Author: straightnewsng.com

Nigerian winger Samuel Chukwueze in Spanish Villarreal is among the top 50 youngsters listed for stardom in 2020, according to UEFA.com report. Chukwueze is shortlisted alongside Chelsea’s teenage sensation, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Jadon Sancho, Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid and Brazil, Ethan Ampadu of Wales, Gelson Fernandes of Portugal, Achraf Hakimi of Morocco. Likened to the legendary Arjen Robben, Chukwueze has been shaking up the Spanish Liga and UEFA Europa League this term with his skills and aggressive play for Villarreal. The 19-year-old broke into Villarreal’s first team this season after impressing with the B team and has so far scored…

The Federal Government has earmark N160 billion this year to accommodate adjustments that may arise as a result of the planned increase in minimum wage. The amount is to take care of arrears of promotion and severance benefits to civil servants. Captured under service wide vote, the amount is contained in the 2019 budget proposal which was submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari to the National Assembly. The 2019 budget has an estimate of N8.83 trillion made up of N4.04 trillion for recurrent expenditure, N2.03 trillion for capital expenditure and N2.14 trillion for debt servicing, among others. An analysis of the…

The contrversial Catholic Priest and Spiritual Director, Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Nigeria, Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka, has made a volte-face on President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election by endorsing him for a second term. Although Mbaka predicted the election of Muhammadu Buhari in 2014, he in his 2018 New Year message predicted that President Buhari would not be re-elected during the February 2019 presidential election. In October 2018, he predicted that Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, would defeat Buhari during the forthcoming general election. Contrary to public expectation, the Rev Father pulled out another one that neither Buhari nor…

Children born in Nigeria in 2019 face low life expectancy rate and may not live beyond 2074, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has stated. This is contained in a press statement issued in Abuja Tuesday by UNICEF Nigeria’s Communication Specialist, Eva Hinds. Hinds, who described Nigeria’s performance on the global life expectancy index for children as comparatively unimpressive, said a child born this year in Denmark was likely to live until the 22nd century. Within Africa, according to the UNICEF expert, only children delivered in Central African Republic, Chad and Sierra Leone have a lower life expectancy than those born…

The Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, on Monday night raised alarm that the security situation in the state was getting worse. He also explained why he has not criticised President Muhammadu Buhari on the issue, saying the President had given him unfettered access to the Presidency on the crisis. Governor Shettima’s statement came at a time the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, warned the federal government to quickly nip in the bud the killings in Zamfara State to prevent emergence of another Boko Haram crisis in the state. The governor, who spoke an at extraordinary security meeting at Government House, Maiduguri,…

The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has advised the Federal Government to ensure proper use of security agents during the forthcoming general elections to avoid intimidation of electorate. Onaiyekan gave the advice in Abuja Tuesday, while celebrating the New Year mass at SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Nyanya. He reminded President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to ensure free and fair election, praying for God’s intervention to make it come true. “It is the government that is responsible for free and fair election in any country, the government has all the necessary things to make it free and fair,”…

The State House has been caught earmarking N90.8 million for expenditure this financial year, an action which appears as double budgeting and misplaced priority. A breakdown shows that the House budgets N23.8 million for telephone while  internet will consume N67 million. The 2019 Estimates obtained by Vanguard last night indicates that some expenditure items which had in the past caused some concerns, have also found their way into the current budget. Similarly, the State House plans to commit the sum of N135 million to refreshments and meals, N478 million for honorarium and another N198 million to the construction of a…

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is optimistic that N-Power Scheme introduced by President Muhammadu Buhari administration that has so far employed 500,000 persons would do more to reduce the number of unemployed Nigerians. Osinbajo, who in his Twitter handle on Tuesday, January 1, re-tweeted “Imagine 500,000 people spread around 774 LGAs manning classrooms in public schools, acting as extension workers in our primary health centres, acting as agric extension advisors to farmers armed with devices pre-loaded with over 1 million resources.” In November 2018, the Federal Government said would it expand the scheme from the current 500,000 to accommodate one million…

Goodluck E. Jonathan, the former Nigeria’s President, has told Nigerians of “A New Opportunity to be better leaders and better followers.” Jonathan who was defeated by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 in the general elections in his New Year message declared “All I just want to say is that there is hope and a future for Nigeria. We do not just have a New Year, we have a New Opportunity.” Meanwhile, Pope Francis in his 52nd World Day of Peace delivered on January 1 rolled out the eight beautitudes for politicians of different hues. According to him, “This is a…

The daring and outspoken Senator Dino Melaye has gone ecclesiastical as a way of relieving himself from the stress of the continued police siege in his residence. Police operatives began the ongoing four-day siege on Melaye’s residence on Friday, 29, December. Melaye representing Kogi West in the Senate located along Mississippi Maitama, Abuja over is wanted in connection with what the police called “homicide case.” In his twitter account, the Senator wrote “The Bible record prophet Elijah to be among one of the strongest prophets that lived, but he went to Mount Carmel to hide when king Ahab sought him…