Author: straightnewsng.com

President Donald Trump Tuesday joined Nigeria among 39 countries affected by his travel ban or to heavy restrictions as part of the sweeping set of immigration and entry limits. The first iteration of the travel ban Trump issued in June included 19 countries, fully barring the entry of immigrants and travelers from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also partially suspended the entry of nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. But the proclamation signed by Trump on Tuesday added seven countries to…

The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, alongside his counterpart in Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe have turned in their resignation letters. The resignation wave rocked the two regulatory agencies following recent allegations of corruption and economic sabotage levelled against them by a renowned industrialist and founder of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Aliko Dangote. Consequently, President Tinubu has requested the Senate to confirm the nominations of two new chief executives for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). Related…

By Our Reporters Heavy backlash is trailing comments credited to the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Elder Udeme Otong, after he claimed that all tickets for the 2027 House of Assembly elections are already under his control. In a video that has gone viral on social media, Otong was seen stating that no individual would become a member of the state legislature without his approval. The Speaker made the comments when a socio-political group, the Ibom Grassroots Development Initiative (IGDI), paid him a courtesy visit at his country home in Abak Itenge to mark his 2025…

Australia’s leaders agreed on Monday, December 15, to introduce stricter gun laws after the country’s worst mass shooting almost 30 years, in which a father and son opened fire on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people, including a child. The older gunman, aged 50, was killed at the scene, taking the tally of dead to 16, while his 24-year-old son was in a critical condition in hospital, police told a press conference. The attackers fired into crowds gathered at the Sydney beach for the start of Hanukkah on Sunday, December 14, triggering panic as people fled across…

Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has announced a Christmas bonus of ₦150,000 to every civil servant in the state for the 2025 festive season. Nwifuru made the pronouncement on Sunday during a church service at the Government House Chapel in Abakaliki. According to him, the gesture aligns with his administration’s commitment to improve the welfare of civil servants despite dwindling revenue accruing to the state in the past year. Recall that the Governor equally announced a Christmas bonus of N150,000 to every civil servant in the state for the 2024 Yuletide celebrations. For October 2025, Ebonyi State collected a total…

The Federal Government has approved three major transformative Public–Private Partnership (PPP) projects, unlocking over ₦6.43 trillion (approximately $4.29 billion) in private capital investment. Among the flagship approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) is the Bakassi Deep Seaport valued at $2.27 billion, a strategic maritime infrastructure project in private investment for the Nigerian economy. The approval was part of a set of strategic PPP projects recently signed off by the ICRC, including new deep seaports and hydropower plant, together attracting about $4.29 billion in private investment commitments. Speaking on the approval, the Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC),…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) registered 76,534 voters in Akwa Ibom during its phase one of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in the state which ended Wednesday. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom, Mr Obo Effanga, stated this in a statement in Uyo on Saturday. “During the first phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise between Aug. 25 and Dec. 10, we in INEC Akwa Ibom registered 76, 534 in the state,” he said. Effanga said that December 15 to December 21 had been fixed for display of preliminary voters register across the 31 Local Government Area…

A top lawyer has faulted the submission of a resignation letter to Cross River Governor Chief Bassey Otu by Bekwarra Local Government Chairman , raising fresh legal and political concerns. Mr Obono-Obla, a lawyer, stated in the Facebook post that Cross River Governor Otu is not the “appropriate authority” to receive Mrs Theresa Akwaji Ushie’s resignation. Ushie, the chairperson of the Bekwarra Local Government Council, had resigned and the letter surfaced online after her removal from office by the Cross River House of Assembly. The Assembly had announced the removal of the council Chairperson, Theresa Ushie, from her office on Wednesday, 10…

The Supreme Court has reaffirmed the death sentence handed to Maryam Sanda, the daughter-in-law of a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for committing culpable homicide. In a split judgment of four to one, a five-member panel of justices of the apex court restated the judicial pronouncement that ordered her death by hanging. The court resolved all the issues she raised to set aside her conviction and the sentence against her and dismissed her appeal for want of merit. In the lead verdict that was delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, the apex court held that the prosecution established…

Two months after the suspension on democratic governance was lifted, the 16 members in Rivers House of Assembly and Governor Siminialayi Fubara appear to be reigniting old rivalry over some irreconcilable issues. But speaking on the allegation, Mr Fubara dismissed the rumoured rift and explained that contrary to the claims, he had made arrangements to have a meeting with the lawmakers “soon.” Mr Fubara spoke on Wednesday at the commissioning of the extended and dualised 28.4-kilometre Ahoada-Omoku Road, which was broadcast on TVC, a Lagos-based television station. There were rumours that the governor had been avoiding the lawmakers because of…