A BOARD member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has submitted fresh contractual terms, including a proposed increase in his monthly salary from $50,000 to $130,000, a package that would also cover his backroom staff. News Point Nigeria Sport reports that the request, which is subject to review and approval by the NFF’s technical committee and executive board, comes despite Chelle still having one year left on his current contract. Chelle’s future has become a subject of intense discussion following Nigeria’s third-place finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)…
Author: David Akonuche
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THE presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has assured his supporters of his readiness to contest in the 2027 elections. News Point Nigeria reports that he spoke in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, at the OBIDIENT Conference and official declaration for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) with the theme, “Activating the PO Effect in ADC”. Obi urged Nigerians to join hands with him to rescue Nigeria for the future generations, who, according to him, will suffer the consequences of bad governance going on in the country for decades. He alleged that he had in…
FOLLOWING the attack on Okporojo in Oso-Edda, Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, a joint security team comprising the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Police, Department of State Security, and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps has discovered shallow graves containing mutilated bodies in Amasiri, Afikpo Local Government Area. News Point Nigeria reports that the troops were deployed in direct response to the gruesome killings and beheadings of four individuals in Okporojo village. In a statement, Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Olalekan-Ayeni, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 82 Division Nigerian Army, said the atrocities demanded urgent intervention to restore peace, protect…
THE Ebonyi State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of three children by suspected kidnappers. News Point Nigeria reports that the incident occurred on Saturday, at Nkwegu, opposite the Nkwegu Military Cantonment gate, in Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Police authorities said the parents of the abducted children reported the incident to them. The spokesman of the Ebonyi Police Command, Joshua Ukandu, said the three children included: one boy (aged 2), and two girls (aged 4 and 2 years). “Yes, we are aware of the incident. It happened in the early hours of February 7, which was Saturday,”…
VICE President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday unveiled a 25-year development blueprint for Nigeria’s South-East region, describing the zone as a central pillar of the country’s long-term economic future and a critical driver of national growth. News Point Nigeria reports that Shettima unveiled the blueprint at the South-East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholders’ Forum held in Enugu, where he announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of the South East Investment Company Limited to mobilise funding for the region’s development. According to the Vice President, the new investment vehicle will pool resources from the diaspora, capital markets, and development…
MONTHS after operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) raided his Abuja residence in connection with investigations into an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu, former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has yet to return to Nigeria, raising fresh concerns within security and anti-graft circles. Findings by this newspaper indicate that Sylva, who was later declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged $14,859,257 fraud, is now being trailed by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) in collaboration with Nigerian security agencies. Senior officers of the Department of State…
THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday constituted a ” 50-Member Wise Men and Women Policy and Manifesto Committee” chaired by Odigie Oyegun. Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s national publicity secretary, in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria, said the constitution of the Policy and Manifesto Committee, followed the approval by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, led by David Mark. The party revealed that this is in line with the party’s commitment to building a credible, people-centred, and forward-looking policy framework for national governance. The party had earlier constituted the Committees to review membership register and draft…
ANAMBRA State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has described as “delusional” the claim by some traders in the Onitsha Main Market that they do not open their shops on Mondays due to insecurity. News Point Nigeria reports that in a state broadcast on Wednesday, Governor Soludo maintained that the sit-at-home order ended in Anambra State in 2023, calling the continued failure of most traders to open their shops on Mondays an act of economic sabotage. “It could be said that since 2023, anybody saying he didn’t open the shop because of insecurity is just delusional,” Governor Soludo said. “Go round some other…
ANAMBRA State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has ordered the immediate closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week following traders’ continued defiance of the state government’s directive to resume normal business activities on Mondays. News Point Nigeria reports that the governor issued the directive on Monday during an unscheduled on-the-spot assessment of the market, accompanied by senior government officials and security chiefs, after observing that a large number of shops remained shut in apparent compliance with the outlawed sit-at-home order. Soludo described the action as a necessary enforcement measure aimed at restoring economic normalcy and breaking what he…
THE Anambra State Government has announced the termination of the Monday sit-at-home in the state “with immediate effect”. This was contained in a statement signed by the Board Secretary, Mgbemena Loveline E., on behalf of the state universal basic education board sent to News Point Nigeria. It also warned that errant civil servants who flout the directive would either receive 20 per cent of their salary or forfeit it entirely. “Sequel to the state exco retreat held on January 21, 2026, presided by the Executive Governor, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, I am directed to inform you that the state government has…
FORMER Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Monday appeared before the Southwark Crown Court in London for a preliminary hearing in her long-running corruption case involving alleged bribery totalling £100,000. News Point Nigeria reports that the appearance marked the formal commencement of pre-trial proceedings ahead of her full trial, which is scheduled to begin on January 26, 2026, and is expected to last between 10 and 12 weeks. Alison-Madueke, 65, served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015, becoming the first woman to hold the position and later the first female president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting…
THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) is witnessing a surge in political momentum following the defection of the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, with no fewer than eight federal lawmakers reportedly set to formally join the party, barring any last-minute change of plans. News Point Nigeria reports that Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, officially joined the ADC on Wednesday in Enugu, urging Nigerians and opposition forces to unite under a broad national coalition to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity and democratic decline.” Explaining his decision to leave the Labour Party, Obi said his move was driven…
A FORMER presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, is set to formally join the African Democratic Congress amid ongoing consultations ahead of the 2027 general elections. A principal official of the party in Abuja told News Point Nigeria that Obi had concluded plans to join the party and hold a declaration rally in Enugu, the political capital of the South-East, on December 31. According to the official, Obi’s supporters and loyalists have begun arrangements for the defection. The source disclosed that Obi, after the ADC asked him to make up his mind on joining the party about three…
THE Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau on Tuesday confirmed an accident involving a Cessna 172 aircraft operated by Skypower Express at Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri, Imo State. This was disclosed in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the bureau’s Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs. Bimbo Oladeji. This newspaper gathered that all four occupants of the aircraft were hospitalised following the incident. NSIB officials said the aircraft, with registration number 5N-ASR, was en route from Kaduna International Airport to Port Harcourt International Airport when the crew declared an in-flight emergency and diverted to Owerri. Both…
NIGERIA’s Super Falcons have dropped to 37th position in the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking released on Thursday, but remain Africa’s highest-ranked team. The ten-time African champions had held the 36th spot for six consecutive rankings before slipping one place, despite securing qualification for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with a 2-0 away win and 1-1 home draw against Benin Republic. The Falcons continue to lead the African standings, with South Africa second on the continent but dropping to 55th globally. Ghana are third in Africa and climbed five places to 62nd in the world, while Zambia and…
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the defection of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “pitiful.” Fubara announced his decision to leave the PDP for the APC at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. In his address at the meeting, Governor Fubara claimed that he did not receive protection from his former party, which influenced his decision to join the ruling party. Reacting to the development in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP, led by Kabiru Turaki,…
ONE person has been killed, and several others sustained serious injuries following an attack on a church in Lili, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State by armed criminals on Sunday. News Point Nigeria reports that the incident was confirmed in a statement on Monday by the Anambra State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga. According to Ikenga, the Anambra State Police Commissioner, CP Ikioye Orutugu, condemned the attack, which occurred on Sunday morning. The church building was partially burned, and other properties within the premises were also destroyed. The Commissioner described the act as “heinous and abominable,”…
THE Imo State Government has sealed a hotel and a private mortuary in Umuhu community, Ngor-Okpala, after authorities discovered decomposed and mutilated corpses kept in unhygienic conditions, sparking suspicions of illegal organ harvesting activities. News Point Nigeria reports that the development was announced in a statement issued on Sunday by the state’s police spokesman, Henry Okoye, who said the action followed a coordinated operation targeting kidnapping and violent crimes along the Owerri–Aba Expressway, and that the operation was led by the Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, in collaboration with other security stakeholders. He explained that the crackdown was informed by…
FORMER British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he feels safe in Nigeria, contrary to the negative reports he had read before his visit. News Point Nigeria reports that Johnson stated this on Thursday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, while delivering a speech at the Imo State Economic Summit 2025 hosted by Governor Hope Uzodimma. “I want you to know that when I decided to come to Owerri, I read some things, and there were people saying, ‘There may be some security problems in Nigeria.’ Have you heard that? And I said, ‘Well, I am going to go anyway.’ “And…
EX-PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has returned to Nigeria after being trapped in coup-hit Guinea-Bissau where he went for election observation. News Point Nigeria reports that Jonathan arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja late Thursday, about two days after military officers took over power in the West African country. He arrived at the Abuja airport aboard a Guinea-Bissau government aircraft and was welcomed on the tarmac by team of supporters and government officials. The former president was in Guinea-Bissau to monitor the presidential and parliamentary elections as head of the West African Elders Forum Observation Mission. His team, that…