Author: straightnewsng.com

Nigerian President, 36 governors and 774 local government chairmen are said to blow a whopping $670m (N241bn) yearly on security votes, Transparency International has said. The Africa Director for TI’s Defence and Security Programme, Christina Hildrew, stated this at a two-day event organised by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre in Abuja last week, said the amount is not subject to audit or legislative oversight. The event was tagged, ‘Impact of Anti-Money Laundering and Illicit Financial Flows: Legislative, Policy and Institutional Gaps to Investigate, Prosecute and Convict for Anti-Money Laundering and Illicit Financial Flow charges.’ Speaking with journalists on the…

Aruna Quadri, Nigerian table tennis star, has won the 2018 ITTF-African Championships by defeating Ahmed Saleh. Aruna performed the feat in the final of the championships held in Mauritius played on Sunday, September 9. The victory was Aruna’s first win in a senior men’s single in Africa after recent defeats in past competitions. The final game played at Port Luis was a five set thriller with Quadri coming out victorious 4-1 over his Egyptian opponent. To advance to the final Quadri beat his compatriot Olajide Omotayo in four straight sets. The final against Saleh ended (11-7, 6-11,13-11, 11-9, 11-1) to…

The development of the $18 billion Centenary City Abuja will commence Monday, with the launch of its first co-development opportunity known as “The Grove.” The massive city is within the proximity of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and being developed by Centenary City Developers FZE, a joint venture between Front Range Developers, investors from the United Arab Emirate, UAE, and Centenary City Plc. The Grove project, according to the investors, will spread over a total construction area of 91,000 square meters with a total of 236 units of 5-bedroom terrace houses. The project will feature a stylish and contemporary design,…

The production of first oil from Total’s $16 billion Egina project has been threatened as the management of Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics, LADOL, banished Samsung Heavy Industries, SHI, from its dockyard. Consequently, SHI may lose more than $300 million of investments, if permanently sacked from the island as it would be difficult for the Korean firm to remove the fixed assets in the yard and to evacuate the fixed assets would require dredging of the river, which will gulp millions of dollars. Investigations by Vanguard over the weekend showed that the first oil scheduled for December, 2018 would likely be…

At least, three presidential aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have allegedly used surrogates to purchase Senate and governorship forms as they perfect alternative political survival strategies ahead of the national convention of the party. The three including two serving senators and an incumbent governor it was gathered picked the forms through surrogates. The PDP presidential aspirants have consistently played out the option of returning to their present positions in the event of losing out at the PDP presidential primaries due on October 6 multiple sources in the party have repeatedly said. Twelve persons have so far picked the…

A six-year-old child survived crash by a commercial plane that plunged into a lake in South Sudan on Sunday, killing 20 people on board, a local official said. Among other survivors were an adult man and an Italian doctor with an aid organization who was in surgery and in serious condition, Aguek said The 19-seater commercial Baby Air plane had been traveling from the capital, Juba, the minister of information for the town of Yirol, Taban Abel Aguek, told The Associated Press. ABC NEWS reported that officials were investigating the cause of the crash. Among the dead were at least…

Glowing encomiums have been poured on a seasoned broadcaster and a retired management staff of Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC), housing radio and television stations in the Nigeria’s South South region, who had passed into eternity. Mrs. Margaret Eshiet, the seasoned broadcaster who cut her broadcasting teeth with Cross River Radio, Calabar in the 70s and later joined Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation, AKBC, after the state creation passed away in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital on Saturday, September 8. The latest ecomium came from Pastor Anietie Ukpe, AKBC Director-General, who expressed shock over her sudden demise, described her as a…

Naomi Osaka won the US Open after an angry Serena Williams accused the umpire of being a “thief” in some of the most dramatic scenes at a Grand Slam final. Williams was given a game penalty for her outburst, which followed racquet smashing and another code violation as Osaka won 6-2 6-4 in New York. Osaka, 20, kept her focus to become the first Japanese to win a Grand Slam. Williams refused to shake hands with umpire Carlos Ramos after the match. The American, 36, graciously congratulated Osaka at the net after the 20th seed completed an extraordinary victory and,…

Contrary to Akwa Ibom State government claims to growing coconut trees, a frontline Nigerian journalist has disputed that the coconut trees reportedly planted by the Udom Emmanuel administration are dying. Speaking on Saturday, September 8 in a privately owned radio station, Inspiration 105.9 FM, Uyo, Anieitie Usen, a one-time assistant editor, defunct Newswatch magazine, Lagos, said ‘’I have passed through the area where the coconut trees are planted. They are not growing at all. I do not know why the trees are stunted.’’ However, the state government is said to have commenced the coconut plantation in 2016, stretching more than…

Despite defeating Seychelles 3-0 at the Stade Linite Stadium on Saturday, Nigeria National football team, Super Eagles occupy third position while Libya and South Africa occupy first and second positions in the Group E. Super Eagles who were defeated by South African Bafana Bafana two goals to nil at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo however, kept hope alive in the next African Nations Cup by garnering three points for AFCON 2019. Goals from Odion Ighalo, Chidozie Awaziem and Ahmed Musa gave the Super Eagles a comfortable win at the stadium in Victoria, Seychelles. Gernot Rohr’s men now have three points…