Author: straightnewsng.com

The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Tuesday, demolished some structures at the premises of Daar Communications, owners of Africa Independent Television, AIT, in Abuja, the nation’s capital city. The structures removed by the FCTA were the security office, the gate and a section of the fence in the premises said to have hitherto encroached into other people’s property and blocked their access in Asokoro District, Abuja. According to Muktar Galadima, Director, Department of Development Control, the parcel of land belonging to AIT was only 18 hackers, adding that the media outfit had just submitted application for building approval which the…

Ajax stunned Juventus to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 1997 as Matthijs de Ligt’s thumping second-half header secured a 2-1 second-leg victory in the last eight in Turin on Tuesday. Cristiano Ronaldo, bidding for his sixth Champions League title, scored a 28th-minute header to put Juve ahead after a 1-1 first-leg draw, but Donny van de Beek levelled for Ajax before half-time. Teenage centre-back De Ligt struck midway through the second period, though, to seal a 3-2 aggregate win and set up a last-four clash with either Manchester City or Tottenham. The young Dutch side…

Lionel Messi pounced on two Manchester United mistakes to score twice and end their hopes of another Camp Nou comeback as Barcelona breezed into the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday. After an excellent start, United were undone twice in four minutes by Messi, who first nicked the ball off the careless Ashley Young and then watched as a weak shot from distance squirmed underneath David de Gea. Philippe Coutinho, in perhaps his best performance of the season, added a third with a curling effort into the top corner and by the end, an outclassed United might have been relieved the…

The Federal Government has granted approval to three consortia to participate in the financial bids opening for the acquisition of 100 per cent shares in Afam Electricity Generation Company. A statement by Amina Othman, Head, Public Communications, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) on Monday in Abuja, said that the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) gave the approval after its first meeting in 2019, held on April 12. The companies were Diamond Stripes Consortium, Transcorp Power Consortium and Unicorn Consortium. According to her, the three consortia met the benchmark score of 750 points after evaluation in accordance with the criteria set…

As the tussle for the 9th Senate presidency between Senator Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe North) and Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) rages, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State and elders of the state, Monday, are torn on who to support. While Borno elders and stakeholders threw their weight behind former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, Governor Shettima dumped his kinsman, Ndume, and endorsed Ahmad Lawan. Speaking through their spokesman, Alhaji Yakubu Umar, in reaction to the All Progressives Congress, APC, reported endorsement of Senator Ahmad Lawan, the elders said President Muhammadu Buhari had last December backed Ndume for the job.…

Preparations for the forthcoming tripartite anti-smuggling committee meeting comprising Nigeria, Benin, and the Republic of Niger are in advance. Consequently, Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Audu Ogbeh, his Agriculture and Rural Development counterpart, Monday, met over cross-border issues. In the joint ministerial meeting too were Mohammed Babandede, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, and Colonel Hameed Ali, the Comptroller-General of Customs. Speaking after the meeting, Onyeama said President Muhammadu Muhammadu Buhari set up a committee comprising the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Justice, Finance, Interior, including the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Nigeria Customs Service to ask…

Unknown gunmen, Sunday night, killed a pregnant woman and 15 others in Numa village Akwanga local government area of Nasarawa State, Mr. Samuel Mashi, Chairman of the local government area, told newsmen. Mashi said on Monday that the gunmen attacked the community at about 10 p.m. during a naming ceremony. “They just started shooting endlessly on a community that was just having merriment. “Unfortunately, 16 people were killed in cold blood for just no reason,” he said. The chairman said that security had been beefed up in the affected community and environs to forestall reprisal attacks and further breakdown of…

The Presidency is angry over the leakage and misrepresentation of information on the N42 billion cash it had earmarked in this year’s budget for the takeoff of a new firm, Nigeria Special Economic Zones Investment Company, NSEZCO, under the supervision of the Trade and Investment Ministry. The anger is said to be over discovery that key officials of NEPZA, betrayed the Federal Government by leaking the proposed special purpose vehicle, NSEZCO, deal and cash set aside for its takeoff to the National Assembly and requesting the members to block the budget and stop the entire deal for being ‘a private…

Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd), said, Monday, that his government did not give crude oil to various countries in the world but rather built three refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, Kaduna for domestic consumption with plan to build more refineries to export refined products. This came as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu said, that it will be impossible for the Federal Government to remove subsidy on fuel at this time in order to protect the people. They both spoke at the second International Conference and Exhibition of the Oil and Gas Trainers…

A Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by Kaduna State government to look into the incessant violent crises in Kajuru local government area of the state has three months to submit its report. The establishment of the Commission of Inquiry is a follow-up to the announcement by Governor Nasir el-Rufai to establish a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the communal conflict in Kajuru. A statement by the spokesman to Governor Nasir El Rufai, Samuel Aruwan, Monday, said the commission is headed by Justice Isa Aliyu of the High Court of Kaduna State. There has been incessant violence in Kajuru LGA…