Author: straightnewsng.com

The Socio-Economic Rights Accountability Projects (SERAP) Monday described as retrogrossive the reported suspension of Executive Order 10 by President Buhari, allegedly due to pressure from governors. The order seeks to grant financial autonomy to state legislature and judiciary in the country. SERAP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, legal & advocacy organsation devoted to promoting transparency, accountability & respect for socio-economic rights in Nigeria tweets Tuesday, “Governors should allow reforms to end impunity.” President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday announced the suspension gazetting the executive order. Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti and chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), who told state house correspondents…

Senator Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, has sent an emotional message to his wife on her birthday, “Happy birthday to the Angel that lights up my life. It is the anniversary of your birth, and my life will have no meaning without you in it.” Akpabio who celebrated his wife, Unoma Ekaette who clocked 49 on June 9 tweeted “Happy birthday my jewel of inestimable value. May the grace of God continue to dwell in your life today and forever. Amen.” Unoma was born on June 9, 1971 to the family of late Godwin and Beatrice Nkemdilim Ejike…

The Federal Government has declared Friday, June 12, as a public holiday to mark 2020 Democracy Day Celebration. Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola who made the announcement on behalf of the FG, called on Nigerians to continue to cherish the selfless efforts made to attain democracy. In the statement signed by the Permanent Secretary in Minister of Interior Georgina Ehuriah, the Minister commended Nigerians for the entrenchment of democratic rule in the country and reassured “Nigerians of the Federal Government’s commitment to battling the scourge of COVID-19 with the cooperation of all Nigerians”. Aregbesola added that President Muhammadu…

By: Akanimo Sampson Weighed down by an unbearable debt burden of $35 billion to passengers for cancelled flights, airline operators are currently pleading with the authorities for a grace period. A UN top trade official says to date, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that airlines owe $35 billion to passengers. IATA is, however, advocating for governments to delay the requirement for immediate refunds and allow companies to offer vouchers for future travels or refunds once the COVID-19 crisis period is over. Already, 4.5 million flights are expected to be cancelled until June 30 as global lockdowns to contain…

The Patriarch of Mboho Akwa Afaha, a socio-cultural organisation in Akwa Ibom State, Obong Okon Mkpong, has journeyed into eternity. Mkpong, said to have bowed out of the earthly race on Sunday, was the President of the organization in which Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel is a member. Though of Ibibio stock, Udom who hails from Awa Iman in Onna local government area comes from Afaha, one single cultural group that boasts of kinsmen in virtually all the local government areas in the state. Ekemini Mkpong, the son of the deceased who broke the news to Straightnews in a telephone…

We are not the World Health Organisation (WHO) that gave a pandemic a name change from coronavirus to COVID-19. But we are asking for permission to name Rape, that rampaging and invidious virus that is currently on the prowl in Nigeria, COVID-20 because the characteristics between it and COVID-19 are largely the same. Both ailments are widespread; both have a devastating impact, including death, on society. Both have no vaccine for prevention or a cure that can diminish their potency. In the last few weeks, Nigeria has witnessed the sweeping and surging power of rapists and their untethered power to…

Almost on a daily basis, Nigeria appears as one huge playground where serious matters affecting human beings are being masqueraded and allowed to ease off. A masquerade ceremony is a cultural or religious event that involves the wearing of masks. In fact, the wearing of face masks by individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic is simple. Government is a culprit in the masquerading business- showing or telling the masses what they want to hear but the real intentions of its policy are shielded for obvious reasons. For some persons, a masquerade is a ritual that must be observed. In Akwa Ibom…

By: Akanimo Sampson Malaria Consortium, a group, says malnutrition contributes to nearly half of all deaths of children under five in Nigeria. According to the group, patients in rural areas often struggle to access treatment, as health facilities are difficult for them to reach. “Our work has shown that with the right training and supervision, low-literate community health workers (CHWs) are able to identify and treat severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in their communities,’’ it says. However, malnutrition is not properly addressed in guidelines for the integrated community case management of childhood illnesses in the country. While promising and cost-effective models exist, they have not been adapted for low-literacy settings. Malaria Consortium says that is why it conducted a…

No fewer than seven lawyers have challenged the re-appointment of Prof. Eno Ibanga, as the Acting Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) at Ikot Akpaden in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state, after serving his mandatory five-year single term. Under the aegis of Concerned Lawyers Forum (CLF), the lawyers stated in their originating summons under suit number: HU\2\2020 and enlisted for hearing at the High Court 10, Uyo alleged that governor Udom Emmanuel flouted the relevant section of the law establishing the university in 2009. The principal claimant, Mr. Nsikak Akai, who spoke in…

Nigeria recorded 389 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the total number to 12,223 in the country. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control-NCDC made the announcement via its Twitter handle, saying that no fewer than 342 patients have died from coronavirus-related complications in the country. NCDC said, “On the 6th of June 2020, 389 new confirmed cases and 9 deaths were recorded in Nigeria. “No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours. “Till date, 12,233 cases have been confirmed, 3,826 cases have been discharged and 342 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal…