Author: straightnewsng.com

Barely 24 hours after the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, reported a sustained decrease in inflation rate, the Bureau, Wednesday, reported that transport fare was moving in opposite direction, with the average fare paid by commuters for bus, air, water and motorcycle (Okada) journeys, rising for the fourth consecutive month in April 2018. The NBS stated this in its Transport fare watch April 2018 report. Data by the NBS showed that average fare paid by commuters for motorcycle recorded the highest increase, month-on-month ( MoM) in April, followed by fare for bus within the city, fare for water way transport,…

The Federal Executive Council, FEC, has given contractors handling the Oron-Calabar section of the East-West road a matching order to speed up completion of the road before the rains. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this Wednesday while briefing the State House correspondents after the weekly FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja. Mohammed further said, “Council directed the Minister of Niger Delta to speed up re-negotiations with the contractors to ensure immediate resumption of the completion of that phase of road.” He announced that the FEC has…

The Senate has summoned the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, the Director-General, Department of State Services, DSS, Lawal Daura, and the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris, to appear before it next week Wednesday over the repeated killings in Birnin-Bwari, Kaduna State. Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, announced this Wednesday, following a point of Order raised by Senator Shehu Sani, APC, Kaduna Central. Appealing to the conscience of the Senate on the killings in Birnin-Gwari local government area of Kaduna State, Senator Sani said: “On and on, people are being killed and farmers are relocating to the cities…

National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has been urged to immediately intervene by providing relief materials to the victims and to help in rebuilding their homes, worship places and schools following deaths and destruction of property by windstorm recently in Ebonyi State. The Senate has also called on the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET and other relevant government agencies to be more proactive in predicting and giving early warning signals of natural disasters so that the people could take precautionary measures to minimize the disastrous effects of such natural disasters. The Upper chamber has also mandated its Committee on Environment to visit…

Uneasy calm pervades Nsukka catholic diocese in Nsukka local government area, Enugu state as Echera community dragged the catholic Bishop, Rt. Rev. Prof. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah and St. Joseph Catholic Church, Agu Echera Nsukka to court for trespass, claiming N2 million as general damages on the community land in dispute. In suit No N/113/2017, the plaintiffs Chief John Alumona, Barr. Julius Ozioko and Barr. Ejimofor Onah, suing for themselves and on behalf of the people of Echera, Nsukka are seeking an order of the court directing, compelling the defendants to remove the foundation and block work it is constructing on parts…

More than 220 killings and other violent deaths arising from what it called non-traditional crimes were said to have occurred in Nigeria within in the last two weeks, lamenting that the country was fast receding to total regime collapse and anarchy, a coalition of civil rights groups, International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law, INTERSOCIETY, has alleged. “Of the number, no fewer than 71 confirmed deaths and 87 feared deaths took place in Kaduna State alone,” according to INTERSOCIETY. The group in a statement also said that “there are also no fewer than 59 Christians killed by…

Embattled Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha seems to be walking a tightrope as he has lost another bid of the battle to get the national leadership of his ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to reverse the ward and local government congresses in the state as the Appeal Committee constituted to determine petitions arising from the conduct of the exercise has affirmed the conduct of the congresses were conducted and election of officials. This was as the committee said the governor lacked the locus standi to file any petition asking for a cancellation of the exercise because “the persons who would…

The lawmakers in the National Assembly on Wednesday during plenary passed N9.120 trillion, an increase of N508 billion from the N8.612 trillion originally presented to the Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari into law. The Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje explained that after consultation with the Executive, the oil benchmark price was increased from 45 to 51 dollars. Goje said the additional 508 billion added to the budget was applied in critical sectors of the economy namely: reduction of the deficit, security, health and power, works and housing. The House of Representatives also passed the 2018 budget with…

The Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja has granted bail to the lawmaker representing Kogi West, Senator Dino Melaye, in the sum of N10million. Justice Nasiru Ajanah granted Senator Melaye bail in his ruling on the application on Wednesday, based on the lawmaker’s health challenge. The presiding judge described the medical report of the lawmaker as a merit factor to grant the bail application. Weeks after being held in police custody, the judge, however, ordered Melaye to provide a surety in the like sum. He also ordered that the international passport of the surety be domiciled with the court. Senator…

A university don in the country has emphasised the need for communities in the country to show interest in the yearly budget process in order to avoid the siting of unnecessary development projects in their localities. Speaking at a workshop on budget monitoring organised by the Women Aid Collectives, WACOL, in conjunction with Christian Aid , Voice to the People and UK Aid, in Umuahia, Dr. Uzochukwu Amakom, explained that communities should interact with their representatives and follow the budget process to know the relevance of projects to be sited in their areas. Amakom, who is a lecturer in the…