Author: straightnewsng.com

By: Israel Umoh On the Christmas Eve, some of our villagers plucked asaka flowers, wove around palm frond and pegged it in the front of their alleys in what was called Ugwuk ndak. It was their normal Christmas tree. Asaka looks like a shrub with creeping tendrils and enticing flowers that beautifully budded during the dry season. It attracted sun birds and other birds. The orthodox Christians believed that pegging a palm frond on your alley sported with the asaka flower signaled the festivity and opener for blessings of the season. Every morning, we gathered firewood, dry leaves and parched…

Primary and secondary schools both public and private in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria are directed to reopen for classes on Monday, January 4, 2021. Announcing this after the last State Executive Council’s meeting on Wednesday, Comrade Iniobong Ememobong, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, said this was to make up for the inconclusive. Ememobong directed all the school heads to ensure their wards comply with the laid-down COVID-19 protocols. According to him, “Council received the report of the state of schools in preparation for resumption from the short Christmas break, in line with the current spike of COVID-19 .…

Akwa Ibom Government has handed over the case of the 11-year-old boy alleged to have been 3exually abused at the Deeper Life High School, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to the police for thorough investigation. The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ini Ememobong, who stated this in a statement on Wednesday, said the government is committed to unraveling the truth in the sexual abuse allegation and would “prosecute anybody found culpable of any wrongdoing.” After the state Executive Council meeting, the Akwa Ibom government urged the public to be patient “for a thorough investigation to be carried out by the…

As the second wave of COVID-19 continues to ravage the country, Nigeria has recorded 1,016 cases and 11 deaths in 24 hours. Nigeria Centre for Disease Control says of the new cases recorded in 20 states including Federal Capital Territory, Lagos State has the highest of 434 while FCT and Plateau have 155 and 94 infections respectively. “On the 30th of December 2020, 1016 new confirmed cases and 11 deaths were recorded in Nigeria. “The 1016 new cases are reported from 21 states- Lagos (434), FCT (155), Plateau (94), Kaduna (56), Rivers (56), Oyo (30), Nasarawa (27), Zamfara (25), Abia…

Shareholders have mandated AIICO Insurance Plc to raise its authorised share capital from N18 billion to N20 billion. Speaking at its 50th Annual General Meeting held virtually, Kundan Sainani, AIICO’s Chairman, thanked the shareholders for the support given to the company. Sainani reiterated board’s commitment to continue to steer the affairs of the company on the path of continuous and sustainable progress. At the meeting, the shareholders also approved to increase its authorised share capital by the creation of an additional four billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each. Similarly, the shareholders further gave their nod for the declaration of…

US President, Donald Trump and immediate past first lady, Michelle Obama are the most admired man and woman of 2020, according to a new Gallup poll. It was a turbulent year that Trump was impeached, widely criticized for his administration’s handling of the Coronavirus pandemic and racial tensions, and lost re-election, it is no mean feat for him. It is the first time Trump has topped the list alone, ending a 12-year run by his predecessor, Barack Obama, with whom he tied for the most admired man in 2019. For Michelle Obama, it’s her third straight year as the most…

Brent crude prices held above $51 a barrel on Wednesday, after API data showed stocks of crude oil in the US declined by 4.8 million barrels in the week ended December 25, marking the first fall in inventories since the week ended November 6. Also, the Donald Trump administration began sending stimulus payments of up to $600 to millions of Americans on Tuesday evening. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the government would begin the process of mailing out paper checks on Wednesday for individuals without government-registered bank accounts. On the pandemic front, the US reported its first case of the mutant…

Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan, Wednesday, sent packing a 22-year-old marriage on grounds of frequent nagging. The dissolved marriage was between David Adetula and Remi, his wife. Delivering judgment, Chief Henry Agbaje, President of the court, held that “It was possible to take the horse to the river, but impossible to force it to drink water.’’ Agbaje remarked that effort by the court to prevail on the petitioner to change his decision for separation failed. Consequently, he dissolved the union in the interest of peace and granted custody of the three most senior children to their father and the last…

Bitcoin has continued to break new ground on Wednesday, surging to an all-high $28,500 or £21,019. Bitcoin rose over five per cent against the dollar to hit a record high of $28,506.46 (BTC-USD) in early trade in London. The all-time high means Bitcoin has jumped by 46 per cent since the start of December. For 2020, the cryptocurrency is up almost 300 per cent, among increased interest from institutional investors, and worries over the inflationary impact of this year’s huge Coronavirus-related stimulus packages. “Bitcoin has increasingly seen demand from larger US investors, in particular, attracted by its perceived inflation-hedging qualities…

Lassa fever has claimed 242 lives in Nigeria this year, according to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported. This is 72 higher than the 170 casualty figure recorded in 2019. Lassa fever is a disease spread to humans through food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces. The disease is endemic in the West African country and its name comes from the town of Lassa in northern Nigeria where it was first identified in 1969. It is endemic in part of West Africa, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria. Neighbouring countries are also at risk. From the…