Author: straightnewsng.com

Dino Melaye, the Senator representing Kogi West, was on Wednesday re-arrested by security agents shortly after Magistrate Court in Abuja had granted him a N90 million bail. Melaye was taken to the court on a stretcher. Well armed security operatives guarded the court. Journalists were not allowed into the court premises. Despite the bail granted Melaye, he was arrested again by security agencies. His whereabout is not known to many who watched as the security operatives ferried him out of the court premises. It would be recalled that Melaye was hospitalised following the injury he sustained when he tried to…

At least, 31.4 million customers have been captured in the Bank Verification Number system, Central Bank of Nigeria has stated. The apex bank’s director in charge of banking and payment system, Dipo Fatokun, said in Abuja. “As at December 2017, the implementation of the project recorded 31,426,091 registered BVNs and 43,959,282- accounts linked with BVN,’’ he said. “To address the absence of a unique identifier in the Nigerian banking industry and to facilitate the creation of inclusive financial services environment, the CBN, in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee launched the BVN Project on February 14, 2014, with biometric solution, as…

Ambassador Cajetan Akpan, a one-time National Secretary of Producers Forum of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers ( NUPENG), does not absolve government from casualisation of labour, describing it as cheating for someone to work in the oil company for 30 years without employment being regularised. Excerpts: Ambassador Cajetan Akpan Ambassador Cajetan Akpan is a young man from a humble beginning who rose to an enviable height by the special grave of God. I come from Ikot Akpandem village of Okon Clan in Eket local government area of Akwa Ibom State. A holder of Master’s degree in Peace…

President Muhammadu Buhari who seems undeterred by outrage and vituperation that greeted his comment that some Nigerian youths are lazy, has dropped another verbal bomb: youths in Northern Nigeria are school dropouts and uneducated. At the Commonwealth Business Forum on Wednesday, April 18, in London, Buhari had slammed a section of Nigerian youths, saying that “a lot of them haven’t been to school but are after free things based on the notion that Nigeria is an oil-rich nation. “About the economy, we have a very young population. Our population is estimated conservatively to be 180 million. This is a very…

In sustaining a cordial relationship with workers, Akwa Ibom Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has announced the successful implementation of about 80 percent of demands presented to his administration by the organised labour unions in the state. Emmanuel stated this Tuesday while addressing workers during the 2018 International Workers Day celebrations hosted by the state councils of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) at the Uyo Township Stadium. The governor, who said he has an emotional attachment to the state workforce, said a mechanism has been put in place to clear back-log of gratuities to retirees. “There are three…

By Ray Ekpu Someone copied this message to my daughter: “Ray Ekpu made a confession that startled everybody present. He pointedly said the media would never support PMB’s regime because all media houses that collected huge sums of public funds from Johnathan’s regime were compelled to refund what was given to them by PMB. He said that is the grouse of the media against PMB and so we shall not expect the media to be fair – Obono-Obla (SAN)”. My daughter copied the message to me and asked: “Daddy, is this true?” I promptly replied: “Of course not. What I…

Real Madrid booked their place in their third straight Champions League final after eliminating Bayern Munich 4-3 on aggregate in their Champions League last-four tie on Tuesday night. The Spanish side conceded two goals in the second-leg clash at the Santiago Bernabeu – a third-minute Joshua Kimmich goal and another from their on-loan midfielder James Rodriguez – but a brace from Karim Benzema was enough for Zinedine Zidane’s men to draw 2-2 on the night and go through to the final. Real, who have won the last two Champions League finals, will now play either Liverpool or Roma – who…

May Day otherwise known as Workers’ Day observed globally as a yearly ritual is a time of stock-taking between employers and their employees. Such event usually provides a vista of hope, promises and harmony as well as gives vent to accolades and backlash. In Akwa Ibom State, the celebration expected to have birthed renewal of promises occasionally ricocheted backlash and jeers as Governor Udom Emmanuel might have expected accolades from Akwa Ibom State workers based on his adumbrated gestures: payment of salaries/pensions and release of promotion to them. At the workers’ rally at Uyo Township Stadium Wednesday, Emmanuel told the…

In a curious manner, the prosecuting police was absent Wednesday at the Federal High Court, Uyo after claiming in his affidavit in support of motion to discharge order earlier issued by the court, that a victim of an alleged assault who supposedly died on January 24, 2018 volunteered a statement on January 26, 2018. The motion to discharge the exparte order granted, Mrs. Peter Oku, wife of the detained suspect on April 13, 2018, followed the detention of her husband for more than five weeks without bail or being charged to court for murder. The Akwa Ibom State Police Commissioner…

The Federal Government has banned sales of Codeine containing cough syrup without prescription across the country. Consequently, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has been directed to ban with immediate effect further issuance of permits for the importation of codeine as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations. Experts say codeine syrup is used in treatment of cough, but when abused could lead to full-fledged addiction that is potentially deadly. Professor Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, who made this directive known on Tuesday in Abuja, said the directive became necessary due to the gross abuse Codeine…