Author: straightnewsng.com

The establishment of refinery in Akwa Ibom State proposed by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, if he wins the February 16 election, is raising serious concerns among some people in the state. Atiku made the pledge on Monday, January 28 during his party’s presidential campaign in Akwa Ibom State at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo. An analyst in a privately owned radio station, Inspiration 105.9 FM, Uyo, on Wednesday, said it was not bad for him to establish a refinery in Akwa Ibom, but he should not forget how he as the Chairman of National…

Nigeria moved from 148th position to 144th in the latest Transparency International corruption perception index worldwide. Despite the four notch jump, Nigeria has not improved its score of 27 out of a possible 100 as recorded in 2017. However, the United States index has dropped four notches out of the top 20 countries in the world. Denmark and New Zealand in the world had the best scores on the Corruption Perceptions Index again in 2018, scoring 88 and 87 respectively. The African most populous country tied with Kenya, Comoros, Guatemala and Mauritania. Nigeria ranked better than Cameroon which was ranked…

The House of Representatives has approved N30,000 as the new national minimum wage for Federal and state workers. The approval was agreed upon during the plenary session on Tuesday. The House also adopted the report of the ad hoc committee which was set up to look into the bill earlier presented by President Muhammadu Buhari. On Monday, a public hearing was held on the minimum wage bill, during which stakeholders presented various positions on the adoption of a new minimum wage figure. Two clauses, however, exist. First, it takes effect from the date the President gives assent. Secondly, based on…

Several courts in Akwa Ibom State, Tuesday, wore mournful look as the litigants and benchers were present, but lawyers boycotted the courts in line with a directive of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) at the national level. The lawyers boycotted the courts in compliance with a directive by Mr Paul Usoro, the NBA President, issued on Monday, January 28, for them to embark on a two-day warning courts’ boycott nationwide with effect from Tuesday, January 29. The announcement which was made after its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, said lawyers reached the agreement to drive home their displeasure of the suspension…

The concluded emergency meeting of the National Judicial Council (NJC), Tuesday, gave Walter Onnoghen, the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, seven days to respond to a petition filed against him. Onnoghen was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari, who said he was acting on an order issued by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over non-declaration of assets. Moreover, the NJC has given Ibrahim Muhammad, the acting CJN, seven days to respond to a petition against him over an alleged breach of NJC rules. He was accused of making himself available to be sworn in as acting CJN without the approval of the…

The Academic State Union of Universities, ASUU, Tuesday, got a certificate from the National Pension Commission, the regulatory agency for the country’s pension companies to operate the Nigerian University Pension Management Company, NUPEMCO. The refusal of the regulatory agency to approve the union’s pension commission for operation was one of the major issues in the dispute between ASUU and the federal government. But Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, President of ASUU, in a short message sent across to members of the union said ASUU received the certificate at about 11:20 a.m. Ogunyemi thanked members of the union for standing solidly behind the…

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has charged the judiciary to eliminate cases of conflicting orders or judgments by courts of coordinate jurisdiction, describing the development as casting a partisan garb on both the judiciary and the commission. Speaking at a workshop for Election Tribunal judges and members in Abuja Monday, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu,  INEC Chairman, said the commission was already aware of areas both organs needed to do more in order ”to facilitate speedy and qualitative administration of justice which from our study and analysis of previous judgments, range from the prompt issuance of certified true copies of documents,…

Groundbreaking superhero blockbuster “Black Panther” on Sunday won the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards — a major boost to its campaign for Oscars glory next month. The film won for best ensemble cast, besting musical romance “A Star Is Born,” Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” and rom-com “Crazy Rich Asians.” Chadwick Boseman, who plays the title role in what was the top-grossing film in North America in 2018, explained the film’s significance alongside his co-stars, nearly all of them black. “We all know what it’s like to be told that there is not a place…

The acting Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Adamu has appointed six new deputy Inspectors-General of Police, DIGs. The new DIGs who were elevated from Assistant Inspectors-General are Usman Tilli Abubakar, from Kebbi State joined police in February 1986; Abdulmaji Ali, from Niger State joined police in February 1986; Taiwo Frederick Lakanu, from Lagos State joined police in February 1986 and Godwin Nwobodo, from Enugu State joined  police in 1984. The remaining two new DIGs, who were elevated from the rank of police commissioners, include Ogbizi Michael, former Abia State police commissioner, and Ibrahim Lamorde, a former chairman of the Economic and…

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), on Monday in Abuja, resolved to embark on a `two-day warning boycott’ of courts nationwide. The NBA President, Mr Paul Usoro, who made the announcement after after its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, said lawyers reached the agreement to drive home their displeasure of the suspension of Walter Onnoghen, the embattled Chief Justice of Nigeria without due process. ”The decision of NEC is that, to show the displeasure of the body of lawyers with regards to what has happened so far, it has been decided by the NBA NEC that lawyers should go on a…