Author: straightnewsng.com

A high ranking officer of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Wednesday flayed the extension of the tenure of the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun led National Working Committee, NWC for another 12 months even as he condemned the APC for discriminating against elements of the New Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP who helped to form the party. Timi Frank, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party who is estranged from the mainstream of the NWC said the party has proved to the world that it does not respect even its own laid-down rules and guidelines. Chief Odigie-Oyegun, however, was quick to…

Anambra State government says it is targeting to increase yield from the current 345,000 metric tons to 600,000 metric tons this year as a way of augmenting the introduction of new irrigation technology in rice production in the eight local government areas of the state where the crop. Chief Willie Obiano, the state governor, who spoke during the inspection of the multi-million naira Centre Pivot Irrigation System at Egwe Agwa Ogbakuba in Ogbaru local government area, said the state would become net exporter of rice once the target was met as its local demand would have been surpassed. According to Obiano,…

Tragedy has struck in Edem Akai village, Etim Ekpo local government area of Akwa Ibom State today (Wednesday evening) as some suspected hoodlums set ablaze an 18-seater bus belonging to AKTC. The bus was said to be returning from Aba in Abia State when the hoodlums who pursued their victim to no avail decided to vent anger on the oncoming bus with 18 passengers. According to an eye witness account in the area, “the hoodlums had gone to kidnap one Udoma, a provision store dealer in the area and the man bolted through the backdoor. Speaking with Straightnews, one Moses…

Torrents of congratulation in the social media are being showered on a Nigerian student who was honoured for breaking again the existing academic record at the Imperial College, London. Christiana Esio Udoh, 26, the Akwa Ibom mmatang (oyibo) was Monday, February 26, honoured by the college with the enviable Dudley Newitt Prize for Experimental Excellence. Udoh had, since the first six months of enrolling for a Ph.D in Chemical Engineering, exuded exceptional academic feat which attracted a complete scholarship from the school. The award was officially announced during the Dudley Newitt Lecture at the university campus, London. Reacting to the…

Since the inception of the persisting civil rule in 1999, the reform programmes of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) beginning with the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo to that of the home boy, Goodluck Jonathan and those of the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari do not appear to be responsive to the plight of the oil-bearing communities of the Niger Delta. The Nigerian state tends to define energy security primarily as promoting the expansion of oil production in the Niger Delta region.  While this tends to further increase the country’s dependence on oil,…

The Federal Government has set up a12-member committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding the recent abduction of 110 students in Yobe State by Boko Haram fighters. The committee was convened by the National Security Adviser, NSA, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno, retd. Lai Mohammed, the information minister, who stated this Tuesday, said the committee, to be chaired by a military officer of the rank of Major General, comprises one senior Provost each from the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force; representatives of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA; Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA; Nigeria Police Force, NPF; Department of State…

The ex-governor of Anambra State Monday in London proffered two conditions needed for Nigeria to overcome its economic difficulties and for Africa to develop. Speaking to newsmen after the high-level discussions at the British House of Commons, Mr. Peter Obi mentioned the conditions include huge investment in education and skill acquisition as well as meaningful support for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs). “Nigeria must focus on investing in education and skill acquisition in order to turn round its economy, and drastically reduce the levels of youth unemployment,” Obi He revolutionised the education sector in Anambra during his days as Governor,…

Akwa Ibom youths have issued a 30-day ultimatum to ExxonMobil to employ youths of the catchment area in contracting firms of the multinational. The youths under the aegis of Nigeria Youth Initiative Forum, however, threatened to disrupt ExxonMobil operations after the expiration of the ultimatum over non-employment of the indigenes. In a letter addressed to the Chairman and Managing Director of ExxonMobil Nigeria, they also threatened to barricade QIT road and the Mobil airstrip for failure by the company to heed to their demand. The letter made available to the newsmen in Uyo was signed by Sammy Bassey, the forum…

Akwa Ibom government has unfolded plans to commence cargo operations at the Akwa Ibom International Airport, Uyo soon. Governor Udom Emmanuel stated this during an interaction with Government House Press, Uyo shortly on arrival from national engagements in Abuja at the Ibom International Airport, Uyo. Emmanuel stated that the entire Niger Delta Region is due for logistics operations both by air and sea, noting that “We can’t just wait any longer. We want to see how we can start cargo operations here, almost immediately.” He expressed he hope that Nigerian Air Force to collaborate with his administration and universities in…

More than 2,790 Akwa Ibom indigenes are to benefit from the Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS) of the Federal Government under job creation, wealth and poverty alleviation in the state. Dr. Dikko Radda, the Director-General of SMEDAN, stated this at the flag-off ceremony of the Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS) for Micro Enterprises in Nigeria held in Uyo Monday. Radda said that 90 beneficiaries were selected from the 31 local government areas of the state and each beneficiary would be given N50,000 to start business. The director-general said the pilot phase of the project was being conducted in six states of Katsina, Gombe,…