Author: straightnewsng.com

President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja called on African leaders to support processes that will ensure stronger political institutions across the continent. According to him, only strong political institutions will guarantee stability, peace and economic progress. Buhari, who stated this when he received Letters of Credence from the Ambassador of the Republic of Guinea, Siaka Cissoko, at the Presidential Villa, said political reforms in African countries could only be sustainable when they reflect the will of the people, and work towards improving their lives. He said: “I congratulate your President for the progress he is making politically and economically in…

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Wednesday, takes its Presidential campaign rally to Minna, the Niger state capital. The party which began its North Central campaign on Monday with a rally in Lokoja, Kogi state will on Thursday move its train to Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital. According to the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party will observe Friday, 11th January as a campaign-free day. On Saturday, the tour of North Central would be completed with a visit to Plateau state. It would be the turn of states in the South-West as the party…

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, said Tuesday that the Supreme Court was ready to speedily determine disputes that will arise from the 2019 general elections. However, Onnghen warned that “everyone must come to the court fully prepared”, stressing that no form of delay would be accommodated. Presenting an address shortly after he swore in Justice Uwani Abba-Aji as a Justice of the apex court, the CJN noted that his elevation would increase the total of justice on the apex court bench to 16. Justice Onnoghen lamented that the diary of the court was already full with…

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has called for peaceful, inclusive and credible elections in Nigeria. Guterres made the call in a report to the Security Council on the activities of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, UNOWAS. The UN chief also appealed for peace in other countries in the West African sub-region holding elections in 2019. Noting that there had been incremental improvement in the conduct of elections in the region, Guterres said: “However, the pre-and post-electoral periods have often been characterised by antagonistic contestations and disputes. “I call upon authorities and national stakeholders to work together…

The 26-year-old Liverpool star has retained the African Player of the Year Award, after garnering majority of the votes cast. Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian international beat Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the 2015 African Player of the Year winner and Sadio Mane to win the crown, dedicated the award to Egypt. South AfricanThembi Kgatlana who won the 2018 African Women’s Player of the Year Award dedicated the award to her country. Nigeria were named the Women’s National Team of the Year after clinching the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, while Mauritania claimed the Men’s National Team of the Year award. CAF Team of…

Egypt will host the 2019 African Cup of Nations, AFCON, the Confederation of African Football, CAF, announced on Tuesday after a high level meeting. The race was between Egypt and South Africa, which submitted candidacies late last year after CAF stripped Cameroon of the hosting rights. Cameroon was stripped of the rights because of their inability to put together infrastructure in time and also due to security threats in parts of the country. CAF Executive Committee members were initially set to vote in Dakar on Wednesday but opted to do so 24 hours earlier and hours to the 2018 CAF…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said the National Executive Committee of the union will review the ongoing industrial action after the Nigerian government made a new commitment at a meeting with the union on Monday. “The National Executive Committee of the union will review its decisions based on the new commitment by the federal government,” ASUU tweeted late on Monday. “Until then, the strike is still in progress.” Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, national president of ASUU, said the strike could only be called off after the ASUU NEC meeting. He did not say when the meeting will hold.…

South Sudan has resumed oil production in the Northern Unity region after disruption by a five-year old conflict which damaged oil wells. Ezekiel Gatkuoth, Minister of Petroleum, stated on Tuesday that he authorised the first phase resumption of oil production on December 31 in five wells from the 16 wells. “The initial target of the oil production at Phase One will be 20,000 bpd (barrels per day),” Gatkuoth said in Juba. He said they would launch full resumption plan in Unity oilfields together with Azhari A. Abdallah, Sudan’s minister of petroleum and minerals on January 21. South Sudan since in…

The Federal Government has set January 23 deadline to transmit the N30,000 new minimum wage recommendation by the Tripartite Committee to the National Assembly. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who stateed this after meeting with the leadership of organized labour in Abuja Tuesday, also stated that before transmitting the minimum wage bill to the National Assembly, it had to be taken first to the Federal Executive Council, FEC, National Economic Council, NEC and the National Council of States. But National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has urged the government to respect…

Nigeria lost an estimated $2.8 billion in revenues in 2018, due to oil-related crimes, according to a new ‘Report by the Secretary-General on the activities of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS)’ published on Monday in New York. The report, which covered July 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018, said: “Maritime crime and piracy off the coast of West Africa continued to pose a threat to peace, security and development in the region. “Oil-related crimes resulted in the loss of nearly $2.8 billion in revenues last year in Nigeria. “Between January 1 and November 23,…