Author: straightnewsng.com

The planned defection of Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio to All Progressives Congress, APC, has unsettled the hierarchy and members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Akwa Ibom State. PDP has ruled the state since 1999, a year that marked a political watershed in the advent of democracy in the country. The exit of Akpabio who was seen as a fulcrum of the party may bring the party to its knees as soon as he returns to Nigeria Sunday night after his visit to President Buhari in London, in one of the presidential aircrafts. An unconfirmed source told Straightnews that about…

Ahead of his planned defection to All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Godswill O. Akpabio, Sunday, had tete a tete with President Muhammadu Buhari who is in London on a 10-day holiday. Tolu Ogunlesi, a presidential aide made this known in a post on Twitter, confirmed that Akpabio met with the President on Sunday, August 5, 2018. Akpabio who is a minority leader in the Senate is leaving PDP after about 17 years’ sojourn in the party is representing Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District in the Senate. Already, Senator Ita Enang, a Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters…

The Federal Government may shut down the 106 radio and television stations in the country over indebtedness. The National Broadcasting Commission, which issued the threat on behalf of the Federal Government, accused the stations of owing the commission the sum of N4,517,535,961. The Head of Public Affairs in the commission, Mrs. Maimuna Jimada, who spoke in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Friday, said the commission has notified the affected radio and television stations. She, however, refused to release the names of the indebted stations. Jimada said that the affected stations were given three weeks to pay their debts,…

Nigerian young sprinter, Rosemary Chukwuma, said on Saturday that her aim was to win more medals for the country and surpass Blessing Okagbare’s record. Chukwuma who was part of the country’s 4×100 women’s team that won gold at the ongoing championships told the News Agency of Nigeria at the ongoing Africa Senior Athletics Championships in Asaba that the aim of every athlete was to exceed past records. She had earlier won gold at the 100m and 200m at the 2018 Africa Youth Games in Algeria. The 17-year-old Chukwuma hit the limelight after winning the sprint double at the 2017 National…

A Nigerian ICT expert has broken academic records at the prestigious University of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, graduating with distinction in his Master’s degree programme. Bode Agbola who bagged a distinction in Master’s, majored on Computer Security and Forensics from the university. In an online interview, Agboola said attaining the feat was not easy. He also said he was willing to be of help to Nigeria in the fight against cyber crime, based on his exposure, experience and knowledge. He was he was proud to have made his country proud in the UK.  “I am happy my academic excellence has given…

Irked by the spate of senseless killings, rapes, kidnappings by unknown hoodlums in Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun local government areas of the state, Akwa Ibom government, Friday, vowed to end the violent cult war in the areas, but later presented succour to persons affected by the lingering crisis. The war that has prevailed in most communities in the two areas for more than three years now has consumed thousands, destruction of countless houses, rapes of many and kidnapping of hundreds for ransom. Consequently, people in the affected communities have deserted, schools closed down, markets locked up, churches under lock and…

A Mi-8 helicopter has crashed in the north of Krasnoyarsk region, East Siberia, killing 18 people aboard, a source at the emergency services said. TASS reported that the helicopter crashed after colliding midair with the cargo being carried by another helicopter. “It crashed immediately after take-off because of collision with the cargo carried by another helicopter that was also airborne at the moment,” a police source told TASS. “There were three crew members and 15 passengers abroad the Mi-8 that belonged to Utair Airline,” a source at Russia’s emergency services said. “All of them died.” A well-informed official in the…

The death toll from Friday’s twin suicide-bombing in a Shia mosque of Gardez city rose to 34 on Saturday. Sardar Wali, spokesman of the provincial chief of the Afghan National Police (ANP), informed Anadolu Agency that two suicide attackers opened fire at the worshipers before blowing themselves up. He said the two male attackers were wearing “burqas” to hide explosive vests and automatic weapons. President Ashraf Ghani called the attack an act against Islam aimed at spreading hatred and division. “Such criminal acts of terrorists among our people cannot create religious divisions, because Afghanistan is exemplary in Islamic unity and…

As the 2019 general elections draw near, some key players in the different political parties in the country are re-aligning in what seems in football arena as transfer window by defecting to other parties to actualise their gameplan and further their political interests. So far, Bukola Saraki, Senate President, the governors of Benue, Kwara and Sokoto states and some of their Assemblymen, deputy governor of Kano, 14 Senators and 37 members of House of Representatives have keyed into the window season of the political period by leaving All Progressives Congress, APC, for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and African Democratic…

The Federal Government has ordered for 48 train coaches to commence operation in Abuja Light Rail project. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, stated this Thursday during a tour of the project from Airport terminal to Idu Sub-station to Abuja metro station at the Central Business District. The tour was a continuation of the nationwide tour of federal government projects, which started in May this year with the Lagos–Ibadan standard gauge rail, being the first leg of Lagos- Kano standard gauge railway. This was followed by inspection of the erosion and flood control project in Osogbo, Osun State;…