Author: straightnewsng.com

Judges in the country have been charged to expedite hearing of cases pending before their courts, maintaining that speedy resolution of disputes would assure investors and other major players in the oil and gas industry that their investments are safe. Onnoghen spoke Tuesday at the opening ceremony of a workshop on Nigerian Local Content Development and Monitoring (Law & Policy) for Justices and Judges, organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Management Board in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute, NJI. The CJN noted that recent innovations in the oil and gas sector introduced new legal regimes, making it necessary…

The House of Representatives, Tuesday, moved to probe issuance of voters’ cards to under-aged voters by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Consequently, the House resolved to set up an ad-hoc committee to probe deeply into the allegation levelled against the apex electoral body. The development was sequel to a motion promoted by Johnbull Shekerau, PDP, Plateau State. But immediately after the debate, Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, PDP, Abia moved for amendment of Shekarau’s prayer from mandating the Committee on Electoral and Political Parties to probe the matter to rather set up an independent committee. His proposed amendment to set up an…

The Senate, Tuesday, raised the alarm that Nigeria as a country loses about 2,300 under-five-year old and 145 women of child bearing age every day. As part of moves to end the problem, the Senate mandated its Committees on Women Affairs and Health to work with the Federal Ministries of Women Affairs and Health to find ways of curbing maternal, new born and infant mortality in the country and report back to it. In another development, the Senate has called for the establishment of a special court to enforce the rights of children and ensure that those who expose children…

Memebers of the House of Representatives Committee United States/ Nigeria Parliamentary Relations Tuesday, appealed to the United States to assist Nigeria in the repatriation of stolen funds stashed in foreign countries by corrupt public officials. Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, committee Chairman made the appeal on behalf of his colleagues when he played host to a delegation of military officers of the US Air War College. Agbonayinma in soliciting the repatriation of all looted funds stashed in overseas countries informed the military delegation that as accomplished officers who will in no distant future be involved in policy formation in the United States, they…

Worried over the dilapidated nature of inter- roads across the country, the Senate, Tuesday, asked the Federal Government to ensure the rehabilitation and repair of these roads in Nigeria in this 2018 fiscal year. Against this backdrop, the Senate yesterday, mandated the Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano South) led Committee on Works to, as a matter of urgency, investigate the award and execution of the Idah-Odolu-Nsukka-Adani-Otuocha-Onitsha federal road which has been in a state of total disrepair. The Senate also urged the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, to, as an interim begin immediate repair of the bad portions of the…

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused the Federal Government of trying to cover a “huge fraud in the presidency by “declaring it spends N24 billion monthly (N774 million per day) to subsidise fuel in the country.” StraightNews had reported that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation claimed it was spending N774m daily (about N23.99 bn monthly) as subsidy on the 50 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit consumed across the country. But in a statement released Monday, by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiya, the PDP described the figure as “fictitious and cleverly fabricated to retire the already exposed stealing…

Driven by upsurge in exports of agricultural goods and solid minerals, Nigeria’s foreign trade peaked in 2017 with a N4 trillion trade surplus from a deficit of N290.1 billion in 2016, the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, has stated. The NBS made this known in its Foreign Trade Statistics report for the fourth quarter of 2017 (Q4’17). The report showed that Nigeria exported N13.5 trillion worth of goods in 2017, up by 59.47 per cent from N8.523 trillion in 2016, while it imported N9.56 trillion worth of goods in 2017, up by 8.5 per cent from N8.82 trillion in 2016.…

Confusion enveloped an Italian court Monday as two lawyers purportedly representing the federal government surfaced in the trial of Shell and Eni executives over alleged corruption in Nigeria. Online portal, Premium Times, gathered that although the Italian court postponed to May 14 the start of the trial, one of the lawyers, a certain Mr. Sedu, declared his intention not to ask for damages from Eni. It reported on Saturday the expected postponement of the trial and possible transfer to another court. The trial was originally expected to start Monday but sources said the court might not be able to deal…

More than 46 million Nigerians are said be practising open defecation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources has stated, saying that federal government plans to eliminate it by 2025. Suleiman Hussein Adamu, the Minister of Water Resources, stated this during the official celebration of local government wide open defecation free status by Dass local government area under the Sanitation, Hygiene and Water in Nigeria (SHAWN) project held at the Waziri Mazadu primary school at Dass in Bauchi state. Adamu, who was represented by Musa Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, said more than two third of the Nigeria…

Father and son were Friday arrested by the Operatives of the Rapid Response squad of the Lagos State Police Command for selling Tramadol and other hard drugs to primary and secondary school pupils in Itire, Lagos. The father, Ibrahim Sheu (40) and Franku Ibrahim (23) were arrested after officials of the Office of Education and Quality Assurance, Lagos State, alerted the Rapid Response Squad officers about the incident. The suspects, who are petty traders of a kiosk in Adedeji Bus stop, Itire were caught selling the drugs to school pupils- some whom were interrogated and later released to their parents.…