Author: straightnewsng.com

The immediate past secretary of state, Mike Pompeo and 27 other high-ranking officials under out-gone United States President Donald Trump have been banned from entering China. In a strongly-worded statement published after US President Joe Biden was sworn into office on Thursday morning, Beijing time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the former Trump administration officials were “anti-China politicians” who had undermined the relationship between the US and China, accusing them of “prejudice and hatred against China.” “(They) have planned, promoted and executed a series of crazy moves which have gravely interfered in China’s internal affairs, undermined China’s interests, offended the…

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says Nigeria’s active telephony subscribers have increased from 203 million to 208 million with teledensity at 108.92 per cent. The NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Umar Garba Danbatta who stated this in a statement on Thursday added that active internet subscriptions increased to 154.9 million and broadband penetration hitting 45.07 per cent. Danbatta, a professor, said the third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) base transceiver stations (BTS) deployment in Nigeria has increased from 30,000 to 53,460. According to him, Fibre Optic Transmission cables expanded from 47,000km to 54,725km in the last five years, resulting…

Nigeria’s oil-producing states collected N31.827 billion as derivation or 13 per cent of Mineral Revenue from Federation Accounts Allocation Committee for December 2020. The oil-producing states include Akwa Ibom- the largest oil producer with 31.4% (504,000 BPD), Delta – 21.56% (346,000 BPD), Rivers – 21.43% (344,000 BPD), Bayelsa – 18.07% (290,000 BPD), and Ondo – 3.74% (60,000 BPD). Others are Lagos – 2.64% (40,000 BPD), Edo – 2.06% (33,000 BPD), Imo-1.06 % (17,000 BPD) and Abia-0.68% (11,000 BPD), according to Nigerian bureau of Statistics 2017. This is as Federal Government, States and Local Government Councils (LGCs) shared N619.343 billion as…

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has confirmed 1,386 new COVID-19 in the country, bringing the total to 114,691. NCDC in its official Twitter handle of Wednesday, January 20 said 14 persons died, bringing the total number to 1,478 since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. So far, 92,336 persons have successfully been treated and discharged. On the new cases, the public health agency said they were reported from 21 states including Federal Capital Territory. Lagos was leading with 476 followed by Rivers, 163; FCT, 116; Kaduna, 114 and Oyo, 68. Others were Plateau (62), Ogun (56), Imo (55),…

An Uyo High Court in Akwa Ibom State has sentenced a 23-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping his three-year-old stepdaughter in Ikot Akpe, Uyo Local Government Area of  the state. Iniobong Okon Moses, a native of Afaha Udo Eyop in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of the State, was arrested on November 8, 2019 for raping the minor. In his confessional statement, Moses claimed he was drunk and that he 3exually defiled the infant when his wife left for the market. Justice Okon Okon in his ruling delivered Wednesday, rejected Moses’ claim of being drunk, saying “drunkenness is not an exculpatory defence in Law for…

Chief Justice Roberts, Vice-President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice-President Pence. My distinguished guests, my fellow Americans. This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve. Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested a new and America has risen to the challenge. Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate but of a cause, a cause of democracy. The people – the will of the people – has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We’ve learned again that democracy is…

President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated American people, US Joe Biden and the Vice President Kamala Harris as they took the oath of office on Wednesday. Buhari, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu in Abuja Wednesday night, hoped that their presidency would mark a strong point of cooperation and support for Nigeria as well as the African continent. The President congratulated the leaders, and the entire country on the successful transition, which marks an important historical inflexion point for democracy as a system of government and for the global community as…

The second variant of COVID-19 is showing its fang the more on the people across the globe. In Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, 255 persons are kept in isolation centres for treatment, Comrade Iniobong Ememobong, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy has said. In a telephone interview with Straightnews on Wednesday, January 20, Ememobong who is also the state Publicity Chairman of Akwa Ibom COVID-19 Committee, confirmed ‘’At the moment, I can confirm that we have 255 persons in the isolation centres. They are responding to treatment.’’ On how to stop the spread of the pandemic, the Commissioner called…

Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as vice president of the United States on Wednesday, stepping into history as the highest-ranking female politician in American history. Harris raised her right hand, face steeled as it was through so many hearings and debates that it became her signature stare. Then, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor read “so help me God,” the stoicism broke. “So help me God,” Harris repeated, overcome with a smile as her sister, Maya, broke into tears behind her. She hugged her husband. She found Joe Biden waiting, shaking his fists in triumph. Then she walked back to her…

Joseph R. Biden, Jr., has been sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, taking the reins of power at a perilous time in American history and urging a bitterly divided country to unite around defeating the deadliest pandemic in a century. “This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day,” Mr. Biden said in his inaugural address. “Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause. The cause of democracy. The people, the will of the people, has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded.” Noting that he was being…