Author: nationalpoint

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II as the Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) . The largest university in Nigeria, NOUN has over 120,000 students cutting across the various distance teaching and learning centres, nationwide. Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Olufemi Peters made this known when the institution’s management members paid the Oba a courtesy visit on Friday, 19 May, 2023 in his Palace. The VC briefed the Oba in the institution’s work force and assured that its fortunes would improve tremendously with the new appointment. “The reason why this university…

Following the pain and sorrow that characterized the recent cashless economy policy introduced in Nigeria, a tech company based in Benin City, DPG Soft Solutions, has launched a software application known as “Tokens” for offline transactions. Addressing journalists on the new app in Benin City, Philips Nguzor, chief executive officer (CEO) of the company said the App has come to address the bottleneck in payment system arising as a result of the Federal Government’s drive for an economy, devoid of heavy cash transactions in the country. Tokens, Nguzor disclosed, provides a platform to complete transactions between traders who use the…

Chief Frederick Sunday Alasia, the super powerful, brilliant Chief of Staff to former governor of Rivers State Dr. Peter Odili, who died on Thursday, October 21, 2022, has been buried in his home town, Okparaki community in Ahoada West Local Government Area, Rivers State. Alasia who died at 74 years, was buried March 25, 2023. National Point sources reveal that Alasia had died unnoticed and his remains undetected for days during the flood that ravaged the Orashi region in 2022. He was said to have been earlier moved to the first floor of his home, from the ground floor as…

Nigeria’s new Dangote petroleum refinery is Africa’s biggest – it will produce 650,000 barrels a day, giving it the potential to address the country’s energy supply crisis. First product from the refinery is expected to hit the market by the end of July 2023. Owned by Nigerian industrialist and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, the refinery is expected to boost domestic refining capacity, getting rid of the current consumption shortfall. It will also reduce import dependency and stimulate economic growth. It is the first privately owned crude oil refinery in Nigeria. Nigeria’s existing refineries, plagued by operational inefficiencies under government…

The Minister for Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite has performed the ground-breaking ceremony for a 600MW Mine-Mouth Coal Power Plant in Ugboba community in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State. While performing the ground breaking ceremony, the Minister acknowledged the dogged efforts of the Ugboba King, HRM Obi Ezedimbu Emmanuel Nkebakwu III whom he said, visited his office in Abuja to ascertain the authenticity of the mining project in his community, and when convinced and satisfied made frantic efforts to see the project succeed. He noted that while some traditional rulers were engaged in sharp practices that…

Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has declared that history would be kind to his Delta State counterpart, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, whose tenure as governor would end on May 29, 2023. Obaseki said that no matter what people think about the Okowa administration, history has recorded the massive achievements of the governor’s eight year rule. Obaseki spoke at a valedictory dinner held for the outgoing governor and his deputy, Mr Kingsley Otuaro, at the Events Centre in Asaba. He described Okowa as a unifier who had ensured that Edo and Delta states remained united and, for supporting the Peoples’ Democratic…

The Delta State Ministry of Justice has assured the Delta Legal Hub, a Non-Governmental Organization, of partnership, to enable the organization seek redress for victims of trafficking in persons and irregular migration in the state. The Delta Legal Hub is a brain child of the International Organizations for Migration, (IOM). The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Isaiah Bozimo gave the assurance in Asaba, when members of Delta Legal Hub paid him a courtesy visit. He commended the Delta Legal Hub for the synergy in combatting human trafficking, saying the role they play in the fight against human trafficking…

The complicated political re-alignments in Rivers State which created political fragility within the political landscape before and since the 2023 election, is now further heightened by the emergence of cult war in some parts of the state. On Saturday, May 6, 2023, two rival cult groups – the Greenlanders and Iceland engaged each other in a supremacy battle around the Ahoada axis of the East-West Road. The cult clash which led to the killing of three suspected cultists after a prolonged gun duel, is a traditional signature of violent politicians who induce and aid cultists to achieve political gains. In…

Stakeholders have called on the federal government to widen the community of policy makers to include non-state actors in its drive to effectively respond to the drivers of organized crime in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea. The call was made at a Conference on ‘Organized Crime in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea.’ The conference which was organized by the Youth and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) was held on April 28, 2023 at the Landmark Hotel, Port Harcourt. In his welcome address, the Executive Director, YEAC-Nigeria, Mr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, commended the guests for their various roles towards a…

Introduction The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) was passed in August 2021, initiating the restructuring of regulation for the oil and gas sector in Nigeria, with a significant impact on communities that host operations. One section of the Act is focused on community development and provides for the establishment of Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTs) to increase social spending by oil and gas companies (OGCs) in host communities. While SDN’s view is that this section of the act should have focused on a more holistic, government-led strategy for development in host communities and protecting them from the harmful impacts of hydrocarbon…