Author: Amina Ibrahim

THE Nigeria Police Force has intensified security arrangements across examination centres nationwide ahead of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), assuring candidates of their safety throughout the exercise. This comes as the police dismissed circulating rumours suggesting threats to candidates’ safety, describing such claims as unfounded and without any factual basis. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Tuesday, the Force Public Relations Officer, Anthony Placid, said the police were aware of “recent unfounded rumours” concerning the safety of some examination centres in a North Central state, but…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced a slight adjustment to the arrival time for candidates sitting the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, particularly those scheduled for the first session. In a notice issued via its official X handle on Monday sighted by News Point Nigeria, the board stated that candidates for the first session are now expected to arrive at their examination centres by 7:00am, instead of the earlier scheduled 6:30am JAMB added that the examination will commence at 8:30am and end at 10:30am “Attention 2026 UTME Candidates: This is to notify you of a slight adjustment to…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has delisted 23 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across Nigeria over technical deficiencies recorded during the 2026 mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). News Point Nigeria reports that disclosure was contained in the latest bulletin released by the Board and signed by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, as the 2026 UTME, scheduled to hold nationwide from April 16 to April 25, 2026, draws near. According to the Board, the mock UTME provides an opportunity to identify centres that fall short of the required operational and technical standards “Following the conduct of the 2026…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed its planned nationwide voter revalidation exercise until after the 2027 general election. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Friday, Mohammed Haruna, INEC’s national commissioner and chairman of the information and voter education committee, said the decision was made at a meeting between the commission and resident electoral commissioners (RECs). “Following deliberations, the commission resolved to postpone the exercise until after the 2027 General Election,” the statement reads. Haruna said the voter revalidation exercise is aimed at strengthening the credibility of the country’s voter register by verifying and updating existing…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria has debunked rumours suggesting that Polaris Bank is undergoing liquidation. The apex bank disclosed this in a post on X sighted by News Point Nigeria, assuring the public that the country’s banking system remains stable and secure. The clarification was after a viral post, claiming that Polaris Bank was facing liquidation for failing to meet the Bank’s recapitalisation requirements, and could soon lose its operating licence, with the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation set to take over the process. It further alleged that founder of the Eleganza Group, Razaq Okoya, had made a bid to acquire…

UNITED States President Donald Trump has drawn Nigeria into the global spotlight after alleging that a controversial report on the Iran-US ceasefire originated from a “fake news site” in the country. Trump made the claim while criticising CNN over its coverage of the ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday, about two hours before a deadline he had earlier set for possible military action against Iran. CNN had reported a statement attributed to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), which claimed Tehran recorded a major victory in the conflict. According to the report, the council said: “The enemy, in its unfair, unlawful,…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has urged parents and candidates to speak up if they are confident in their Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scores but are denied admission into their desired institutions. News Point Nigeria reports that the Registrar of JAMB, Ishaq Oloyede, made the call during an interview on Good Morning Nigeria, a programme of the Nigerian Television Authority. In a video shared by the NTA on Tuesday, Oloyede explained that despite improvements in the admission system, many parents still resort to illegal means, largely because they have become accustomed to such practices and believe there are…

THE Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has suspended its indefinite nationwide strike. News Point Nigeria reports that speaking with journalists on Tuesday, Mohammad Usman Suleiman, NARD president said following a meeting of the association’s national executive council (NEC), the doctors have been directed to resume work at 8am on Wednesday. Suleiman said the association has received assurance from the federal government on the reversal of the decision to cease the implementation of the professional allowance table (PAT) starting in April 2026. He said NARD decided to give the federal government an ultimatum of April 21, after which a strike…

THE Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) said three Nigerians who were stranded at a South African airport have been cleared and have departed the country. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday, the Commission noted that they are expected to arrive in Lagos on Monday morning. “While we welcome their safe return”, NIDCOM linked the unfortunate incident to several core issues, including over-reliance on unregulated visa agents. “These agents often collect applicants’ passport data pages and complete sections of the visa application particularly on purpose of visit, itinerary, accommodation, and ties to Nigeria without the full knowledge…

AN early morning explosion involving a compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle has damaged at least two cars at the Mando motor park in Kaduna State. News Point Nigeria reports that a garage worker, Abdulkadir Abdullahi, said the incident occurred at about 4:00am on Sunday. He explained that the explosion originated from a bus powered by CNG, adding that two vehicles were affected by the blast. According to him, the damaged vehicles were luxury buses belonging to a transport company, adding nd they have since been evacuated from the garage. “Fortunately, no life was lost and no one sustained injuries because…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has dismissed a circulating press release claiming that the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination had been postponed, describing it as malicious and fake. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Saturday, the board warned candidates to disregard the false notice. “Our attention has been drawn to the malicious press release stating that the 2026 UTME has been postponed. The general public, particularly the candidates, are by this notice informed that the press release is fake and did not emanate from us. Kindly disregard it. All activities on the 2026 UTME continue as…

THE Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday declined an ex parte application seeking to bar Senator Ireti Kingibe from participating in the activities of the African Democratic Congress. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Peter Lifu, in a ruling, refused the request by some ward leaders of the party in Wuse, Federal Capital Territory, who alleged that the senator had been suspended over anti-party activities. Instead, the court directed the plaintiffs to put the lawmaker on notice to enable her to respond to the allegations and join issues with them. The ward leaders, said to be loyal to the…

THE Federal Government has declared Friday, 3rd and Monday, April 6, 2026, as public holidays to mark this year’s Easter celebration. News Point Nigeria reports that Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government through a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani. The minister who congratulated all Christians in Nigeria and in the diaspora on the joyous occasion of Easter, urged Nigerians to imbibe the virtues of selflessness, forgiveness, forbearance and love as exemplified by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. He reiterated that the goal of…

THE West African Examinations Council has released the official timetable for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination for school candidates. According to the final international timetable published on WAEC’s official X handle on Monday, the examination will commence on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, and end on Friday, June 19, 2026. The council said the examination will begin with Foods and Nutrition 3 (Practical) Planning Session and Home Management 3 (Practical) Planning Session. See below for the timetable: WASSCE serves as a critical qualification that secondary school students must pass to gain admission into university and other tertiary institutions.…

THE Nigerian Communications Commission has directed Mobile Network Operators to compensate subscribers in areas where network quality falls below prescribed standards. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday, Head of Public Affairs at the Commission, Nnenna Ukoha, said affected users will receive airtime credits calculated based on their average spending patterns and their presence within local government areas where service failures occur. “Subscribers should not be made to bear the full burden of service disruptions where operators fail to meet prescribed standards of service delivery. “The compensation will be provided in the form of airtime credits, calculated…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for the submission of political parties’ membership registers for the 2027 general elections to May 10, 2026. News Point Nigeria reports that INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, announced in a statement issued on Friday. “The register of party members must be submitted to INEC not later than 21 days before the holding of their respective primaries,” the statement read. According to the commission, the adjustment followed concerns raised by political parties during a meeting held on March 24 regarding the earlier…

THE Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, adjourned for the third time, the fundamental rights suit filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, challenging the search of his residence. News Point Nigeria reports that the matter, which was previously adjourned on March 3 and 11, was filed through El-Rufai’s lawyers seeking N1 billion in damages against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, a chief magistrate of the Federal Capital Territory, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation – listed as the first to fourth respondents respectively. When the case was called at…

NIGERIA and the United Kingdom have signed three major Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering migration partnership, organised immigration crime, border security, and expanded business visas for UK firms operating in Nigeria. The agreements were announced in a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior on its X handle on Thursday, as part of ongoing engagements during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit to the UK. Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo was quoted as saying that the deals “reflect Nigeria’s push for a transparent, rules-based migration system that is safe, orderly and mutually beneficial,” adding that they would help tackle “abuse…

THE Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on Wednesday announced a series of special train services across major routes nationwide to ease travel pressure during the upcoming Eid-el-Fitr celebrations. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by its Chief Public Relations Officer, Callistus Unyimadu, the agency said the temporary arrangements were aimed at providing “seamless, safe, and efficient” transportation amid the expected surge in passenger traffic. According to the NRC, additional trips would be deployed on key corridors, including Lagos–Ibadan and Abuja–Kaduna, to accommodate increased demand. “For the Lagos–Ibadan corridor, three special trips will operate on March 19, 2026, from both…

THE Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has issued a public health advisory warning that several northern states face a heightened risk of cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) as dry season conditions intensify across parts of Nigeria. In a notice posted on its X handle sighted by News Point Nigeria, the agency explained that the disease is a serious infection that affects the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord and is commonly caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. NiMet also explained that CSM spreads through respiratory droplets, particularly in crowded or poorly ventilated environments. NiMet identified Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa,…