Author: Sadiq Abdullateef

FORMER President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his anguish over the death of several soldiers killed in an ambush and a subsequent helicopter crash in Niger State. “I am saddened by the helicopter accident, following the tragic ambush in which we have lost our brave army personnel,” Buhari said on Saturday in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu. “My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover at the earliest.” He also expressed his “heartfelt condolences” to President Bola Tinubu, the Armed Forces of the Federation and the families of the deceased. “With the soldier-discipline in…

SOLDIERS in Niger claimed to have removed President Mohamed Bazoum from power late on Wednesday, hours after members of the presidential guard detained the politician at his official residence. In a statement broadcast on national television, Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane said that “the defence and security forces … have decided to put an end to the regime you are familiar with”. “This follows the continuous deterioration of the security situation, the bad social and economic management.” The soldier said the country’s borders were closed and a nationwide curfew was in place. All institutions of the country were also suspended, he added.…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has stated that the ECOWAS leadership will not accept any action that impedes the smooth functioning of legitimate authority in Niger Republic or any part of West Africa. The President made the remark in a statement while reacting to reports of an ongoing coup attempt in Niger Republic, Wednesday. News Point Nigeria had reported that, access to the official residence of Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was blocked off early Wednesday by members of the elite Presidential Guard, although the reason was unclear. Unconfirmed reports also suggested that a coup attempt is possibly ongoing at the presidential…

THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved free internet services at 20 selected airports, six markets and 43 universities across the country at the cumulative cost of 24.2 billion naira. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, disclosed this after the FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday. He affirmed that states like Lagos and Ondo in the South-West; Imo, Anambra, Enugu in the South-East; Rivers and Akwa Ibom for the South-South; Abuja and Kwara for the North Central; Kano, Sokoto and Kebbi for the North-West; Adamawa, Maiduguri and Gombe for North-East will enjoy the free…

AHEAD of the commencement of the 2023 census, the National Population Commission (NPC) on Wednesday said it will not ask questions on religious affiliation. In a statement on Wednesday by the Director of Public Affairs, Isiaka Yahaya, the Commission said the decision to exclude religion along with ethnicity from the census questionnaire was taken in consideration of the sensitive nature of these issues within the Nigerian polity. He also stated that the need to save the census data from needless controversies and attention will compel the NPC to avoid questions bordering on religion. “For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission…

THE Department of State Services (DSS) says the plot to set aside the constitution and install an interim government by “misguided” political actors is real. DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya, in a statement on Wednesday, vowed that the secret police will use all arsenals at its disposal to frustrate such plot. The secret police also said some key players in the plot for an interim government in Nigeria have been identified. The DSS had on Saturday warned politicians to desist from peddling “hate speech” and all forms of “false narratives” to ignite violence or pit citizens against the current government of…

This article was first published in LEADERSHIP, on my former boss, Late Sam Nda-Isaiah’s back page column in November 2019, Malam Mamman Daura’s 80th birthday. Malam Mamman Daura has been in the news recently, and I feel the need to re-published this article for obvious reasons. For those who knew, Sam – Kakaki Nupe as I fondly called him, the below article is a big attestation of Mamman Daura’s kindness, honour and integrity. I have never read anyting that delineates the true virtue of a man like this article on Malam Mamman Daura. Read and learn, from a man who…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has met privately with the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Aminu Tambuwal; and the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Atiku Bagudu over the scarcity of the new naira notes. News Point Nigeria learnt that, also in attendance at the meeting was the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele; the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa; as well as the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Lucky Irabor. The meeting held at the President’s office at the State House, Abuja. The meeting originally scheduled with the Nigerian…

SOKOTO State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has skipped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)  Presidential Rally in Bauchi for a secret meeting with some APC governors and a later meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, today. News Point Nigeria exclusively gathered that, Tambuwal, the Director-General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council is currently in a secret meeting with Chairman of APC Governors Forum and Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu and Ex-Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi at his Maitama residence. A source in the Presidency told News Point Nigeria that, the scheduled Presidential Villa meeting was summoned by President Muhammadu Buhari…

NAJA’ATU Muhammad, self-acclaimed human rights activist and politician is in the news again. As is usual with the fiery perpetual government and individuals’ critic, she is trending in dramatic circumstances. With a penchant for extreme views and indignant social criticism, she was described and rightly so, as a “professional character assassin” by a certain Muhammad Abubakar, sometime in 2019 in a rejoinder to her opinion piece “The Elephant in the Room: A Dent on its Trunk” where she gave a scathing account of the Nigeria Police Force and the leadership of the Police Service Commission (PSC). To puncture her self-righteous…

THE Nigeria Football Federation have inaugurated Faith Irabor as the head of the referees’ committee of the Nigerian FA, making her the first woman to occupy that position. Prior to her appointment, Irabor, is a retired FIFA referee, former CAF Referee Instructor and the first Vice President of the Nigeria Referees Association since 2019 and also previously served as the Director of Sports of the Edo State Sports Ministry. The referees’ committee is mandated by the NFF to deal with referees and other officiating-related matters across the domestic leagues in Nigeria, with the appointment taking immediate effect for the period…

RIVERS State governor, Nyesom Wike, has granted approval for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar to stage his campaign rally in the state. This was sequel to a letter requesting granting of approval for use of venue made to the state government by the party. It was feared that Atiku and his party may not stage campaign rallies in the state following the toxic stand-off between the state governor and PDP Presidential candidate. News Point Nigeria recalled that Wike enacted Executive Order 21 in Rivers, which forbids all candidates of political parties from staging campaign…

BARELY three days after News Point Nigeria exclusively reported that Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and his G5  govs have started mobilizing grassroots politicians across the South South and South East, telling them to vote PDP in every seat except for president, and for that, Obi is the candidate to vote. Wike himself has confirmed that story albeit not all of it, in a daring move against the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, the Rivers governor has told the people of Rivers state to vote for PDP for every seat except for President. Wike made the remark…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari in a meeting with the Senate on Tuesday has said, Nigeria will pay an extra $4 billion to service its debt if the Senate blocks a plan to restructure government loans from the Central Bank. “Failure to grant the securitization approval will however cost the government about 1.8 trillion naira in additional interest in 2023,” the President added, according to an emailed statement from his spokesman, Femi Adesina to Bloomberg International. Bloomberg added that, Buhari’s administration has negotiated a more favorable interest rate and longer repayment period with the central bank, the statement said. It could be…

BARELY 6 hours, after News Point Nigeria published an exclusive story about the G5 Governors’ undoubted support for LP Candidate, Peter Obi’s Presidential bid come February, one of the G5, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has openly declared that Obi is the best candidate for Nigeria. In a statement signed by the Special Adviser Media and Publicity to the Governor, Terver Akase, Gov Ortom commended former President, Olusegun Obasanjo over his endorsement of Peter Obi as the right candidate to win this year’s presidential election and provide the leadership that Nigerians desire. The Governor states that if he were not…

By Sadiq Abdullateef THE five aggrieved Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) identified as G5 seem to have taken a final stand not to work for the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, and have instead resorted to supporting Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) candidate. The G5 Governors, led by Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, has Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu). News Point Nigeria has been reliably informed by a source very close to the G5 and especially close to Governor Wike, that the governors will undoubtedly support…

BARELY 24 hours after News Point Nigeria broke the story about an attack on the motorcade of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state on his way back from statewide electioneering campaign on Sunday evening, the governor has come out to confirm the story by condemning the attack and vowing to bring the hoodlums to book. In a statement signed by the Special Adviser Media and Publicity to the Governor, Muhammad Bello, Tambuwal said, the thugs had stormed the Governor’s convoy with hail of stones in the state capital, Sokoto while he was returning, with his entourage and party…

Exclusive photos of the attacked SUV and vehicle MISCREANTS suspected to be loyalists of an All Progressives Congress (APC) serving Senator in Sokoto state waylaid the convoy of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state, a source in the state told News Point Nigeria exclusively. According to the source, the cars were coming back from the third leg of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) statewide electioneering campaign in Silame and Wamakko Local Government Areas, Sunday evening. The attackers threw stones at the moving vehicles in the convoy striking the front windscreen of the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity…

NIGERIAN National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) and the Security Agencies on Friday, tracked, intercepted, and destroyed two oil vessels and two cars with stolen crude in Agge Community, Ekere-mor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, a source very close to the security companies told News Point Nigeria. Operatives of Tantita Security Services (owned by ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo) engaged by the NNPC for pipeline surveillance in June 2022, were said to have carried out the raid after they got an intel report about the location of the theft on December 22. According to the source, four people were…

THE Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila has congratulated Nigerians for witnessing the New Year 2023. In a New Year statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, the Speaker said the year 2023 will be significant for Nigerians, being the year that citizens will elect new leaders to pilot the affairs of the country. Gbajabiamila said he is optimistic about the opportunities and possibilities that lie ahead and urged Nigerians to remain resolute and determined as a people. He noted that 2023 is a defining year for Nigeria, which is why the citizens…