Author: straightnewsng.com

The Nigerian Government says it spent N30,540,563,571.09, representing 84 per cent of the N36.3 billion public funds and donations in response to COVID-19 in four months. The Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Ahmed Idris, stated this in response to the Freedom of Information request dated 10 August, 2020 and sent to him by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Connected Development (CODE). The Federal Government “spent N30,540,563,571.09, representing 84 per cent of the N36.3 billion public funds and donations received to respond to COVID-19 between 1st April, 2020 and 31st July, 2020, leaving the balance of N5.9 billion,” he…

Lionel Messi has given up his move to any other football club, confirming his plan to stay at Barcelona for the season, Goal.com has published. Messi who confirmed this attributed it to his inability to meet €700 million (£624 million) clause demanded by the President. “Now I am going to continue in the club because the Pres. told me that the only way to leave was to pay the €700 million (£624m) clause, and that this is impossible,” he said. The Argentine said he thought he was free to leave, adding that Barcelona president said he could stay or leave…

Wonder, it is popularly said, will never end. So was it a wonder to dignitaries and others who gathered to pay homage at the funeral mass of Senator Fidelis Okoro at his residential house in Iheagu Nru Nsukka, Enugu State on Friday, September 4. It was a surprise as a catechist officiated the mass attended by high profile politicians, while the Parish Priest of Iheagu Nru, Rev. Fr. Evaristus Isife shunned sermon and insisted that the Senator’s life was enough gospel for everyone. Dignitaries at the burial ceremony included Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu;…

Eighteen officers of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the country have been relieved of their duty for committing various offences. In a series of tweets on Saturday, the corps has dismissed eight of its officers, terminated appointments of 10, reduced the ranks of five personnel, while 10 were awarded various degrees of punishment. The erring officers were said to have committed offences such as desertion, forgery, number plate racketeering, bribery, scandalous behaviour, driver’s license racketeering, and patrol misconduct, among others. Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer, stated that the agency’s board approved the punishments, which were in accordance…

The decision by UK Commercial Court to suspend the execution of a $9.6 billion judgment debt against Nigeria “is a big victory and Nigeria can now breathe a sigh of relief,” the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, stated. Mohammed, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, described the Friday’s judgment as “a huge relief.” A UK commercial court on Friday granted Nigeria’s appeal for a stay of execution of the award of $9.6 billion, (about N3.5 trillion) to an Irish company, Process and Industrial Developments Ltd. (P&ID) over a botched gas contract. The Royal…

Two Federal civil servants and two other women have been caught over reported child trafficking. The women- Bernadette Ihezuo and Cecilia Onyema- said to be staffers of Federal Ministries of Finance and Agriculture and Rural Development, Abuja respectively while the third suspect, Okasi Ekeoma, said to be Onyema’s sister, while the fourth suspect is the baby’s grandmother Harrieth Nmezi residing in Imo state. The suspects who were paraded before newsmen on Thursday, September 3 by officials of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) were allegedly involved in selling a newborn for N1,500,000. A teenage girl, according to NAPTIP…

A popular Nigerian and social media critic has bashed some vocal persons and indeed Nigerians over their silence on the increasing economic hardships, tariffs’ hike, critics and other anti-people policies by the present administration. Reno Omokri, a one-time aide to President Goodluck Jonathan in his Twitter, expressed shock at the attitude of some Nigerian politicians and clergyman- Bola Tinubu, Wole Soyinka, Adams Oshiomhole, Oby Ezewesili, and Rev. Fr. Mbaka over their silence in the face of petrol pump hike, new electricity supply increase and other infractions by the present administration in Nigeria to inflict more pains on many. Omokri queried…

The number of persons who have recovered from COVID-19 in Nigeria has inched close to 43,000 as 125 fresh cases have been reported in the country. Stating this in its Twitter handle Thursday night, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said the new cases take the number of infections in the West African nation to 54,588. The new cases, according to NCDC, were reported from 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Nigeria’s pandemic hotbed, Lagos, had the highest number of infections from the disease – 42 – for the day and is trailed by the FCT –…

With six days to go on, a Kano musician sentenced to death by hanging for blasphemy against Prophet Muhammed by an Upper Shari’a Court in Kano has appealed the judgment. Public Relations Officer of Kano Courts, Baba Jibo confirmed his appeal to TVC News. The Kano Singer, Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, was sentenced to death on August 10, 2020, and was given 30 days by the court to appeal the judgment. In a suit filed on Thursday at the Kano State High Court by his lawyer, Kola Alapinni, Sharif-Aminu said he is dissatisfied with the judgment of the Shari’a Court. On August…

Two aspirants have claimed victory at two separate Senatorial primaries organised by All Progressives Congress of the Imo North Senatorial by-election on Thursday. In a Senatorial Primary conducted by a faction of the APC, Frank Ibezim scored 13,637 votes to emerge Senatorial candidate. He was declared winner by the Chairman of the election panel Senator Surajudeen Bashir. In another factional APC primary for the Imo North Senatorial District, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume who polled 22,944 votes was declared winner of the contest by a member of the election panel, Umar Gana.