NIGERIA’s headline inflation eased to 15.10 percent despite the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recent CPI normalisation that created a lower base effect for January 2025, as food and core inflation dropped. News Point Nigeria reports that the National Bureau of Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index increased to 15.10 percent in January 2026, from 15.15 percent in December 2025. This drop is contrary to analysts projection of an increase in the inflation figure to 18-19 percent levels. “We see the headline inflation rate rising to around 18–19 percent levels. However, consistent with our projections in our year ahead…
Author: Maimuna Bashir Isa
THE Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has disclosed that more than 50,000 Nigerian-trained doctors are currently practising outside the country, highlighting what it described as an alarming rate of brain drain in the nation’s health sector. News Point Nigeria reports that the revelation was made by the National President of the NMA, Bala Mohammed Audu, during a courtesy visit to Kalapanzi Barracks in Kakuri, Kaduna, at the weekend. Audu said current figures suggest that Nigeria may now have more of its trained doctors working overseas than within its own borders. “There seems to be more Nigerian doctors outside the shores of…
THE Nigerian Army has apprehended a man, Alhaji Tijjani Rauf, for allegedly impersonating a retired Major General and making false claims about his military and national honours. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele on Thursday, the Army said the suspect “falsely paraded himself as a retired Major General of the Nigerian Army, thereby misleading the public and abusing the prestige of the military institution.” The Army said preliminary investigations revealed that Abdul Rauf “was never commissioned into the Nigerian Army at any time, nor did he attain the rank…
FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has called for a deliberate generational shift in leadership across Africa, urging nations on the continent to prioritise younger leaders between the ages of 25 and 50. News Point Nigeria reports that Jonathan made the appeal on Thursday in Abuja at the International Memorial Lecture and Leadership Conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of former Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Muhammad. Addressing political leaders, scholars and dignitaries at the event, the former president argued that the demands of modern governance require physical stamina, mental alertness and resilience qualities he believes are more prevalent…
THE Minister of Works, David Umahi, has vowed to resign if the ongoing Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Road project is found to be substandard, declaring his readiness to subject the work to independent testing. News Point Nigeria reports that Umahi said this while defending his budget before a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday. During the session, questions were raised over the award of a section of the project to a company some legislators described as unknown and previously associated with generator sales. Adams Oshiomhole (APC/Edo North) demanded to know why the contract was taken from an established construction firm and…
THE Milano Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony has just handed Nigeria a moment for the history books. Maryam Bukar Hassan, the celebrated poet popularly known as Alhanislam, became the first Nigerian Olympic flag bearer. While the athletes parade behind their respective national colours, the iconic five-ringed Olympic flag is reserved for those who embody the movement’s loftier ideals: global impact, cultural bridge-building, and tireless advocacy. Standing alongside sporting titans like marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge and gymnastics star Rebeca Andrade, Maryam was in truly rarefied company. Clad in a bespoke Giorgio Armani ensemble that screamed “Quiet Luxury,” Maryam walked into the historic…
THE United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced plans to deport an additional 18 Nigerian nationals listed on its so-called “worst-of-the-worst” criminal register, bringing the total number of Nigerians scheduled for removal from the country to 97. The latest development comes barely a week after News Point Nigeria reported that 79 Nigerians convicted of various offences across the United States had been marked for deportation by U.S. immigration authorities. A follow-up check on the official DHS website on Monday revealed that 18 more names had been added to the list, signaling a further expansion of the enforcement exercise…
NIGERIA’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has expressed surprise and gratitude over the public recognition she received from United States President Donald Trump during her recent visit to Washington, D.C. Speaking in an interview on Fox News while on an official visit to the United States, Mrs Tinubu said she never expected to be acknowledged personally by President Trump, describing the moment as humbling and deeply significant. “Who would have thought that President Trump would recognise me? I am getting global recognition on all of this, and that is what life is all about. If something is going to be…
THE Nigerian High Commission in South Africa has cleared its outstanding electricity bills after municipal authorities disconnected power supply to its premises in Pretoria over unpaid charges. News Point Nigeria reports the disconnection was confirmed earlier by the Mayor of the City of Tshwane, Nasiphi Moya, who said the diplomatic mission was cut off as part of the city’s ongoing debt recovery drive targeting defaulting consumers. According to the mayor, the action fell under the municipality’s #TshwaneYaTima campaign, an enforcement initiative aimed at recovering unpaid utility bills from individuals, businesses, and institutions owing significant arrears. “We’ve disconnected electricity at the…
PROCEEDINGS resume on Monday in London in the corruption and bribery trial of former Nigerian petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke. News Point Nigeria reports that Alison-Madueke denies multiple charges relating to alleged misconduct while overseeing Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. But prosecutors claim she received cash and luxury benefits in exchange for influence over energy contracts. The case has major implications for accountability in the global energy industry.
FORMER Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has raised serious concerns over the fairness of her ongoing corruption trial in the United Kingdom, alleging that actions by both the British and Nigerian authorities have undermined her right to a fair defence. News Point Nigeria reports that Alison-Madueke, who is standing trial at the Southwark Crown Court in London, said she has been denied access to critical documents required to adequately prepare her case, a development her legal team argues compromises the integrity of the proceedings. In a statement issued by her media aide, Bolouere Opukiri, the former minister disclosed that…
AN atmosphere of fear and uncertainty has gripped Nigerian immigrants in the United States as intensified immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration triggers what community leaders describe as a wave of self-deportation, job abandonment, and mass withdrawal from public life. Findings by News Point Nigeria show that many Nigerians particularly undocumented immigrants and those with unresolved immigration status have stopped going to work, gone into hiding, or quietly returned to Nigeria as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) steps up aggressive raids across several states. President Trump re-launched his hardline immigration policy immediately after his inauguration in January 2025, ordering…
THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has applied for a National Industrial Court order to commit the striking workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to prison over their alleged disobedience of the court order. News Point Nigeria reports that Wike’s alleged disobedience by the workers arose from resumption of their strike despite an order of the court issued on January 27, stopping the strike until the determination of the suit instituted against them by the FCT Minister. The FCT Minister has obtained Form 48, a legal document of the court, which spells out the consequences…
THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, says any worker of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) who fails to resume work from Wednesday, January 28 would face disciplinary action. News Point Nigeria reports that Wike stated this on Tuesday while briefing journalists at his office in Abuja shortly after the National Industrial Court in the nation’s capital ordered the workers to suspend their ongoing strike. “From tomorrow if you don’t come to work we are going to apply the big stick and from tomorrow if we see anybody who says he wants to block the gate, we…
NO fewer than 400,000 Nigerians have applied for 50,000 police constable positions across the country, highlighting the scale of unemployment and the growing appeal of public sector jobs amid economic and security challenges. The Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) disclosed this on Monday while announcing a two-week extension of the ongoing recruitment exercise, following uneven participation across several states. The extension was confirmed in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the Head of Protocol and Public Affairs of the PSC, Mr. Torty Kalu, who said the decision was taken after a review of…
THE corruption trial of Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former Nigerian oil minister and the first woman president of OPEC, is set to begin in London on Monday. News Point Nigeria reports that the 65-year-old faces five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, all related to her time as Nigeria’s Minister for Petroleum Resources between 2010 and 2015, when Goodluck Jonathan was Nigeria’s president. Alison-Madueke is accused of accepting “financial or other advantages” from individuals linked to two energy groups between 2011 and 2015. These included the use of, refurbishment work on, and staff costs at…
THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian woman, Ingrid Benevides, with 30.09 kilograms of heroin. Disclosing this in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday, NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the drugs, worth over ₦3 billion in street value, were concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. He said the suspect was intercepted on Friday after arriving in Abuja on a Qatar Airways flight. According to the anti-narcotics agency, Benevides, a private security officer in Brazil, was placed under intelligence-led surveillance before her arrest at the airport. “When…
THE Republic of Türkiye has identified 76 wooden and metal artifacts believed to belong to Nigeria, paving the way for their repatriation and potentially strengthening cultural ties between the two nations. The Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, HE Mehmet Poroy, made this known on Thursday when he paid a courtesy visit to the Hon Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa Esq., in Abuja. Ambassador Poroy stated that discussions for their return will commence immediately the Nigerian government officially identifies and claims ownership of the objects. He also expressed hope that a cultural cooperation agreement between Turkey…
MINISTER of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has urged international investors to look beyond the security challenges facing Nigeria, saying that the reported geopolitical risks were exaggerated, eroding foreign investors’ confidence in the country. Speaking when he featured on CNN on Tuesday at the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, monitored by News Point Nigeria, Tuggar noted that incidents of insecurity being recorded across the country are “isolated cases” and not the reality across the country. According to him, instability in the Sahel had spilled into Nigeria. “We are urging investors to treat us the same way they treat other…
THE Niger State Government has initiated discussions with the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy to transform the historic Bida Bariki Festival into a nationally and internationally recognised cultural event. News Point Nigeria reports that the proposal was presented in Abuja on Tuesday by Hon. Saidu Musa Abdullahi, Member of the House of Representatives for Bida/Katcha/Gbako Federal Constituency, during a meeting with the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, Esq. Hon. Abdullahi, who also serves on the House Committee on Culture and Tourism, described Bida as the cultural nerve centre of the…