Author: Sadiq Abdullateef

NIGERIA is reeling from one of its deadliest flood disasters in recent years, with at least 165 people confirmed dead and over 119,000 others affected across 19 states as of August 16, 2025. The grim statistics were disclosed by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) through its official X account cited by News Point Nigeria, which provided a detailed “2025 flood dashboard.” According to the update, 82 people remain missing, 138 injured, and 43,936 displaced. The floods have torn through communities, submerging homes, farmlands, and critical infrastructure. A total of 8,594 homes have been destroyed or damaged, while 8,278 farmlands have…

THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has restrained the House of Representatives from compelling 17 Chief Executives of insurance companies to appear before its Committee on Capital Market and Institutions over alleged indebtedness to the Federal Government. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Emeka Nwite issued the interlocutory injunction on Monday after hearing an application filed by the insurers, who are members of the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA). The decision followed an application moved by their counsel, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), challenging the authority of the House to summon the Chief Executives and demand operational records in relation to…

THE Presidency has dismissed viral social media claims that Nigeria’s participation at the ongoing 9th Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama, Japan, was reduced to an “empty booth.” In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga made available to News Point Nigeria, the Presidency said the trending video misrepresented the country’s true mission at the high-level summit. According to Onanuga, Nigeria’s delegation led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is in Japan to pursue strategic bilateral and multilateral engagements aimed at securing concrete investments in critical sectors such…

NIGERIANS across the globe have expressed outrage after videos emerged showing the country’s booth at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Japan allegedly abandoned and unmanned, despite the presence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and a large Nigerian delegation at the global summit. News Point Nigeria reports that the incident, which quickly went viral on Wednesday, sparked heated criticism over what many described as another “international embarrassment” for Africa’s most populous nation. A participant at the event, Idris Ayodeji Bello, first raised alarm in a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he shared photos and videos…

THE United Nations has raised a fresh alarm over the worsening humanitarian situation in Nigeria, warning that 31 million Nigerians are food insecure, while more than 10 million children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, including 3.5 million suffering severe malnutrition. The grim statistics were disclosed at a joint event held in Abuja on Tuesday by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) to mark the 2025 World Humanitarian Day, themed “Strengthening Global Solidarity and Empowering Local Communities.” Speaking at the event, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator…

A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the temporary freezing of four bank accounts linked to former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kolo Kyari, over allegations of fraud, conspiracy, abuse of office, and money laundering. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Emeka Nwite issued the ruling on Tuesday while delivering judgment in an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1641, was argued by EFCC counsel, Ogechi Ujam. Although the EFCC requested a 60-day freezing order to enable investigators to complete their…

BILLLIONAIRE businessman Femi Otedola has revealed that his rise to global prominence did not begin in a university lecture hall but in his father’s printing press, after years of academic struggles that ended with him dropping out of school. The 62-year-old energy magnate made the revelation in his newly released memoir, Making It Big, a 286-page chronicle of his life journey, cited by this newspaper on Tuesday. In the book, Otedola offers rare insight into his humble beginnings, academic disappointments, and the bold choices that set him on the path to becoming one of Africa’s most influential businessmen. Otedola recalls…

THE Federal Government may soon approve a pay raise for political office holders as the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) pushes for a review of what it describes as “outdated and inadequate” salaries of Nigerian leaders. News Point Nigeria reports that speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu currently earns ₦1.5 million monthly, while ministers take home less than ₦1 million, salaries that have not been adjusted since 2008. “You are paying the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ₦1.5 million a month, with a…

IN a week of dramatic anti-terror breakthroughs, security forces in Chad and Nigeria have struck heavy blows against extremist networks operating across the Lake Chad Basin, with ripple effects drawing in international partners. Authorities in Chad confirmed the arrest of six suspected Boko Haram members, including a young man believed to be Muslim Mohammed Yusuf, the son of Boko Haram’s late founder, Mohammed Yusuf. This is after the Nigerian government announced the capture of two top leaders of the Ansaru faction, with the United States congratulating Nigeria on what it described as a “significant forward step” in the fight against…

MORE than 200 establishment bills currently before the National Assembly will likely be rendered ineffective following the Federal Government’s decision to halt the creation of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education for the next seven years. The moratorium, approved on Wednesday at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, was announced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who described it as a “pragmatic and urgent response to a sector drowning in duplication, under-utilisation, and declining quality.” According to Alausa, Nigeria’s tertiary education problem is no longer lack…

THE Federal Government has finally bowed to pressure from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) by appointing renowned policy analyst and business strategist, Mr. Opeyemi Agbaje, as the new Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Pension Commission (PenCom). The development comes barely a week after the NLC, at the end of its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting on August 13, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to constitute the PenCom Governing Board in line with the Pension Reform Act 2014. Labour had also demanded that PenCom furnish it with a comprehensive status report of pension funds within…

NIGERIA’s relentless war against insurgency recorded a landmark breakthrough at the weekend with the dramatic arrest of two notorious and high-profile leaders of the al-Qaeda-linked Ansaru terror group. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, announced on Saturday in Abuja that the military had captured Abu Baraa and Mahmuda, two of Ansaru’s most feared and most wanted commanders. The arrests, products of sustained, painstaking, and coordinated operations launched in May 2025 are being hailed by security analysts as one of the most decisive blows against terrorist networks in West Africa in recent years. Abu Baraa and Mahmuda were not…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered over ₦5 billion and $10 million from contractors and officials implicated in the multi-billion-dollar fraud that crippled the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s refineries in Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Warri. Investigations, according to reliable sources, are also zeroing in on an additional ₦10 billion and $13 million allegedly siphoned by contractors under the guise of turnaround maintenance (TAM) contracts that yielded little or no results despite huge allocations. The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, is said to have taken personal charge of the investigation, expressing frustration at the continued dormancy of the country’s refineries…

THE National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has announced the arrest of two men he identified as leaders of the Ansaru terrorist group. News Point Nigeria reports that Ribadu, who disclosed this at a press briefing on security developments at the Office of the National Security Adviser, identified those arrested as Abu Baraa, the Amir, and Mahmuda, the deputy Amir. They were said to be responsible for masterminding several terrorist operations in Nigeria as well as high-profile kidnappings. Also present at the briefing are the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Inspector General of Police, and the…

REGISTERED voters across 13 states of the federation will on Saturday, August 16, 2025, head to the polls to elect new representatives into the Senate, House of Representatives, and state houses of assembly. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed that elections will take place in 16 constituencies spread across the affected states. According to INEC, the exercise will involve two senatorial districts, five federal constituencies, and nine state constituencies. The states where polls will be conducted include Jigawa, Edo, Ogun, Oyo, Adamawa, Anambra, Kaduna, Kano, Taraba, Kogi, Niger, Enugu, and Zamfara. The elections are being held to fill seats…

A CANADIAN Federal Court has, in a reckless and baseless ruling, implied that Nigerian political parties are linked to terrorism. This is more than an insult; it is an assault on our dignity, sovereignty, and global standing. It is not about defending the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), or some other political party or any faction. It is about defending Nigeria. When a foreign court stigmatizes the political platforms that have produced presidents, governors, ministers, and lawmakers in the Fourth Republic, it is indirectly branding every Nigerian who has ever participated in elections as part of…

THE Federal Government of Nigeria has strongly rejected a recent ruling by a Canadian Federal Court that classified certain Nigerian political parties as “terrorist organizations,” describing the decision as baseless, reckless, and an unacceptable interference in the nation’s internal affairs. The designation emerged from a case involving a Nigerian citizen, Mr. Douglas Egharevba, who arrived in Canada in September 2017 and sought inland refugee status under the country’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. In the course of the proceedings, the Canadian court allegedly issued a sweeping declaration implicating the entirety of some Nigerian political parties rather than addressing the conduct…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday finally departed Abuja for a high-profile two-nation trip to Japan and Brazil, aimed at deepening Nigeria’s global economic partnerships and attracting strategic investments. The President’s departure comes a day later than earlier announced. On Wednesday, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, told reporters that Tinubu would leave Abuja on Thursday with a brief stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before heading to Japan. However, presidential sources revealed that Tinubu spent Thursday attending to pressing state matters, including a closed-door meeting with World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, at the Presidential…

AS political, economic, and climate uncertainties continue to shape global investment behaviour, wealthy Nigerians are increasingly turning to Abu Dhabi and Dubai as preferred destinations to safeguard their fortunes, according to the newly released Wealth Report 2025 by international mobility platform, Multipolitan. The report, titled “Wealth Report 2025: The Taxed Generation” sighted by News Point Nigeria, ranks Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Singapore as the top three destinations for wealth management among Nigeria’s elite, highlighting their legal stability, predictable governance, and resilient infrastructure as key draws. Traditionally, high-net-worth Nigerians have sought aggressive investment strategies aimed at delivering rapid capital growth. However,…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s planned departure for a high-profile two-nation tour to Japan and Brazil has been shifted to Friday, contrary to the earlier announcement that he would leave on Thursday. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had initially told reporters that Tinubu would depart Abuja on Thursday with a brief stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before continuing to Japan. However, sources inside the Presidential Villa revealed that the President instead spent Thursday in Abuja attending to pressing official engagements, including a meeting with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation…