Author: straightnewsng.com

Senator Godswill Akpabio has warned against making a law that would lead to the Federal Government taking over the landed areas of riverine communities, especially communities where the water bodies dry off. The bill which set the house members at loggerheads occurred at the plenary on Thursday had the northern senators in support of the bill and its objectives and the southern counterparts in disagreement to it. Those who opposed were of the opinion that, the bill if passed into law, would further centralize power and the nation’s resources. This, they pointed out, would counter the current move towards decentralization…

Mayhem, killings, maiming and arson plaguing Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun local government areas in Akwa Ibom State have been heaped on the shoulders of desperate, immature and misguided politicians who armed the youths during the previous elections in the areas. So far, the armed youths have wrecked havoc in the areas that snowballed into senseless killing of thousands, kidnappings and rapes of many as well as destruction of hundreds of residential houses and market stalls. Udom Udo Ekpoudom, the retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), stated this Thursday when he played host to a group of young men and…

The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has charged federating states to devise innovative ways to boost their respective economies as a way of improving the standard of living of their people. Osinbajo, who was keynote speaker at the Leadership Newspaper 2018 Awards ceremony Thursday in Abuja, also advised governors to build solid economic foundation upon which their predecessors would build to drive development process. Speaking on the theme, “Towards Financially Viable State Governments,” the Vice President said federating states must take cognizance of what works for nation- states, adding that in most instances, national blueprints were equally implementable at sub-national…

A Corps Member serving at Nigeria Medical Association Clinic, Idu Uruan in Akwa Ibom has donated a furnished Clinic to Adadia community in Uruan local government area of the state. Speaking during the inauguration of the clinic at Adadia community on Thursday, Dr Esther Akpan said her humanitarian gestures were as a result of the favours she got while growing up. Akpan said her passion of serving lives and the less privileged in rural communities, moved her to build a clinic and donated same to Adadia community as her Personal Community Development Service. According to her, the desire to sacrifice…

As controversy continues to trail the ward, local government and state congresses of All Progressives Congress, APC, in many states of the federation, President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday had a closed-door meeting with Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and the former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole. Recall that governor Okorocha, who is chairman of APC Governors Forum, had vehemently opposed the proposal by the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party for tenure elongation of the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led executive. Former Governor Oshiomhole, on his part, had recently declared his intention to contest for the national chairmanship of the…

The Presidency said Thursday that the nation’s economy was on the right track with steady growth under the present administration. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina in a statement in Abuja, said though the opposition elements might not see the positive growth in the economy, the report of the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, was the evidence that the economy was in safe hands under President Muhammadu Buhari’s government. He said: “Some people have made it a pastime to talk as if there is no silver lining in the sky as far as the…

The Commander of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS) in Rivers State, Mr. Akin Fakorede, an assistant commissioner of Police is seeking N2 billion damages from the Rivers State government over libellous publications. He has given the government a seven-day ultimatum to retract the libellous publications against him, and demanded an unreserved apology from the state government. Fakorede said the apology must be published on the front pages of national newspapers that carried the false publications. This, he said, should be published twice the number of times the advertisements ran in each newspaper. Fakorede’s lawyer, Ayodele Akintunde, in a 10-page letter,…

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja Thursday lashed at the House of Representatives, saying it acted illegally when it suspended its Former Chairman on Appropriation, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin for 180 legislative days. The court, in a judgment that was delivered by Justice John Tsoho, held that Jibrin acted rightly by exposing alleged “malfeasance” by leadership of the House with regards to the 2016 budget, to the appropriate anti-graft agency. Justice Tsoho maintained that Jibrin acted properly as he did not employ unlawful means to achieve his goal of exposing his corruption allegation against principal officers of the House of…

The re-trial of the embattled former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, in absentia, suffered a setback on Thursday, following the absence of his lawyer in court. Metuh’s lead counsel, Mr. Emeka Etiaba, SAN, was said to have gone to the Supreme Court to handle another matter. Consequently, Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja who initially stood down the trial till 1p.m., subsequently adjourned the case till Friday. Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr.  Sylvanus Tahir had after Metuh’s case was called up around 1.50 p.m., applied for a further stand-down…

Catholic Priests of West Africa, CPWA, have in unison join in calling President Muhammadu Buhari to resign instead of seeking a second term in the office. Addressing newsmen in Alor Idemili South local government area of Anambra State, Rev. Fr. Martin Onukwuba, President of CPWA, said that CPWA supports the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria for their call on President Buhari to resign from office for his administration’s inability to tame the killer herdsmen. CPWA declared,“We support the stand of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria in calling for resignation of the President which is possible, because Nigerians are tired…