Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will present the 2024 budget to the National Assembly on Wednesday, News Point Nigeria can report. Our correspondent was reliably informed that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, would officially make the announcement later on Monday. Confirming the story, the Secretary, of Research and Information at the National Assembly, Dr Ali Barde Umoru, in the National Assembly on Monday. He stated this while going over the budget presentation to journalists and requesting a list of those to be allowed into the chamber. Ahead of the budget presentation, Tinubu had three weeks ago, forwarded to…

INDICATIONS emerged on Saturday that the chief executive officers and other top executives of Deposit Money Banks had begun moves to raise fresh capital to bolster their respective institutions’ capital base in line with the pronouncement of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Olayemi Cardoso. This newspaper gathered from top sources in the banking industry that the top executives might have also commenced preliminary merger and acquisition talks, as some of the big banks are eyeing some weaker ones for possible acquisition, while some middle strength and weak ones are looking for alliances that may result in…

IN his bid to restore political stability in Ondo State, President Bola Tinubu, late on Friday, waded into the months-long crisis between factions loyal to the Executive Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, and the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa. According to a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Saturday, this followed marathon negotiations between the President and the Deputy Governor, representatives of Governor Akeredolu, federal and state lawmakers of Ondo, officials of the state’s chapter of the All Progressives’ Congress, and other stakeholders in the state at the State House, Abuja. The President advised all opposing…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors to always put the interest of the people first and work for the good of their states. He gave the advice on Friday while receiving Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; the returning Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, and the governor-elect of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, in Abuja, the nation’s capital. “Make sure that everyone is carried along. You are now the servants of the people,” a statement by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, quoted Tinubu as saying. “You worked hard for this victory. You are now the servants…

FAMOUS Islamic scholar, Mufti Ismail ibn Musa Menk, on Friday, visited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja. Speaking after the meeting, the Grand Mufti of Zimbabwe’s Muslim community and head of the fatwa department for the Council of Islamic Scholars of Zimbabwe, said he and other Islamic scholars were in Abuja for peace and unity convention scheduled for this weekend. Menk, who said the delegation of scholars from across the globe were in Lagos last weekend for similar convention, underscored the need for all Nigerians to live together in harmony and respect one another despite…

THE Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the election of Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the governor of Kaduna State and the election of Sheriff Oborevwori, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Delta State governorship poll which was held on March 18. Delivering the judgment of Kaduna on Friday, a three-member panel of the appellate court held that the tribunal acted in error when it depended on inadmissible evidence to order the conduct of supplementary polls in 22 polling units of four local government areas (LGAs) where the exercise was deemed…

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has visited the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, at his residence in Abuja. Details of the meeting were unknown as of the time this report was filed. But the ruling party posted images of the visit on its X account on Friday morning. The post was captioned, “The National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, received in audience former President Goodluck Jonathan @GEJonathan at his residence in Abuja.” The Nigerian leader is yet to comment on the visit or state its purpose. Prior to the 2023 presidential elections, Jonathan was linked to…

MINISTER of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong is set to resign his position in the Tinubu’s adminstration, News Point Nigeria gathered. A source close to the minister, who pleaded anonymity told this newspaper that the Minister has collected his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as Plateau South Senator, Thursday. According to the source, who spoke exclusively to News Point Nigeria, Lalong has communicated his desire to proceed with his Senatorial sojourn to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume and the Chief Of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. “The minister is yet to…

VICE President Kashim Shettima is currently chairing the 137th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) at the Council Chamber of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja. The council has governors of the 36 states of the federation, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Minister of Finance, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and some others as members. In attendance at the fourth NEC meeting under the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration are all governors except those of Akwa Ibom, Kano, Lagos, Enugu, Osun, Borno, Nasarawa and…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has arrived in Abuja from Berlin, Germany where he attended the G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) Conference. The President, who left Nigeria on November 18, 2023, arrived in Abuja on Wednesday night. Tinubu was received on arrival by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike; the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje; as well as and his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja. The President had joined other Heads of State and Governments of CwA member countries, bilateral partners, as well as Heads of…

THE National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress has announced the dissolution of the executive of the Rivers State chapter of the party. The Abdullahi Ganduje-led NWC also disclosed that a caretaker committee that will oversee the conduct of a congress to elect new excos has been put in place. The development came two months after some chieftains of the party loyal to a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and led by the state governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, lamented that President Bola Tinubu has subtly sacrificed them for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike,…

JUSTICE Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court Abuja, has granted the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank, Mr Godwin Emefiele, bail in the sum of N300 million and two sureties in like sum. The sureties must have certificates of occupancy and titles of properties within the Maitama District. Emefiele is mandated to deposit all his travel documents with the registrar of the court and must remain within the Abuja Municipal Council. He is expected to remain in Kuje Correctional Centre pending when he meets the bail conditions. Emefiele was absent Wednesday morning for the ruling on…

APPEARING before the House of Representatives, the service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on Tuesday, listed their challenges and needs in a bid to improve the security situation in the country. The service chiefs include the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar; and Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla. The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, requested that the National Assembly intervene in enhancing surveillance to cover the backwaters, creeks, and…

THE President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio has reshuffled the leadership of some of the Senate Committees, naming Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Content. Akpabio said this at plenary on Tuesday also naming Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim (APC-Ondo); as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs. “Sen. Patrick Ndubueze (APC-Imo) Chairman, Senate Committee on Steel Development; Sen. Shuaibu Lau (PDP-Taraba) Chairman, Committee on Tourism, Sen. Binos Yaroe (PDP-Adamawa) Chairman, Committee on State and Local Government Affairs. “The Chairman, Senate Committee on National Atomic and Nuclear Energy is Sen. Sahabi Yau (APC-Zamfara); the Chairman,…

THERE was uproar in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly on Tuesday, following the announcement of Senator Osita Ngwu representing Enugu West as the new Senate Minority Whip. Ngwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was named as the minority leader by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, a situation that didn’t go down well with some Labour Party senators. Sen. Okechukwu Ezea from Enugu North rose to fault the nomination. His personal observation/objection was backed by Sen. Tony Nwoye of the LP who equally rose to challenge the ceding of three of the minority leadership to the PDP, leaving…

SENATOR representing Benue South Senatorial District, Abba Moro, on Tuesday, emerged Senate Minority leader. Moro, a two term Senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was nominated by the opposition party in the red Chamber and was subsequently affirmed. He took over from Senator Simon Davou Mwadkwon representing Plateau North Senatorial District who was removed by the Appeal Court. Earlier, the Senate had zoned the Minority leader to the North Central. Senator Mwadkwon, though a first timer to the Senate, was nominated by the minority caucus. This newspaper reports that the newly elected Minority leader was a…

THE service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, are before the House of Representatives. The service chiefs include the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, and Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla. They were ushered into the green chamber for the security sectoral debate around 11:26 am. This comes after last Thursday’s criticism of the security heads by the lawmakers for sending representatives, who were rejected. The session is to be held behind closed…

THE House of Representatives has summoned 83 ministries, departments, and agencies of the Federal Government as it begins an investigation into the alleged mismanagement of over N447.6bn COVID-19 intervention fund from 2020 to 2022. Checks by this newspaper in the budgets of the MDAs showed that at least 22 of them got not less than N447.6bn as COVID-19 funds in 2020 alone. This implies that the COVID-19 intervention fund from 2020 to 2022 was way higher than the N447.6bn received by less than half the number of MDAs invited by the House of Representatives for the probe slated to begin…

VICE-PRESIDENT Kashim Shettima is meeting with members of the private sector including the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and the founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr Tony Elumelu. The meeting is being held behind closed doors with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Muhammad Ali Pate in attendance. A source in the Villa told News Point Nigeria that the meeting is in connection with the recent state of emergency declared on the health sector by the federal govenrment. “As you know, the federal government recently declared state of emergency on the health sector,…

LEGISLATIVE aides in the ninth National Assembly have cried out to President Bola Tinubu to help recover their 15 months salary from the National Assembly Management. The affected group of people alleged that the money had been released for payment under the former minister of Finance, Zaynab Ahmed, but the NatoInal Assembly management, under the leadership of the Clerk, Magaji Tambuwal, diverted their salaries for “other purposes”. It was gathered that the workers who left office in June 2023 were enrolled into the service of the National Assembly in May 2021; after serving as Legislative Aides for two years, they…