THE Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have filed a suit against the Niger State Governor, Umar Bago, over the alleged threat to shut down a private radio station in the state, Badeggi FM Radio. In the suit, marked FHC/L/CS/1587/2025, and filed on Friday, August 8, 2025, at the Federal High Court, Lagos, SERAP and NGE sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the governor and NBC from further harassing, intimidating, and/or threatening to shut down Badeggi FM radio, revoke its licence, and profile the station’s owner. “Unless the reliefs sought are granted,…
Author: Farouk Abbas
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WITH just 48 hours left before the August 12 deadline for obtaining or regularising tinted glass permits, the Nigeria Police Force has yet to issue clear enforcement guidelines—leaving motorists anxious, suspicious, and in the dark. The current wave of concern began on May 1, 2025, when the police reactivated their digital tinted glass permit platform after years of complaints over abuse, extortion, and arbitrary arrests linked to tinted windows. The system, according to the Force, was designed to promote transparency, streamline applications, and strengthen national security, particularly in curbing crimes where tinted vehicles are used to conceal identities. To encourage…
DESPITE ongoing electricity shortages affecting millions of Nigerians, the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) says supplying power to neighbouring countries such as Benin Republic remains a strategic and economic necessity. In an interview with Channels Television, ECN Director-General, Mustafa Abdullahi, said only about 6% of Nigeria’s generated electricity goes to Benin Republic, largely from hydro dams located near the border. “We’re not doing it to sell, but it is strategic. If we share rivers and waterways with a country, we must also share electricity out of goodwill. “At one point, Benin Republic wanted to situate a dam close to ours,…
NIGERIA has lost one of its foremost political figures, Chief Audu Ogbeh, a former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and ex-National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Ogbeh died peacefully on Saturday, August 9, 2025, at the age of 78, according to a statement from his family. “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Chief Audu Ogbeh,” the family said. “He departed peacefully, leaving behind a legacy of integrity, service, and dedication to our nation and community.” The family added that funeral arrangements will be announced later, while…
HUMAN rights activist and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has been released from police custody. Sowore had been detained at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory since Wednesday when he honoured an invitation from the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit. The activist confirmed his release in a Facebook post. He described his detention as “illegal and unjust.” “The Nigeria Police Force has capitulated to the demands of the revolutionary movement. I have been released from unjust, illegal and unwarranted detention. “However, it is nothing to celebrate, but thank you for not…
THE Federal Government has commenced payment of the second tranche of the N35,000 wage award arrears to civil servants, signalling continued efforts to fulfil its commitments to federal workers. In a statement on Friday in Abuja, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) confirmed the disbursement, stating that the payment was part of the outstanding wage award introduced to cushion the impact of economic reforms on public sector employees. Bawa Mokwa, Director of Press and Public Relations at the OAGF, said the government had earlier settled one month’s arrears out of the total five months owed to…
THE Nigerian Military has disclosed that more than 300 repentant terrorists are currently undergoing rehabilitation, while over 2,600 ex-combatants have already completed the programme under the Federal Government’s non-kinetic counter-terrorism efforts. News Point Nigeria reports that this revelation was made by Major-General Adamu Laka, the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), during a high-level stakeholders’ and donors’ meeting held Thursday in Abuja. The meeting focused on expanding livelihood and agricultural opportunities for former fighters and conflict-affected communities. Laka said the efforts fall under Operation Safe Corridor, a government initiative established to deradicalise, rehabilitate, and reintegrate low-risk Boko…
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has questioned some top officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) over multibillion naira alleged fraud. The anti-graft commission, this newspaper authoritatively learned, is investigating the top officials over the loss of public funds amounting to about N50 billion under the stewardship of Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman (Pakistan). During the 2025 Hajj alone, Mr Pakistan has midwifed the alleged squander of N25 billion on Masha’ir tents, N1.6 billion on spouses, and N7.9 billion on Makkah contingency houses. There are also cases of bloated expenditure for NAHCON officials, stakeholders, spouses, amounting to…
THE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced the temporary withdrawal of the 2025 WASSCE results for school candidates due to technical glitches linked to a new examination integrity system. In a statement released late on Thursday, August 7, 2025, the Council’s Acting Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, explained that the withdrawal followed an internal review that uncovered issues arising from a recently introduced paper serialization system designed to combat exam malpractice. “The Council embarked on an innovation already deployed by a national examination body. The paper serialization was carried out in Mathematics, English Language, Biology, and Economics. However,…
MINISTER of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has condemned the conduct of popular Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde, aka K 1 de Ultimate, for blocking a moving aircraft at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has since blacklisted the singer for six months, following the incident that saw him obstructing a ValueJet flight from taxiing on Tuesday. Keyamo, in a firm statement, described Ayinde’s actions as “unacceptable, reprehensible, and akin to a hostage situation.” “Contrary to what his agents are saying, Kwam 1 physically moved on the tarmac to block a plane ready for…
THE 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and prominent human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has been detained by the Nigerian Police over allegations of forgery and incitement. News Point Nigeria reports that Sowore, who also leads the RevolutionNow Movement and the Take-It-Back Movement, was on Wednesday invited to the Force Headquarters in Abuja by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit for questioning. He honoured the invitation, arriving at the premises in the afternoon accompanied by some of his supporters. According to a statement issued by his organisation, Sowore was detained at one of the police facilities…
THE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended two pilots of ValueJet, a domestic airline, over a serious breach of aviation safety regulations at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, the NCAA said the incident occurred when the flight crew initiated departure procedures without securing mandatory pre-departure clearance from air traffic control. “This reckless action endangered the safety of ground personnel and other airport users, contravening established civil aviation regulations and international safety standards,” Achimugu said. The aviation authority described the action…
THE Federal Government has filed a notice of appeal to challenge the July 24 judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos, which freed a former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Olufemi Thomas, on allegations of money laundering. Our correspondent obtained the 28-page notice of appeal, filed before the Lagos division of the Court of Appeal. It listed 11 grounds of appeal against the decision of Justice Olayinka Faji of the Federal High Court. In his judgment, Justice Faji discharged and acquitted Thomas on five out of six counts filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission…
A PROMINENT chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Adamu Maina Waziri, has launched a scathing critique of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing it as a “disastrous catastrophe” that has performed worse than the much-maligned government of former President Muhammadu Buhari. Speaking in an interview on Trust Television, Waziri expressed deep concern over what he described as Nigeria’s steady descent into economic hardship, insecurity, and national disunity under Tinubu’s watch. “If the Buhari government was a failure, the Tinubu government in the last two years is a disastrous catastrophe,” Waziri declared. “It has…
AS the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) moves to restructure its leadership ahead of the 2027 general elections, internal jostling for the position of National Chairman is intensifying, with prominent figures such as Prof. Jerry Gana, Kawu Baraje, and Senator Ahmed Makarfi reportedly positioning themselves for the coveted role. News Point Nigeria reports that with the party’s National Elective Convention scheduled for November 15 in Ibadan, Oyo State, calls for a consensus candidate are growing louder but not without resistance. Sources within the party also confirmed that the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, is working to retain the post in a…
SOME ex-soldiers of the Nigerian Army who voluntarily disengaged in the third and fourth quarters of 2023 staged a peaceful protest on Monday in front of the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja, demanding the immediate payment of their outstanding entitlements. The aggrieved ex-servicemen, who officially left the military on July 1, 2024, carried banners listing their demands, which include: complete payment of gratuity and Salary Deductions Allowance (SDA) based on the new national minimum wage, payment of housing scheme contributions, payment of NAWIS/BenFund, and settlement of their packing allowance. The protesters, many of whom said they had served…
THE federal government has extended by one week the recruitment applications to paramilitary agencies. The agencies are the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) and the Federal Fire Service (FFS). The Board of the Services gave the notification for extension in a statement signed by its Secretary, Maj. Gen. Abdulmalik Jibril (rtd) in Abuja. It said, “The closing date for application for its ongoing recruitment exercise has been extended by one week.” “The recruitment portal, which was initially set to close on Monday, 4th August 2025, will now remain…
IN a significant boost to Nigeria’s infrastructure development efforts, the Honourable Minister of State for Works, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Esq., has described the commissioning of construction equipment donated by the Government of Japan to the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) as a strategic milestone in the nation’s pursuit of sustainable infrastructure renewal. The commissioning ceremony on 1st August 2025 brought together key stakeholders and distinguished figures from both the public and private sectors. Those in attendance included the Chairman, Senate Committee on FERMA, Senator Sahabi Yau; the Chairman, House Committee on FERMA, Engr. Remi Oseni; the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria,…
AS part of efforts to combat drug abuse and protect youth development, the Federal Government and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) are set to roll out mandatory drug testing for students in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, starting with the 2025/2026 academic session. A top NDLEA official confirmed to News Point Nigeria that the policy will target newly admitted and returning students in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. The initiative, he said, will likely begin in September, aligning with the academic calendar of many institutions. This follows a high-level meeting held in Abuja between the Minister of Education, Dr.…
US President Donald Trump has officially imposed a new 15% import tariff on Nigeria and several other African countries, including Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Mozambique, Mauritius, Ghana, Malawi, Lesotho, and Madagascar. This development was announced in an Executive Order issued by the White House on Thursday, titled “Further modifying the reciprocal tariff rates.” According to the order: “These modifications shall be effective with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m.” The Executive Order also included varied tariff rates for other countries. South Africa, Libya, and Tunisia were each hit with higher…