Author: straightnewsng.com

Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel says his government is on course to reposition the state for greatness in spite of the challenges confronting it. Emmanuel who stated this Tuesday in his 2018 Christmas broadcast to the people in radio and television stations wanted the residents to remain peaceful and continue to support his government in 2019. This is even as President Muhammadu Buhari in his Christmas message asked Nigerians to embrace love, peace and hospitality. Buhari urged the populace to reflect on the “message of hope, compassion, salvation, reconciliation, forgiveness and peace that Jesus Christ embodies and conveys.” The governor…

TEXT OF CHRISTMAS BROADCAST BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MR. Udom Emmanuel, GOVERNOR, AKWA IBOM STATE TO THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE, DECEMBER 25, 2018 Fellow Akwa Ibomites My wife, Her Excellency, Mrs. Martha Udom Emmanuel and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year in advance! The reason for this Season, is to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ and to thank God for His love, blessings and guidance in the past one year and indeed, the last three and half years. This particular Christmas broadcast is significant in a…

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, yesterday, described as false, claims by the Budget Office, that it failed to remit N1.34 trillion of its Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, to the Consolidated Revenue Fund, CRF, domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. In a statement in Abuja, General Manager, Corporate Services of the PPPRA, Mr. Kimchi Apollo, accused the Budget Office of misrepresentation of facts, stating that all the revenue collected by it since its inception was less than 1.6 per cent of N1.34 trillion. He said: “The attention of PPPRA has been drawn to the widely circulated allegations which…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday, disclosed that under-recovery of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol, has dropped to N20 per litre from over N80 a couple of weeks ago. It noted, however, that the Federal Government was still committed to bearing the additional cost above the regulated price of N145 per litre. What this means is that if the Federal Government stops subsidizing the price of PMS today, the actual selling price of PMS would rise to N165 per litre. Addressing newsmen during a tour of petrol stations in Abuja, Group Managing Director of the NNPC,…

Mr Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, yesterday in Abuja received the report of the Presidential Independent Fact-Finding Panel on National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a seven-member panel was inaugurated in November to investigate the conflict that engulfed the NHIS and led to the suspension of its Executive Secretary, Prof. Usman Yusuf. Mustapha said that the government’s decision and recommendations of the panel would be made public at the appropriate time. He said that NHIS was critical in enabling government deliver on its promise of qualitative and affordable…

Funds in the Excess Crude Account, ECA, were spent on Super Tucano Jets and other military equipment, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, has explained. There have been concerns about the depletion of the ECA, following the disclosure, last week, that it was depleted from over $2 billion to about $631.5 million within one month. Addressing newsmen in Abuja yesterday, the minister disclosed that the withdrawal of the $1 approved for the military to fight insurgency, in addition to the Paris Club Refund to state governments, were responsible for the sudden reduction in the account. She said: “The ECA…

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said promises made by the All Progressives Congress, APC, were aspirational, and not necessarily the reality. Fashola said the Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government has generated 1,000MW of power every year since it took over in 2015. On the gulf between the promise of 20,000MW and the delivery of 3,000MW, Fashola said the promises were aspirations. He said: “I think it is time to come down to the reality of the bolts and nuts of governance. It is, in fact, aspirational to say we want to get here. And if we haven’t…

Christmas, as an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, is observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of Christians around the world. It is a period characterised by love, giving and togetherness. Therefore, as we celebrate the birth of Christ, let’s eschew tendencies of hate and divisiveness, but imbibe the spirit of love, sharing and peace. May the melody and spirit of Christmas fill your homes with love and peace. In this loveliest and happiest of seasons, may you find more reasons to celebrate. From all of us at Straightnews, here is…

By Sampson Sampson One of the attributes of a good leader is integrity. In earnestness, cannot be credited with integrity.  Not even his style of administration. For some time, he has hoodwinked many through concerted self-marketing to believe that his background in the banking sector has naturally foisted on him the attribute. Perhaps, this deceitful posturing misled the Nigeria Television Authority, Abuja to confer on him albeit erroneously the INTEGRITY AWARD earlier in the year. But nothing can be farther from the truth as evidential proofs testify to Governor Udom’s integrity deficit. In addition to the integrity deficit, Udom is…

As President Muhammadu Buhari’s planned visit to flag off his re-election campaign on Friday, December 28 draws near, Akwa Ibom government has given reasons why Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo may not be free for the reception ceremony. The stadium situated along Goodluck Jonathan Boulevard, Uyo has a sitting capacity of 30,000. The State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Akwa Ibom State, Ini Okopido, had in a letter dated December 20, 2018 applied for the use of the stadium. The coronation of Supreme Council of Ibibio Traditional Rulers (Ifim Ibom Ibibio) had earlier fixed the coronation of the Patriarch of…