Author: News Point Nigeria

By Is’haq Modibbo Kawu FORTY-SIX years ago, on the 1st of February, 1977, at just 16 years and 4 months old, I resumed work at Radio Nigeria as a studio manager (Trainee). I was one of the youngest people ever to be recruited by the defunct Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), Radio Nigeria. The late Hannatu Ibrahim was the Head of Programs, Northern Nigeria, and she had facilitated the special dispensation upon which I had been hired. I had concluded the WASC examination in June 1976, seven months earlier. I was so young, that my late mum had suggested that I…

WHEN effectively operated, a cashless policy in Nigeria can help stem the surge of illicit election financing by making it possible to track funds, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN. His words: “I think that what we should be looking at is to provide more infrastructure.  The cashless thing has been really advantageous and helps with tracking. That sort of infrastructure is useful for more financial inclusion and the more financial inclusion you have, the easier it is to track.” He spoke earlier today at the Presidential Villa when he received a delegation of the European Union Election Observation…

By Garba Shehu FOR an electricity distribution area, Kano DISCO that gets between 250-360 Megawatts Hour, on a day by day, many will dismiss the commissioning of the 10MW, Challawa Kano Solar Power Project as inconsequential. Yet, in terms of, both significance and consequential impact, this power plant, the first of its kind in Nigeria is a game-changer in many respects. It is important to note that this is the largest grid-connected solar power plant in the country so far. Not only this, it is a pointer to growth in the power sector and a strong and unambiguous message that…

By Tahir Ibrahim Tahir BILLIONS of dollars were expended in the development of critical infrastructure needed for economic growth and expansion. The most remarkable is the renewal of our Railway infrastructure with the Abuja-Kaduna, and the Lagos-Ibadan, as well as the Warri-Itakpe routes already in place, with plans of expansion all the way to Abuja. The Abuja-kaduna railway is also being extended to reach Kano and Katsina, all the way to the border town of Maradi in Niger Republic. The Kano-maradi leg alone is gulping 1.96 billion dollars, boasting of about 15 stations along the corridor, which would surely boost…

By Abdulmumin S Balogun THIS is one of the best policies this administration has pronounced and is delivering on.   Of course people will cry and shout but it is in the overall best interest of the nation as follows: Already, one of the presidential candidates that has been alleged to use huge sums of money to buy votes and mobilize thugs to force people to go his way, is attacking president Buhari, his own party leader, because of this policy! It could therefore be summed that the policy is clearly not self-serving or in the interest of the party.…

By Ahmad Muhammad Danyaro GIANT strides made by man are usually relieved with pomp and pageantry, while some roll out the milestone amidst glass clinging. Some play the breakthroughs low but all in praises and in anticipation of better future ahead. In this momentous instance, the success story always overshadows the nauseating hurdles and barricades accompanying such feats. Naturally some people excel in various ways of life, they standout in anything they venture into, they are shining light, they shape their environment and their world. Such individuals of unique poise are celebrated everywhere, an action which encourages them to reach…

By Adamu S Ladan IT’S no gainsaying the fact that information is power and has the ability to impact on public discourse. Freedom of expression also, is not only the core of a healthy media but a fundamental human right and vital for a democratic structure. It stands for freedom of speech, the right to information and the representation of different opinions in a heterogeneous society like Nigeria. Effective and democratic media in this regard are an essential part and indispensable for especially societies like Nigeria trying to make a transition towards peace and democracy. Harry S. Truman once said…

By Tahir Ibrahim Tahir SENATOR Kashim Shettima, at the recently concluded signing ceremony organised by the National Peace Committee, for Presidential aspirants and political parties; brimmed with camaraderie and was in fine spirits, as he exchanged pleasantries with a cross-section of participants like Bishop Isaac Idahosa whom he referred to as his brother, as well as Prof. Rufa’i Ahmed Alkali. Kashim is an embodiment of whom you’d refer to as a Pan-Nigerian, drawing friends from all across the different geo-political zones of the country. Having served at Calabar, Cross-Rivers State in the South-South, and obtaining an MSc. from the University…

By Bala Ibrahim SINCE late last year, precisely September 28, when the ban on political campaigns for the 2023 general election was officially lifted, the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, has been busy working tirelessly to convince the electorate on the need to allow it continue in power. With the former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its Presidential candidate, and the former governor of Borno state, Senator Kashim Shetima as his running mate, the party has been crisscrossing the country campaigning, with lavish receptions everywhere. Today, the campaign train was in Bauchi, where as expected, the candidate…

By Suleiman Hassan Gimba Esq TO the average Yobean, Buhari’s visit to Yobe State, where he commissioned excellent projects by the Mai Mala Buni administration, confirmed what they already knew; life in the state has improved a thousand-fold from what it used to be just less than four years ago. To the opposition party, it sets the standard for their campaign so high that they know they are not going to reach it, as the scent of victory becomes nigh impossible to smell. To you, my reader, watching from the outside in, wondering if life could be better for the…

By Martins Oloja THERE is a sense in which one can run away with some perception that government is fully aware of what ‘The Guardian’ contextually reported yesterday that ahead of the forthcoming general election, many Nigerians have been thrown into fear following the spate of kidnapping in the country between Thursday night and Friday press time. Reports gathered by the newspaper from open source intelligence across the country indicated that no fewer than 19 persons were kidnapped in the last 36 hours, with relatives of the victims and residents of the communities where the incidents took place crying out…

By AbdulKadir Ahmed THE dismissal of Makaman Katsina the V, District Head of Bakori, Alhaji Idris Sule Idris, came as a rude shock to many people, not only in Bakori, but in Katsina State as a whole. A rude shock because the terse and vague note that announced his dethronement belied the gravity of the punishment. The letter conveying the ill-fated message, from Katsina Emirate Council, said he was removed after an investigation confirmed the petitions received by the state government, which were said to be disrupting peace in his domain. After reading the letter, the first thought that crossed…

By Hamisu Aliyu AN absurd piece written by one Salihu Usman with the title, ‘Lawal Musa Daura and his many Controversies’ can best be described as a comic fantasy, capable of evoking laughter at the same time that it causes pulsation of the heart. The writer elevated the subject matter of the piece, Lawal Musa Daura, to the status of a superhuman, attributing to him some impossible powers in a trajectory of contradiction. Daura is a former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Nigeria. He was removed from the position in 2018, under circumstances that are still…

By Bala Ibrahim THE campaign caravan of the Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was today in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, where again, the Jagaba of Borgu, proved to all, that in the politics of Nigeria, he is indeed a strong force to recon with. Like the saying of the French poet and novelist, Victor Hugo, that, “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come”, Tinubu was in Kwara with a special power, that displayed a great number of people all over the streets of Ilorin, as a show…

By Bala Ibrahim THE dictionary may refer to a King as the male ruler of an independent state, especially one who inherits the position by the right of birth. But in the game of chess, the King comes with a different definition. Yes, in chess, the most important piece, of which each player has one, which the opponent has to checkmate in order to win, is called the King. The king can move in any direction, including diagonally, to any adjacent square that is not attacked by an opponent’s piece or pawn. In politics also, there seems to be a…

By Is’haq Modibbo Kawu  I ARRIVED in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, January 10th, 2023, for a 48-hour visit. The last time I visited, three years ago, was at the heart of the heavy, Southern Nigerian rainy session, and the plane’s landing had been quite scary. A few weeks earlier, we were also forced into the Port Harcourt Airport because our flight to Uyo couldn’t land amidst very heavy rainfall, and so it diverted to the Garden City. The traffic jams of Port Harcourt have always been legendary, and that’s one aspect of the city that makes life here, frankly, very…

By Ismaila Uba Misilli “It is wise to direct your anger towards problems – not people; to focus your energies on answers – not excuses.”               – William Arthur Ward EXEMPLARY leadership comes with a huge quantum of focus, dedication and unparalleled attention to the needs of the people. These are the hallmarks of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s administration in the last three and a half years. Even at electioneering campaigns, we see the same trends meandering into his campaign strategies- making the people’s need the centre piece of his campaign operations. Governor Inuwa…

By Yusuf A Yusuf, Giginyu THE Sports Writer Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has set up an electoral committee ahead of its election preparations. The election is expected to hold within the first quarter of the year, February 18, and has adopted its former Chairman and current SWAN Vice President Northwest Zone, Comrade Rilwanu Idris Malikawa Garu as its presidential candidate. His tenure saw the revival of Kano state chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria from its slumber. Comrade Malikawa was later elected as Vice President, North West Zone comprising seven states; Kano, Katsina, Jigawa Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi.…

By Habibu Nuhu Kila ALL the hullabaloo that has trailed the governorship primary elections of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Jigawa State since May 26, 2022, was finally laid to rest by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday, the 13th of January, 2023. The apex court in Nigeria affirmed that the incumbent deputy governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Umar Namadi remains the lawful governorship candidate of the APC in the state for the coming general election next month.  Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, who read the unanimous judgement of the court, affirmed the judgement of the November 4 judgment of…

By Bala Ibrahim THE indefatigable Presidential  candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has today turned Damaturu, the capital city of Yobe state, into a dreamy and delightful city, courtesy of his tour, where, along with President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Chairman of the party, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and the Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan, his campaign of renewed hope to the people, gingered everyone to elation. Also in attendance at the rally was the Governor of Plateau state and Director General of the Tinubu/Shetima Presidential campaign council, H.E. Simon Lalong, that of Borno state, H.E.…