Author: straightnewsng.com

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Wednesday, slammed criminal charges against the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and former Director-General of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ambassador Ayodele Oke. The charge against Lawal came about two years after he was accused of diverting over N272 million contract the Presidential Initiative for North East, PINE, awarded for the removal of grasses in Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camps, to his own company. The ex-SGF, who is facing a 10-count charge, will be docked alongside three other defendants, Hamidu David Lawal, Sulaiman Abubakar and Apeh John Monday,…

Reason has been given why Monday Udo Tom, resident Electoral Commissioner from Akwa Ibom State was not confirmed by the Senate since March 2018. It is alleged that Senator Bassey Albert Akpan representing Akwa Ibom North West in the Senate blocked the confirmation of Tom, an indigene of Ukat in Nsit Ubium local government area in Akwa Ibom on a purported political reason. The Senate had June 7, 2018 reversed the confirmation of Tom, as an INEC Commissioner after 24 hours of initially confirming him. The commissioner’s confirmation was reversed following a point of order raised by Senator Albert Akpan,…

Leprosy patients in Etinan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, under the aegis of Hopeful Vulnerable Group, HVG, have commended World Bank and the state government for empowering them through life-touching projects. The state government in collaboration with World Bank had dolled out the sum of N10 million to the group to enable them kick start the implementation of micro projects that would help meet the needs of the less privileged in the community. Speaking with newsmen on Wednesday, during the inspection of completed projects in Ekpene Obom community, Etinan LGA, the spokesperson of the group, Mrs Lucy Stephenson…

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,…