Author: straightnewsng.com

The Presidency Thursday, rewarded 10 of its staffers for outstanding performance for 2018. The workers who received an undisclosed cash gift and plaque from the Permanent Secretary, State House, Mr Jalal Arabi, were recognised for outstanding works in administration, stores management, catering, library, transportation and medical departments. One of the recipients, Mr Yashim Nuhu, a Senior Motor Driver Mechanic II on Grade Level 5 in the Transport department bagged the Outstanding Driver award. Nuhu, who has put in eight years in State House, is very popular for his cordiality and enviable sense of dedication to duty among staff and journalists…

To curb the rising cases of kidnapping and other related crimes, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has arrested more than 200 agents in the country over fraudulent registration of Sim cards. Director Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement, NCC, Mr. Efosa Idehen stated this, Thursday, at a one day regional sensitisation workshop on the dangers of dealing on fraudulently activated Sim cards held at Keffi, Nasarawa State. According to him, most of the arrests were made in Jigawa and Gombe states and they have been charged to court. Idehen said “As a government, we are putting in place, strong process to track…

Despite the efforts of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in the fight against corruption, the country was still bleeding from corruption, African Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ observed. The group said that the current administration has made considerable effort directed towards addressing corruption such as the signing on of the Open Government Partnership, the establishment of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, PACAC, and designing a national anti-corruption strategy currently prosecuting high profile corruption cases. In his address at a Policy Dialogue in Abuja, Rev.David Ugolor, Executive Director of ANEEJ, noted that, “Despite these successes, Nigeria has not…

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said it has filed its response to Atiku Abubakar’s petition and others. Wednesday was the deadline for the INEC and APC to file their responses. It was not clear, at press time, if the APC had complied as National Publicity Secretary of the party, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu did not pick his calls. “For other petitions like those of the HDP, PDM and others, we filed our responses last week. As for the Atiki/PDP petition, we filed our response Wednesday,” said Mr. Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of…

Chairman of National Assembly and state House of Assembly election tribunal, Justice Abdulkadir Suleiman, Thursday, warned litigants that the tribunal will entertain unnecessary delay Inaugurating the tribunal in Kaduna, Justice Suleiman said “For the avoidance of doubt, the Tribunal will not entertain unnecessary delay as the petitions will be treated with utmost urgency and dispatch. “Lawyers appearing for parties are further reminded to avoid the request for unnecessary adjournment,” he added. Suleiman further warned the litigants to avoid “behind the door communication” with members of the tribunal and their support staff,” saying “all communications must be open.” He said members…

No fewer than 55 depots across the country are fully stocked with Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC stated Thursday. Group Managing Director of the corporation, Mr. Maikanti Baru, spoke during the NNPC Special Day at the 30th Enugu International Trade Fair. According to Baru, 23 depots in Lagos, seven in Port Harcourt, 11 in Warri, six in Calabar and eight in Kaduna, were stocked with petrol. He restated its commitment to sustain the present seamless supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country. Baru, who was represented by the Chief Operating Officer, Refineries and…

Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, has described fuel subsidy which the World Bank said cost Nigeria N731 billion in 2018, as the biggest fiscal burden currently staring nation’s economy in the face. LCCI, which response was based on the World Bank report, released on Monday in Abuja focused on key developments in Nigeria’s economy in 2018, added among other things that the Excess Crude Account, ECA, was virtually depleted during the period. In November 2018, the bank had also stated in another report entitled: ‘Nigeria Bi-annual Economic Update for Fall 2018,’ that petrol subsidy deductions for 2017 full…

Ahead of the inauguration of the 9th Senate and the coming on board of new Presiding officers, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger North), Wednesday, predicted that the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe) will have 73 Senators across party lines to vote for him. Addressing journalists Wednesday, in Abuja, Senator Abdullahi who is the spokesman of the Ahmad Lawan for Senate President, said “Let me say very clearly that the nature of parliament is such that you cannot shut anybody out. It is not possible. I want Nigerians who to…

House of Representatives Wednesday, approved N1.64 trillion as benchmark for loan to fund the 2019 budget of the Federal Government. It will be recalled that the Federal Government had proposed N1.86 trillion in the 2019-2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF and Fiscal Strategy Paper for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019 submitted to the National Assembly last year. The amount approved was recommended by Committees on Finance, Appropriations, Aids, Loans and Debt Management, Legislative Budget and Research and National Planning and Economic Development which sat on the MTEF and FSP documents. Considering the report of the committees in the…

For implementation to commence in earnest, Organised Labour and Civil society organisations have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to assent the N30,000 Minimum Wage Bill transmitted by the National Assembly to him over two weeks ago. Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, Trade Union Side, TUS, of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC, United Labour Congress of Nigeria, ULC, and umbrella body for pro-labour civil society groups in the country; Joint Action Front, JAF, urged President Buhari to quicken action on the bill by signing it. Speaking, Timothy Olawale, Director General of NECA, said “We have been made to…