Author: straightnewsng.com

As England was placed in COVID-19 lockdown for a second time, the United Kingdom economy shrank by 2.6 per cent in November last year, official figures show. The Office for National Statistics said it meant gross domestic product was 8.5 per cent below its pre-pandemic peak. November’s decline came after six consecutive months of growth. Pubs and hairdressers were badly hit as the service sector suffered, the ONS said, but some manufacturing and construction activity improved. The hit to the service sector – which accounts for about three-quarters of the UK economy – meant it contracted by 3.4 per cent…

Popular radio and public affairs commentator from Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria is dead. Gloria Ekong died Wednesday, January 13, 2021, according to her close associate. The cause of her death is unknown. But she was still active, with her last post on Facebook recorded on January 12 at 7.39 pm. Reacting to her demise, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information & Strategy Ini Ememobong said she would be “greatly missed”. “I am greatly saddened by the news of the death of Miss Gloria Ekong, who was a strong supporter of the PDP and Government,” the commissioner said in a…

Nigeria has recorded death of 23 persons, the highest number in a day since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country in February last year. This is as the country recorded 1,479 new confirmed cases on Thursday, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported. Of the number recorded in 24 states including Federal Capital Territory, Lagos registered 697 cases while FCT and Nasarawa got 201 and 80 respectively. From Akwa Ibom, the state recorded 35 more cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 588. NCDC tweeted ‘’On the 14th of January 2021, 1479 new confirmed cases and 23…

Crisis rocking All Progressives Congress in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State has deepened following emergence of a new group in the party, Straightnews has learned. The online newspapers reliably learned that the appointment of Hon. Nse Ntuen into the APC National Committee on Women and Youth Mobilization for the upcoming Membership Registration and Revalidation exercise starting on January 25, 2021 has given verve to the new group but sent jitters to opposing faction of the party in the area. An anonymous source told Straightnews that ”A new group that has emerged in the area is led by Hon. Nse Ntuen,…

The Federal Government says it spent N63.8 billion on COVID-19 pandemic deadly attacks from March 1 to June 30, 2020. The amount was a shortfall of N20.097 billion from the N83.9 billion proposed by the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) on COVID-19 in its budget. This was contained in an Interim Report of the Special Audit of Federal Government of Nigeria’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic for the Period, 1st March to 30th June, 2020 submitted to the Clerk to the National Assembly by the Auditor-General of the Federation, Anthony Ayine. A breakdown showed that of the N63.8 billion, N22.2 billion was…

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has come under criticism for failing to keep proper accounts of COVID-19 financial expenses, donations and other activities amounting to N1.6 billion. This was contained in the Interim Report of the Special Audit of Federal Government of Nigeria’s Response to the COVID-19 attacks from March 1 to June 30, 2020 submitted to the Clerk to the National Assembly by the Auditor-General of the Federation, Anthony Ayine on Thursday. The report stated that: “NCDC paid the sum of N19,257,650.74 to some members of staff for the shipment, clearing and distribution of donations received. ”The NCDC was…

The Federal Government has confirmed that there is no going back on the January 18 resumption date for schools in the country. Last week, Adamu Adamu, the Minister of Education, announced that the government was reviewing the January 18 date due to the increasing number of confirmed COVID19 cases in the country. However, a statement released by Ben Bem Goong, the spokesperson of the Ministry Thursday, January 14, said the Minister, Governors, Commissioners, and other stakeholders in the education sector have agreed for the re-opening of the schools on the said date. Goong advised schools to comply with COVID-19 protocols…

COVID-19 new cases and deaths in Nigeria continue to soar on a daily basis. ”On the 13th of January 2021, 1398 new confirmed cases and 9 deaths were recorded in Nigeria,’’ Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported on Wednesday. This is as Akwa Ibom State recorded 34 more cases, bringing the total number to 553. Of the number from 22 states including Federal Capital Territory, Lagos is leading with 542 cases, while FCT and Oyo have 131 and 120 respectively. Further breakdown shows ”The 1398 new cases are reported from 23 states- Lagos (542), FCT (131), Oyo (120), Rivers (113),…

 Nigerian state governments have collected N123.348 billion (USD324.6 million) in the second round of performance-based grants under the States’ Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) Programme. The Nigerian Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, stated this in a statement signed by Mr. Hassan Dodo, the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Wednesday in Abuja. Ahmed said the disbursement followed the results achieved by the states in the just-concluded 2019 Annual Performance Assessment (APA). The assessment was carried out by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation (OAuGF) as the Independent Verification Agent (IVA) and approved…

A retired Director with the Department of State Service has regretted over the circumstances that led to his removal from Akwa Ibom State on what he called ‘flimsy and unsubstantiated allegations.’ Mike Ejiofor, a retired SSS Director speaking in an interview with The Vanguard reporter three days ago, did not give more insights into the allegation. ”I won’t call it sad because of my belief in God. My saddest day was the day I was removed from Akwa Ibom as State Director on flimsy and unsubstantiated allegations. ”Another sad day in my life was the day I was kidnapped but…