THE Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, says his ministry has complained to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, over the harassment some Nigerians face at the hands of some security agents stationed at various airports in Nigeria. Keyamo, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics monitored by News Point Nigeria, said he gets loads of reports about the misbehaviours of some of the security operatives at the airports. The Minister said even though these actions are not by officials of the aviation ministry, he has approached the NSA to address them because he is concerned…
Author: Farouk Abbas
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THE Dangote Petroleum Refinery on Sunday announced a reduction in its price of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, to ₦970 per litre for oil marketers. The company’s Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, disclosed this in a statement. He said the decision is the refinery’s way of appreciating Nigerians “for their unwavering support in making the refinery a dream come true”. According to the statement, the move is a cut from the refinery’s ₦990 ex-depot price announced earlier this month. “In addition, this is to thank the government for their support as this will complement…
LESS than a week after reports emerged of governors threatening to deny federal lawmakers tickets to vie for National Assembly seats in the 2027 general elections for supporting the Tax Reform Bills, some of the lawmakers have denied the claim. On Monday, November 18, 2024, the Deputy Spokesman for the House of Representatives, Mr Philip Agbese, said some governors were threatening to deny federal lawmakers return tickets if they did not withdraw support for President Bola Tinubu’s Tax Reform Bills now before the National Assembly for consideration. The President had transmitted four tax reform bills to the National Assembly following…
THE Nigeria Labour Congress has said its December 1 ultimatum to state governors who fail to implement the new minimum wage by the end of November 2024 still stands. The NLC’s Head of Protocol and Public Relations, Benson Upah, confirmed this in a text message sent to our correspondent in Abuja. Recall that the NLC had given state governments an ultimatum of December 1, 2024, to implement the new minimum wage. “Yes, the ultimatum still stands. Nothing has changed,” Upah told this newspaper. Meanwhile, more state governments who have yet to reach an agreement with the organized labour movements in…
JUSTICE Ekerete Akpan of the Federal High Court Abuja has ordered that the 109 foreigners linked to activities threatening national security and high-level cybercrimes and hacking be remanded in Kuje and Suleja correctional facilities until the next adjourned date. Justice Akpan made the order based on the request by the counsel for the defendants on grounds that the police facility where they are being kept wasn’t conducive for the number of suspects. The suspects’ arraignment was also stalled due to issues of misrepresentation of names of the suspects on the charge sheet and issues of counsel representation. Counsel to some…
THE Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has suspended its National Chairman, Mamman Mike Osuman, over an unauthorised statement on the 2027 elections. The Chairman of ACF Board Trustees (BoT), Bashir Muhammad Dalhatu, and National Secretary, Murtala Aliyu, announced his suspension in a statement on Thursday. Osuman was quoted as saying that the North will back a Northern candidate for the presidency come 2027. The statement noted that “Our attention has been drawn to widely reported statements credited to Mr. Mamman Mike Osuman, SAN, OFR, Chairman, ACF National Executive Committee (NEC), which were made during the meeting of the NEC, held on…
THE Senate has granted approval to the ₦1.77 trillion ($2.2b) loan request of President Bola Tinubu after a voice vote in favor of the request. The Senate presided by Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, approved the loan after the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts chaired by Senator Wammako Magatarkada (APC, Sokoto North) presented the report of the committee. The request which was submitted by the President on Tuesday is part of a fresh external borrowing plan to partially finance the N9.7 trillion budget deficit for the 2024 fiscal year. Tinubu had on Tuesday written to the National Assembly,…
JUSTICE Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court Abuja has granted the request of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arraign a former lawmaker for Anambra South Senatorial District, Senator Andy Uba, on a two-count charge bordering on alleged N400 million fraud. Justice Ekwo fixed February 18, 2025, to take the plea of the defendant following an allegation that he defrauded one George Uboh, whose petition to the police led to the charge. Equally cited as 2nd and 3rd defendants in the suit which was filed before the court are Crystal Chidinma Uba and Benjamin Etu. The IGP…
THE Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has stated that the immediate past Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, is better positioned to respond to the audit query concerning an unauthorised expenditure in the ministry and not him. The minister, who spoke through his Special Adviser (Media), Hon. Orji Uchenna Orji stated this while addressing a news report on an audit query indicting the Ministry of Works and Housing for financial mismanagement and unauthorised expenditure totalling ₦4.64bn during the 2020–2021 financial year. News Point Nigeria had reported that an audit report has uncovered financial irregularities totalling over N4.64bn in the Federal…
THE Nigerian Army has initiated an investigation following the emergence of a viral video showing a Major General and some soldiers, purportedly assaulting a couple in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). News Point Nigeria gathered that the altercation was said to have happened after the soldiers stopped the couple for “unlawfully overtaking” their convoy. In the video, the military personnel could be seen attacking the couple before reportedly handcuffing them and transporting them to the Gwarimpa Police Station. According to reports, the soldiers ordered the police to detain the couple indefinitely. In a statement Wednesday morning, Army Spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu,…
THE Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has kicked off the 7th phase of the constituency and executive projects tracking exercise involving 1,500 schemes valued at ₦610 billion. The spokesperson of the ICPC, Demola Bakare, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja. According to Bakare, the exercise is an initiative of the commission that began in 2019. He said it focused on how well money allocated to critical sectors like education, health, agriculture, water resources and power, amongst others, were utilized. The tracking exercise will cut across agencies of government, including intervention agencies such as…
BARELY two months after the September completion deadline flop, the Nigerian National Petroleum Commission has explained why it could not deliver the much-awaited Port Harcourt Refinery Company. In an interview with our correspondent on Monday, the NNPC Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, said the company encountered risks and challenges while carrying out the rehabilitation, being a brownfield project. He noted that the NNPC began the commissioning of critical equipment and processing units after the mechanical completion in Nigeria. “You may recall that mechanical completion of the PHRC revamp was successfully achieved several months ago, marking a significant milestone in…
THE Chadian Government has repatriated no fewer than 600 irregular migrants from Nigeria who were found engaging in begging activities in various parts of the country. News Point Nigeria gathered that thousands of Nigerian refugees have fled Nigeria’s restive Borno state since 2019 at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency to take refuge in neighboring countries of Chad and Cameroon. Muhammed Barkindo, the director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, disclosed this to newsmen while profiling the refugees in Maiduguri on Monday. Mr Barkindo said that the migrants were primarily from Borno, Kano, Sokoto and Kaduna states and…
THE Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has sued two prominent northern journalists, Shu’aibu Mungadi and Tijjani Ramalan, for alleged defamation and malicious reportage. The former governor, in the suit marked K/M2102/2024, dated October 25 and sighted by our correspondent on Monday, is seeking N10bn in general damages in his favour against each of the six defendants in addition to 10 per cent post-judgment interest of the entire judgment sum until fully liquidated. Other defendants in the suit are the employers of the two journalists, Vision Media Services Ltd, Vision FM, Farin Wata Television and Liberty Radio and TV.…
THE Office of Auditor General for the Federation (OauGF) has uncovered financial infractions amounting to N3.403 trillion in several government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for the financial year ending 31st December 2021. The infractions reported in 28 audit issues are contained in the 2021 audit report of non-compliance/internal control weaknesses in Ministries Departments and Agencies of the federation for the 2021 financial year was submitted to the National Assembly via a letter reference number AuGF/AR.2021/02, dated 15th October 2024 signed by the Auditor General for the Federation, Shaakaa Kanyitor Chira. The report said N2.902 trillion of the amount came…
THE new terror group, Lukarawa, set up camps in 10 local government areas of Sokoto and Bauchi states before its operations became known to the public three weeks ago. According to sources, members of the terror group initially established camps in some villages bordering Nigeria and Niger Republic, including Gwanaguano, Mulawa, Wassinya, and Turigaic communities. They eventually infiltrated Nigeria and set up camps in different communities, especially in Gudu and Tangaza LGAs of Sokoto in 2018. Some leaders of the group, according to credible sources, include Abu Khadijah, Abdulrahaman (Idi), Dadi Gumba, Muhammed Abu, Usman Shehu, Abu Yusuf, Musa Walia,…
THE Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has advised Daniel Bwala to seek forgiveness from Vice President Kashim Shettima. President Bola Tinubu on Thursday appointed Daniel Bwala, a former spokesperson for the Atiku Campaign as his Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications (State House). In the wake of the campaign before the 2023 election, Tinubu had picked Shettima as his running mate. Following this, Bwala resigned his appointment as a member of the All Progressives Congress, stating that he couldn’t support a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Bwala, thereafter, served as the spokesman of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 presidential…
THE Philippine authorities have arrested five Nigerians in Angeles City, Pampanga, for allegedly abducting a fellow Nigerian, Kingsley Ikeagwuana. Local media, PhilStar reported that the suspects, Evans Chinemerem, David Ibegbulamo, Nwokeke Ihechukwu, Nwokeke Chinemmerem, and Okonkwo Kosiso, were arrested last Thursday. They would face criminal charges of kidnapping for ransom and violation of Republic Act 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. The Central Luzon Police director, Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan, said the Nigerian nationals were nabbed when operatives of the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group, and Mabalacat City and Angeles City police, raided their hideout in Barangay…
TEARS and tributes flowed freely on Friday as the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja was laid to rest in Abuja, ending an illustrious military career that spanned decades. The burial took place at the National Cemetery in the nation’s capital marking an end to two days of funeral rites that began in Lagos earlier in the week. His body was lowered to Mother Earth at exactly 4:41 pm after the ceremony that lasted four over two hours. Lagbaja’s casket, draped in Nigeria’s green and white colours, arrived at the cemetery around 3 pm in a…
THE Supreme Court, on Friday, dismissed the suit instituted by 16 states of the federation against the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), challenging the constitutionality of the acts establishing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and two others. The other agencies are the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU). A seven-member justices, in a unanimous judgment, held that the suit was unmeritorious. In the lead judgment by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, the Supreme Court resolved the six issues raised for determination in the suit against the plaintiffs. The court held that…