Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has returned to Nigeria after a week of silence on his whereabouts at the end of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. There were concerns about the president’s itinerary after members of the delegation which accompanied him to the US returned to the country. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar; Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, as well as the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, were among those who accompanied him to the US. Presidential spokesman,  Ajuri Ngelale, had been silent on the location of Tinubu…

THE National Leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), under the leadership of former Kano state governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has decided to intervened in the ongoing crisis between the Ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu and his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa. According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the National Chairman, Edwin Olofo, Thursday, “the NationalSecretariat of the Party is really concerned about the unfortunate political situation in Ondo State, which if not quickly averted, may lead to further disaffection among party faithfuls. “Therefore, in order to avert the misunderstanding, and after critical observation of the situation, the…

CUSTOMERS of nine leading commercial banks paid N154 billion fee for using electronic banking services in the first half of the year (H1’23). Details of the banks’ financial statements for H1’23 showed that the fee represents a 16.7 percent year-on-year (YoY) rise when compared to N131.97 billion paid in H1’22. The banks are Guaranty Trust Bank which raked in N21.2 billion from the customers, Access Bank (N43.9), Zenith Bank (N22.27 billion), United Bank for Africa Plc (N51.07 billion), Stanbic IBTC (N2.14 billion), First City Monument Bank (N7.4 billion), Unity Bank (N1.96 billion), Fidelity Bank (N1.85 billion) and Wema Bank (N3.13…

THE new Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, has said he will prioritise clearing the apex bank’s backlog of unsettled foreign exchange obligations in the near term. He said this on Tuesday during the screening session of members of the Senate. Cardoso promises to enhance transparency, fix corporate governance, and ensure confidence in the autonomy and integrity of the bank. “We need to promptly find a way to take care of that. It would be naive for us to expect that we’ll be making too much progress if we’re not able to handle that side of the…

THE Senate has confirmed the appointment of Yemi Cardoso as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor and four others as deputy governors of the apex bank. They were confirmed on Tuesday following a screening by the upper legislative body. The deputy governors who were confirmed are Emem Nnana Usoro, Muhammad Sani Abdullahi Dattijo, Philip Ikeazor, and Bala Bello. “The nomination of Olayemi Cardoso is hereby confirmed as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),” Senate President Godswill Akpabio said. Before their confirmation, the nominees had answered questions on matters related to economic and other policies. During the screening,…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed the date for off-cycle governorship polls in Edo and Ondo states. INEC disclosed this on Tuesday in a statement on X, saying the Edo poll will be held on September 21, 2024. The statement, signed by the Chairman of the INEC Voter Committee, Sam Olumekun, also announced that the governorship election in Ondo is slated for November 16, 2024. The electoral body said party primaries would be held between February 1 and 24, 2024 while the submission of the list of nominated candidates via the online portal would start at 9 am…

THE Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have resolved to ground activities nationwide from October 3, 2023, following what the Labour Unions tagged as the “failure” of government to successfully implement policies to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians following the removal of the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, this newspaper exclusively gathered. This newspaper reports that the NLC national president, Joe Ajaero, during a virtual National Executive Council meeting which was held on Zoom, Tuesday told members of NEC that a meeting was held with the officials of the TUC to deliberate on ways forward. Ajaero noted that…

THE Nigeria Labour Congress has accused the Federal Government of delaying the negotiations on post-subsidy palliatives for workers four months after the removal of the fuel subsidy which has compounded the hardships in the country. In response to the perceived lethargy of the government, the organised labour will on Tuesday (today) hold an emergency National Executive Council meeting where it will take decisions on its next steps. The NEC comprises all presidents, general secretaries, treasurers of all NLC’s affiliate unions; state chairpersons and secretaries of the NLC state councils, chairperson of the NLC Youth Committee and members of the National…

THE Senate will on Tuesday screen former Chairman of the Board of Citi Bank Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso for the position of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The senate will also screen four nominees for the positions of CBN Deputy Governors, who will join forces with Cardoso to steer affairs of the apex bank in the next five years. In a statement by the Media Office of the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the senate will screen all the nominees following its resumption from its annual recess. The statement read, “The Senate of the Federal Republic of…

DIRECTOR of Press and Information of the Supreme Court, Dr Festus Akande, has said the fire incident that gutted part of the court’s building did not affect the presidential election petition tribunal. Fire engulfed some sections of the apex court in the Federal Capital Territory on Monday. This newspaper reports that the incident was put under control by the police and firefighters. Speaking with journalists, Akande said only one chamber of the Supreme Court was affected by the fire, which was subsequently doused. Akande said, “What was destroyed in that chamber were books, stationery, and other computer gadgets. The books…

A SECTION of the Supreme Court was on fire on Monday morning, though no casualty was recorded, the court said. The Public Relations Officer for the Court, Mr Festus Akande, who spoke to News Point Nigeria on Telephone says the cause of the fire was electrical from one of the Chambers of the Justices and was put out with the use of fire extinguishers. Akande added that the stories making the rounds on social media that there are casualties are “fake news”. A source who chose to remain anonymous said the fire started around 6 am. It was gathered that…

MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, has revoked 21 plots of land in Abuja’s Central Business District CBD. A revocation notice signed by the Permanent Secretary in the FCT Administration, Mr Olusade Adesola said the minister took the decision, “in the exercise of the powers conferred on him under Section 28(5)(a) & (b) of the Land Use Act 1978”. He said the lands were revoked “for continued contravention of the terms of development of the Right of Occupancy to wit non-development”. Some of the allottees affected by the revocation include Lowe Lintas, Tourist Company of Nigeria,…

THE legal teams of President Bola Tinubu and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, will resume a legal battle over the President’s Chicago academic records in a United States court on Monday. A US District Judge, Nancy Maldonado, had on Thursday agreed to stay an order directing Chicago State University to make Tinubu’s academic document available to Atiku’s legal team. The hearing came up late Thursday night after the President’s lawyers filed an emergency motion seeking a delay in the implementation of the self-effectuating order directing the CSU to comply with Atiku’s subpoenas till Monday. Atiku…

THE Minister, Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has revoked 165 lands in Abuja, some of which belonged to notable Nigerians. A document signed by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Olushade Adeshola, which was obtained by News Point Nigeria, reveals that the revocation was due to the violation and contravention of the terms of development of the Right of Occupancy. The document reads, “The Federal Capital Territory Administration hereby informs the general public that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has in the exercise of the powers conferred on him under Section 28 (5) (a) and (b) of the Land Use…

THE International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria has on Thursday called on the Inspector General of Police and other security agencies, including the State Security Service (SSS) to immediately launch an investigation into the abduction and subsequent killing of Hamisu Danjibga, a Reporter of Voice of Nigeria (VON) in Zamfara State. According to reports, Danjibga was abducted in his house in Samaru Community in the heart of Gusau, the Zamfara State capital last Sunday at about eight o’clock in the evening. The abductors, according to his relations, called twenty-four hours after the incident and allegedly demanded one million naira as part…

HOURS to the end of the 21-day ultimatum issued by the organised labour, the Federal Government, on Wednesday, said it has no fears about a potential economic shutdown. This is despite last Monday’s parley being deadlocked as both parties failed to see eye-to-eye on the labour unions’ demands over the removal of petrol subsidy. “I don’t think there is any problem. We don’t have any fears about some of the things they (labour) put on the table and also the suggestions and the package of the Federal Government,” the Minister of Labour, Simon Lalong, told State House Correspondents after a…

THE  Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar has held constructive bilateral discussions with US Assistant Secretary of State, Molly Phee. The two diplomats met on the sidelines of the ongoing 78th United Nations General Assembly conference in Washington. During this meeting, both representatives engaged in extensive talks regarding the current political landscape in Niger Republic. They explored opportunities for mutual cooperation in advancing regional security, fostering trade and investment, and improving critical infrastructure projects. The discussion underscored the enduring and robust diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the United States, emphasizing both nations’ dedication to addressing shared challenges and…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is seeking support for the return of democracy to Niger Republic. The military had seized power in the West African nation some months ago and is yet to bow to pressure from within and outside the continent. While regional leaders including Tinubu have been working for a return to democracy, the former Lagos State governor wants more partners in doing so. He told the UN General Assembly in New York that: “Regarding Niger, we are negotiating with the military leaders. As Chairman of ECOWAS, I seek to help re-establish democratic governance in a manner that addresses the…

NIGERIA’s national grid collapsed again on September 19, 2023, with power generation dropping from a peak of 3,594.60 megawatts (MW) at midnight to a meagre record of 42.7MW at midday. Only the Delta Power plant was active on the grid at noon, with 41MW, while Afam had 1.7MW. This is the first time in 13 years, power dropped this low. News Point Nigeria reports that, at 11:32am all of the commercial hub of Lagos lost power supply from the grid. It is now blamed to be a national system collapse. This is the third collapse in less than a month…

THE presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abubakar Atiku, has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court, seeking nullification of the judgment of the Presidential Election Petitions Court, which upheld the declaration of President Bola Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 polls. News Point Nigeria reports that in the notice of appeal predicated on 35 grounds, Atiku insisted that the tribunal committed a grave error and miscarriage of justice in its findings and conclusion in its petition challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s declaration of Tinubu as President. The notice of appeal is also praying the…