THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will arraign the immediate-past governor of Kwara State, Abdulfattah Ahmed, for alleged N10bn fraud on Friday. Credible sources in the anti-graft agency said the ex-governor would be dragged before the Federal High Court in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. “He is going to be arraigned on Friday at the Federal High Court in Ilorin for diversion of funds, amounting to N10bn,” the source told our correspondent. The ex-governor has been detained by the EFCC since Monday when he honoured an invitation for interrogation. His Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji AbdulWahab Oba, confirmed his principal’s visit…
Author: Farouk Abbas
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THE Nigeria Customs Service said it has concluded plans to commence the direct disposal of seized food items to Nigerians. The National Public Relations Officer of the service, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this in a statement released on Tuesday. Maiwada said that the move was in response to the critical challenges of food security and the soaring cost of essential food items in the country. He added that the items must be certified fit for consumption before they could be distributed to Nigerians. Recall that hundreds of Nigerians in some states recently demonstrated against the soaring cost of living in the…
THE Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has suspended its planned nationwide strike. This followed Monday’s meeting with the Federal Government and stakeholders after tanker drivers suspended operations and stopped lifting of petroleum products amid harsh economic realities. NARTO members had threatened shutdown all over the country beginning Monday over the high cost of Automotive Gas Oil also known as diesel which is used to fuel their trucks for the movement of petroleum products across Nigeria. Like Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol which now sells at over N600 per litre, the price of diesel has skyrocketed of…
IN a concerted effort to safeguard Nigeria’s foreign exchange market and combat speculative activities, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) are joining forces to address challenges impacting the nation’s economic stability. The CBN’s proactive measures to stabilize the foreign exchange market and stimulate economic activities have been commendable. However, the effectiveness of these initiatives is being undermined by the activities of speculators, both domestic and international, operating through various channels, thereby exacerbating the depreciation of the Nigerian Naira and contributing to inflation and economic instability. Recall that, to address the exchange…
THE former governor of Kwara State Abdulfatah Ahmed says his invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was not only a routine one but also procedural. He said this in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Wahab Oba made available to News Point Nigeria on Monday. According to him, he was in Ilorin to honour the invitation as he has always been doing and is still ready to do. “I’ve always expressed my willingness to answer any query or question about my stewardship as a governor of the state,” he said. “So, my visit on invitation to…
A FORMER Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, is being quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over transactions running into billions of naira during his time as governor of the state. The former Kwara governor was seen arriving at the Ilorin office of the anti-graft agency on Monday morning. This newspaper gathered that he was invited by the EFCC and is currently answering questions as to how these monies under his administration were spent. Ahmed was governor of the North Central state between May 2011 and May 2019 before he handed over to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. He…
THE Federal Government has ordered oil marketers to negotiate with the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners to avert the planned suspension of operations by NARTO members with respect to the lifting of petroleum products nationwide beginning today (Monday). It was gathered on Sunday that oil marketers and the executives of NARTO met about six times in the last two days, following the declaration of the petroleum products’ transporters to halt operations. Our correspondent further gathered that the Federal Government through the downstream regulator and the petroleum ministry would meet with NARTO members, as well as other parties today (Monday)…
ARSENAL winger, Bukayo Saka, says he is delighted to have helped a 12-year-old kid known as Kabir who could barely walk a year ago, recover from his ailment. Kabiru, a young aspiring football fan, could barely walk before the surgery, but now plays football which he loves so much with his two legs after the surgery. The England international who was born in London to Nigerian parents teamed up with a charity organisation BigShoe to help children in Kano, Nigeria’s second-largest city to pay for surgeries of 120 kids including Kabiru who were suffering from brain tumours, umbilical hernias, and…
FOLLOWING a successful inaugural session, the Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris fnipr, today moderated the second edition of the Ministerial Press Briefing Series (MPBS) featuring the Minister of industry, Trade and Investment Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, at the National Press Center in Abuja. The forum aims to create a platform for direct engagement between government officials and the media, promoting transparency and accurate reporting to the Nigerian public. “We are gathered here to build trust and ensure the people of Nigeria are informed,” declared Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, at the event. “This platform allows…
THERE seem to be a looming fuel hike over strike actions threatened by petrol tanker drivers over rising operational costs. The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners had on Thursday, threatened to embark on a nationwide strike over what they described as high operational costs engineered by rising inflation rates in the country. NARTO is the umbrella body of all commercial transport owners and operators in Nigeria that are engaged in the business of moving goods, passengers and petroleum products from one place to another throughout the country and in the West African sub-region. While speaking with newsmen on Friday,…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has ordered the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, and the Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS) Yusuf Bichi to work with governors and go after those hoarding foodstuff. Nigeria has been battling a rise in the cost of food items occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy and insecurity among other factors. But as part of moves to combat the development, the Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris said Tinubu has mandated the heads of these security agencies and the NSA to liaise…
THE Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission is currently considering relocating some of its units to Lagos, according to a document obtained by News Point Nigeria. The memo dated February 14, 2024, said the decision was to enhance its service delivery, reduce operational costs, and make adequate utilisation of its assets in Lagos. “In line with our objectives of improving organizational efficiency, driving industry growth, and managing office accommodation in Abuja, we are exploring the possibility of relocating certain units to Lagos. “This initiative is driven by the need to enhance our service delivery, reduce operational costs, and make adequate utilization of…
THE Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, says Nigeria cannot continue to subsidise electricity, adding that the nation must begin to move towards a cost-effective tariff model, as the country is currently indebted to the tune of 1.3 trillion naira to generating companies (GenCos) and 1.3 billion dollars owed gas companies. Adelabu, addressed a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, said only 450 billion naira was budgeted for subsidy this year but the ministry needs over 2 trillion naira for subsidy. He said state governments will now be allowed to generate power independently to supply power to their states. On the…
THE Organisation Of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has revealed that the oil exports in Nigeria grew significantly by 60.8% in the third quarter of 2023. “Throughout 3Q23, exports witnessed a remarkable 60.8% increase, and imports soared by 47.7%, culminating in a trade surplus of NGN1,888.92 billion in that period,” its Monthly Oil Report released Tuesday for February 2024 said. It also revealed that exports rose by 115%, y-o-y, reaching an unprecedented high of NGN3,867 billion, while imports surged by 34.5% to NGN2,429 billion. According to the report, ”Nigeria boasted a significant trade surplus of 1,438.4 billion naira (NGN), a strong…
A FEDERAL High Court in Kano has barred the state government from demolition of residential buildings at Salanta quarters. The government had marked some buildings for demolition, but residents approached the court. Justice Simon Amobeda, while delivering judgement in fundamental rights enforcement suit, held that the landed property in question were legitimately acquired and therefore could not be demolished without the consent of the owners. The plaintiffs had approached the court in July 2023, seeking protection of their rights to the property, The court then granted a temporary order restraining the state government from further action pending final determination of…
POWER distribution companies overbilled about 7.1 million unmetered electricity consumers between January and September 2023, an analysis of the latest monthly number of overbilled customers showed. In the various Regulatory Interventions for Non-Compliance with the Order on Capping of Estimated Billing to Unmetered Customers, issued to the 11 Discos by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, an agency of the Federal Government, it was established that the power distributors raked over N105bn as a result of over-billing. Figures computed by our correspondent indicated that Yola Disco overbilled about 42,902 customers to the tune of N541.9m during the review period, while Abuja…
OPERATIVES of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command attached to the Rapid Response Squad 74, have arrested a pastor, Simon Kado; his relative, Jesse Simon-Kado, and their driver, Muhammad Isah, for child trafficking. They were busted on Friday while trafficking 12 underaged children – eight girls and four boys aged between five to 16 years, from Nasarawa State to Ogun State. The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, made the development known in a statement on Saturday. Adeh said, “Operatives of the FCT Police Command attached to the Rapid Response Squad 74, on Friday, February 9, at about…
THE Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), under the leadership of its president-general and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has enjoined the Muslims in Nigeria to look out for the crescent of Sha’aban 1445AH after sunset on Saturday, 29th Rajab, 1445AH (February 10, 2024) ahead of this year’s Ramadan fasting. The deputy secretary-general of the NSCIA, Prof Salisu Shehu, noted this on Friday in a statement. This newspaper Saturday reports that Sha’aban, being the eighth lunar calendar month, indicates that this year’s Ramadan (9th lunar month) is about a month away. “Scientifically, the expected time for…
FOLLLOWING his electoral victory at Saturday’s by-election in the state, the sacked Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yusuf Liman, has been re-elected as Speaker of the state assembly. This newspaper reports that at Saturday’s re-run election, Liman of the All Progressives Congress scored 18,068 votes to defeat Solomon Katuka of the Peoples Democratic Party, who polled 17,404 votes. The Independent National Electoral Commission in Kaduna went ahead on Wednesday to present Certificates of Return to the former Speaker and those who emerged winners at Saturday’s re-run polls and by-election in the state. Other lawmakers who received their…
THE World Bank has said seven states across the North-west and North-east regions of the country may suffer food crises due to high levels of insecurity and armed conflicts that has reduced the standards of living across the region. The bank in its latest Food Security report also stated that most areas in West and Central Africa would remain Minimally food insecure until May 2024. This is coming amidst plans by the government to cultivate 323,000 hectares of farmland producing wheat, rice, maize and cassava for the 2024 dry season farming. The states highlighted by the bank are Borno, Adamawa,…