Author: Sadiq Abdullateef

GOVERNORS elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday, August 23, 2025, convened in Gusau, Zamfara State, where they reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to holding the party’s national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15, 2025, in defiance of growing threats of disruption from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and other aggrieved members. News Point Nigeria reports that the Gusau meeting, the Forum’s 7th strategic session, was hosted by Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, and chaired by the Bauchi State Governor and Forum Chairman, Bala Mohammed. Present were Governors Ahmadu…

WHEN General Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, recently urged citizens to embrace self-defence and survival training, his words sparked conversations that cut across security, law, gender rights, and daily survival. News Point Nigeria explores these diverse viewpoints. The remarks, delivered during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, ignited national debate, prompting clarification from the Defence Headquarters and sparking fresh conversations on insecurity, resilience, and survival in today’s Nigeria. General Musa stressed that knowing how to defend oneself is just as essential as learning how to drive or swim. “That one should be taken as learning driving, learning…

THE United States has intensified its visa screening process by extending its vetting beyond paperwork and interviews into the digital footprints of applicants. News Point Nigeria reports that under new rules, foreigners seeking American visas must now disclose all social media handles used in the past five years when filling out the standard Form DS-160, and ensure those accounts remain publicly accessible. Consular officers are mandated to review applicants’ online activity, often running search engine checks and leveraging sophisticated investigative tools such as LexisNexis. Officials say the move reflects Washington’s shift toward “comprehensive and thorough vetting”, designed to detect potential…

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is once again engulfed in internal strife, with fresh divisions deepening between rival blocs in the South ahead of the party’s much-anticipated convention in Ibadan. News Point Nigeria reports that the latest storm follows a controversial gathering in Lagos, which some southern leaders denounced as “illegal, exclusionary, and unrepresentative.” The meeting, reportedly dominated by allies of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has widened tensions between his camp and that of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike. At stake is not only the zoning of key party positions ahead of the Ibadan convention, but also…

OGUN, Kano, and Akwa Ibom States have emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s ₦163 billion allocation for Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIPs), popularly known as constituency projects, in the 2025 budget. News Point Nigeria reports that the allocations, captured in budget data released by the Budget Office of the Federation and analysed by the civil society group Tracka, reveal sharp disparities across states, raising fresh debates over transparency, accountability, and the political nature of the ZIP scheme. According to the breakdown, Ogun State leads with ₦8.44 billion, followed by Kano with ₦6.46 billion and Akwa Ibom with ₦5.34…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared Abdullahi Bashir Haske, a businessman and son-in-law of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, wanted over alleged involvement in criminal conspiracy and money laundering. News Point Nigeria reports that the announcement was contained in a public notice issued by Dele Oyewale, spokesperson of the commission late on Thursday. According to the EFCC, Haske, aged 38, is being sought in connection with a case of “criminal conspiracy and money laundering.” “The public is hereby notified that Abdullahi Bashir Haske, whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the EFCC in an alleged case of criminal…

AFRICA’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has opened up about his early struggles, humble beginnings, and the trials that shaped his rise to becoming a $28 billion business magnate. In a wide-ranging feature by Bloomberg cited by News Point Nigeria, Dangote recalled how he started his journey into business in the 1970s with a $3,000 loan from his uncle, trading in cotton, cocoa, cashew nuts, and sesame seeds before eventually moving into cement and transportation. By the early 1990s, he revealed, he was earning just ₦7,000 to ₦8,000 a day from cement trading, a modest income that nevertheless allowed him to…

NIGERIA is reeling from one of its deadliest flood disasters in recent years, with at least 165 people confirmed dead and over 119,000 others affected across 19 states as of August 16, 2025. The grim statistics were disclosed by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) through its official X account cited by News Point Nigeria, which provided a detailed “2025 flood dashboard.” According to the update, 82 people remain missing, 138 injured, and 43,936 displaced. The floods have torn through communities, submerging homes, farmlands, and critical infrastructure. A total of 8,594 homes have been destroyed or damaged, while 8,278 farmlands have…

THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has restrained the House of Representatives from compelling 17 Chief Executives of insurance companies to appear before its Committee on Capital Market and Institutions over alleged indebtedness to the Federal Government. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Emeka Nwite issued the interlocutory injunction on Monday after hearing an application filed by the insurers, who are members of the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA). The decision followed an application moved by their counsel, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), challenging the authority of the House to summon the Chief Executives and demand operational records in relation to…

THE Presidency has dismissed viral social media claims that Nigeria’s participation at the ongoing 9th Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama, Japan, was reduced to an “empty booth.” In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga made available to News Point Nigeria, the Presidency said the trending video misrepresented the country’s true mission at the high-level summit. According to Onanuga, Nigeria’s delegation led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is in Japan to pursue strategic bilateral and multilateral engagements aimed at securing concrete investments in critical sectors such…

NIGERIANS across the globe have expressed outrage after videos emerged showing the country’s booth at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Japan allegedly abandoned and unmanned, despite the presence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and a large Nigerian delegation at the global summit. News Point Nigeria reports that the incident, which quickly went viral on Wednesday, sparked heated criticism over what many described as another “international embarrassment” for Africa’s most populous nation. A participant at the event, Idris Ayodeji Bello, first raised alarm in a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he shared photos and videos…

THE United Nations has raised a fresh alarm over the worsening humanitarian situation in Nigeria, warning that 31 million Nigerians are food insecure, while more than 10 million children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, including 3.5 million suffering severe malnutrition. The grim statistics were disclosed at a joint event held in Abuja on Tuesday by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) to mark the 2025 World Humanitarian Day, themed “Strengthening Global Solidarity and Empowering Local Communities.” Speaking at the event, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator…

A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the temporary freezing of four bank accounts linked to former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kolo Kyari, over allegations of fraud, conspiracy, abuse of office, and money laundering. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Emeka Nwite issued the ruling on Tuesday while delivering judgment in an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1641, was argued by EFCC counsel, Ogechi Ujam. Although the EFCC requested a 60-day freezing order to enable investigators to complete their…

BILLLIONAIRE businessman Femi Otedola has revealed that his rise to global prominence did not begin in a university lecture hall but in his father’s printing press, after years of academic struggles that ended with him dropping out of school. The 62-year-old energy magnate made the revelation in his newly released memoir, Making It Big, a 286-page chronicle of his life journey, cited by this newspaper on Tuesday. In the book, Otedola offers rare insight into his humble beginnings, academic disappointments, and the bold choices that set him on the path to becoming one of Africa’s most influential businessmen. Otedola recalls…

THE Federal Government may soon approve a pay raise for political office holders as the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) pushes for a review of what it describes as “outdated and inadequate” salaries of Nigerian leaders. News Point Nigeria reports that speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu currently earns ₦1.5 million monthly, while ministers take home less than ₦1 million, salaries that have not been adjusted since 2008. “You are paying the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ₦1.5 million a month, with a…

IN a week of dramatic anti-terror breakthroughs, security forces in Chad and Nigeria have struck heavy blows against extremist networks operating across the Lake Chad Basin, with ripple effects drawing in international partners. Authorities in Chad confirmed the arrest of six suspected Boko Haram members, including a young man believed to be Muslim Mohammed Yusuf, the son of Boko Haram’s late founder, Mohammed Yusuf. This is after the Nigerian government announced the capture of two top leaders of the Ansaru faction, with the United States congratulating Nigeria on what it described as a “significant forward step” in the fight against…

MORE than 200 establishment bills currently before the National Assembly will likely be rendered ineffective following the Federal Government’s decision to halt the creation of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education for the next seven years. The moratorium, approved on Wednesday at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, was announced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who described it as a “pragmatic and urgent response to a sector drowning in duplication, under-utilisation, and declining quality.” According to Alausa, Nigeria’s tertiary education problem is no longer lack…

THE Federal Government has finally bowed to pressure from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) by appointing renowned policy analyst and business strategist, Mr. Opeyemi Agbaje, as the new Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Pension Commission (PenCom). The development comes barely a week after the NLC, at the end of its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting on August 13, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to constitute the PenCom Governing Board in line with the Pension Reform Act 2014. Labour had also demanded that PenCom furnish it with a comprehensive status report of pension funds within…

NIGERIA’s relentless war against insurgency recorded a landmark breakthrough at the weekend with the dramatic arrest of two notorious and high-profile leaders of the al-Qaeda-linked Ansaru terror group. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, announced on Saturday in Abuja that the military had captured Abu Baraa and Mahmuda, two of Ansaru’s most feared and most wanted commanders. The arrests, products of sustained, painstaking, and coordinated operations launched in May 2025 are being hailed by security analysts as one of the most decisive blows against terrorist networks in West Africa in recent years. Abu Baraa and Mahmuda were not…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered over ₦5 billion and $10 million from contractors and officials implicated in the multi-billion-dollar fraud that crippled the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s refineries in Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Warri. Investigations, according to reliable sources, are also zeroing in on an additional ₦10 billion and $13 million allegedly siphoned by contractors under the guise of turnaround maintenance (TAM) contracts that yielded little or no results despite huge allocations. The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, is said to have taken personal charge of the investigation, expressing frustration at the continued dormancy of the country’s refineries…