Author: straightnewsng.com

Nigeria, Thursday, recorded its highest daily increase of COVID-19 cases with 681 new infections, bringing the country’s total to 14,554. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Lagos state reported more than half of the new cases with 345 infections. Rivers state was a distant second with 51 new cases. Other states with new infections include Ogun (48), Gombe (47), Oyo (36), Imo (31), Delta (28), Kano (23), Bauchi (18), Edo (12), Katsina (12), Kaduna (9), Anambra (7), Jigawa (5), Kebbi (4), Ondo (4), and Nasarawa (1). The health agency also noted that while 4,494 people have recovered…

After 21 years of uninterrupted democracy in the country, an Akwa Ibom elder statesman admits that Nigeria’s democracy is disappointing. Arc. Otu Ita Toyo, a no-nonsense politician could not hide his disappointment over the lackadaisical performance of Nigerian politicians since the advent of democracy in 1999 in which Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) held sway for 16 years in the country’s governance. Toyo, who was the Akwa Ibom PDP Chairman dropped the bombshell thus, “Between 1999 and today, I challenge anybody to tell me what we can be proud of.” The Ahmadu Bello University-trained architect, who spoke in a conversation with…

By Akanimo Sampson  Amid the raging COVID-19 crisis, a trade and development report update by a UN agency has set out how South-South cooperation can point towards a better future. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) Director of Globalisation and Development Strategies, Richard Kozul-Wright, says cooperation among countries of the South cannot substitute for the actions required by the wider international community but it can bring a degree of relief and support with recovery. “As important, it can provide a blueprint for the kind of international coordination and cooperation that will be needed to recover better than after…

Nigeria on Wednesday night reported an increase of COVID-19 infections with 409 new cases and 17 new deaths from 15 states and Federal Capital Territory. This brought the total number of infections in the country to 13,873, and the number of deaths to 382, according to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in its Twitter handle. Unlike on Tuesday, Nigeria recorded its highest daily figure with 663 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which skyrocketed the number of confirmed cases to 13,464 from 12,801. The health agency said Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, and epicentre for the pandemic, recorded the highest number of…

Hope that COVID-19 is not a death sentence was rekindled Wednesday as Akwa Ibom Government discharged 27 patients from its isolation centre. The patients, who were receiving treatments for the pandemic, were given a clean bill of health after recovery and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had tested that they were negative. The good news was broken Wednesday in the official Twitter handle of Akwa Ibom State Government- #AkwaIbomTwitter. Also, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, flanked by respiratory medicine expert, Professor Etete Peters and the CMD of Ibom Specialist Hospital, Prof Emmanuel Ekanem, announced this on Wednesday…

A Police Inspector in Akwa Ibom State Police Command, who killed a commercial motorcyclist, over N20 is facing death by hanging, the Court of Appeal in Calabar has affirmed. Inspector Moses Akpaete, who led a team of three other officers on patrol of Uyo metropolis, was said to have killed Felix Kenneth Akpan along Abak Road, Uyo on October 15, 2015. The apex court, Tuesday, upheld the judgment of Justice Ifiok Ukana of Uyo High Court which had sentenced the police inspector to death. This is as the Court of Appeal in Calabar dismissed the appeal filed by Stephen Anona…

A 55-year-old man from Odot 1 village, Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom is in hot soup over alleged forceful carnal knowledge of her stepdaughter, a crime that looks like an incest. In the process, the suspect, one Udo Ekong Esau is alleged to have impregnated a 15-year-old Glory Etim Effiong of the same address sometime in March 2020. The Criminal Code of Laws of Akwa Ibom State (2000) Nigeria Vol. 2 stipulates harsh punitve measure for offenders of the crime and for committing it with a minor. A press release issued on Tuesday by CSP N-Nudam K.…

By: Akanimo Sampson More than 16.2 million people are currently dealing with crisis levels of acute hunger in some of the world’s food crisis hotspots due to the rampaging COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, 135 million people worldwide were already coping with acute hunger caused by conflict, climate shocks, and economic downturns, according to the 2020 edition of the Global Report on Food Crises, produced by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the European Union and 13 other partners. Another 183 million were at risk of being pushed into extreme hunger if faced with an additional stressor. As part of the revised…

Two suspected rapists from Akwa Ibom State may spend the rest of their life on earth in the correctional centre if the law court convicts them of the crime. The suspects- a 25-year-old Ofonime Emmanuel Essien of 15 Iba Oku Street, Uyo and Frank Okon- were said to have gang raped an NYSC member (named withheld) who is on a primary assignment in Uyo. A press release issued by CSP N-Nudam K. Fredrick on Tuesday, June 9, the state Police Public Relations Officer, said following a complaint by the corps member on 24th May, 2020, detectives of SCIID, Uyo swung…

The Southern Ukanafun Clan Council has called on the adherents of the Qua Iboe Church, Nigeria and the United Evangelical Church to sheathe their sword in the ongoing land dispute  capable of plunging Ukanafun again into another era of crisis, unrest and bloodshed. The clan head, Chief Friday Ukoh,  made the proclamation at his palace in Ikot Akpa Nkuk, headquarters of Ukanafun Local Government Area over “Ikot Esa Akpan Uko Udondok land,” a lingering feud arising from the ownership, control and management of landed property. The Council said that the decision was made in the best interest of the area,…