Author: straightnewsng.com

By Straightnews The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has bewailed that the current price of petrol has eroded the gains of the yet-to-be-implemented N70,000 new national minimum wage.  In July 2024, NLC President Joe Ajaero said Mr Ajaero said the labour union “accepted the president’s offer of N70,000…as the new National Minimum Wage and the 3-yearly tenure for its review.” The Organised Labour initially demanded a minimum wage of N615,000, citing economic challenges and the rising cost of living, until the President tricked the labour to accepting and therefore went ahead to increase the petrol pump price per litre. President of…

By Straightnews Ahead of the October 5 local government elections, All Progressives Congress (APC), Akwa Ibom State chapter says 29 chairmanship and 368 councillorship candidates have been cleared. But, the party says it is contesting against the decision of Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC) in failing to clear the two disqualified chairmanship candidates. Addressing a press conference at the NUJ secretariat, Uyo on Tuesday, ahead of September 18 flag-off at Ikot Ekpene Township Stadium, Chairman, APC Local Government Elections Campaign/Planning Committee, Senator Ita Enang announced the party’s preparedness to surmount all odds to secure victory for its candidates.…

By Straightnews The South South geo-political zone under the aegis of Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to create modular refineries in the Niger Delta to complement the efforts of Dangote Refinery. To tackle the menace of illegal oil refining and crude oil theft, Nigerian military forces have destroyed no fewer than 137 illegal refineries in a series of operations carried out between August 2023 and July 2024, The Punch reported. PANDEF, in a statement by its Leader, Chief Edwin Clark, said the policy of Modular Refineries was already endorsed by the administration of former President…

A total of 828,284 candidates representing 60.55 per cent who sat for the 2024 Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSCE) internal examination conducted by the National Examination Council (NECO) got credit in English Language and Mathematics. For three years, the pass rate among NECO candidates for the school-based examination has hovered around the same figure- 61.60 per cent in 2023 and 60 per cent in 2022. Announcing the results at the headquarters of the council in Minna, the Niger State capital on Thursday, NECO Registrar, Prof Dantani Wushishi, said 1,376,436 candidates sat for the examination and that the results are coming…

Akwa Ibom State lost several laurels in arts and culture at the national level for failing to participate in the National Festival for Arts and Culture (NAFEST) for 12 years. The Director, Akwa Ibom State Council for Arts and Culture, Uyo, Dr. Unwana Joshua Udo, who stated this while fielding questions from journalists in his office, said the state contingents also lost relevance at the national scene due to their non-participation. Udo who just returned from a summit organised by the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) in Abuja narrated the hazzles he passed through in an effort to…

By Aniefiok Christopher The members of Nsit Atai Village Youth Leaders Forum Wednesday impeached Comrade Ndu Davis Akpan led executive of the forum over allegations bordering on abuse of office and financial impropriety. The decision to impeach Comr. Ndu Akpan was reached during an emergency meeting of the forum held at Afaha Unity Hall, Odot in Nsit Atai Local Government Area where the Village Youth Leaders unanimously passed a vote of no confidence on his administration. In a communique jointly endorsed by its Vice President, Mr Effiong Udo Akpan, Mr. Williams Sunday, Youth Leader, Afaha Clan, Mr Bassey Okon Bassey,…

By Straightnews Hezbollah vowed on Wednesday to avenge Israel after hundreds of paging devices used by the militant group exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon, raising fears of an all-out war. Israel did not on the explosions that killed 12 people, including two children, and wounded up to 2,800 others. Hours before the blasts, Israel said it was broadening the aims of the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack, to include its fight against the Palestinian armed group’s ally Hezbollah. Hezbollah said Israel was “fully responsible for this criminal aggression” and on Wednesday reiterated it would…

A First-class Law graduate of the University of Uyo, Barrister Ikanna Okim has bagged scholarship to study in the University of Oxford. Okim is to study at the UK University as an Oxford-Hackney BCL graduate scholar. The daughter of a veteran journalist, Mr. Sunny Okim, said she intends to acquire her PhD in Corporate and Commercial Law after her Master’s programme at Oxford. She graduated with first-class honours in Law at the University of Uyo in 2021, the first student to achieve the feat in 36 years of the department. Okim also graduated the following year with a First Class…

The Defence Headquarters, DHQ, has broken its silence over the prolonged incarceration of a Naval Rating, Seaman Abbas Haruna for a superior officer for six years. This was revealed by his wife, Mrs. Hussaina Iliyasu, when she appeared on a human rights TV program, “Berekete,” alleging that her husband has been detained since 2018 following a misunderstanding with Brigadier General Adamu during a joint operation in Taraba state in which her husband left the parade to pray. The viral video has drawn public outrage and criticisms against the military and officers allegedly involved in the persecution of the naval rating.…

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions says it has power to enforce the court judgement of N13,848,949 awarded against Akwa Ibom Government to 13 villages in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of the state. This came as a counsel to the Akwa Ibom government asked the National Assembly Committee to strike out a petition brought by the 13 villages before it against the State Government for lacking requisite jurisdiction to entertain the case. Straightnews recalls that St. Gabriel Coconut Plantation and Oil Refinery Limited land owners in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area had petitioned Akwa Ibom State government…