Author: straightnewsng.com

Children in conflict zones such as the North East of Nigeria are more likely to die from water-related diseases than from gun bullets, a new report by the United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, has revealed. In a damning report, UNICEF said that children under the age of 15, living in countries affected by protracted conflict are on average, almost three times more likely to die from diarrhoeal diseases caused by a lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene than by direct violence. The report entitled: “Water Under Fire” looks at mortality rates in 16 countries going through prolonged conflicts and…

Leaders of Thought, Elder statesmen from four of the geo-political zones of the country, under the aegis of Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, Thursday, threw their weight behind Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, going to tribunal to challenge the result of the presidential election. The elders and leaders said challenging the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, by Atiku and the PDP was a welcome development against the backdrop that the results cannot stand the scrutiny of any self respecting court, calling on the judiciary to shun what they termed,…

British billionaire, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is said to be interested in buying Chelsea Football Club, the UK Times reported. So far, he has held initial talks over for a takeover of the club. Ratcliffe, who made his fortune by founding petrochemicals company Ineos, has a net wealth of £21billion. He has already made his mark on the sporting scene by agreeing to purchase Team Sky. Ratcliffe, who is a Chelsea season ticket holder, is now exploring the possibility of replacing Roman Abramovich as the club’s owner. Although he owns Swiss football outfit Lausanne-Sport, who ply their trade in the top-flight…

The suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, Thursday, said he has no case to answer with regards to the six-count charge the Federal Government preferred against him before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, in Abuja. Onnoghen, who is facing trial over allegations that he failed to declare his assets as prescribed by the law, as well as operated foreign bank accounts, contrary to the code of for public officers, insisted that FG failed to adduce any credible evidence to substantiate the charge. He secured the leave of the Mr. Danladi Umar-led three-man panel tribunal to file…

Members of OurMumuDonDo Movement, a good governance advocacy group, have apologised to Nigerians over the recent bribery scandal involving their leader, Charles Oputa a.k.a Charlyboy. A viral audio tape had surfaced on the internet containing sound bite of Charlyboy allegedly admitting during a conversation with an ex-member of the group, Deji Adeyanju, that he had financial dealings with the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, while he (Deji) was incarcerated in Kano Central Prisons for 78 days. In his reaction, Adebayo Raphael, the National Secretary of OurMumuDonDo, in a statement, yesterday, said members of members…

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has debunked the notion that the TraderMoni scheme and other GEEP micro-credit products (MarketMoni and FarmerMoni), which are components of the Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programme, were not for the just-concluded elections. It was widely rumoured in some quarters that the Vice President might have used the loans as vote-buying strategy to shore up the popularity of his All Progressives Congress, APC. Osinbajo through Laolu Akande, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja, said that the loans are still in operation. According to a progress report on the GEEP micro-credit…

Two Non Governmental Organisations, Belinda Babila Foundation and Peasants Economists Association have distributed relief materials to Cameroonian refugees in Akwa Ibom State. Speaking during the donation ceremony on Thursday in Mkpat Enin local government area of the state, the CEO of Belinda Babila Foundation, Dr Belinda Babila, disclosed that the organisation has financially assisted over 10,000 refugees in Nigeria. She said that the organisation’s aim is to alleviate and defeat poverty among women, youths and less privileged in the country. Babila said that the relief materials would enhance the living standard of the refugees. “We carry out empowerment programme for…

Normalcy has returned to the troubled Ibiaku Ishiet in Uruan local government area and Ifa Ikot Akpan in Uyo local government area of Akwa Ibom State following crisis over a disputed land that recorded many casualties. It was alleged that the people of the thickly populated Ibiaku Ishiet and Ifa Ikot Akpan communities had on Tuesday, March 19 clashed over a large expanse of land said to be in dispute. The unrest spearheaded by suspected hoodlums allegedly sponsored by Ifa Ikot Akpan attacked, matcheted and destroyed the farming implements of Ibiaku Ishiet people. Straightnews gathered that without the timely intervention…

The Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State has today struck out the Charge No. MU/9C/2017 filed in 2017 against Mr. Nsibiet John, Publisher of the Ink Newspaper. Mr. Moses Ekpo, the state’s Deputy Governor, was the complainant in the said charge. When the matter was called at about 10:05 am, Thurdsay, Ekemini Udim, counsel for the accused person prayed the court to strike out the matter for want of diligent prosecution. Udim informed the court that neither the prosecutor nor the complainant were present in court for prosecution of the matter. The Counsel then cited section 282…

No fewer than five persons are feared to have died between Tuesday and Wednesday, March 19, 20, this year  in Urua Ekpa community in Uyo metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, following a battle of supremacy between two rival cult groups. The cult war which began Tuesday night and prolonged to Wednesday morning was said to have been miffed between members of the deadly Viking confraternity and the dreaded Iceland group. Though the actual cause of the clash was not fully established, sources, however, speculated that the two groups were allegedly fighting over a girlfriend belonging to a member of one cult…