Author: Sadiq Abdullateef

NIGERIA’s hopes of progressing in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers have received a significant boost after FIFA sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for fielding an ineligible player, midfielder Teboho Mokoena, in their qualifier against Lesotho. News Point Nigeria Sport reports that the crucial match, played on March 21, 2025, was part of the preliminary rounds of the World Cup. Following investigations, FIFA ruled that South Africa breached Article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Article 14 of the World Cup 2026 preliminary competition regulations by fielding Mokoena despite his ineligibility. As a result, the match has been…

BORNO State has overtaken Osun to emerge as the state with the highest number of online pre-registrations in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). According to the latest INEC figures released on Monday for the period September 22 to 28, 2025 obtained by News Point Nigeria, a total of 6,232,673 Nigerians have so far pre-registered online since the commencement of the exercise. Borno led the chart with 682,805 registrations, representing 10.96 percent of the national total—the highest by any state so far. Previously consistent front-runner, Osun State, slipped to second place…

NIGERIA’s billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Femi Otedola, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make public the full report of the Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede-led panel on the controversial fuel subsidy regime carried out under former President Goodluck Jonathan. Otedola, in a statement late on Sunday sent to News Point Nigeria, insisted that Nigerians deserve to know the truth about those who looted the nation’s treasury under the Petroleum Subsidy Fund (PSF) scheme, which bled the country of billions of dollars. “I implore President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release the full Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede report on subsidy fraud as Nigerians deserve to know…

BARRING any last-minute changes, politician and publisher Omoyele Sowore, alongside social media giants X Inc. (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc. (owners of Facebook), will on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, be arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged publication of false information against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Sowore, who contested the presidency under the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2019 and 2023, and is publisher of Sahara Reporters, faces a five-count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025. The Department of State Services (DSS) filed the charges in the name of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The arraignment is slated to…

LATE President Muhammadu Buhari stood as the towering figure of Northern politics, wielding an enduring influence unmatched in Nigeria’s modern democratic journey. From his first presidential bid in 2003 to his triumphant 2019 victory, Buhari commanded unwavering loyalty across the North, particularly in the North West, where his name alone could summon millions to the ballot box. Even as critics argued in 2023 that his commitment to the APC campaign had waned, his silent clout still helped deliver crucial Northern votes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But with his passing in July 2025, Nigeria’s political terrain has been dramatically altered.…

THE simmering industrial dispute between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has escalated, with the union directing its members to immediately cut off all gas and crude oil supplies to the $20 billion facility. In a letter signed by its General Secretary, Comrade Lumumba Okugbawa, on Friday sighted by News Point Nigeria, the union accused the refinery management of victimising unionised workers and engaging in “misinformation and propaganda” instead of constructive dialogue. The directive, addressed to all PENGASSAN branch chairmen, particularly those in the Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC), instructed…

THE United States has lifted visa restrictions on Ghana, restoring the maximum validity periods for nonimmigrant visas after months of diplomatic negotiations, while similar restrictions for Nigerian citizens remain firmly in place. In a statement posted on Saturday sighted by News Point Nigeria, the U.S. Embassy in Accra announced that Ghanaians are now eligible for longer visa durations. The B1/B2 visitor visa has been restored to a five-year multiple-entry status, while the F1 student visa now carries a four-year multiple-entry validity. “The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce that the maximum validity periods for all categories of nonimmigrant visas for…

NEARLY two and a half years into President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, Nigeria still operates without substantive ambassadors in any of its 109 foreign missions, a vacuum that has stretched for 852 days and now stands as the longest in the nation’s democratic history. The reticence is deafening: no envoys to negotiate trade, no diplomats to defend citizens abroad, and no high-level representation to match the president’s frequent international engagements. For a leader admired for his diplomatic zeal and constant presence on the global stage, this delay has left the world and citizens alike bewildered and worried about Nigeria’s fading…

NO fewer than 20 Nigerian states borrowed a combined N457.66bn in the first half of 2025, even as their monthly allocations from the Federation Account rose significantly, News Point Nigeria investigated. The fresh borrowings sourced from both domestic and foreign creditors come against the backdrop of a soaring debt servicing bill, especially on external loans, which is tightening the fiscal space of state governments. According to data from the Debt Management Office (DMO) and budget implementation reports, states spent N235.58bn on external debt servicing between January and June 2025. This represents an alarming 68.4% increase compared to N139.92bn expended in…

VICE President Kashim Shettima has met with the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in New York to discuss Nigeria’s global aspirations during the ongoing UNGA80. News Point Nigeria reports that the meeting, which was held on Friday at UN headquarters, centred on Nigeria’s bid for a permanent Security Council seat, climate change, artificial intelligence, and development. Shettima urged the UN to “support Nigeria even more so that we achieve more,” stressing the country’s quest for permanent membership. Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, said the UN Secretary-General commended Nigeria’s determination to secure a permanent position on the Council. The leaders…

THE Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has accused the management of Dangote Refinery of anti-labour practices, following the alleged mass sack of over 800 Nigerian workers and their replacement with more than 2,000 foreign nationals, mostly Indians. In a strongly worded statement issued on Friday and signed by its General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa made available to News Point Nigeria, the association described the development as unjust, discriminatory, and in violation of Nigerian labour laws. “We are deeply saddened to report the unjust termination of over 800 Nigerian workers, whose dedication and service have been integral…

FRESH controversy has engulfed the $20bn Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Africa’s largest petrochemical facility, after a leaked internal memo revealed that the company had begun a sweeping reorganisation of its workforce, citing multiple cases of sabotage that posed “major safety concerns.” The confidential memo, dated September 24, 2025, and signed by Femi Adekunle, Chief General Manager, Human Asset Management, directed affected employees to surrender company property, obtain exit clearance from their line managers, and await the computation of their benefits. The letter, which has since gone viral on social media also sighted by News Point Nigeria, reads in part: “In view…

THE trial of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), resumed on Thursday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, with the Federal Government making a fresh bid to tender additional evidence against him. News Point Nigeria reports that Dasuki, who served under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, is facing an amended seven-count charge bordering on money laundering and unlawful possession of firearms. The Federal Government alleges that on July 17, 2015, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) discovered: $40,000, ₦5 million, and $20,000 at his Asokoro residence $150,000 and ₦37.6 million at his Sokoto residences a day earlier…

THE Minister of State for Works, Rt. Hon. Barr. Bello Muhammad Goronyo, has declared that Nigerian engineers, both at home and in the diaspora are the true backbone of the country’s development and sustainability drive, insisting that “Nigeria’s greatest export is not oil, nor gas, but her people, skilled, intelligent, and determined.” News Point Nigeria reports that Goronyo made the statement at the 2025 Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), London Branch Conference, where he represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and addressed a distinguished audience of professionals, partners, and stakeholders. Speaking on the theme “The Role of Engineers in Infrastructure Sustainability,”…

THE long-awaited opposition coalition seeking to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections has formally adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its political platform, discarding earlier plans to register a new party under the name All Democratic Alliance (ADA). News Point Nigeria reports that this decision was sealed at a high-profile stakeholders meeting held on Thursday in Abuja, attended by some of Nigeria’s most influential political heavyweights across party lines. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar led the delegation of top opposition figures, joined by Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir…

FORMER Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has distanced himself from a controversial statement credited to a certain Kola Johnson, who claimed to be his media consultant. The statement, widely circulated on Wednesday, alleged that Atiku had promised to prioritise Yoruba interests if elected President in 2027. It also suggested that an Atiku administration would favour one ethnic group over others, citing his marital ties to the South-West. But in a strongly worded rebuttal issued on Thursday by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe made available to News Point Nigeria, Atiku described the…

CORPS Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, has said that arming road safety officials may be the only way to enforce traffic laws effectively on Nigeria’s increasingly lawless highways. Speaking on Arise News Television on Thursday monitored by News Point Nigeria, the FRSC boss painted a stark picture of the challenges his officers face when confronting heavy-duty trucks, tankers, and overloaded trailers. “How do you stop a trailer or a tanker on the road? How do you just do that? It’s very, very difficult,” Mohammed said. “A truck, especially one with probably 100 passengers on top,…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has delivered a strongly worded reform policy proposal to the United Nations on Wednesday, warning that the global body must embrace sweeping restructurings or face growing irrelevance as world events increasingly bypass its influence. The President criticised the organisation’s record, pointing to the ongoing human suffering in the Middle East and other regions as “stains on our collective humanity.” News Point Nigeria reports that in his address to the UN General Assembly’s 80th session, President Tinubu, who was represented by his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, warned that the UN’s credibility is being undermined by the…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday evening summoned the immediate past Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), to the Presidential Villa in Abuja. News Point Nigeria reports that Ibas, who left office on September 17, 2025, following the expiration of a six-month emergency rule in Rivers, arrived at Aso Rock at about 6:50 pm, dressed in brown native attire. He was received under tight protocol and escorted into the President’s wing. Closely behind him were Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, and Olukoyede, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission…

AMERICAN billionaire philanthropist, Bill Gates, has issued a stark warning about the devastating child mortality rates in northern Nigeria, where one in six children born in the region reportedly does not survive to age five. News Point Nigeria reports that Gates sounded the alarm in an interview ahead of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s annual Goalkeepers event in New York, describing the statistics as a “wake-up call” for Nigeria’s leaders and development partners. “A kid born in northern Nigeria has a 15 per cent chance of dying before the age of five. You can either be part of improving…