THE Federal Government has disclosed that it has successfully collected over ₦600 billion in Value Added Tax (VAT) from international digital service providers such as Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix, marking a milestone in Nigeria’s expanding tax net. News Point Nigeria reports that the revelation was made by Mr. Mathew Osanekwu, Special Adviser on Tax Policy to the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Tax Reforms, during a media workshop in Abuja on Wednesday. According to Osanekwu, amendments to the VAT Act now empower the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to mandate non-resident companies offering services in Nigeria to pay VAT.…
Author: Sadiq Abdullateef
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THE Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to decriminalising attempted suicide in Nigeria, announcing December 2025 as the target date to complete the historic reform. News Point Nigeria reports that the disclosure was made on Wednesday in Abuja by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, during a press briefing to mark the 2025 World Suicide Prevention Day, themed “Changing the Narrative on Suicide, Creating Hope Through Action.” Globally, September 10 is set aside to raise awareness, promote prevention strategies, and recommit to saving lives from suicide. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 720,000…
THE former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, on Wednesday, submitted himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for questioning. News Point Nigeria reports that Kyari arrived at the anti-graft agency’s headquarters in Abuja at exactly 2:15 p.m., following an invitation to clarify financial and technical issues relating to his tenure as head of the national oil company. Sources within the EFCC confirmed that Kyari’s appearance is connected to the ongoing investigation into the controversial $7.2 billion refineries’ turnaround maintenance project, which has long been a subject of public scrutiny…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially recognised the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under former Senate President, Senator David Bonaventure Mark, bringing months of internal wrangling within the opposition party to an end. In a major update published on its website on Wednesday in Abuja sighted by News Point Nigeria, INEC listed the new National Working Committee (NWC) members of the ADC, confirming the David Mark-led team as the party’s authentic leadership. According to the updated particulars, the new executive structure of the ADC features: Senator David Mark – National Chairman, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (former Osun…
WITH the 2027 general election drawing closer, the much-heralded coalition of opposition heavyweights under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is already facing serious questions about its viability after a poor outing in the recent by-elections. The by-elections, conducted across 16 federal and state constituencies in 12 states on August 16 to fill vacant seats, were expected to showcase ADC’s renewed strength after the dramatic entry of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former governors Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, and Rotimi Amaechi. Instead, the coalition’s performance revealed the gulf between elite endorsement and grassroots penetration. Despite public anger from some quarters over…
THE Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has suspended its nationwide strike following a truce brokered by the Federal Government and the Department of State Services (DSS). News Point Nigeria reports that the strike, which was declared on Monday, had threatened to disrupt fuel supply across the country after NUPENG accused the Dangote Group of denying its employees the right to unionize. According to a source, who spoke to News Point Nigeria on condition of anonymity, the decision to suspend the industrial action came after an emergency meeting convened by the DSS on Tuesday in Abuja. The…
BILLIONAIRE businessman Femi Otedola has revealed how the 2008 global financial meltdown wiped out an estimated N220 billion of his fortune, nearly collapsing his oil empire, Zenon Petroleum, and forcing him to surrender prized assets to survive. The dramatic account is contained in his newly released memoir, ‘Making It Big: Lessons From a Life in Business’, published on August 18, 2025. Otedola recalled that the crisis began when crude oil prices, which had peaked at $147 per barrel, plummeted to $34 per barrel in just months. Confident of continued boom, he had already placed a $500 million diesel import order.…
FORMER Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has revealed that late former President Muhammadu Buhari once threatened to sack him if his push to remove petrol subsidy failed. News Point Nigeria reports that Kachikwu, who also served as Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), made the disclosure on Monday during a virtual business mentorship lecture series organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB). Reflecting on his turbulent tenure between 2016 and 2019, the former minister said one of his biggest challenges was tackling recurring nationwide fuel queues, which had…
EFFORTS by the Federal Government to resolve the labour dispute between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Group ended in a stalemate on Monday, raising fears of fresh industrial unrest in the oil and gas sector. News Point Nigeria reports that the meeting, convened by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, alongside the Minister of State, Rt. Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, was intended to address long-standing disputes over unionisation rights and labour relations at the Dangote Refinery and petrochemical plants. While the Dangote Group reportedly agreed in principle to allow refinery…
THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has opened an investigation into the discovery of a decomposed body inside a vehicle at the National Assembly car park in Abuja. News Point Nigeria gathered the the deceased, identified as 55-year-old Gaddafi Iwar, a Tiv labourer reportedly working at a construction site within the complex, was found around 9:00pm on Sunday, September 7, 2025, in a red Peugeot 406 with registration number BWR-577 BF. According to eyewitnesses, the incident caused panic among staff and security operatives at the National Assembly before police operatives intervened. FCT Command spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the…
SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has warned that Nigeria’s rising debt profile has reached alarming levels, surpassing statutory thresholds and posing grave risks to fiscal sustainability. News Point Nigeria reports that speaking at the opening of the 11th Annual Conference and General Assembly of the West Africa Association of Public Accounts Committees (WAAPAC) held on Monday at the National Assembly, Abuja, Abbas said the country’s borrowing has “crossed into dangerous territory” and must be urgently addressed. “As at the first quarter of 2025, Nigeria’s total public debt stood at N149.39 trillion (approximately US$97 billion),” the Speaker disclosed.…
THE Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has released the official identities of inmates who recently escaped from two separate custodial centres in Keffi, Nasarawa State, and Ilesa, Osun State, as concerns grow over repeated breaches in Nigeria’s prison system. News Point Nigeria reports that the details, published on the NCoS official website, accessed by News Point Nigeria, reveal that most of the escapees were being held for violent crimes ranging from armed robbery to illegal possession of firearms. At the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Keffi, which recorded a jailbreak on August 12, 2025, the following inmates were confirmed to have fled:…
SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Daniel’s tears over missing a graduation party opened old wounds for his mother, Funke Adeyemi. She still remembers paying almost ₦300,000 for her daughter’s celebration lavish costumes, photographers, levies, an amount that would crush many households. Yet those photos remain a treasured source of happiness. The family’s dilemma is now Nigeria’s dilemma, as some state governments outlaw what was once a joyous rite of passage. News Point Nigeria explores how a childhood milestone became a lightning rod for controversy. The wave began in Imo State, where on August 17, 2025, the government shocked parents and schools by announcing a…
THE Federal Ministry of Education has clarified controversy surrounding monetary gifts presented to Nigerian students who emerged winners at the TeenEagle 2024/2025 Global Competition held in the United Kingdom. The clarification follows reports on social media and some online platforms suggesting that the Federal Government disbursed ₦1.7 million as cash awards to the teenage champions. In August 2025, ₦200,000 was presented to Nafisah Abdullahi, winner of the TeenEagle Global Finals. Shortly after, after an online newspaper (Not News Point Nigeria) reported that Muhammad Manga, CEO of Manga Automobiles, awarded ₦800,000 to Nafisa Abdullahi Aminu, who won the TeenEagle World English…
THE United Nations has shut down a vital humanitarian air service in North East, citing severe funding shortages that threaten to cripple aid delivery in one of the country’s longest-running humanitarian emergencies. News Point Nigeria reports that the U.N. Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), operated by the World Food Programme (WFP), ended its fixed-wing operations last week after nearly a decade of flying aid workers and supplies into hard-to-reach areas of Borno and Yobe States. U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed the closure on Thursday in New York, warning that “the humanitarian response in northeast Nigeria risks being cut off from the…
THE United Nations has sounded a stark warning about the escalating humanitarian toll of terrorism across West Africa and the Sahel, disclosing that 1,364 children were recruited by armed groups in 2024, while over 14,000 schools were forced to close due to persistent insecurity. News Point Nigeria reports that the grim statistics were revealed by UN Under Secretary-General and Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Simão, at the Regional Conference on Combating Emerging Terrorist Groups and Strengthening Sustainable Security in the ECOWAS Region and the Sahel, held in Abuja on Wednesday. “These numbers represent stolen futures, fractured…
FORMER Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika has rejected widespread claims that the Nigeria Air project initiated under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was a scam, insisting that due process was followed throughout the process. Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Tuesday monitored by News Point Nigeria, Sirika described allegations that he mismanaged over ₦100 billion on the controversial project as “false and mischievous.” “It is a lie that I spent ₦100 billion and it is lost in the process. The total budget for the national carrier was ₦5 billion, the total amount released was ₦3 billion, and I left the ministry…
A FORMER senior employee of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Paulinus Iheanacho Okoronkwo, is facing a maximum prison term of 25 years in the United States after being found guilty in a $2.1 million bribery scandal linked to oil deals involving Addax Petroleum, a Swiss subsidiary of Sinopec. According to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California sighted by News Point Nigeria, Okoronkwo, a 58-year-old lawyer, was convicted of three counts of transactional money laundering, one count of tax evasion, and one count of obstruction of justice. His sentencing has been fixed…
VICE President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed his unwavering loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, declaring that their bond of trust, anchored in service and sacrifice, will never be taken for granted. News Point Nigeria reports that Shettima made the pledge yesterday in Abuja in a heartfelt message of gratitude as he marked his 59th birthday, during which he also reflected on his journey in public service and the significance of his partnership with the President. “The bond we share, anchored in loyalty and service, is one I will never take for granted. I have watched you shoulder the burden of…
THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has announced the appointment of two highly experienced professionals, Andy Odeh and Mrs Morenike Adewunmi, to strategic leadership positions aimed at strengthening the company’s stakeholder engagement and corporate image. News Point Nigeria reports that Odeh has been named the Chief Corporate Communications Officer, while Mrs. Adewunmi will serve as Chief Relations Officer, both charged with spearheading the company’s public affairs and stakeholder management strategies. With over 30 years of experience in communications, broadcasting, advertising, and the oil and gas industry, Andy Odeh brings a wealth of expertise to NNPC’s corporate communication efforts.…