Author: Sadiq Abdullateef

Minister Of Arts, Hannatu Musawa, Only Cabinet Member Present On All Five Major Platforms DESPITE Nigeria being one of Africa’s most digitally engaged nations, with over 40 million people active daily on social media, a recent report has revealed a stark mismatch between government leadership and citizen engagement in the digital space. According to a latest report by COLUMN, a digital communications and strategy firm obtained by News Point Nigeria, FG’s 51 cabinet ministers collectively command a mere 17 million followers across five major platforms: Twitter (X), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok as of April 11, 2025. The firm warns…

IN an emotionally charged moment at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) Chamber in Abuja on Thursday, Yusuf Buhari, son of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, delivered a heartfelt message of appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian government, and the Nigerian people for the profound honours accorded to his father. News Point Nigeria report that the special FEC session was convened in memory of Buhari, who passed away in London on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the age of 82. His body was flown back to Nigeria and buried on Tuesday in Daura, Katsina State, in a state…

SENATOR Basheer Lado, Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, has described the late President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, as more than a national leader calling him a father figure, mentor, and personal friend whose life of sacrifice and integrity shaped his own public service journey. In a moving tribute issued in Abuja on Thursday and made available to News Point Nigeria, Lado expressed grief over the passing of the former president, saying Nigeria has lost a patriotic icon, while he has lost a trusted confidant and guiding light. In his words: The passing of His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR,…

THE Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) has entered into a landmark $2 billion joint venture agreement with SP Offshore Nigeria Limited, aimed at reviving Nigeria’s defence industrial base and drastically reducing the nation’s reliance on imported military hardware. The deal was signed on Wednesday in Kaduna, marking a significant milestone in the Federal Government’s effort to reposition the country as self-sufficient in military production by 2027, a vision clearly articulated in the recently signed DICON Act 2023. According to Major General Babatunde Ibrahim Alaya, the Director General of DICON, the joint venture is a “transformative step” towards building a…

THE Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has strongly refuted claims by Turkish Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, alleging that a Turkish-designated terror group is operating within Nigerian territory under the guise of education and healthcare services. In a statement issued Thursday by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye made available to News Point Nigeria, the DHQ described the assertion as “unofficial” and lacking credible basis, noting that Nigeria, as a sovereign nation, does not accept foreign intelligence without independent verification. “Information from the person you are talking about, as far as the Defence Headquarters is concerned, is an…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has uncovered no fewer than 9,460 illegal admissions across 20 tertiary institutions in Nigeria for the 2024 academic session, sparking concerns over widespread violations of the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS). According to official data obtained by News Point Nigeria, the admissions were conducted outside CAPS, JAMB’s centralized and regulated admissions platform, thereby rendering them illegal and void under existing education policy. The breakdown of the illegal admissions reveals that the Aliko Dangote University, Kano is the highest offender, with 2,215 unapproved admissions. Trailing Dangote is Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) with…

THE Federal Government has dismissed recent claims by the Turkish government alleging that members of a terrorist group known as the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) are operating within Nigeria. Responding on Wednesday, the Coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Maj Gen Adamu Laka, assured Nigerians that there is no new terrorist group in the country and urged the public to remain calm. “There is no need to panic,” Laka said in an interview with this newspaper, following statements made by Mehmet Poroy, Türkiye’s Ambassador-designate to Nigeria. Poroy had made the remarks during a dinner hosted by the Turkish Embassy in…

CHIEF of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has paid glowing tribute to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a principled leader who stood firm in protecting the independence of the Nigerian legislature during a politically turbulent era. In a heartfelt statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, Gbajabiamila recounted his personal and political relationship with Buhari, praising the former president for resisting pressure from within his own administration to interfere with the workings of the National Assembly. “From the moment I received news of former President…

THE Turkish government has issued a fresh warning over the continued presence and operations of the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in Nigeria, stating that the group remains active particularly in sectors like education and healthcare. This was disclosed by Mehmet Poroy, Turkish Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, on Tuesday night at a dinner event hosted by the Turkish Embassy in Abuja to commemorate Türkiye’s Democracy and National Unity Day. The annual observance marks the anniversary of the failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye, which the government attributes to FETO. “The FETO terrorist organisation still maintains its activities in Nigeria,” Poroy…

A HOST of Nigeria’s top political leaders and public figures gathered in Daura on Wednesday to attend the Fidau prayer for the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away in a London hospital on Sunday and was buried on Tuesday. Vice President Kashim Shettima led the delegation of dignitaries, which included Governors Dikko Umar Radda of Katsina State and Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State. The solemn ceremony, deeply rooted in Islamic tradition, was held to seek Allah’s forgiveness and mercy for the deceased, in accordance with Fidda’u rites. Other high-profile attendees included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former…

IN an unusual yet respectful turn of events, the body of Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari was transported from the United Kingdom to Nigeria inside the main cabin of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) jet rather than the cargo hold typically used for caskets. According to informed sources, the decision became necessary after it was discovered that the presidential casket could not fit into the aircraft’s cargo compartment. With British airport authorities insisting on strict safety protocols and ruling out alterations to the aircraft or use of a larger plane, handlers faced a critical choice. Rather than resort to placing…

THE soil of Daura soaked up more than just rainfall on Tuesday evening; it absorbed the tears of a nation bidding farewell to one of its most consequential leaders, former President Muhammadu Buhari. The 82-year-old retired general and two-time Nigerian head of state was buried in the courtyard of his private residence in Daura at exactly 5:50 p.m., in accordance with Islamic rites and full military honours. The solemn event was marked by a blend of religious prayers, military salutes, and subdued emotion as Nigeria laid to rest a man whose name had become both revered and debated across the…

THE body of former President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived at his residence in Daura, his home town in Katsina State. The body, which left the United Kingdom earlier on Tuesday, was received at the Katsina International Airport by President Bola Tinubu. News Point Nigeria reports that the Chief Imam Of Daura Jumma’at Msoque led the Janaza prayers at the Daura Helipad. Afterwards, the body was moved to  the residence of the late former president for final burial.

EX-PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari’s body has arrived at the Katsina Airport. The body, accompanied by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and some family members of the late former president, landed at the airport runway at about 1:59 pm. President Bola Tinubu, who personally received the body at the airport, had earlier asked Vice-President Kashim Shettima and Femi Gbajabiamila, his Chief of Staff, to proceed to the UK to accompany the body home. Also Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State, and members of the Katsina State Executive Council, 20 other governors, Deputy Senate President, Barau…

ALHAJI Mamman Daura, uncle to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, has broken his silence, offering a heartfelt account of Buhari’s final moments in a London hospital before his passing on Sunday. Mamman Daura, who is also a respected elder statesman and veteran journalist, shared intimate details of his last encounter with Buhari, describing the mood on Saturday night as lighthearted and optimistic. According to Daura, the former president had been making final arrangements for his return to Nigeria and was confident of being discharged from the hospital within days. “We were together on Saturday talking and laughing,” Daura recalled.…

THE atmosphere in the hometown of late former President Muhammadu Buhari was heavy with grief on Tuesday as his family, led by his first daughter, Fatima Buhari, began arriving ahead of the final rites. Fatima, visibly devastated, was seen in tears upon her arrival at the Buhari family residence in Daura. Dressed in black and flanked by close relatives, she was quietly consoled by friends and sympathizers who had gathered to welcome the bereaved family. Other members of the Buhari family also made their way to the town Tuesday morning in preparation for the burial, as arrangements reached a climax.…

FORMER Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq has paid an emotional tribute to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a father figure, a moral compass and a transformational leader who redefined service to the nation. In a heartfelt statement issued late on Monday and made available to News Point Nigeria, the former minister recounted her decades-long relationship with the former president, highlighting how his values shaped her personal and political life. Farouq recalled her first encounter with Buhari in the modest setting of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he had come…

FORMER Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar has revealed that he was admitted to the same hospital in London where ex-President Muhammadu Buhari died, sharing poignant final moments with the late Nigerian leader. Buhari, Nigeria’s military ruler from 1984 to 1985 and democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023, died on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the age of 82. His burial is scheduled for Tuesday, July 15, in Daura, Katsina State. In a reflective interview with Channels Television monitored by News Point Nigeria, Abdulsalami described the late president’s death as a “big blow” to Nigeria and the entire West…

ELEVEN years after the devastating twin bombings in Nyanya, a suburb of Abuja, the Federal Government on Monday formally reopened the trial of Aminu Ogwuche and five others alleged to be the masterminds of the April 14, 2014 attack that killed over 70 people and left scores wounded. The high-profile terrorism case, which had stalled for years due to multiple procedural and prosecutorial lapses, resumed before Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The trial had previously been overseen by Justice Ahmed Mohammed, who was elevated to the Court of Appeal. The reassigned judge, Justice Lifu, had earlier…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the formation of an Inter-Ministerial Committee to organise a befitting state burial for former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on Sunday, July 13, in a London hospital. The committee, which will be chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, is tasked with the planning and coordination of funeral rites in honour of the late former leader. In a press statement signed by the Director of Information and Public Relations in the SGF’s office, Segun Imohiosen, President Tinubu emphasised the importance of honouring Buhari’s legacy with dignity…