THE Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Thursday said it is no longer considering implementing the planned 15 per cent duty on imported petroleum products. The development was announced by the Director, Public Affairs Department, NMDPRA, George Ene-Ita, in a statement while warning the public to shun panic buying. President Bola Tinubu, on the 29th of October, approved an import tariff on petrol and diesel, a policy expected to raise the landing cost of imported fuel. The President’s approval was conveyed in a letter signed by his Private Secretary, Damilotun Aderemi, following a proposal submitted by the…
Author: Farouk Abbas
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THE Senate has rejected the explanations provided by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) regarding the ₦210 trillion outstanding against the oil firm. It came to the conclusion on Wednesday that the money, which had not been accounted for, must be refunded to the Federation Account by the company. The Senate Committee on Public Accounts chaired by Aliyu Wadada, which has been on the probe for months, took the decision on Tuesday after the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, failed to turn up at its resumed sitting at the National Assembly. The session was…
JUSTICE Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, on Tuesday, adjourned the alleged money laundering trial of the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, to January 29, 30 and February 4 and 5, continuation of trial. The matter was adjourned to allow the prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, conclude the examination of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s seventh witness. When the matter was called for continuation of trial, the Prosecution sought to tender documents marked as Exhibits 33 (1–11) and 34, while leading the witness, Olomotame Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank, in evidence. But Defence…
THE Federal Government is holding talks with authorities of the United States over the military threat by US President Donald Trump. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this during an interview on Sky News. He revealed that diplomatic channels are proving effective towards rapprochement in the tense relationship between the government of the United States and Nigeria. “Channels of communication have been opened. I can confirm that we are talking with them, and I think they are understanding the situation better,” Idris said. “We believe that most of the information is a result of a lack…
THE Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has intensified its counterterrorism efforts with a series of coordinated precision airstrikes that have neutralised several fighters of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) and destroyed multiple bandit hideouts across northern Nigeria. The latest operations, conducted on November 9, targeted insurgent strongholds in the Northern Tumbuns around Mallam Fatori and Shuwaram in Borno State, while simultaneous interdictions were executed on bandit camps in Garin Dandi and Chigogo in Kwara State, as well as Zango Hill in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State. A statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the Director…
THE fourth prosecution witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the alleged money laundering trial of the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has re-affirmed that fund withdrawals by the state government did not breach any banking law. During cross-examination before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court on Monday, Mshelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, also reiterated that the name of the former governor did not appear as beneficiary in the account presented as evidence. The Defence Counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, drew the witness’ attention to certain withdrawals by one Umar…
THE Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has laid off about 800 employees in one of the biggest retrenchment exercises in Nigeria’s power sector in recent years, a move coming at a time millions of households are grappling with worsening electricity supply, inflation, and high energy tariffs. The sack letters, one of which was obtained by News Point Nigeria, were issued on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, after months of internal restructuring by the utility firm responsible for electricity distribution across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa States. Reliable company sources told our correspondent that the…
THE Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, says the country will support Nigeria’s fight against terrorism but faulted the interference of foreigners. News Point Nigeria reports that Dunhai, in a post on his X handle, pledged the support of the Asian country to Nigeria’s battle against insurgency following a meeting with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. “As a comprehensive strategic partner of Nigeria, China firmly supports the Nigerian government in leading its people to a development path that fits Nigeria’s national realities,” the Chinese ambassador wrote on Thursday. “We oppose any country’s interference in other countries’ internal affairs…
THE Federal High Court, Lagos, has restrained the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and other security agencies from arresting human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore. It also restrained them from intimidating or declaring the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) wanted. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Musa Kakaki’s order followed an application filed by Sowore after reports surfaced that the Lagos State Police Command had allegedly declared him wanted in connection with unspecified allegations. In the ruling, the judge granted an interim injunction restraining the respondents, particularly the Commissioner of Police, from “harassing, intimidating, threatening with arrest,…
THE Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, on Wednesday summoned all air component commanders of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to a high-level operational meeting at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, issuing fresh directives to escalate air offensives against terrorists and armed criminal groups nationwide. News Point Nigeria gathered that the strategic session, held behind closed doors, comes amid renewed militant activities in some theatres of operation and the ongoing push by security forces to restore stability across troubled regions. Addressing journalists after the meeting, NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the gathering was convened to reassess…
IN a landmark policy shift, the Federal Government has announced that Mathematics will no longer be a compulsory requirement for students seeking admission into tertiary institutions to study courses in the Arts and Humanities. The Federal Ministry of Education made the announcement on Tuesday, saying the decision was part of a broader reform to eliminate unnecessary barriers to higher education while maintaining academic standards. For decades, candidates in Arts and Humanities like their counterparts in the Sciences and Social Sciences were required to secure at least five credit passes, including English Language and Mathematics, in their Senior School Certificate Examination…
THE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman Pakistan, is alleged to have launched a vicious social media attacks on the Office of Vice President Kashim Shettima as EFCC deepens fraud investigations. Credible sources have confirmed to this newspaper that Mr Pakistan is allegedly personally directing and coordinating the attacks on the VP’s office through many social media warriors and influencers majorly from Kano. The social media warriors, popularly known as “sojojin baka” in Hausa, have launched series of unprovoked attacks on Vice President Kashim Shettima and his top aides…
THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed October 16 to rule on whether the Managing Director of SunTrust Bank, Halima Buba, can cross-examine a prosecution witness presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an ongoing $12 million money laundering trial. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the case for ruling following a heated legal argument between the prosecution and defence counsels over the propriety of certain questions posed to the EFCC’s first witness, Mr. Suleiman Ciroma, during cross-examination. During the session, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, counsel to the EFCC, raised an objection to…
THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has dismissed the Federal Government’s directive enforcing the “No Work, No Pay” policy on striking lecturers, vowing that no amount of intimidation or coercion will force the union to back down. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, ASUU President, Dr. Chris Piwuna monitored by News Point Nigeria, said the union remains resolute and will not yield to what he described as the government’s “divide-and-rule tactics” aimed at weakening the academic community’s collective voice. “We don’t respond to threats, and nobody can threaten us,” Piwuna declared confidently, underscoring ASUU’s defiance in the…
THE Federal Government has disbursed over ₦300 billion to 8.1 million households through the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme. News Point Nigeria reports that the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Sanunu, disclosed this on Monday at a roundtable event to mark this year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in Abuja. “As a ministry, under the Hope Agenda of Mr. President, the Ministry has, through the National Social Investment Agency, has done very well in improving the resilience of the local community. “As of today, in terms of conditional cash transfer, over 8.1 million households in…
A CLOSE ally of the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Garba Kore, has drawn widespread outrage after a controversial remark in which he boasted that the APC would “break the law” if necessary to reclaim Kano in the 2027 general elections. News Point Nigeria reports that the statement, captured in a viral podcast now circulating widely across social media, has ignited heated political debate and raised concerns about the health of Nigeria’s democracy. In the recording, Kore acknowledged that the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), led…
AS the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) begins a two-week total and comprehensive warning strike, the Federal Government has restated its resolve to enforce the “No Work, No Pay” policy if academic activities are disrupted across the nation’s public universities. In a statement released on Sunday by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs. Folasade Boriowo sent to News Point Nigeria, the government reaffirmed that the policy remains a subsisting provision under Nigeria’s labour laws and will continue to guide its response to industrial disputes in the education sector. “The Federal Government…
A HEATED altercation between two adult sisters threw the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, into chaos on Sunday after the duo missed their scheduled United Airlines flight and descended into a violent brawl. News Point Nigeria reports that the two sisters, who had both booked seats on the same flight, arrived at the terminal shortly after the boarding gate had closed. Frustrated by their inability to board, they began arguing over who was to blame for the delay. “What started as a mild exchange of words quickly turned into a fierce fight,” an airport staff member recounted. “They were shouting,…
THE Federal Government has opened high-level diplomatic engagements with the United States following renewed allegations by some American lawmakers accusing Nigeria of state-backed persecution and genocide against Christians. News Point Nigeria reports that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Nigeria had formally reached out to the U.S. government through its missions in Washington and Atlanta, rejecting what it described as baseless and misleading claims being circulated by a section of the U.S. Congress. The controversy was triggered on September 11, when Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate titled “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability…
SENATE President Godswill Akpabio has declared that the National Assembly will not be held hostage by the “disruptive instincts” of any of its members. A statement issued by his media aide, Eseme Eyiboh, on Saturday, titled ‘The Trials and Triumphs of a Resilient Nigeria’s 10th Senate’ sent to News Point Nigeria, Akpabio said the legislature’s insistence on enforcing its rules was not about silencing dissent but about preserving order and the sanctity of democratic institutions. He noted that the upper chamber must uphold discipline and respect for its rules to preserve the sanctity of Nigeria’s democracy. Akpabio’s comments followed disagreement…