Author: Sadiq Abdullateef

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that 21 universities across Nigeria have yet to submit the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Post-UTME) screening scores of underage candidates for vetting, sparking fresh concerns over the timely processing of 2025 admissions. In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by its Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, shared with News Point Nigeria, the examination body expressed worry that the delay could disrupt the admission timelines earlier agreed upon during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions. According to JAMB, the affected institutions include the University of Lagos (UNILAG, 39 candidates), Lagos State…

DANIEL Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, has said there is nothing in law or politics that can prevent Seyi Tinubu, the president’s son, from contesting for the governorship of Lagos State. Speaking during an appearance on The Clarity Zone podcast, posted on YouTube on Wednesday monitored by News Point Nigeria, Bwala pushed back against claims that Seyi Tinubu’s rising profile is simply a product of his father’s influence. He argued that the younger Tinubu has independently built a reputation as a unifier and bridge-builder among Nigerian youths. “If Seyi Tinubu’s father is the president,…

THE Federal Government has disbursed a total of ₦330 billion to 8.1 million households nationwide under its National Social Safety Net Programme (NSSNP), in what officials describe as the most extensive social protection effort in Nigeria’s history. News Point Nigeria reports that the announcement was made in Abuja on Wednesday by Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, following a review meeting of the Special Presidential Panel on Social Investment, inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu earlier this year. Edun said the programme, designed to cushion the impact of economic reforms including subsidy removal and exchange rate…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally announced the end of the six-month state of emergency imposed on Rivers State, restoring Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to their offices. News Point Nigeria reports that Tinubu made the announcement on Tuesday, in a national broadcast from the State House, Abuja, declaring that the emergency would cease at midnight. “It gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State of Nigeria shall end with effect from midnight today. The Governor, His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara, the deputy governor, Her…

THREE Nigerian pilgrims who were arrested and detained in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking have been freed, bringing relief to their families and sparking renewed calls for tighter airport security in Nigeria. News Point Nigeria reports that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced their release at a press conference on Wednesday, confirming that the pilgrims; Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Abdulhamid Saddieq had been cleared after spending four weeks in Saudi detention. NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said their release was the outcome of weeks of high-level engagements between NDLEA,…

AN Upper Area Court sitting in Abuja has issued a perpetual injunction restraining Hadiza Musa Baffa from attributing the paternity of her baby to former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN). News Point Nigeria reports that delivering judgment on September 4, 2025, Judge Adamu Isah ruled that the defendant is barred from using the result of a DNA test or any public statements to claim Turaki fathered the child born out of wedlock. In his judgment, Justice Isah specifically prohibited Hadiza, her agents, or any other person acting on her behalf from publishing or disseminating…

THE United States Embassy in Nigeria has reaffirmed that visa application fees remain strictly non-refundable and non-transferable, regardless of whether an applicant is approved or denied entry. The embassy made the clarification on Tuesday via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, using the hashtag #VisaWiseTravelSmart, in response to growing complaints by Nigerian applicants especially students and visitors, who lamented the financial strain caused by repeated denials and the requirement to pay fresh fees for every new application. “We hear your concerns regarding U.S. visa application fees,” the embassy posted. “Like most countries, U.S. visa fees cover the cost of processing…

THE Department of State Services (DSS) has escalated its face-off with activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore, filing a five-count charge against him, along with social media platforms X Corp (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc. (owners of Facebook), over what it described as “defamatory and destabilizing” posts targeting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. News Point Nigeria reports that the case was filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja, by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, alongside four legal representatives of the DSS, M.E. Ernest, U.B. Bulla, Dr. C.S. Eze, and E.G. Orubor. This development follows…

FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has launched a scathing critique of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of failing to address the worsening hunger, poverty, and hardship facing Nigerians more than two years after assuming office. In a statement issued on Monday through his spokesman, Paul Ibe made available to News Point Nigeria, the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate said that “there is no sign that Tinubu is capable of tackling the scourge of hunger and poverty ravaging millions of Nigerians.” Atiku, who described the hunger situation as “unacceptable and tragic,” said the poor, underprivileged, and downtrodden…

NIGERIANS may soon feel a measure of relief at the market stalls and fuel pumps as headline inflation dropped for the fifth consecutive month, signaling a sustained slowdown in price pressures across Africa’s largest economy. According to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday made available to News Point Nigeria, inflation cooled to 20.12 percent in August 2025, down from 21.88 percent recorded in July 2025. This represents a 1.76 percentage point decline on a month-on-month basis and marks a sharp reversal from the 32.15 percent inflation level seen in…

NASIR Ja’oji, Senior Special Assistant to the President, has set off a governance debate after creating two DG roles and naming five media aides under his office. According to an official appointment letter seen by News Point Nigeria, Ja’oji named Ibrahim Farouk as Director-General on Political Matters and Ahmad Saleh as Director-General on Media and Digital Communication. He further expanded his office with five additional appointees: Muhammad Sabiu Adam – Special Assistant (Media) Abbas Uba – Technical Assistant (Media) Mustapha Yusuf Waziri – Media Aide I Usman Shuaibu – Media Aide II Safiyanu Mohammed Yunusa – Media Aide III Ja’oji…

NIGERIA’s crude oil export earnings slumped by N3.18 trillion in the first half of 2025 despite a steady rise in production volumes, according to the latest Foreign Trade Statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Figures analysed by News Point Nigeria show that crude oil exports totalled N24.92tn between January and June 2025, an 11.3% decline compared with N28.10tn recorded in the same period of 2024. This drop came even as crude output surged by 12.7% year-on-year, highlighting a paradox where increased production failed to translate into higher revenue. In the first quarter of 2025, crude exports fell…

THE International Press Institute (IPI), Nigeria Chapter, has raised serious concern over the rising wave of media repression and harassment of journalists across the country, warning that the trend poses a grave threat to democracy and the free flow of information. News Point Nigeria reports that the alarm was sounded by IPI Nigeria President and Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times, Mr. Musikilu Mojeed, during a dinner held in Abuja on Saturday to honour Hajia Hadiza Hussaina Sani, a respected journalist and retired Director of Digital Media at the Voice of Nigeria (VON), who clocked the mandatory retirement age of 60. The…

THE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has intensified its clampdown on illegal construction at the contentious River Park Estate, Lugbe, halting ongoing development, demolishing more than 30 building substructures, and arresting 15 workers for allegedly defying a subsisting court order and ministerial directive. News Point Nigeria reports that the latest action follows weeks of tension between the estate developers and the FCT authorities over ownership and development rights within the high-profile estate. An Abuja High Court had previously ordered all parties to maintain the status quo pending the resolution of disputes surrounding the estate. However, intelligence reports indicated that some…

OVER a year after the Federal Government pledged to subsidise electricity for Nigeria’s public hospitals and universities, the promise remains unfulfilled, leaving these critical institutions grappling with crippling power bills that reportedly run as high as ₦300 million monthly in some cases. News Point Nigeria reports that the pledge was made in August 2024 by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, during a live radio programme in Ibadan, where he assured Nigerians that government would cushion the impact of tariff hikes even for health and academic institutions on Band A, the highest-paying category of customers who receive 20+ hours of…

WHAT began as a routine flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt has exploded into a national scandal. On July 13, 2025, an Air Peace plane skidded off the runway, but all passengers escaped unharmed. Weeks later, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau’s toxicology report accused two crew members of flying under the influence of alcohol and weed (Marijuana), a claim co-pilot David Bernard and cabin crew member Maduneme Victory say is false and defamatory. News Point Nigeria digs into the fallout threatening to shake public confidence in air travel. Speaking on Arise Television Friday night, co-pilot Bernard fiercely rejected the toxicology…

THE Federal Government on Thursday said it has not received any formal notification from the United States or Ghana regarding reports that Nigerians are among those deported under Washington’s revived “third-country deportation” policy and flown to Accra. The clarification followed media reports, citing Reuters, that Ghana had accepted a first batch of 14 deportees from the US, including Nigerians and other West Africans, under an arrangement that allows them to be processed in Ghana before being sent back to their respective countries. According to the report, Ghanaian President John Mahama disclosed that the deportees, who include citizens of Nigeria, The…

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan and Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, met behind closed doors in Abuja on Thursday to discuss pressing national issues. News Point Nigeria reports that Obi, who made the visit public via a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, described Jonathan as an “elder brother, a statesman, and a leader.” “Today in Abuja, I met with my very dear elder brother, statesman, and leader, former President Goodluck Jonathan. We had a fruitful closed-door meeting and discussed the state of our dear nation,” Obi wrote. Details…

THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has issued an interim order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising former Senate President David Mark as the interim National Chairman and ex-Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as the National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Emeka Nwite, delivering the ruling on Thursday, granted the interim injunction following a motion ex parte filed on September 2, 2025, by Nafiu Gombe, who is challenging the legitimacy of the duo’s appointment. The motion lists: ADC as the 1st Defendant, David Mark as the 2nd Defendant,…

KANO State is on the verge of implementing a landmark employment reform that could transform job opportunities for its citizens. The state government, under the leadership of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, is considering a bold policy that would mandate private businesses operating within Kano to allocate 75 per cent of skilled jobs and 100 per cent of unskilled and semi-skilled positions to indigenes of the state. The proposed reform is contained in a comprehensive document titled “Draft Kano State Inclusive Employment Policy 2025,” which was formally presented to the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Faruq Ibrahim Umar, by…