Author: Farouk Abbas

FORMER Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfattah Ahmed, has been granted bail by the Federal High Court Ilorin in the sum of ₦50,000,000 with two sureties with landed properties in Ilorin, the state capital. Ahmed is to deposit his international passport with the court among other conditions. More details shortly…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned former governor of Kwara State Abdulfattah Ahmed at Federal High Court Ilorin. However, journalists were barred from covering the arraignment of the former governor as they were denied entry into the court. Ahmed was taken by the anti-graft agency on Monday where he was being quizzed over transactions running into billions of naira during his time as governor of the state. Ahmed was governor of the North Central state between May 2011 and May 2019 before he handed over to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. He was once quizzed in May 2021 by…

THE Board of Directors of Media Trust Group has appointed Maude Rabiu Gwadabe as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Daily Trust and chairman of its Editorial Board. A statement issued by the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the group, Ahmad Shekarau, said the new Deputy Editor-in-Chief will serve both the print and digital arms of Daily Trust. Gwadabe served as the Head, Hausa Service of Media Trust Limited from January 2023 where he led the team to triple the digital footprint of Aminiya Trust. A former lecturer at Bayero University Kano, Gwadabe bagged a PhD in Mass Communication in 2019 after an…

SOLDIERS opened fire, on Thursday, when suspected thugs hijacked trailers loaded with foodstuff in the Suleja Area of Niger State. Alhassan Abdullahi, a witness, told our correspondent that many trailers coming from Abuja and heading for Kaduna were blocked by the hoodlums who burnt tyres on the road. He said many bags of food stuffs, especially rice, were stolen before soldiers arrived the scene. “It took intervention of soldiers who arrived the scene and started firing gun shots in the air to scare the hoodlums away. But even with that, many of them went away with bags of rice and…

DR KAYODE Fayemi, the immediate past Governor of Ekiti State and ex-Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), has commended the Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje-led National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the decision to cancel and reschedule the controversial gubernatorial primaries in Edo State. According to a statement by the Head, The Fayemi Media Office, Mallam Ahmad Sajoh made available to News Point Nigeria, Thursday, Fayemi noted that this decision had restored the confidence of members of the Edo State chapter of the Party in a fair, impartial, and transparent exercise and showed that the APC is…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will arraign the immediate-past governor of Kwara State, Abdulfattah Ahmed, for alleged N10bn fraud on Friday. Credible sources in the anti-graft agency said the ex-governor would be dragged before the Federal High Court in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. “He is going to be arraigned on Friday at the Federal High Court in Ilorin for diversion of funds, amounting to N10bn,” the source told our correspondent. The ex-governor has been detained by the EFCC since Monday when he honoured an invitation for interrogation. His Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji AbdulWahab Oba, confirmed his principal’s visit…

THE Nigeria Customs Service said it has concluded plans to commence the direct disposal of seized food items to Nigerians. The National Public Relations Officer of the service, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this in a statement released on Tuesday. Maiwada said that the move was in response to the critical challenges of food security and the soaring cost of essential food items in the country. He added that the items must be certified fit for consumption before they could be distributed to Nigerians. Recall that hundreds of Nigerians in some states recently demonstrated against the soaring cost of living in the…

THE Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has suspended its planned nationwide strike. This followed Monday’s meeting with the Federal Government and stakeholders after tanker drivers suspended operations and stopped lifting of petroleum products amid harsh economic realities. NARTO members had threatened shutdown all over the country beginning Monday over the high cost of Automotive Gas Oil also known as diesel which is used to fuel their trucks for the movement of petroleum products across Nigeria. Like Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol which now sells at over N600 per litre, the price of diesel has skyrocketed of…

IN a concerted effort to safeguard Nigeria’s foreign exchange market and combat speculative activities, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) are joining forces to address challenges impacting the nation’s economic stability. The CBN’s proactive measures to stabilize the foreign exchange market and stimulate economic activities have been commendable. However, the effectiveness of these initiatives is being undermined by the activities of speculators, both domestic and international, operating through various channels, thereby exacerbating the depreciation of the Nigerian Naira and contributing to inflation and economic instability. Recall that, to address the exchange…

THE former governor of Kwara State Abdulfatah Ahmed says his invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was not only a routine one but also procedural. He said this in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Wahab Oba made available to News Point Nigeria on Monday. According to him, he was in Ilorin to honour the invitation as he has always been doing and is still ready to do. “I’ve always expressed my willingness to answer any query or question about my stewardship as a governor of the state,” he said. “So, my visit on invitation to…

A FORMER Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, is being quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over transactions running into billions of naira during his time as governor of the state. The former Kwara governor was seen arriving at the Ilorin office of the anti-graft agency on Monday morning. This newspaper gathered that he was invited by the EFCC and is currently answering questions as to how these monies under his administration were spent. Ahmed was governor of the North Central state between May 2011 and May 2019 before he handed over to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. He…

THE Federal Government has ordered oil marketers to negotiate with the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners to avert the planned suspension of operations by NARTO members with respect to the lifting of petroleum products nationwide beginning today (Monday). It was gathered on Sunday that oil marketers and the executives of NARTO met about six times in the last two days, following the declaration of the petroleum products’ transporters to halt operations. Our correspondent further gathered that the Federal Government through the downstream regulator and the petroleum ministry would meet with NARTO members, as well as other parties today (Monday)…

ARSENAL winger, Bukayo Saka, says he is delighted to have helped a 12-year-old kid known as Kabir who could barely walk a year ago, recover from his ailment. Kabiru, a young aspiring football fan, could barely walk before the surgery, but now plays football which he loves so much with his two legs after the surgery. The England international who was born in London to Nigerian parents teamed up with a charity organisation BigShoe to help children in Kano, Nigeria’s second-largest city to pay for surgeries of 120 kids including Kabiru who were suffering from brain tumours, umbilical hernias, and…

FOLLOWING a successful inaugural session, the Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris fnipr, today moderated the second edition of the Ministerial Press Briefing Series (MPBS)  featuring  the Minister of industry, Trade and Investment Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, at the National Press Center in Abuja. The forum  aims to create a platform for direct engagement between government officials and the media, promoting transparency and accurate reporting to the Nigerian public. “We are gathered here to build trust and ensure the people of Nigeria are informed,” declared Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, at the event. “This platform allows…

THERE seem to be a looming fuel hike over strike actions threatened by petrol tanker drivers over rising operational costs. The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners had on Thursday, threatened to embark on a nationwide strike over what they described as high operational costs engineered by rising inflation rates in the country. NARTO is the umbrella body of all commercial transport owners and operators in Nigeria that are engaged in the business of moving goods, passengers and petroleum products from one place to another throughout the country and in the West African sub-region. While speaking with newsmen on Friday,…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has ordered the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, and the Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS) Yusuf Bichi to work with governors and go after those hoarding foodstuff. Nigeria has been battling a rise in the cost of food items occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy and insecurity among other factors. But as part of moves to combat the development, the Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris said Tinubu has mandated the heads of these security agencies and the NSA to liaise…

THE Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission is currently considering relocating some of its units to Lagos, according to a document obtained by News Point Nigeria. The memo dated February 14, 2024, said the decision was to enhance its service delivery, reduce operational costs, and make adequate utilisation of its assets in Lagos. “In line with our objectives of improving organizational efficiency, driving industry growth, and managing office accommodation in Abuja, we are exploring the possibility of relocating certain units to Lagos. “This initiative is driven by the need to enhance our service delivery, reduce operational costs, and make adequate utilization of…

THE Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, says Nigeria cannot continue to subsidise electricity, adding that the nation must begin to move towards a cost-effective tariff model, as the country is currently indebted to the tune of 1.3 trillion naira to generating companies (GenCos) and 1.3 billion dollars owed gas companies. Adelabu, addressed a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, said only 450 billion naira was budgeted for subsidy this year but the ministry needs over 2 trillion naira for subsidy. He said state governments will now be allowed to generate power independently to supply power to their states. On the…

THE Organisation Of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has revealed that the oil exports in Nigeria grew significantly by 60.8% in the third quarter of 2023. “Throughout 3Q23, exports witnessed a remarkable 60.8% increase, and imports soared by 47.7%, culminating in a trade surplus of NGN1,888.92 billion in that period,” its Monthly Oil Report released Tuesday for February 2024 said. It also revealed that exports rose by 115%, y-o-y, reaching an unprecedented high of NGN3,867 billion, while imports surged by 34.5% to NGN2,429 billion. According to the report, ”Nigeria boasted a significant trade surplus of 1,438.4 billion naira (NGN), a strong…

A FEDERAL High Court in Kano has barred the state government from demolition of residential buildings at Salanta quarters. The government had marked some buildings for demolition, but residents approached the court. Justice Simon Amobeda, while delivering judgement in fundamental rights enforcement suit, held that the landed property in question were legitimately acquired and therefore could not be demolished without the consent of the owners. The plaintiffs had approached the court in July 2023, seeking protection of their rights to the property, The court then granted a temporary order restraining the state government from further action pending final determination of…