Author: straightnewsng.com

Akakan Umoh The Cross River State Tourism Bureau says it generated more than N17.4 billion  revenue from its 32-day festivals and carnivals in December 2025. Ojoi Ekpenyong, the managing director of the Tourism Bureau, who stated this in a statement on Friday, said the event hosted over 248,000 visitors. Mr. Ekpenyong said that the statistics reinforced the beflief that the event is growing in status as one of Nigeria’s “most powerful” tourism drivers. According to him, the visitor inflow for the 2025 edition exceeded 2024 figures by about 24 per cent. He noted that tourism activity from November 2025 to…

By Aniefiok Christopher Helen Keller International (HKI) and the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health have reaffirmed their commitment to the identification and elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in the State by the year 2030. The partnership was highlighted during a road walk organized to commemorate the 2026 World NTDs Day. The walk commenced from the Idongesit Nkanga Secretariat and terminated at Ibom Plaza, Uyo. Participants included directors from the State Ministry of Health, officials of Helen Keller International, media practitioners, and other health stakeholders. Flagging off the event, Akwa Ibom Commissioner for Health, Dr Ekem Emmanuel John Dr.…

Akakan Umoh’ Akwa Ibom Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has strongly condemned a viral video in which Rev. Yinka Yusuf allegedly made disparaging remarks about the people of the state. The Governor made the remark when he received the General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, who paid a courtesy visit on him at the Executive Chambers, Government House, Uyo on Friday, January 30, 2026. Eno commended his exemplary leadership style as distinctively different and a stark contrast to the intolerance displayed by some religious leaders in the country. The Governor extolled the mature and fatherly role of…

Edi Umoh A US-based Nigerian lady has challenged US President Trump to give immigrants at least a year to prepare for their exit from the country if that is his wish. In a viral video, the elderly woman said ”she has been heartbroken by several videos of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents summarily arresting immigrants in the most inhumane way. ICE, a component of the Department of Homeland Security responsible for enforcing immigration laws and investigating transnational crime, is accused of inhumane detention conditions, separation of families, lack of adequate medical care, and excessive force during arrests. She further…

Edi Umoh The Akwa Ibom State Police Command recorded successes in its operations in an effort aimed securing the people and the state. Last week, the command arrested a suspect and recovered 415 cache of live ammunition from a commercial bus en route Calabar. The Command’s Public Relations  Officer, DSP Timfon John, who stated this in a statement on January 30, said ‘‘the items were recovered during a stop-and-search operation. “On 23rd January, 2026 at about 2300 hours, operatives of the Command while on routine stop-and-search patrol along the Calabar–Itu Highway, intercepted a commercial bus with registration number ARR600ZY, en route…

Aniefiok Christopher The eventual cancellation of the scheduled “Uyo 1 Million Crusade” with Rev. Yinka Yusuf, in Akwa Ibom State has generated controversy, condemnations and finger-pointing against the State Government. The crusade sponsored by a popular Kwara State-born evangelist, Rev. Yusuf, was cancelled by Akwa Ibom State Government in a letter dated January 21. The state government, through its agency that manages public facilities, wrote a letter to Yusuf, informing him that an earlier approval to use a government hall, Ibom Hall, for the crusade has been withdrawn due to “security reasons” and the “prevailing security situation in the State.”…

Akakan Umoh A remorseful US-based Nigerian professor, Nkechy Ezeh, has pleaded guilty for masterminding a sophisticated wire fraud and tax evasion scheme that defrauded Michigan taxpayers of over $1 million (£780,000). Ezeh, a former executive director at Early Learning Neighbourhood Collaborative (ELNC) at Aquinas College, admitted to conspiring with others to defraud a US government-funded organization for early learning initiatives for impoverished children. According to the plea agreement, Ezeh said “from at least 2017 through 2023, she conspired with Sharon Killebrew and others and devised a scheme to defraud and obtain $1,400,000” from ELNC, a Michigan-based non-profit that received funding from…

Aniefiok Christopher Akwa Ibom Governor, Umo Eno, generated reactions on social media after a trending video surfaced showing him questioning a contractor for prioritising mortuary building instead of hospital facilities during a project inspection in the state. The incident occurred on Tuesday while the governor toured the Ikot Ekpene Udo General Hospital project site alongside members of the development team, where he reviewed construction progress and addressed concerns about the focus of the initial building plans. Ikot Ekpene Udo is the governor’s hometown in Nsit Ubium Local Government Area of the state. Also read Governor Eno Directs Establishment of MRI…

Edi Umoh The Confederation of African Football Disciplinary Board has imposed sanctions on the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football, the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football, as well as several players and officials, following incidents during the 2025 African Cup of Nations final. In a statement posted on its website on Wednesday night, CAF said the sanctions were handed down for violations of the CAF Disciplinary Code, including breaches of the principles of fair play, loyalty and integrity, during and after the final match. As part of the decisions against Senegal, CAF suspended the head coach of the Senegalese national team, Pape…

Akakan Umoh After losing a defamation case, UK-based blogger Maureen Badejo was ordered £100,000 in damages to Daniel Olukoya, founder of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), and his wife, Folashade. In April 2021, the Queen’s Bench Division of the UK High Court of Justice ordered Ms Badejo to pay £65,000 to Olukoya and £35,000 to his wife for defamatory posts she made on her social media accounts. The UK High Court of Appeal also directed her to publicly retract the defamatory statements and publish a summary of the judgment on her social media platforms for a period…