Author: Editor

FOOTBALL star Cristiano Ronaldo got the name of his new host country wrong while speaking at his first press conference in Saudi Arabia following his multi-million dollar move to Al Nassr. “It’s not the end of my career to come to South Africa,” he said, in an earnest voice against a backdrop proudly proclaiming “Saudi welcome to Arabia”. While they can’t have been happy, the Saudi officials at Tuesday’s press conference didn’t seek to correct Ronaldo and it didn’t seem to bother his new Saudi fans, who gave him a thunderous welcome as he appeared in Al Nassr’s yellow and…

A FAMILY of nine have died in a double car bombing in central Hiraan province, Somalia, an eyewitness has told the BBC. A further 26 people were also killed, the local deputy policy commissioner told the Reuters news agency. The al-Qaeda linked group al-Shabab has said it was behind the attack. The district commissioner of Mahas town said his home and that of a local MP were the targets. Meanwhile the second explosion targeted the market, the mayor of Mahas, Mumin Mohamed Halane, told the BBC. The blasts were so powerful that witnesses said people far away from the explosion…

ZAMBIA’s power utility – Zesco Ltd – has announced crippling 12-hour electricity blackouts until further notice. Power rationing officially started on Tuesday with some areas being hit by up to eight hours of power cuts, but the extended 12-hour blackouts take immediate effect. A statement from Zesco’s corporate affairs department says the measure is needed because of a lack of water in the Kariba dam, which is used for hydropower. “At present, the power station’s generating capacity has been reduced from its installed 1080MegaWatts (MW) to below 400MW,” the statement reads. It adds that the removal of a 150MW generator…

THE World Health Organization has warned that China is under-representing the true impact of Covid in the country – in particular deaths. The removal of most restrictions last month has led to a surge in cases. But China has stopped publishing daily cases data, and has announced only 22 Covid deaths since December, using its own strict criteria. “We believe that definition [of a Covid death] is too narrow,” WHO emergencies director Dr Michael Ryan said. Dr Ryan said China’s figures “under-represent the true impact of the disease in terms of hospital admissions, in terms of ICU admissions, and particularly…

AUTHORITIES in Iran have released a top actress who was arrested last month after expressing solidarity with anti-government protesters. Taraneh Alidoosti was pictured being greeted by friends outside Tehran’s Evin prison, her hair uncovered. The 38-year-old star was freed on bail after being accused of “posting inflammatory content”. She had posted a picture on social media without a headscarf and condemned the first execution of a protester. Many Iranian actors, musicians and other celebrities have publicly backed the protests against the clerical establishment. They erupted almost four months ago following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman…

AFTER evading several onslaughts of the Nigerian military, a notorious Boko Haram warlord, Abou Hurairah, has met his waterloo. Our source gathered that Abou Hurairah, was eliminated alongside some other Boko Haram Commanders. It was during an aggressive bombardment’s operation by the Air Task Force, ATF, of Operation Hadin Kai, using two alpha jets of the Nigerian Air Force, NAF. Abou Hurairah, and the other eliminated Boko Haram kingpins, were behind the series of attacks in Monguno Axis of Borno State, recently. A defence intelligence source told our soruce that Abou Hurairah, and other terrorist commanders have been the ones…

MORE than 20 farmers were feared dead as a boat carrying about 100 farmers capsized in Koko/Besse Local Government Area of Kebbi State on Tuesday. Police spokesman in Kebbi, DSP Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed the accident and promised to release details later. Speaking on Wednesday, Chairman of Koko/Besse Local Government, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, also confirmed the accident. He said it occurred on Tuesday night when a rickety boat carried more than 100 rice farmers to Samanaji, a riverine community in the area. He said 80 of the boat passengers had been rescued, while 10 were found dead and others still missing. He…

THE Board of the Nigeria Customs Service has approved the appointment of three Assistant Comptrollers General (ACGs) as well as the promotion of 1, 490 senior officers of General Duty and Support Staff to various ranks with effect from 1st January 2022. A breakdown of the appointments includes: ACG Greg Itotoh ACG Festus Okun ACG Shuaibu Ibrahim Some of the newly promoted Comptrollers are the Customs National PRO Timi Bomodi, Musa Omale, Zanna Chiroma, Stanley Nwankwo, Ajibola Odusanya, Paul Ekpenyong, Abubakar Umar, Maureen Ajuzieogu, MO Bewaji, among others. The full statistics of the board’s approval are as follows: Assistant Comptrollers…

HON Sa’adatu Bello Kirfi, Commissioner of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises,  has resigned. The commissioner tendered her resignation less than 24 hours after her father, Alhaji Muhammadu Bello Kirfi, was removed as the Wazirin Bauchi and Council member of Bauchi Emirate. News Point Nigeria recalls that the former title holder was removed for allegedly disrespecting Governor Bala Mohammed. In the letter addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government, the former commissioner thanked him for considering her worthy to serve. “Your Excellency, I wish to humbly tender my resignation as member, Bauchi State Executive Council and…

OPEC’s crude output edged higher last month as Nigeria partially reversed a long-term slump with recent cracking down on oil theft. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) boosted supplies by 150,000 barrels a day, with Nigeria effectively providing the entire gain, according to a Bloomberg survey. Total group output was 29.14 million barrels a day. Nigeria has revived crude production from record lows by hiring security companies linked to Government Ekpemupolo, a onetime warlord in the oil-producing Niger River delta region. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited said it would build on the progress, But even with December’s…

THE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has quietly ordered electricity distribution companies to increase the cost of electricity across their franchise areas. News Point Nigeria gathered that the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) confirmed the development on Wednesday. The tariff increase was first observed on the Tariff Band A Non MD, which was increased from N57.55 per unit in December to N68.2 per unit. When contacted, AEDC stated: “Good day, please be informed that the increase in Tariff is in compliance with NERC order”. Meanwhile, neither the NERC nor the electricity distribution companies have released an official statement on the matter.

THE Bauchi Emirate Council has stripped a former Minister of Special Duties, Bello Kirfi, of his traditional title of “Wazirin Bauchi” and removed him from being a Council Member for the second time in five years. The new development was said to be connected to the ex-minister’s alleged “disloyalty and disrespect” to the State Governor, Bala Mohammed. Kirfi, a retired federal civil servant, was a Minister in the government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari in the 1980s, and also the Pro-Chancellor, University of Ilorin from 1997-99. He also became Minister of Special Duties during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo…

FOLLOWING various policies by the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN) to boost cashless economy, analysts have noted that electronic transactions in Nigeria peaked at 3.5 billion in 2022, thus ranking Nigeria number 6 globally. Also, going into 2023, forecast for the Nigerian economy appears gloomy with the customary downturn of the economy in an election year, prompted by the anxiety that follows change of political power as well as global and various economic indices. Furthermore, analysts predict that banks would taper down on operating expenses and become more profitable this year from non-interest income. Speaking to the press on his…

By Dan Okereke AN adage says the only reward for success is a hunger for more success. Twenty years after their establishment and currently rated among the five best colleges in Nigeria, the American University of Nigeria (AUN) Schools have turned this adage into a song. Recently, the management of the AUN Schools rolled out a well-thought-out strategic master plan for future reinvention that will put them a notch or two above their contemporaries, letting the successes of the past inspire the future. The strategic plan, conceived as School Improvement Project (SIP), was unveiled before an enthusiastic audience of the…

THERE are two key stories in the Premier League this morning, the first being Everton’s 4-1 thrashing by Brighton that has piled the pressure on manager Frank Lampard. The second story is Arsenal missing the chance to go 10 points clear at the top after being held to a goalless draw by Newcastle, who remain in third place. Below are tonight’s fixtures: Southampton vs Nottingham Forest Leeds vs West Ham Aston Villa vs Wolves Crystal Palace vs Tottenham

ON a day of political drama not seen in Congress for a century, Republican leader Kevin McCarthy repeatedly failed in his bid to be elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives. The House adjourned without a speaker on Tuesday night – the first time since 1923 they had failed to choose a leader after a first round vote. The start of a new Congress was supposed to be a victory lap for the Republican Party as it took control of the lower chamber following November’s elections. Instead, Mr McCarthy faced a rebellion from within his own ranks and made…

RUSSIA has said a New Year’s Day missile attack which killed at least 89 Russian soldiers happened because troops were using their mobile phones. Use of banned phones allowed the enemy to locate its target, officials said. An investigation has already begun. Ukraine says 400 soldiers were killed – and another 300 wounded – in the attack on a college for conscripts in Makiivka, in the occupied Donetsk area. It the largest number of deaths Russia has acknowledged in the war. Russia said that at 00:01 local time on New Year’s Day, six rockets were fired from a US-made Himars…

FORMER coach of the Golden Eaglets and Super Falcons, Godwin Izilien, has revealed how he stopped Edson Arantes do Nascimento, otherwise known as Pele and his dreaded Santos FC from doing much damage to the Midwestern selected team in 1969, when they clashed at Ogbe Stadium, Benin City. The Nigeria civil war was on then, with sounds of bomb, grenade and gun ravaging the Midwest and the Eastern region, when Pele led Santos FC to Benin City on invitation of then Military Governor of the Midwestern region, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Ogbemudia. Izilien, who led the Super Falcons to win the…

By Isa Gusau OUR boss, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, my family and closest friends wouldn’t like what I am about to publicly reveal. I deeply apologise. Last week, I had a surgery at Max Multi Speciality Hospital in New Delhi, India. The surgery, which doctors categorised as a ‘high risk’ was around my chest wall and lungs. It lasted some hours. It was very successful. Alhamdulillah! Some readers, especially close friends, may now have mixed feelings: happy that the surgery went well, but disappointed that I kept them in the dark. I am sorry. If you (reading this) also feel…

Arsenal 0 Newcastle 0 NEWCASTLE United frustrated Premier League leaders Arsenal to earn a point with a dogged display at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal were hoping to extend their lead at the top of the table to 10 points but found themselves drawn into an attritional and dogged encounter by a Newcastle Untied side with top four ambitions of their own. Chances were at a premium and Newcastle’s Joelinton arguably wasted the best of all when he headed wide with the goal at his mercy in first-half stoppage time. Manchester United 3 vs Bournemouth 0 Marcus Rashford scored again as Manchester…