Author: straightnewsng.com

UNDP with UniPod in a University to launch key projects for innovation

On September 23, Akwa Ibom State turns 38 — a moment beckoning both celebration and sober reflection. Since its creation in 1987, carved out of the old Cross River State, Akwa Ibom, nestled in the Gulf of Guinea, has evolved from a fledgling local government administrative unit into urban centre that commands national attention for its infrastructural strides and relatively stable governance. In nearly four decades, the state has witnessed a transformation in physical development, thanks to successive administrations that have prioritised road networks, healthcare infrastructure, and public buildings. The advent of Ibom Air has been hailed nationally as a…

By Our Reporter Contractors who bidded for the 400 jobs advertised in Digital Procurement Portal by the Akwa Ibom Government for youths are gnashing teeth over difficulty in opening the portal. Recall that the digital procurement portal launched on March 14, 2025, and manned by the state Ministry of Science and Digital Economy, was aimed at increasing transparency on how government contracts are awarded, limiting favoritism, and helping indigenous contractors and vendors to compete. The portal, which required interested contractors/vendors to register to receive an 11‑digit unique number after registration, involves construction of Commissioners’ quarters, legislative & judiciary quarters, medical…

The saga on the purported abandonment of official duty by two medical doctors and Akwa Ibom Government is simmering, resulting in an exchange of words between one of the doctors and the Commissioner for Health. The affected doctors are Dr. Mfonobong George Bassey, a Consultant Haematologist and Dr. Uduakabasi Ita, a Consultant Radiologist. The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ekem Emmanuel John who stirred the hornet’s nest by declaring the two doctors wanted for absconding from their duty posts, forced one of them,  Dr. Bassey, out of his hiding to blow hot against what he saw as an ‘’accusation’’ against…

Akwa Ibom State Internal Revenue Service (AKIRS) has secured a N1.2 billion judgment against Ardent Energy Services Ltd, an oil servicing company operating in the state. A statement by Nsikak Esenowo, Head, Information & Corporate Communications, said the judgement was delivered at the Revenue Court of Akwa Ibom State, Uyo on July 3, 2025. The court presided by the Revenue Judge, Maureen-Idongesit M. Udoka, ordered the defendant to pay to the Akwa Ibom State Government, N1.2 billion, including penalty and interest on the principal sum. You may also read AKIRS Shuts Three banks over non-remittance of taxes  Akwa Ibom Budget…

Israel Umoh A Nigerian has attributed the country’s unstable power more to politics than to economics, voicing that ‘‘Electricity reform in Nigeria and probably elsewhere is 99% of politics and 1% economics.’’  Eyo O. Ekpo, Team Lead, Power Component, UKNIAF, traced ignoble roles by successive administrations to embrace electricity reform hence the numerous power outage and failed electricity supply. Ekpo, who presented a paper entitled: Nigeria Electricity Sector Journey – Lessons for Akwa Ibom State, during a two-day Akwa Ibom State Electricity Summit 2025 held at Four-Points by Sheraton Hotels, Ikot Ekpene, said ‘‘let me say that we gather here…

A suspected illicit drugs suspect is currently detained in the police cell in Uyo, Akwa Ibom for his involvement in the business. A statement in Uyo on Sunday, DSP Timfon John, Police Public Relations Officer , Akwa Ibom State Police Command, said ‘‘In the early hours of Sunday, September 21, 2025, operatives from the Akwa Ibom State Police Command successfully raided a criminal hideout in Ikot Oku Ikono, Uyo. ‘‘Acting on an intelligence, operatives moved to the location at approximately 1:00 a.m., leading to the arrest of one individual. Also read: Police Command Smokes out suspected kidnappers in Akwa Ibom ‘‘The…

Britain, Australia, and Canada on Sunday recognised a Palestinian State in a seismic shift in decades of Western foreign policy, triggering swift Israeli anger. Portugal was also to recognise Palestinian statehood later Sunday, as Israel came under huge international pressure over the war in Gaza triggered almost two years ago by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. “Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a message on X. Britain and Canada became the first G7…

After one month of posting to Cross River State,  the Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Maurice Ogbonna, has died in a hotel in Calabar. The commander was found dead by his officers, who had come to pick him up for a scheduled assignment. Spokesperson for the Cross River State Police Command, Irene Ugbo-Obase, confirmed the development and stated that an investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of death. Also read: Shock over death of Akwa Ibom-born Bigwig in Nigeria Customs Service at National Assembly   Ogbonna, who was transferred to Cross River in August 2025, had…

The U.S. on Thursday vetoed a U.N. Security Council draft resolution calling for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” cease-fire in Gaza. The draft resolution expressed “grave concern at Israel’s ongoing expansion of its military operation in Gaza and the deepening of the suffering of civilians as a result.” It called on Israeli authorities to immediately reverse their decision to further the military operation in Gaza and rejected “any attempt at demographic or territorial change” in the enclave. Also read:  USA, West Accuse China Of Stealing Intellectual Property Worth Billions of Dollars  Denmark proposed the draft resolution on behalf of the…