NIGERIAN billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote has fallen to the bottom of the list as Africa’s richest person after South African billionaire Johann Rupert’s net worth rose from $1.9bn to $13.65bn in the past year. According to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Rupert’s net worth catapulted him to the 154th globally, two places ahead of Dangote. The latest report reveals a significant drop in Aliko Dangote’s fortune, with a decline of $10bn in six months, bringing his net worth to $13.6bn, a difference of $50m from Rupert. The challenging economic environment in Nigeria, including high inflation and the devaluation of the…
Author: Farouk Abbas
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A POLICEMAN identified as Inspector Collins Wilson has reportedly killed three individuals in an attempt to cover up a theft committed by his girlfriend, known only as Esther. The incident occurred on Monday, August 26th, when Esther was accused of stealing a phone from a tricycle driver who had been transporting her. Eyewitnesses report that the theft became apparent when the stolen phone rang in her possession, prompting a confrontation between Esther and bystanders. As tensions escalated, Esther called her boyfriend, Inspector Wilson, to the scene. Upon his arrival, Inspector Wilson, in a desperate bid to protect Esther and conceal…
THE Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, has assured Nigerians that the Army will not succumb to calls by some powerful interest blocs to disrupt democratic governance in the country. Lt-Gen Lagbaja stated this on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, in his opening remarks at the 2024 Chief of Army Staff combined second and third quarters conference held in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital. He said that the Nigerian Army was still struggling to restore its integrity after many years of military rule and hence is not ready to lose its prestige built in the past 25 years…
THE Asset Management and Corporation of Nigeria has said Arik and Aero Contractors airlines may be merged and converted to a national carrier. The AMCON Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Gbenga Alade, stated this on Monday at an interactive session with media executives in Lagos. According to Alade, both Arik and Aero Contractor are owing so much money that they may not be able to pay. He stated that the corporation presented the idea of converting Arik and Aero Contractor to the former aviation minister but it was rejected. “The former management of AMCON presented the idea of converting Arik and…
THE Federal Government has stated that only eight universities have been accredited to award degrees to Nigerians in Togo and Benin Republic. The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, made this known on Sunday night while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme. Mamman, during a press conference last Friday to mark his one year in office, disclosed that over 22,500 Nigerians obtained fake degree certificates from the two countries, and such certificates would be cancelled. The minister said the revelation was part of a report submitted to the Federal Executive Council by a committee with a mandate to probe degree…
THE National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has expressed joy over the Supreme Court verdict affirming the elections of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and his Kogi State counterpart Alhaji Usman Ododo as duly elected governors in their respective states. In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary Edwin Olofu On Sunday, Ganduje extended his congratulations to both governors on their resounding victories at the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which upheld their electoral victories. He said the landmark judgment is not only a testament to the confidence that the people of Imo and…
THE Department of State Services (DSS) has freed a journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, hours after he was picked up at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. As of the time of filing this report, the reason for Soyinka’s arrest early Sunday was unknown, as DSS spokesman Peter Afunanya had not responded to inquiries by one of our correspondents. However, a source close to the former BBC Pidgin Editor confirmed his release to one of our correspondents. The source, however, said the secret police seized Soyinka’s travel passport. Soyinka, the Regional Editor of The Conversation Africa, was arrested around 5 am…
A FEDERAL High Court in Abuja has granted applications filed by the police to remand 124 arrested #EndBadGovernance protesters for 60 days pending the conclusion of investigation. Justice Emeka Nwite, in separate rulings on ex-parte motions moved by Ibrahim Mohammed, counsel for the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police, granted the interim order to remand the suspects until conclusion of investigation. Justice Nwite equally ordered that the suspects who are minors in the applications be remanded in Borstal Home of the correctional centre pending the conclusion of investigation. In the first motion ex-parte marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1154/2024 moved by Mohammed on Aug 14 but…
THE Kogi State Government has declared that Governor Usman Ododo remains a staunch member of the All Progressives Congress, stressing that he is not considering defecting to the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This statement was made in response to a report by an online news platform (not News Point Nigeria), which went viral early on Saturday. The report claimed that Ododo, who secured a Supreme Court victory on Friday, dismissing the appeal of the Social Democratic Party candidate, Murtala Ajaka, contesting Ododo’s victory in the 2023 Kogi State governorship election, was considering defecting to the PDP. A statement by…
OPERATIVES of the Nasarawa State Police Command, on Friday, arrested Hauwa Sani for concealing 124 rounds of anti-craft ammunition in a gallon of palm oil. The command’s Public Relations Officer, Ramhan Nansel revealed this in a statement posted on X.com on Saturday. According to him, the state police operatives also arrested the suspect with a cash sum of ₦78,500 and a mobile phone while trying to smuggle the ammunition to Katsina state. The Commissioner of Police, Shehu Nadada has ordered the transfer of the suspect and exhibit to the Force Intelligence Department, Force Headquarters in Abuja for further investigation. The…
MILITARY sources say 20 medical students who were kidnapped in Benue State have just been rescued. News Point Nigeria gathered that the operation was coordinated by the office of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. Security agencies – the police, DSS and military personnel and equipment were involved in the operation, with the support of the Benue State government. Though the student have regained their freedom according to military sources who spoke to this newspaper on condition of anonymity, details of the rescue operation are still sketchy at the moment. News of the abduction of the students hit the media…
THE National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has rolled out plans of issuing certificates to prospective corps members who could not be mobilised for the one year national service after falling kidnap victims. The victims were travelling to Sokoto State for the three weeks orientation course when they were kidnapped in Zamfara State, on August 17, 2023. The victims are Daniel Etim Bassey (from Uruan LGA, graduate of University of Nigeria, Nsukka); Uyo, Obong Victor Udofia (Ikono LGA, University of Uyo); Sabbath Anyaewe Ikan (Eastern Obolo LGA, Akwa Ibom Polytechnic); Abigail Peter Sandy (Abak LGA, Maurid Polytechnic); Glory Etukudo Thomas (Eket…
THE Kogi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly condemned the violent attacks on its supporters and the destruction of vehicles belonging to party members at the Supreme Court premises on Friday. According to a press statement issued by the Director, Media and Publicity, Kogi APC Campaign Council, Kingsley Fanwo, the attacks reportedly began when supporters of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) started hurling stones, bottles, and plastic containers at APC supporters and leaders immediately after the Supreme Court delivered its judgment affirming Governor Usman Ododo as the duly elected governor of Kogi State. “During the ruling,…
THE Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the election of Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the Kogi State governorship election which held on November 11, 2023. The affirmation followed the dismissal of the appeal of Murtala Ajaka, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party who challenged the outcome of the election. In a unanimous judgment, the Apex Court upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal which on the twenty-seventh of May affirmed the election of Mister Ododo. The five-man panel held that the allegation of substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act was not proven…
THE Federal Government has paid the tuition fees of 20,000 students directly to their institutions in the ongoing Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyer revealed this on Thursday while speaking during a summit and sensitization programme by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Rivers State. According to him, the fund had paid the tuition fees of 20, 000 students in six universities, including the University of Ibadan, University of Benin, University of Maiduguri, University of Ilorin, and Bayero University, Kano. The implementation of the student loan scheme…
EIGHT days after 20 medical students from the University of Maiduguri and the University of Jos were kidnapped in the Otukpo area of Benue State, their whereabouts remain unknown. The students were abducted last Thursday evening while travelling along the Otukpo-Enugu highway en route to the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FECAMDS) Annual Convention in Enugu State. Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia has instructed state security agencies to intensify efforts to secure the students’ release. Despite the deployment of operatives from Abuja by the Inspector General of Police, no confirmed update on the students’ location have been received…
EXAMINATION boards in Kenya and Uganda are now writing Nigeria to verify records presented by Nigerian candidates seeking admissions into tertiary institutions in their countries. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board made this known in a document for the 2024 policy meeting. JAMB noted in the document that it would not falsify the records of any students while stressing the need to protect Nigeria’s tertiary education from disrepute. The development comes on the back of the Federal Government’s decision to suspend the verification of degree certificates from Uganda, Kenya, Benin Republic, Togo and some other countries over allegations of certificate…
THE legal representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, have formally requested a rescheduling of the latter’s interview by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) over certain allegations. In a letter addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Mohammed Ahmed Sanusi, on Tuesday, the NLC legal team, led by Samuel Ogala, explained that the short notice of the invitation, which was delivered just a day prior, made it impossible for Ajaero to honour the invite on the scheduled date. In his response, Ajaero, through his lawyers, expressed his willingness to…
THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has explained why the anti-narcotics agency is proposing a drug test for students of tertiary institutions. On Tuesday, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who spoke on Channels Television’s Morning Brief monitored by News Point Nigeria, said that the agency is treating drugs as a public health issue and not a criminal offence. “We’re treating this as a public health issue, not a crime, let me quickly put that in perspective,” he said. According to the NDLEA spokesman, students who test positive for hard drugs should be given the necessary support…
THE leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the Federal Government of harassing its leaders and has put its members and affiliates on red alert, threatening a nationwide strike should the Nigerian Police Force detain its president, Joe Ajaero. The resolution was announced by the deputy president of the union, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju after an emergency meeting of the group’s National Executive Council on Tuesday. A crowd of unionists were seen gathered at the headquarters of the NLC in Abuja as the meeting was being held, singing solidarity songs. The unionists said the strike would begin on Tuesday…