Author: straightnewsng.com

The Federal Government will soon start sourcing foreign exchange (forex) from Dangote Group, as soon as the latter’s refinery, petrochemicals and fertilizer projects come on stream. This potential reversal of roles was stated by Mr. Godwin Emefiele, governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, after he spent over four hours touring the ongoing Dangote Refinery, Petrochemicals, Fertilizer projects and Dangote deep-water jetty in Lagos weekend. Emefiele toured the project sites in the company of Aliko Dangote, the President/CE of the Dangote Group; Aishah Ahmad, Deputy Governor of the CBN; Mr. Olakunle Alake, Group Managing Director, Dangote Industries Limited; Mr. Devakumar…

Since the beginning of 2019, the price of oil has risen from $60.00 to $62.70 per barrel as the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, intensifies efforts to withdraw excess oil from the volatile market. Specifically, the prices of Brent, West Texas Intermediate, WTI and OPEC basket stood at $62.70, $53.80 and $59.63 respectively. At the current price, Nigeria generates $2.70 in excess of its $60.00 per barrel 2019 budget reference price. In its latest report, OPEC stated that stability was gradually returning to the market, which witnessed price drop from $85.00 in October to $50.00 in December 2018, especially…

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has said he was ready to waive his immunity to face prosecution if need be, following allegations of fraud levelled against him by the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state. According to the governor, the current smear campaign against him by the party indicates that the party has lost steam and has nothing to tell the people, ahead of the general elections next month. Ortom, who stated this at a thanksgiving mass organised for him by Isherev and Utyondu communities in Guma and Makurdi local government areas, described as baseless, allegations that he…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Sunday, called for increased collaboration between it and members of African Union of Transportation and Logistics Organization to address the rising incidents of cross-border leakages of petroleum products. Receiving the delegation of the group in Abuja, led by the president, Mustapha Chaeun, in his office in Abuja weekend, Group Managing Director of the corporation, Mr. Maikanti Baru, said smuggling of petroleum products remained a blight in the nation’s fuel supply and distribution matrix. Baru noted that the collaboration would not only help to stop the menace but also help rid the West African corridor…

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has accused Nigeria Air Force of cover up, and called on National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, to compensate victims of the accidental bombing in Rann, Borno State. At least, 120 people were wounded and 52 killed in January 2017 when a Nigerian Air Force    jet accidentally bombed an Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camp in the town. In a letter dated January 17, 2019, addressed to the executive secretary of the commission, Falana called for further investigation, accusing the air force of trying to cover up the humanitarian disaster. The letter read: “Instead of reporting the tragic…

Amid alleged plot to arrest the embattled Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, a fresh suit lodged before the Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the security agencies in the country from arresting him. The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, had last Friday, said it uncovered plans by the Federal Government to secure a bench warrant from the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, against the CJN who has a six-count criminal charge pending against him before the tribunal. The CJN, who was accused of failing to declare his assets, as well as maintaining a domiciliary foreign…

All Progressives Congress (APC) youths in Akwa Ibom State have charged Governor Udom Emmanuel to build his campaign around his performance in office as governor and not on ethnic and tribal sentiments. Mr. Steven Ntukekpo, Chairman, Youth Directorate, Obong Nsima Ekere Campaign Council, who stated this while addressing a press conference on Sunday in Uyo, asked the governor to desist from engaging in campaign of calumny against leaders of the APC in the state. He however, urged the youths in the state to come out in good number for the APC governorship campaign flag-off slated for Monday, January 21, 2019…

Manny Pacquiao showed Saturday night he’s still got plenty of fight for a fighter on the wrong side of 40. Whether Pacquiao’s dominating win over Adrien Broner gets him a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, though, is a question that will have to be answered another night. With Mayweather watching from ringside, Pacquiao showed flashes of his old speed in winning a unanimous 12-round decision over Broner to easily defend his piece of the welterweight title. It was the 61st win of a remarkable career in which Pacquiao has won titles in eight weight classes. And it put to rest any…

Emmanuel Ntia, the 98-year-old Akwa Ibom State born music artiste and the composer of Ette Ntia Anam Esie Ama, a highlife piece meaning “Ette Ntia has completed his work”, was not expected to last long as soon as the track was released. His children, friends and even admirers thought, though wrongly, that the exit of Ette Ntia on this planet was near. For more than five years the song was trending and the composer and performer of the popular boogie was still alive. The lyricist, undoubtedly, understood the mortality of man. He knew no matter how long a man lives,…

By: Sampson Sampson In the season of politics/elections, many things are possible and dubiously considered as fair. But there are still areas that should not be broached in order not to threaten the foundation of peaceful co-existence of a society. Such areas are usually called “no go areas”. Apologies to Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd) who introduced the phrase during one of his administration’s organized Constitutional Conference. At a PDP rally in Ikot Abasi on Friday, January 18, 2019, Governor Udom Emmanuel threw caution to the wind, crossed that borderline of sanity and betrayed himself as an unrepentant tribal bigot when…