Author: Maimuna Bashir Isa

THE senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, has taken a swipe at the administrative style of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, accusing him of autocracy. Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by News Point Nigeria, the lawmaker said Wike is not willing to work with anybody. Kingibe decried that despite writing to the minister, she hasn’t gotten a positive response on how to deliver the dividends of democracy to FCT residents. “If the Minister were my younger brother, he wouldn’t behave this way. I am only about governance.” ”You can see the letters…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that over 1.5 million voters have collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) across the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ahead of the February 21, 2026, chairmanship and councillorship elections. News Point Nigeria reports that the development comes as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, declared Friday, February 20, 2026, a work-free day and imposed a restriction of movement from 8 pm on Friday to 6 pm on Saturday to ensure smooth conduct of the elections. INEC had fixed February 21 for the election of chairmen…

FOLLOWING the sighting of the crescent by the moon-sighting committee on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia has announced that the first day of fasting will be Wednesday, February 18. During the month, which lasts 29 or 30 days, Muslims observing the fast will refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk, typically for a period of 12 to 15 hours, depending on their location. Ramadan is the month when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago. The fast entails abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual relations during daylight hours to…

THE Federal Ministry of Health has directed the immediate disengagement of directors who have spent eight years or more in the directorate cadre, in line with the Federal Government’s enforcement of tenure limits under the Revised Public Service Rules (PSR) 2021. The directive, contained in an internal memo sighted by News Point Nigeria on Tuesday, affects directors within the ministry, federal hospitals, agencies, parastatals, and other affiliated institutions under the ministry’s supervision. The move follows a broader Federal Government instruction mandating all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to strictly enforce the eight-year tenure policy for directors and a four-year renewable…

THE National Information Technology Development Agency, in partnership with the House of Representatives Spouses Association, has launched a two-day capacity-building programme in Abuja aimed at strengthening the digital leadership skills and emotional well-being of spouses of members of the House of Representatives. News Point Nigeria reports that the workshop, themed “Empowering Women for the Digital Future: Leadership, Wellbeing and Opportunity,” focuses on digital literacy, cybersecurity awareness, financial empowerment, entrepreneurship and mental resilience, particularly within the demands of public life. Speaking at the opening ceremony on Monday in Abuja, the wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Fatima Tajudeen…

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…

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…