NIGERIA loses an estimated $25 billion every year due to the lack of electricity and related infrastructure, the managing director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, has disclosed. Aliyu disclosed on Friday in Abuja during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Rural Electrification Agency and Galaxy Backbone, aimed at delivering electricity and digital connectivity to public institutions such as schools, hospitals, and security agencies across the country. He said the initiative is part of the administration of President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to drive inclusive development and realise its vision of a $ 1 trillion economy. According…
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KANO State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has approved the appointment of new officials to head strategic government agencies. Governor Yususf, in a statement on Friday by his spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, announced Dr. Bashir Muzakkar as Director General of the Kano State Information & Communication Technologies Development Agency (KASITDA). Dr. Muzakkar previously served as Special Adviser to the Governor on Digital and Creative Economy. Also, the Governor appointed Kabiru Saidu Dakata as Director General of Kano State Advert & Signage Agency (KASA). In the same vein, the Special Adviser on Enlightenment and Social Mobilisation to the Governor, Dr. Fatima…
JUSTICE Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered the Senate to recall the suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. News Point Nigeria reports that delivering judgment, Justice Nyako described as excessive the six-month suspension that was imposed on the lawmaker by the Senate. The judge faulted the provision of Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules as well as Section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers & Privileges Act, declaring both as overreaching. The court also held that Senate President Godswill Akpabio was not wrong to have denied Senator Natasha, who was not in the official seat…
FORMER Vice President, Atiku Abubakar launched a scathing criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday, following the shocking exclusion of Nigeria from an upcoming high-level meeting hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump. The summit, which will take place on July 9, 2025, at the White House, is centered around exploring “commercial opportunities” with select African nations but notably, Nigeria did not make the list. Trump is set to host leaders from Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal, a mix of West and Central African countries to discuss bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation. The basis for their selection has…
EMBATTLED former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, has distanced himself from key portions of a written statement submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging that his lawyer misrepresented his account during interrogation. Mamman, who is facing a 12-count charge bordering on money laundering and criminal conspiracy, made the claim while testifying before the Federal High Court in Abuja during a trial-within-trial hearing on Wednesday, July 3, 2025. The charges against him relate to the alleged laundering of over N33.8 billion in connection with the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects during his tenure as Minister of Power…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received 12 additional applications from associations seeking registration as political parties, bringing the total number of applications to 122. The Commission also released Supplementary Regulations and Guidelines for the Review of Election Results, as empowered by Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022. National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, said the latest applications were received as of Wednesday, July 2, 2025, following the earlier submission of 110 applications announced on June 23. Olumekun said the Commission is processing all applications…
FORMER governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is frustrating the efforts of opposition political parties to form a formidable force against the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 general elections. Amaechi, a former Minister of Transport and a member of the opposition coalition on the platform of the African Democratic Party, stated this on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Thursday night monitored by News Point Nigeria. “Every member of the opposition who belongs to the coalition is a member of the ADC. Are we stopping at that? The answer is no.…
VICE-PRESIDENT Kashim Shettima has called on the family of the late elder statesman and business icon, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, to remain united and uphold the legacy of integrity, humility, and philanthropy that defined the life of their patriarch. Speaking during a condolence visit to the Dantata family in Kano on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Shettima described the late industrialist as a “pillar of the nation” whose passing is a monumental loss not just to his family but to Nigeria as a whole. “The death of Alhaji Aminu Dantata is not a loss to his family alone —…
JUSTICE Ebiyerin Omukoro, a serving judge of the Bayelsa State High Court, has regained his freedom 12 days after he was abducted by masked gunmen in Yenagoa, the state capital. Justice Omukoro was kidnapped on the evening of Saturday, 21st June 2025, at Kilimanjaro Eatery, opposite Ekeki Park, shortly after returning from a trip to Warri, Delta State. His release was confirmed on Thursday. Authorities and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) are yet to issue formal statements. Justice Omukoro, speaking shortly after his release, described the experience as a harrowing ordeal and expressed gratitude to everyone involved in securing his…
THE House of Representatives has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the full implementation of the 5% user charge on petroleum products and diesel as stipulated under the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) Act, 2007. The House emphasized that enforcing this provision remains a priority for the 10th Assembly as part of its efforts to address Nigeria’s critical road infrastructure needs. This commitment was made known on Thursday, 3rd July, 2025, during a technical meeting convened by the Ad-hoc Committee investigating the collection and remittance of the 5% user charge. The meeting had in attendance the Management team of the Federal…
THE Kaduna State chapter of the Social Democratic Party has been plunged into mourning following the death of its Zone One chairman, Bashir Zakariya. Zakariya died in a motor accident on Zaria–Kaduna Expressway on Thursday. According to party officials, he was travelling from Zaria to Kaduna when the crash occurred along the ever-busy highway. In a statement signed by the state Publicity Secretary, Darius Kurah, the SDP described the late chairman as “a man of integrity, courage and vision” whose passion for justice and democracy inspired many within and outside the party. “Zakariya stood for truth, spoke with conviction and…
THERE’s a part of my job that can swallow you whole. Journalists are brought up on a diet whose main ingredients are a deliberate blend of crime, sex, and money. Everything else is a side dish. That’s why if you follow what you read daily in the newspapers, on the radio or TV or any of the online extensions of the media, you sometimes think the world is going to hell in a handcart. From the shocking reports of killings in Benue and Plateau States to stories of kidnapping for ransom, banditry, and other minor forms of criminality, there seems…
ATALANTA have placed a £52 million price tag on Nigerian winger and 2024 African Footballer of the Year, Ademola Lookman, as Arsenal intensify their chase of the in-form forward. According to Corriere della Sera, the Serie A side considers the fee a fair valuation for the 27-year-old, who is at the peak of his career. Lookman has Premier League experience from previous stints with Charlton Athletic, Everton, Fulham, and Leicester City, which could ease his transition back to English football. Arsenal are in the market for a versatile forward this summer, and Lookman has emerged as a top target. Reports…
LIVERPOOL say they are “devastated” by the “unimaginable loss” of forward Diogo Jota, who has died in a car crash aged 28. The Portugal international and his brother Andre Silva, 25, were killed after their car left the road because of a tyre blowout in the Spanish province of Zamora. Jota married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children, just last month. Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who played alongside Jota, wrote on social media: “It doesn’t make sense. Just now we were together in the national team, you had just got married.” Five-time Ballon d’Or winner…
MORE than 300 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the last 48 hours, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, which says Israel has “committed 26 bloody massacres” in that period. At least 118 Palestinians were killed and 581 others injured in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, the enclave’s Health Ministry said on Thursday. At least 73 of those were killed since dawn, including 33 aid seekers at the controversial Israeli and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid sites. Thirteen people were killed when Israeli forces attacked a tent in al-Mawasi…
A WILDFIRE fanned by gale-force winds on the southern Greek island of Crete has forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists, officials said on Thursday. An elderly man died in neighbouring Turkey, where wildfires forced the evacuation of six villages in the western province of Izmir. Hot dry weather in Greece — not unusual for this time of year — has heightened the risk of a repeat of summer wildfires that have hit the country in recent years, while Turkey, although spared from the recent heatwaves that gripped southern Europe, has battled the effects of a long-term drought…
THE embattled former Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency in Equatorial Guinea, Baltasar Engonga, is set to face 18 years imprisonment after he appeared in the Malabo court for his corruption trial. Engonga had been detained at Black Beach Prison since September 2024 following the corruption probe, and unrelated to the over 400 sextapes involving high-profile women uncovered in his office and house. He is facing embezzlement charges alongside several other former senior officials. During Monday’s court proceedings, prosecutors detailed what they described as a sophisticated scheme to divert public funds for personal gain. The scheme was allegedly…
TANZANIA’s Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has announced that he will not seek re-election in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, effectively preventing him from being re-appointed. Majaliwa had earlier said that he would defend his legislative seat for a fourth time in October before making the surprise announcement on Wednesday. The 64-year-old was appointed prime minister in 2015 and was seen as a possible successor of the late President John Magufuli after his death in 2021. He has continued to hold the position under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is seeking to retain the presidency under the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).…
FORMER Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, is dead, News Point Nigeria gathered. He was 61 years old. “We mourn the passing of legendary Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, a giant of Nigerian football and a 1994 AFCON champion,” the Super Eagles posted on its X handle on Thursday. “Your legacy lives on between the sticks and beyond. Rest well, Peter Rufai.” The legendary shot stopper died on Thursday after an illness. Nicknamed Dodomayana, Rufai was part of the Super Eagles team that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). He also featured for the team in the 1994 World…
FORMER governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has berated the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, saying that he does not know why Wike disrespects him. Amaechi, who disclosed this on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday monitored by News Point Nigeria, dared the minister to take a walk with him from Abuja to Port Harcourt to prove his popularity. He said, “Let the Minister of the FCT come, let’s take a walk from the airport to Port Harcourt, no police, no army, nothing, just the two of us. “I don’t know why he doesn’t respect people like…