THE Federal Government has directed all banks and financial technology companies operating in Nigeria to begin collecting and remitting a 7.5 per cent value-added tax (VAT) on selected electronic banking services, effective Monday, January 19, 2026. News Point Nigeria reports that the directive was communicated to customers through email notices issued by payment platforms, including Moniepoint, on Wednesday. According to the notice, the VAT will apply strictly to electronic banking service charges and not to the principal amount of money transferred. Affected services include mobile money transfer fees, Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) transaction charges, and card issuance fees. For…
Author: Gbenga Mukhtar
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IN a coordinated intelligence-led operation, the South-West Zonal Office of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, working alongside the Department of State Services (DSS), Kwara State Command, has intercepted seven trucks suspected of illegally transporting lithium ore within the region. News Point Nigeria reports that the Zonal Mine Officer for the South-West, Engineer Ganiyu Ajibade, revealed that the crackdown followed credible intelligence received on Thursday, 8th January 2026, indicating that a convoy of 12 trucks had been mobilised to remove lithium ore from an active mining site in Saki, Oyo State. Acting swiftly, Ajibade said the Ministry then engaged the…
THE price war in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector has intensified, with several filling stations now selling Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, at prices below the N739 per litre benchmark set by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. Findings by News Point Nigeria show that the aggressive competition follows the refinery’s dramatic decision in December to slash pump prices from about N900 to N739 per litre, a move that has disrupted the market and forced importers and depot owners into survival mode. A survey conducted over the weekend revealed that some retail outlets are now undercutting even MRS Oil Nigeria…
THE Federal Government has earmarked ₦1.7 trillion in the proposed 2026 Appropriation Bill to settle outstanding debts owed to contractors for capital projects executed during the 2024 fiscal year, signalling an official move to address lingering payment backlogs that have triggered protests and public criticism. News Point Nigeria reports that a breakdown of the 2026 national budget shows that the amount is captured under a specific line item titled “Provision for 2024 Outstanding Contractor’s Liabilities,” indicating formal acknowledgment of delayed payments to contractors despite earlier assurances that most arrears had been cleared. The provision comes amid sustained pressure from indigenous…
FORMER world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua paid a moving tribute on Thursday to the two close friends killed in a car crash in Nigeria, labelling them “brothers” and “great men”. News Point Nigeria reports that Joshua suffered minor injuries in the December 29 crash, and after being discharged from the hospital, he returned to England before attending the funerals of Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami last Sunday. “Thank you for all the love and care you have shown my brothers. I didn’t even realise how special they are. I’ll just be walking with them and cracking jokes with them, not…
A KWARA State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Thursday adjourned proceedings in the alleged ₦5.78 billion diversion case involving a former governor of the state, Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his former Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, to February 16, 2026, following a dispute over documentary evidence. News Point Nigeria reports that the defendants are standing trial before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar on charges of financial misconduct brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), arising from transactions carried out during Ahmed’s tenure as governor. At the resumed hearing, the sixth prosecution witness, identified as Ujilibo, told the court…
A FORMER presidential aspirant and media entrepreneur, Chief Dele Momodu, has identified former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; ex-Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi as the leading contenders for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general election. Momodu made the disclosure on Thursday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily monitored by News Point Nigeria, where he discussed the evolving opposition coalition and the growing influence of the ADC as a platform for challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). According to Momodu, Atiku Abubakar currently tops the list of…
THE lawmaker representing the Federal Capital Territory at the National Assembly, Senator Ireti Kingibe, has dismissed the speculation that her political career is under threat by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike. She said Wike had “no say” whether she would return to the Senate or not in the 2027 general elections. “Absolutely no,” she said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday monitored by News Point Nigeria when asked whether she felt politically threatened by Wike. According to her, the former Rivers State governor can neither make her win nor lose, as the fate of candidates in elections…
ELECTRICITY Distribution Companies also known as the DisCos posted measurable operational gains, with tariff collection efficiency rising to 80.7 per cent, up 4.63 percentage points in the third quarter of 2025. The increase in revenue signals gradual improvements in revenue recovery amid non–cost-reflective tariffs, according to the latest data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) obtained by News Point Nigeria. According to the report, despite the introduction of the Band ‘A’ tariff regime, government subsidies remained a critical lifeline for the electricity value chain, accounting for 58.63 per cent of total GenCos’ invoices in Q3. The Federal Government…
FORMER world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is reportedly considering retirement from professional boxing following a tragic car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of his closest friends and members of his training team. Joshua’s uncle, Adedamola Joshua, disclosed this exclusively to this newspaper saying the 36-year-old boxer had privately communicated his decision to family members after the fatal incident last week. “The major thing there is that he has retired from boxing,” Adedamola said during a visit to the family home in Sagamu, Ogun State, on Monday. “That is one thing that makes us glad because each…
SUSPECTED bandits have attacked the busy Isanlu–Isin–Omu Aran road in Kwara State, kidnapping at least four travellers. News Point Nigeria gathered that the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, when armed men ambushed motorists along the highway, a key route linking communities in Kwara South to the state capital, Ilorin. A source familiar with the incident told this newspaper that the attackers operated freely on the road, forcing vehicles to stop before whisking the passengers to an unknown location. “Bandits are still heavily present in the area and are actively targeting travellers heading towards Ilorin,” the source…
THE Janaza (funeral prayer) for the close associates of boxing star Anthony Joshua is set to be held on Sunday in London. News Point Nigeria reports that Sina Ghami and Abdul Latif Kevin Ayodele tragically lost their lives in a road accident in Nigeria last Monday. Anthony Joshua was also involved in the accident but escaped with minor injuries. At the London Central Mosque, several people were gathered for the Janaza (funeral) prayer, with a funeral for Ghami expected to take place at Hendon Cemetery and Crematorium from noon. A wake for the pair is also scheduled to take place…
FRESH details have emerged surrounding the fatal road accident involving former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua, revealing that the boxer may have narrowly escaped death after swapping seats moments before the crash that claimed the lives of his two close associates. According to a report by the Daily Mail sighted by News Point Nigeria, Joshua initially occupied the front passenger seat of the Lexus SUV before switching to the back seat shortly before the vehicle smashed into a stationary truck along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway in the Makun area of Ogun State. The crash, which occurred on Monday, December 29,…
THE Ogun State Police Command has arraigned the driver of a Lexus SUV involved in the road crash of heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua. News Point Nigeria reports that the suspect, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, was brought before a Sagamu Magistrate Court in the Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State on Friday, January 2, 2026. Confirming the development, the Police said the 46-year-old driver was formally charged in connection with the accident. “I wish to inform the general public that the driver of the Lexus SUV involved in the Anthony Joshua accident case, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode (male), aged 46, was…
THE last have not been heard of Anthony Joshua’s auto crash Anthony Joshua’s auto crash after word filtered in from Abeokuta, Ogun State capital that Anthony Joshua’s ill-fated driver, Kayode Adeniyi might appear in court on Friday (today). An officer from Ogun State Police Command who pleaded anonymity told News Point Nigeria that Adeniyi is currently being interrogated at Eleweran Police Station. “He is in a stable condition and was able to provide us with his version of events that led up to the crash and we expect a charging decision within the next 48 hours but the bank holiday…
BOXING champion Anthony Joshua has been discharged from hospital following a road accident along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway on Monday , which claimed the lives of his two close friends, Lateef Ayodele and Cina Gami. In a Wednesday statement co-signed by Gbenga Omotoso, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos State, and Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Ogun State sent to News Point Nigeria, the governments of Lagos and Ogun states expressed their condolences to the families of the deceased. “The governments of Lagos and Ogun states once again commiserate with the families of the two young men, Lateef…
FINANCIAL institutions will start charging senders a ₦50 stamp duty on electronic transfers of ₦10,000 and above from January 1, 2026, following the implementation of the Tax Act. This was disclosed in notices seen by News Point Nigeria sent by Nigerian banks to their customers ahead of the policy’s implementation. The stamp duty or electronic money transfer levy (EMTL) is a single, one-off charge of ₦50 on electronic receipt or transfer of money deposited in any commercial money bank or financial institution on any type of account on sums of ₦10,000 and above. In an email sent to customers on…
THE family of world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has expressed deep concern over their inability to gain access to the boxer following the fatal road accident that occurred on Monday along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, which claimed the lives of two of his close associates. News Point Nigeria reports that speaking to journalists on Tuesday at the family residence in Ijokun, Sagamu, Joshua’s uncle, Adedamola Joshua, described the incident as a “rude shock” and said the family was distressed by the lack of direct information and access to the boxer. According to him, the family only became aware of the…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the provisional list of governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the June 20, 2026 Ekiti State governorship election, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) conspicuously absent from the list. The list, which was seen by News Point Nigeria on Monday, displayed at the INEC state office located along New Iyin Road, Ado-Ekiti, in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. According to the commission, the provisional list features candidates from 12 registered political parties, all of whom successfully submitted their nomination forms within the stipulated timeframe. Leading the field is…
TWO persons have been confirmed dead following a road traffic accident involving Nigerian-British boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State. The accident occurred on Monday when a vehicle conveying the former world heavyweight boxing champion reportedly collided with a stationary truck on the busy highway. News Point Nigeria gathered that the vehicle, a Lexus Sport Utility Vehicle with registration number KRD 850 HN, was part of a convoy carrying Joshua when the crash occurred. Confirming the incident, the Spokesperson of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun State Command, Afolabi Odunsi, said two people lost their…