Author: Binta Kabir

FORMER Presidential Adviser, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has faulted Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment claim, saying once women become senators, they can’t be sexually harassed. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had recently claimed on a live television programme that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, frustrated her moves to raise motions about Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State because she refused to sleep with him. However, while reacting to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual allegation against the Senate President on Arise TV on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Senator Ita-Giwa said women can’t claim to be sexually harassed when they are elected into the Senate. The former lawmaker…

A VIDEO has emerged showing the lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing an unnamed minister of sexual harassment. In the video, which appears to be from a press briefing, Natasha can be heard saying she suffered the harassment while seeking a job after spending five years at Brass LNG. She explained that she failed to secure the job because the minister confessed that she would be a distraction to him until he had his way with her. Natasha said, “I remember many years ago, I was just out of Brass LNG, where I worked for five years, and…

NO fewer than 20,197 Nigerians stranded in various countries have voluntarily returned to their homeland. According to data collated from various repatriation exercises facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration, the stranded Nigerians The stranded Nigerians returned to their country under the IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration programme, which involved intervention from the Federal Government and various Nigerian missions abroad. Women and girls constitute nearly 88 per cent of the returnees, while men account for 13 per cent. Most VoTs fall within the age bracket of 18 to 39 years, with those aged 18 to 25 being particularly susceptible…

THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has blacklisted Aveo Pharmaceuticals Pvt Limited, an India-based company implicated in the illegal production and exportation of highly addictive opioid combinations in Nigeria and some other West African countries. The company was found culpable of manufacturing, selling, and exporting a range of addictive pills containing a dangerous combination of Tapentadol, a potent opioid, and Carisoprodol, a banned muscle relaxant with addictive properties linked to overdoses and fatalities. The mix, sold under the names Tafrodol and Royal 225, has been widely trafficked across the region. A BBC World Service investigation…

THE Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says that there will be a seven-hour power outage in some parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In a statement, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, said the affected areas will experience blackout on Saturday, February 22, and Sunday, February 23, 2025, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm each day. She attributed the action to scheduled annual preventive maintenance on two transformers. “The Transmission Company of Nigeria informs the public that its maintenance crew will conduct annual preventive maintenance on the 2x100MVA, TR3 & TR4 transformers at the Apo 132/33kV Transmission…

THE naira appreciated to N1,535 per dollar in the parallel market, commonly referred to as the black market, driven by reduced demand for the dollar amid improved liquidity conditions. This marks a gain of N25, or 1.6%, compared to the N1,560 per dollar exchange rate recorded on Monday in the same market. Data compiled from online trading platforms and street traders confirmed the development. “There is not much demand in the market, but we have enough dollars,” a trader noted. In the official foreign exchange (FX) market, the naira also strengthened against the dollar on Tuesday, according to figures published…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board says candidates under the age of 16 can be considered for admission into tertiary institutions if they demonstrate that they are academically exceptional by scoring 80 per cent and above in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. Given that the total score in the UTME is 400 marks, 80 represents a minimum score of 320. This development follows the recent reversal of the mandatory 18-year admission age benchmark introduced by the former Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman. The current education minister, Olatunji Alausa, reinstated the previous benchmark of 16 years, a move widely supported by…

THE Honourable Minister of State for Works, and the Minister  Superintending FERMA, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Esq., has disclosed  that Nigerians will be given the best in road maintenance and safety across Federal roads network. He made this statement during a familiarization tour to Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) Headquarters today Wednesday 5th February, 2025. He said Nigerians deserve the best experience in pleasurable ride and security from all forms of danger when using the road. He however, bemoaned the poor budgetary allocation for roads maintenance in the country as factor militating against the realization of this dream. According to him,…

THE Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has said that the intervention agency has disbursed around N2 trillion to tertiary institutions across the country between 2011 and 2024. He stated that the intervention was deployed to enhance infrastructural projects such as senate buildings, classrooms, lecture theatres, auditoria, ICT centres, laboratories and laboratory research equipment, libraries, workshops, and hostels, among many others, across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education in Nigeria. The Executive Secretary, who was speaking at the 41st Convocation Lecture of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, tagged “TETFund And Educational Development in Nigeria: The…

NIGERIA’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, visited Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, to officially commission the newly constructed General Babatunde Idiagbon Flyover at Tanke and the Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari Flyover. During the event, Tinubu paused her convoy after noticing a group of schoolchildren gathered outside their school, singing and cheering her on. She took a moment to address them, urging them to focus on their education and avoid any actions that could jeopardize their future. The gesture was highlighted in a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Busola Kukoyi. She wrote: “The highlight of the would be the spontaneous…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced dates for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said the sale of forms will begin on January 31, 2025, and close on March 5, 2025. He said the sale of application documents and e-PIN vending will begin on March 10, 2025 for direct entry candidates. The exercise will end on April 7, 2025. While the Mock-UTME is scheduled for April 5, 2025, the main exam (UTME) will be held from April 25, 2025, to May 5, 2025. Candidates registering for UTME with a mock exam…

THE Nigerian Labour Congress has called for the resignation of the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu and other Ministry of Power officials over the frequent collapse of the national power grid. In a statement made available to News Point Nigeria on Wednesday by the NLC President, Joe Ajaero said the power sector was on the brink of total collapse. Ajaero said, “If the Ministry of Power is manned by competent officials, the now embarrassing constant grid collapse would have been averted instead of the worrying statement by the Minister that this will continue as if this has always been the…

Producing Data For Informed Decision-Making THE National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is set to launch the Rebased Consumer Price Index (CPI) report as part of its effort to provide data for informed decision making. CPI is a number which shows movement of aggregate price level and is an important macro – economic variable of a country. According to a statement by the Director of Communication and Public Relations, NBS, Ichedi, Sunday Joel, made available to News Point Nigeria on Monday, the last CPI Rebasing was conducted in 2009. WHY REBASING CPI? It is important that CPI is Rebased from time…

SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, is at the top of eminent personalities who would on Thursday in Abuja brainstorm on the major factors inhibiting mass production, processing and distribution of food Nigeria. According to a press release signed by the CEO of the Media Trust Group, Ahmed I. Shekarau, the Speaker has confirmed his participation as Special Guest of Honour at the 22nd Daily Trust Dialogue with the theme “Food Security: Availability or Affordability”. The statement said that the founder and Director General of the Songhai Farms based in Benin Republic, Rev. Fr. Godfrey Nzamujo, has accepted…

A TOTAL sum of ₦1.424 trillion, being December 2024 Federation Accounts Revenue, has been shared among the Federal Government, States and Local Government Councils. The revenue was shared at the January 2025 Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting held in Abuja. The Director of Press and Public Relations, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Bawa Mokwa, disclosed this in a statement on Friday. The ₦1.424 trillion total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of ₦386.124 billion, distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of ₦604.872 billion, Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue of ₦31.211 billion and Exchange Difference…

THE National Youth Service Corps has debunked social media reports suggesting that Prospective Corps Members who have not received their Call-Up Numbers should visit State Secretariats to obtain them. NYSC Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, in a statement on Tuesday asked the general public to ignore such claims, saying that they did not emanate from the Scheme. She said all communication between the Prospective Corps Members and the Scheme are done through their individual dashboards and via its officially approved social media platforms. “The attention of the Management of the National Youth Service Corps has been…

CASES of the infection human metapneumovirus (HMPV) have surged across northern Chinese provinces in recent days, mainly among children. The virus – responsible for packed hospital waiting rooms in China and eerily similar to the early days of Covid – has seen a ‘marked increase’ in recent weeks – slightly higher than at the same time last year. HMPV typically causes symptoms similar to the common cold, including a cough, runny nose or nasal congestion, a sore throat and a fever that clears after around five days. But more severe symptoms such as bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia can occur, with…

FORMER President Muhammadu Buhari has mourned the passing of the former Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Nuhu Yaqub. Prof. Yaqub, who was also the Vice Chancellor of Sokoto University died at the age of 74 last week Saturday Buhari in a statement issued on Saturday by Garba Shehu, his spokesperson, described the deceased as a “towering intellectual giant”. The statement reads: “Former President Muhammadu Buhari joins family, friends, and the nation in mourning the death of a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Professor Nuhu Omeiza Yaqub, OFR, describing him as a towering intellectual giant. “In a…

THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued an urgent alert to healthcare providers and the general public about a suspected counterfeit cancer drug, Phesgo 600mg/600mg/10ml injection, bearing the batch number C5290S20. This warning follows a report from a doctor at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) who raised concerns about the drug after it was brought in by a patient. Upon investigation, it was found that this batch closely resembled another previously flagged counterfeit batch, C3809C51. According to NAFDAC, the drug’s manufacturer, Roche, reviewed images of the suspected product and confirmed it as fake.…

OFFICIALS of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission in Jordan which oversees Iraq have intervened to return a 28-year-old trafficked Nigerian lady, Eniola Isaac. This was after a report on Wednesday revealed that Isaac was allegedly lured to Iraq under false promises of a better life. However, after being subjected to various degrees of abuse, physical assaults and mistreatment from her employer in Iraq, she pleaded with the Nigerian authorities to help her return to Nigeria. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission in an update released through its official X.com on Thursday, said Isaac’s situation underscored the rising alarm over the trafficking…