Author: Amina Ibrahim

THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced the sudden death of Ambassador Taofik Obasanjo Coker, Nigeria’s Consul-General in Buea, Republic of Cameroon. According to an official statement signed by the Ministry’s Spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa made available to News Point Nigeria, Ambassador Coker passed away on Saturday, August 16, 2025, after a brief illness. The statement described the late diplomat as a hardworking and dedicated public servant who represented Nigeria with “distinction, commitment and professionalism” throughout his career. “His untimely death is a great loss to the diplomatic community and the nation at large,” the Ministry said. Before his appointment…

A PROFESSOR of Linguistics at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Christine Iyetunde Ofulue, has said that Nigerian Pidgin is globally growing fast due to its exceptional scale and reach. She stated this on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 in Abuja while delivering the university’s 35th inaugural lecture with the theme, “Reclaiming Marginalised Voices: Intersections of Diversity and Educational Spaces.” While Ofulue, a staff in the Faculty of Arts of the NOUN, asserted that all languages are equal, she also said Nigeria stands as Africa’s most linguistically diverse nation, with around 540 distinct languages across three major language families; Afro-Asiatic,…

OPERATIVES of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have rescued 25 women from a human trafficking ring. In a statement, NAPTIP spokesman Vincent Adekoye said the women suspected to be victims of labour exploitation were en route to Saudi Arabia before they were intercepted in Abuja, Nigeria. The unsuspecting victims were picked up in front of a popular hotel in the highbrow area of Wuse II, Abuja, where they had gathered, awaiting their trafficker. During interrogation, the victims, whose ages range from 17 to 43 years, claimed that they were recruited from Kano, Jigawa, and…

THE Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Tanko Sununu, on Monday said the Federal Government was committed to alleviating poverty in the country. Sununu, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily monitored by News Point Nigeria, said over two million poor households had been captured in the social net as they would receive the government’s cash transfer soon. “In the next few days to come, before the end of August, we are going to reach out to 2.2 million households. “The process is such that the National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) will now harvest…

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to return allegedly diverted funds from the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and to urgently constitute the Governing Board of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), warning that failure to comply could trigger nationwide industrial unrest. In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday after its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting, NLC President Joe Ajaero accused the government of diverting 40 percent of workers’ contributions into the national treasury as “revenue,” in clear breach of the statutes establishing the NSITF. The CWC said the action undermines…

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced the disbursement of a total of ₦86.3 billion loan to 449,039 students since the scheme was launched on its portal on May 24, 2024. According to the latest daily status report released on Monday, August 11, 2025, the scheme disbursed the loan as of August 6, 2025. The Fund noted that “the scheme delivers on President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda of empowering every Nigerian student through access to higher education funding.” It said the disbursement included ₦47,629,338,384 paid directly to 218 institutions as tuition fees and ₦38,718,120,000 given to students as…

THE Federal Government has firmly rejected any arrangement with the United States to receive deportees under President Donald Trump’s revived “third-country deportation” policy, stressing that Nigeria will not follow the path of Rwanda, Eswatini, or South Sudan. Speaking to this newspaper, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa confirmed that Abuja’s position remains unchanged, citing national security and economic implications. Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar revealed in July that Washington was applying “considerable pressure” on African nations to take in Venezuelan nationals, some directly from U.S. prisons, whose home country refuses to accept them. “This is unacceptable,” Tuggar said. “It…

FIRST Lady, Oluremi Tinubu has donated N1 billion to support victims of the recent flooding in the Mokwa local government area of Niger state. The donation was made through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), the First Lady’s flagship humanitarian project, during a condolence visit to the state on Tuesday. According to a post by the senior special assistant to the First Lady on Media, Busola Kukoyi, via her verified X handle (@KukoyiBusola), the First Lady presented a cheque for the sum and a consignment of relief materials to Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago at the Government House in Minna. “First Lady…

BRITISH politician and Conservative Party minister, Kemi Badenoch, has said she no longer identifies as Nigerian, despite her ancestral ties and upbringing in the country. In a candid interview on the Rosebud podcast hosted by Gyles Brandreth, Badenoch revealed she hasn’t held a Nigerian passport for more than two decades and now sees the United Kingdom as her true home. News Point Nigeria reports that born Olukemi Adegoke in Wimbledon, London in 1980 to Nigerian parents, Badenoch spent much of her early life in Lagos and the United States before moving to the UK at the age of 16. Despite…

HOSPITALS across Nigeria are bracing for a nationwide shutdown as nurses under the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Federal Health Institutions Sector, commence a seven-day warning strike beginning Wednesday, July 30, 2025. The strike action, which will paralyse healthcare delivery in at least 74 federal medical centres, teaching hospitals, specialist health institutions, state-owned hospitals and primary healthcare centres across the country, is being staged in protest over long-standing issues including poor remuneration, staff shortages, unimplemented allowances, and unsafe working conditions. The union had on July 14, 2025, issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, demanding immediate…

THE Federal Ministry of Education, led by Minister Tunji Alausa, has announced a new directive setting 12 years as the minimum entry age for pupils enrolling into Junior Secondary School (JSS1) after completing the standard six years of primary education. News Point Nigeria reports that the new guideline was unveiled in a comprehensive policy document on non-state schools, recently released by the ministry to streamline and standardise the educational journey of Nigerian children especially in the fast-growing private education sector. According to the document, basic education in Nigeria will now span nine years: six years of primary school followed by…

A PROFESSOR of Science and Technology Education, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Chibuogwu Virginia Nnaka, has revealed the central role of professional teacher education towards dismantling systemic gender barriers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and careers. Nnaka, a renown advocate for gender equity in science and technology education, disclosed this while delivering the 34th Inaugural Lecture of the university, titled, “Professional Teacher Education: A Catalyst for Widening the Gateway to Gender Equity in STEM Education and Careers.” The lecture, which took place on Thursday, July 24, 2025 at the NOUN headquarters in Abuja, dwelt on achieving…

THE Federal Government has approved the pensions for retired aviation workers after almost 22 years of waiting. In a statement shared by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) via its official X account on Tuesday, the Agency said that the Ministry of Aviation has confirmed that disbursements will begin soon, with a pledge to ensure transparency and fairness throughout the process. “The Federal Government has approved the long-awaited pensions for retired aviation workers, bringing long-overdue relief to thousands who served in the sector. This decision follows years of advocacy by unions pushing for justice for retirees, especially from defunct national carriers.…

FORMER military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd), has paid a heartfelt tribute to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a brother, friend, and a true patriot whose life was defined by unwavering commitment to the nation. In a personally signed statement, Babangida expressed deep sorrow over the passing of the former head of state and two-term civilian president, saying the news was received with a heavy heart. “Our paths crossed in 1962 when we both joined the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna,” he recalled. “From those early days, Muhammadu stood out quiet yet resolute, principled yet…

THE Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has attributed the delay in the payment of June 2025 salaries to some federal government workers to a technical network glitch experienced during salary processing, particularly affecting accounts domiciled with Zenith Bank Plc. In a statement issued on Friday by Mr. Bawa Mokwa, Director (Press and Public Relations), the OAGF acknowledged recent complaints by employees across various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) who have yet to receive their June salaries. “The OAGF is currently working closely with the relevant service providers and stakeholders to ensure that the failed payments are…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria has warned that rising input costs across key sectors could spark a new wave of consumer price inflation, as businesses continue to absorb cost pressures that may soon become unsustainable. This was disclosed in the June 2025 Purchasing Managers’ Index report released by the apex bank. According to the report, the input price indices for the composite economy, as well as for the Industry, Services, and Agriculture sectors, exceeded their respective output price indices during the review period. The development, the CBN noted, signals mounting pressure on business margins, with firms currently absorbing costs rather…

MINISTER of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa says the Federal Government has pegged the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions at 16 years. Mr Alausa spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the 2025 policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB. ”This policy decision reflects a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness. 16 years is non-negotiable,” he said. He noted that provisions existed for clearly documented and justified exceptions like gifted children with accelerated educational progress. He warned institutions against attempting to circumvent the rule by altering age records, stressing that such acts would attract sanctions. The…

IN a significant policy shift, the United States Mission in Nigeria has announced that all Nigerian applicants seeking F, M, and J category nonimmigrant visas, typically granted to students and exchange visitors must now make their personal social media profiles public as part of a tightened visa vetting process. The new requirement, which took effect immediately, was announced on Monday via the mission’s official account on X (formerly Twitter). “Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their personal social media accounts to ‘public,’” the…

THE Federal Government has arraigned Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, The government arraigned the female lawmaker on Monday on six counts bordering on alleged cybercrime against the Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator pleaded not guilty and Justice Mohammed Umar granted her bail on self-recognition. The judge adjourned the case to September 22, 2025 for commencement of trial. Applying for bail, her counsel, Roland Otaru (SAN), had requested that she be granted bail on self-recognition as a Senator of the Federal Republic…

THE National Youth Service Corps has denied extending the service year of a Lagos corper, Rita Uguamaye, also known as Raye, for criticising the administration of President Bola Tinubu. This newspaper reports that Raye became an Internet sensation following her public criticism of the present administration, which she described as worsening economic conditions. Uguamaye had, in a viral video shared on her TikTok account, @talktoraye, expressed frustration over Nigeria’s worsening economic conditions, lamenting the high inflation and economic hardship. Uguamaye had also criticised the President by describing him as a “terrible leader” while questioning the government’s efforts to alleviate the…