years. A statement issued by a member of the global executive board of the IPI, Raheem Adedoyin, disclosed that other members elected into the executive committee of IPI Nigeria include Fidelis Mbah of Al Jazeera Television…

MEDIA mogul, Mo Abudu, has expressed her gratitude for being ranked among Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women in the World. This marks her third consecutive year on the prestigious list. Mo Abudu expressed her humility and pride in representing the media and entertainment sector, as well as being a symbol of black excellence and Nigerian/African achievement. Abudu congratulated her fellow powerful women on the list, including Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She emphasised the importance of representation, stating that seeing women of colour and women from developing nations recognised on a global stage inspires and motivates others to break barriers. Mo Abudu…

THE Federal Government says President Bola Tinubu’s government sees food security as a priority for his administration. According to the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security Aliyu Abdullahi, since Tinubu’s inauguration in May 2023, the government has rolled out programmes to ensure food security in the country. “As part of the Renewed Hope Agenda, because food security is on the front burner in the agriculture sector; it is the mainstream of Nigeria’s economy. It is expected to also play a critical role in the economy as a means of poverty alleviation and gender inclusivity,” the minister said on…

SOME members of the Nigerian Armed Forces retirees under the umbrella of the Coalition of Military Pensioners in Abuja shut down the Federal Ministry of Finance on Thursday morning over the non-payment of their 20% to 28% salary increment from January to November 2024. The retired military officers who came from different chapters lamented the failure of the Federal Government to pay them their entitlements. Their demands are payment of palliatives from October 2023 to November 2024, payment of N32,000 added to pension, payment of Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) in bulk and refund of deductions made from the pensions of…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria has clarified that its Early Exit Package for staff of the apex bank is entirely voluntary and that participation is not mandatory. The CBN In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Mrs Hakama Sidi-Ali, assured staff and the public that no employee would be forced into early retirement under the scheme. She stressed that the programme provides an opportunity for eligible staff members who wish to exit the bank voluntarily, which is in alignment with CBN’s ongoing strategy to promote career development. The statement read, “The Central Bank of Nigeria…

THREE days to round off first term examination by the primary school pupils in the Federal Capital Territory, their teachers have embarked on a fresh strike action over non-compliance with the new minimum wage of N70,000 by the area councils of the territory. Primary school pupils in the FCT have experienced a series of strike action embarked upon by their teachers. The last one was on September 18, 14 days into this term’s resumption. The strike was eventually called off on October 7, thereby forcing them to remain at home for about three weeks. Pupils who went to school on…

VICE President Kashim Shettima, Wednesday morning, departed Abuja for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. A statement by Senior Special to The President on Media & Communications (Office of The Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha on Wednesday, said Shettima will be attending the opening ceremony of the International Exhibition of Extractive and Energy Resources (SIREXE) 2024 conference. The SIREXE conference is an international event organised by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire that focuses on “Policies and Strategy for the Sustainable Development of the Extractive and Energy Industries”. The conference will be held from November 27 to December 2, 2024, at the Abidjan Exhibition Centre.…

THIRTEEN Nigerian girls who were trafficked to Ghana have been rescued, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) said. The agency said their rescue brings “the total repatriated back to the country within five months to 163”. In a statement by its Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, NiDCOM gave a breakdown of the rescued ladies. “Among the 163 included the 13 girls that were rescued and brought back to Nigeria over the weekend,” the Friday statement said. It said the rescue “operation was a result of the combined and coordinated efforts of the Ghanaian Anti-Human Trafficking Police,…

THE National Examinations Council announced on Wednesday that it has completed payment of allowances for the 72,138 examiners engaged as ad hoc staff for the 2024 School-Based Senior School Certificate Examination. The Council disclosed this in a statement released by Azeez Sani, the Acting Director of Information and Public Relations. According to the statement, NECO began payments on October 4, 2024, on a bank-by-bank basis to facilitate easier reconciliation and a smoother payment process. As of Wednesday, November 13, 2024, all examiners have received their allowances in line with the Council’s payment plan. The Council noted that some examiners initially…

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) on Thursday said it does not deal with adulterated petrol. NNPCL Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, disclosed this in a statement made available to News Point Nigeria, Thursday night. “NNPC Retail Ltd does not deal in adulterated products as it adheres to rigorous standards and quality control measures at every stage in its operations to ensure that only high quality, safe, and reliable petroleum products are available at its stations nationwide,” the statement read. Soneye also rejected a viral video showing a customer claiming to have bought bad fuel, allegedly from an…

JUSTICE Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court Abuja has issued an arrest warrant against the Managing Director of Dana Air, Hathiramani Ranesh, over alleged refusal to appear in court to stand trial. In a Ruling, Justice Egwuatu held that the arrest of Ranesh is necessary following his refusal to appear in court after he was served with the charge and several proceedings taken in the matter. The Judge held that in line with Section 184 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, the court can issue an arrest warrant against any defendant who refused to appear in…

TWO media houses and 65 Nigerian journalists were attacked in nine months, the International Press Centre (IPC) has said. In a report released on Saturday by the IPC’s Safety and Protection of Journalists Hub (SPJ-Hub), it said the attacks took place between January and September 2024. “No fewer than forty (40) cases of attacks involving over sixty-five (65) journalists and two (2) media outlets were reported and documented as follows: Male – thirty-six (36), Female – five (5), Not applicable/mentioned – (24),” the report read. The affected states are Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Ogun, FCT Abuja, Oyo, Katsina, Abia, Delta,…

KEMI Badenoch on Saturday won the election to replace Rishi Sunak as leader of the Conservative Party. She is the first person of African heritage to lead the Tories. The Conservative Party announced her win in a post on X on Saturday. ANNOUNCED: @KemiBadenoch has been elected Leader of the Conservative Party,” the party tweeted. Badenoch, 44, beat Robert Jenrick after a four-month contest after Sunak’s resignation. The vote saw a turnout of 72% according to Conservative MP Bob Blackman. Most people said they had not formed an opinion of Ms Badenoch yet, according to a YouGov poll. But 40…

THE Federal Government has issued a nine-month ultimatum to individuals that are keeping dollars outside the banking system. Briefing journalists on Thursday after the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, the Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, said the government has unveiled a new policy for Nigerians to deposit dollar bills held outside the formal banking system without scrutiny. “There will be no penalty; there will be no taxes, and there will be no questions,” the minister assured. “There is going to be a release today, details by the federal government through the Ministry of…

THE Transmission Company of Nigeria has announced that the ongoing repairs to the damaged transmission line that led to a blackout in northern Nigeria will be completed by Sunday, 3 November 2024. It noted, however, that alternative measures have been implemented to transmit 400 megawatts to certain areas within the next 24 hours. The Managing Director of TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, disclosed this development at a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja, updating Nigerians on efforts to restore electricity to the northern region. On 22 October, TCN reported a power outage in the north-east, north-west, and parts of north-central Nigeria after…