Author: straightnewsng.com

After staying in the jungle perpetrating heinous crimes, more than 100 militants from Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun local government areas in Akwa Ibom State have come out to the public glare with a basket of conditions for peace. The cultists-turned militants seized the opportunity offered by Governor Udom Emmanuel’s visit to Ukanafun on Tuesday to reel out complaints ranging from poor social amenities, state/local government’s marginalisation of rural communities for several decades, ill-equipped and dilapidated public schools, lack of political office rotation to unemployment among youths, among others. Emmanuel’s visit to Ukanafun local government area, the second of such visit…

Akwa Ibom Police Command has given a dreaded militant from Etim Ekpo local government area in Akwa Ibom State a 24-hour ultimatum to surrender his weapons or be fished out by the police. The militant- Overcomer also known as Englishman from Ikpe Annang in Etim Ekpo local government area is among the 59 persons in the wanted list of the police command. Englishman whose wife and mother had been arrested and detained by police was alleged to have kidnapped a 10-year-old child and seven women from Ikot Inyang Abia in Ukanafun local government area on the grounds that the local…

Ahead of Saturday’s national convention slated for Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Tuesday unveiled strategies aimed at ensuring transparency of the process. The strategies are to prove to the world that the party was democratic in the conduct of its internal affairs. Addressing newsmen at the party’s secretariat Tuesday, Kola Ologbindiyan, the National Publicity Secretary, said unlike in the past when aspirants were restricted to nominating agents to represent them during delegates’ elections, the National Working Committee had chosen to broaden their participation by giving them opportunity to nominate two people each into the…

The Federal Government has increased the penalty for gas flaring to $2 per 1,000 standard cubic feet of gas, SCF, from N10 per 1,000 SCF of the commodity flared. At the current exchange rate of N306.35 to a dollar, the $2 penalty translates to N612.7 per 1,00 SCF, while the $0.50 penalty translates to N153.175 per 1,000 SCF. In the gazetted ‘Flare Gas (Prevention of Waste and Pollution) Regulations 2018,’ released, yesterday, by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Federal Government also stipulated a fine of N50,000 or a six months jail term or both, for anyone who provides…

The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, Tuesday, struck out a suit the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, filed to challenge the powers of the Senate to insist on his personal appearance before it to answer questions from lawmakers. The IGP had in his suit marked FHC/ABJ/ CS/ 457/2018, argued that he was permitted under the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and the Police Act, to delegate a Deputy Inspector General of Police to appear before the Senate on his behalf. He queried the insistence of the Senate that he must personally appear before it with respect to…

Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and a faith-based NGO, Catalyst for Global Peace and Justice, CPJ, have appealed to the federal government to suspend political activities in the country until the abducted Dapchi schoolgirl, Leah Sharibu, and over 100 Chibok girls still in Boko Haram captivity regained their freedom. They made the call at a national summit jointly organised in Abuja by the two Christian bodies to add voice to the call for the release of the abducted schoolgirls. Speaking, Samson Ayokunle, CAN President, who was represented by former Aso Villa Chaplain, Rev Williams Okoye, observed that it was inexcusable…

Fellow contenders for the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential ticket have faulted the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate of the party, saying the process was fraught with fraud. The contenders, under the aegis of the Coalition of 2019 APC Presidential aspirants in a statement Tuesday, deposed that the party leadership collaborated to foist Buhari on the party without interrogating his capacity to fly the flag of the party. The statement issued on behalf of the coalition by Dr. SKC Ogbonnia Alhaji Mumakai-Unagha said that “no attempt was made whatsoever to re-evaluate President Buhari’s qualifications, with special…

Nigerians share in the blame of the country’s bad ranking in Transparency International’s corruption perception index, CPI, Mr. Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, has said. In 2017, Nigeria dropped from 136 in 2016 to 148 on the index of TI. The ranking was seen as a blow to the current administration which claims to have the fight against corruption as one of its core mandates. But speaking during a Channels Television’s programme on Monday, Adesina said the ranking was about Nigerians and not the federal government. He said: “My position is that that ranking is not strictly…

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday night made a veiled mockery of the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the just concluded governorship election in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, and Senator Dino Melaye for being humorous. Osinbajo, who spoke at the Independence Gala night held at the Banquet hall of the Presidential Villa, said he agreed with the poll reportedly conducted by the British Independent newspapers which declared Nigerians as the happiest and most optimistic people in the world. He said Adeleke provided humor by dancing while Senator Melaye made people laugh by claiming to escape assassination,…

Members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, are tasked to join hands in addressing the country’s economic challenges and in tackling insecurity. Speaking at the 48th Annual Accountants’ Conference of ICAN in Abuja, President Muhammadu Buhari also solicited ICAN’s support in the fight against corruption and other vices. Buhari, who was represented by Mr. Udo Udoma, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, further called on the body to condemn criminal activities and show disdain for hate speech and acts that could destabilise the corporate existence of Nigeria. The president insisted that there must be renewed efforts…