Author: straightnewsng.com

Cristiano Ronaldo cast a shadow over Real Madrid’s third consecutive Champions League triumph by suggesting he could have played his last game for the Spanish giants in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Liverpool in Kiev. Ronaldo, 33, has now won five European Cups in all, but failed to score in a fourth final as Gareth Bale was the hero for Real after coming off the bench to score twice. “I am going to enjoy this moment and in the next few days I will give an answer to the fans, who have always been at my side,” Ronaldo told BeIN Sports…

ADDRESS BY MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 2018 DEMOCRACY DAY CELEBRATION, TUESDAY, 29TH MAY, 2018 My Dear Nigerians! Today marks the 19th year of our nascent democracy and the 3rd Anniversary of this administration. I am thankful to Almighty God for bringing us thus far. This administration came at a time that Nigerians needed Change, the Change we promised and the Change we continue to deliver. We have faced a lot of challenges on this journey and Nigerians have stood by us in achieving the three cardinal points of this administration namely;…

Former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, is worried that since May 29,1999, political parties in the country have no distinct ideologies. General Babangida, who made the observation in a statement to mark the 18 years of democratic practice in Nigeria, noted that the parties are decked with internal squabbles and cross carpeting that is not healthy to our democracy. According to him, unlike in the past, democratic governance had totally derailed from what it used to be and now polarized along ethnic and religious lines. He said, “As we celebrate 18 years of democracy in our country, democratic governance…

Global Amnesty Watch, GAW, an International human rights organisation, Monday, urged the Federal Government to exit the International Criminal Court, ICC, saying it was the only way that on-going war against terrorism in the country could be won without repercussions. The Geneva based group made the call in a communique it issued at the end of the 2nd International Human Rights Conference on Local Armed Conflict in Nigeria, held in Abuja. The conference, with the theme: “Assessing Nigeria’s response to the global security threats & its implications for world peace”, was organised in partnership with Institute for African Studies, University…

Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, Monday, raised the alarm, saying there were danger signals over the 2019 general elections. He also noted that said it was through God’s intervention that the country was not thrown into constitutional crisis during the 2015 general elections. Prof. Jega, who raised the alarm while delivering the 2018 Democracy Day lecture in Abuja, also told the federal government to ensure that security operatives display high sense of professionalism and neutrality in the forthcoming elections.. He further said there was deficit of good governance in the country and that…

The Ministry of Finance is yet to submit its report to the House of Representatives’ ad-hoc committee investigating the $17 million fee for lawyers involved in the transfer of $321 million Abacha loot to Nigeria. Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, had engaged Oladipo Okpeseyi, a senior advocate, and Temitope Adebayo, two Nigerian lawyers to do a job that had already been completed by Enrico Monfrini, the Swiss lawyer hired by the Nigerian government since 1999 to work on recovering the loot. Monfrini had questioned the engagement of the lawyers in an e-mail interview with online portal, TheCable, saying there was…

Former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has revealed that in 2015 the National Assembly leadership allegedly coerced the executive arm to part with an additional N17 billion before the year’s budget was passed into law. Okonjo-Iweala responded to allegation by Femi Gbajabiamila, the Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, over claims that she and her aides inserted their own projects into the 2015 budget. Clarifying the issues on her verified Twitter handle on Sunday, she said the lawmaker’s claims were inaccurate. The former minister had in her book, ‘Fighting Corruption is Dangerous: The Story Behind the Headlines,’ revealed…

Transparency International, anti-corruption group, said Monday that the government has in the run-up to elections, expanded the use of opaque $670 million-a-year funds that fuel graft. The funds, known as “security votes”, are a relic of military rule, mainly disbursed in hard cash and nominally released for dealing with unexpected security issues. They come from both federal and state governments, although the vast majority is disbursed under the latter. According to Transparency International’s report, they have become “synonymous with official corruption and abuse of power.” The watchdog’s report comes as President Muhammadu Buhari is gearing up to run for a…

Withhold not discipline from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall die admonished by the Holy Book if not obeyed by parents in child upbringing is said to attract shame and embarrassment to the family and the society, declared a clergyman. Speaking during this year’s Children’s Day celebrations, Pastor Sam Etok observed that inability by many parents in the society to instill discipline in their children through corporal punishment has compelled them to wrong doings. Etok preaching a sermon at Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, South South 33 Region, Uyo on Sunday decried the…

Analysts and callers on a privately owned radio station in Uyo, Monday, have unanimously raised alarm: Declare state of emergency on public primary and secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State said to be in deplorable conditions to forstall dwindling standard of education. The alarm came against the background of various publications based on thorough investigations by Premium Times, online newspapers further collaborated by Uyo-based Radar newspapers that the schools were stinking in terms of infrastructural facilities coupled with dearth of committed teachers due to lack of motivation. Of course, the analysts were not oblivious of the fact that most of…