Author: Lekan Adeyeye

ABOUT 163,000 litres of adulterated petrol have been seized by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC in Ondo State in 2022. The State of Commandant of NSCDC, Olayinka Olatundun disclosed this at a press briefing in Akure, to review the achievements of the agency in the state in 2022 and make projection into 2023. Ondo State, South-West Nigeria had it own fair share of security challenges in 2022. One of the agencies actively involved in tackling insecurity in the state, is the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC. While reeling out achievements of the agency…

ALL Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has to make Enugu the manufacturing hub of Nigeria, saying the state has what it takes to be the economic powerhouse of the country. Speaking to party supporters at the presidential campaign rally in the state held at Michael Okpara Square on Wednesday, Tinubu said not only is the state blessed with mineral resources, it has a friendly climate good for national prosperity. “Nothing will stop us if we are determined to make this state a regional hub of Nigeria’s manufacturing sector,” he said. Tinubu praised the people of the…

THE Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) says more than 150 nurses resigned their appointments with the tertiary hospital within the last three years. The Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, said this during a news conference on Tuesday in Lagos. Fabamwo said the situation arose as a result of health workers relocating abroad to practice, noting that the exit replacement strategy of the government had, however, ensured that operations weren’t disrupted at the hospital. He added that in recent times, applications for positions of nurses and resident doctors had reduced in the tertiary hospital. To address the…

LAGOS State with a foreign debt of $1.27bn (Domestic debt – N877.04bn), Kaduna with $586.78m (Domestic – N86.86bn) and Rivers with $240.18m (Domestic – N225,51bn) are the top three states with the highest foreign debt for 2022, according to data from the Debt Management Office (DMO). In a reply to a Freedom of Information (FoI) enquiry by News Point Nigeria on Monday, the DMO data revealed that, Cross River with $215.75m (Domestic – N175.2), Ogun with $122.73 (Domestic – N241.78) and Bauchi with $172.76m (Domestic – N144.28bn) followed Rivers as 4th, 5th and 6th respectively. Conversely, Zamfara with $29.33m (Domestic…

THE House Leader, Kwara House of Assembly,  Abubakar Mogaji Olawoyin, is dead. The Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr Abdulquadr Yusuf, confirmed this on Monday in Ilorin. Olawoyin was of the APC and represented Ilorin Central Constituency (Mogajin Geri). He died in the early hours of Monday after a brief illness. He has since been buried according to islamic rites.

INDEPENDENT National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied releasing a new final list of candidates for the 2023 general election on Sunday 8th January 2023. The National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, cleared the air on Monday in Abuja. According to him, the attention of the commission was drawn to media reports (not in Daily Trust) on Monday 9th January 2023, that the final list of candidates was released on its website on Sunday 8th January 2023. “The commission wishes to state categorically that no new publication of the final list of candidates was released as…

THE cash withdrawal limits set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) become effective today, January 9, 2023 amid concerns over the slow spread and quality of three newly redesigned naira notes. The CBN had on December 6, 2022, ordered Deposit Money Banks (DMOs) and other financial institutions to ensure that weekly over-the-counter (OTC) cash withdrawals by individuals and corporate entities do not exceed N100,000 and N500,000, respectively. It had also pegged maximum daily withdrawals via Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and Point Of Sale (PoS) terminals at N20,000 and said only denominations of N200 and below would be loaded into…

THE Board of Trustees of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, the leading philanthropy empowering young African entrepreneurs from all 54 African countries, has announced the appointment of Somachi Chris-Asoluka as Chief Executive Officer, following the retirement of current CEO, Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu. The appointment takes effect from March 01, 2023. Since the launch of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme in 2015, the Foundation has trained over 1.5 million young Africans on its digital hub, TEFConnect, and disbursed nearly USD$100 million in direct funding to 18,000 African women and men, who have collectively created over 400,000 direct and indirect jobs. The Foundation’s mission is…

LEGENDARY Nigerian goalkeeper Peter Rufai has charged Super Eagles goalie Maduka Okoye to leave Watford and move to another club where he can be guaranteed first-team opportunities. The Nigerian international was one of the best shot-stoppers in the Eredivisie before he crossed over to England last year. Okoye only joined Watford permanently in the summer after initially signing for the Hornets in January 2022. That deal believed to be worth €5 million, made the youngster the most expensive Nigerian goalkeeper in history. But things have not gone as planned for Okoye in England with the 23-year-old condemned to being second…

AMID concerns about the scarcity of new naira notes, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has insisted that January 31, 2023 remains the deadline for old notes to remain in circulation. CBN, in a message on its verified Facebook page, maintained that “the current series of N200, N500 and N1,000 notes would remain legal tender until the deadline of January 31, 2023,” Also, in its Twitter handle, it stated that there will be no extension for the use of the old notes beyond January 31, advising Nigerians to ensure they deposited all the old N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes in…

GUNMEN have abducted many passengers from a train station in Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State. The victims were waiting to board a train to Warri in Delta State when their attackers struck. It is unclear if anyone was killed in the incident but the travellers sustained bullet wounds, according to the Police Public Relations Officer in Edo, Chidi Nwabuzor, who confirmed the incident. He said the abductors, armed with AK 47, invaded the train station on Saturday evening and shot sporadically into the air before abducting scores of intending travellers. “This is to inform the gentlemen of the…

THE All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asíwájú Bola Tinubu, has hailed the people of Ondo State, saying they have always been a champion of people-oriented and progressive government. Addressing the state rally on Saturday at Democracy Park, Akure, the state capital, he urged the people of the state to live up to that billing by voting APC all the way in the upcoming election. He also lambasted Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar and his Labour Party counterpart Peter Obi, calling the former Mr. Privatize and the latter Mr. Stingy. The rally, which attracted a mammoth crowd was attended…

NIGERIA’s Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, has denied being aware of an indiscriminate increase in electricity tariffs by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. He made this assertion at a public hearing on Electricity reform Bill. The bill seeks to provide the legal and institutional framework for the implementation of rural electricity projects. It also aims at establishing the National Power Training Institute and Regulatory provisions to strengthen the sector for efficient service delivery. Electricity workers use the opportunity of the gathering to draw attention to the recent alleged indiscriminate increase in electricity tariffs imposed on consumers by the…

THE Federal Government on Friday ordered the temporary suspension of construction works on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, to make traveling experience easier for holiday makers returning to their destinations after the festive season. According to reports, Julius Berger returned to site on Tuesday after leaving in December 2022, to continue construction works between the popular Long Bridge and Kara bus stop on the Lagos-bound carriageway. The contractors’ return to site and the resultant gridlock in the axis saw commuters groaning on the highway on Thursday. This led the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mr Umar Bakare, to suspend work…

JUST like First Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and most recently, the Guaranty Trust Bank had all announced that its naira cards will no longer be used for international transactions starting starting September 2022, July 2022 and December 2022 respectively, Zenith Bank has also announced the suspension of use of all Zenith Bank Naira Cards for International Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cash withdrawals, POS transactions and web transactions with effect from January 9, 2023. In a statement by the bank and made available to News Point Nigeria, the bank said, any customer with international spend requirements, should simply visit any of…

BARELY 24 hours after the G5 Oyo state gubernatorial rally, some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State have declared their support for the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in a surprise turn of events in the state. The decision of the leaders is contrary to Governor Seyi Makinde’s stand, and as a member of the G5 or Integrity Group, who has dissociated himself from the campaign of Atiku over his alleged refusal to give room for the southern bloc in the leadership structure of the party, this is a big daint on Makinde’s authority at state…

THE men of the Ogun State police command have arrested a couple Taiwo Ajalorun and Salawa Ajalorun, six other persons for allegedly dealing with human parts in the state. It was gathered that the suspects sold human legs for a meagre sum of N30,000 while human heart was sold for N50,000 to buyers who engage in money rituals and other illegal activities. SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, Police Public Relations Officer in the state confirmed the incident to newsmen on Thursday. Oyeyemi who stated this in a statement said the couple and six other suspects; Lukman Oladele, Kayode Ibrahim, Bello Akeem, Alebiosu…

FORMER Chelsea player and manager Gianluca Vialli dies aged 58. The ex-Italian international won every trophy possible in Italian club football before playing for and managing Chelsea. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer five years ago and got the all-clear in 2020, but later relapsed. The former Chelsea player and manager Gianluca Vialli has died aged 58 after a battle with cancer. The Italian, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer five years ago, played for and managed the London club, scoring 40 goals in 88 games between 1996 and 1999 during his time on the pitch for Chelsea and becoming…

NIGERIA’s debt profile is expected to hit N77 trillion as President Muhammadu Buhari leaves office in five months’ time. Patience Oniha, director general of Debt Management Office, disclosed this at the public presentation and breakdown of the highlights of the 2023 Appropriation Act in Abuja on Wednesday. “There are a lot of discussions on the ways and means. In addition to the significant cost saving in loan service we would get by securitizing it, there is an element of transparency in the sense that it is now reflected in the public debt stock,” Mrs Oniha mentioned. “Once it is passed…

THE Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has issued a seven-day ultimatum for all lease and licence holders operating in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, to disclose the real owners of their companies. In the directive signed by its Chief Executive, Gbenga Komolafe, on Thursday, the commission demanded that the information to be disclosed must include the identity (ies) of the beneficial owner(s), the level of ownership, and details of how control is exerted. He stressed that the full list of real owners of their companies is submitted to the commission. The new directive released by NUPRC was tagged, “Notification No.…