Author: straightnewsng.com

Governor Udom Emmanuel wants the post–COVID-19 economic crack team to develop conflict sensitive policies that will lead to identifying low hanging fruits, stability and prosperity for all and hand over an actionable programme to him in one month. The 20-member Post-COVID-19 Economic Reconstruction Committee having Prof. Akpan H. Ekpo, the former Director-General of West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management as its chairman, was officially named on Wednesday, April 28 in a statement signed by Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, the Secretary to the State Government. Emmanuel who inaugurated the committee at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Uyo on Friday, also…

US President Donald Trump has accused China of mishandling the coronavirus pandemic to affect America and the world is to allow him to lose his re-election bid in November this year. Trump said the trade deal he signed with China aimed to reduce US trade deficits with China, might have compelled the country to support his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, to win the race to ease the pressure on US-China trade relations and other issues. “China will do anything they can to have me lose this race,” Trump said in an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office. “They’re constantly…

Nigeria’s COVID-19 new cases have surged to 204, bringing the number to 1,932 persons who have tested positive in the country. This is as Akwa Ibom State has recorded four new coronavirus cases, bringing the total so far to 16. Stating this on Thursday night in its Twitter handle, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said 58 patients have died of coronavirus-related fatalities in the country. NCDC tweeted, “204 new cases of #COVID19 reported: 80 in Kano, Lagos, 45; Gombe – 12, Bauchi – nine, Sokoto – nine, Borno – seven, Edo – seven, Rivers – six, Ogun – six, FCT…

President Muhammadu Buhari has extended the tenure of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) till December 31, 2020. Buhari had on Wednesday, February 19 sacked Dr. Joy Nunieh, the acting Managing Director  of the Interim Management Committee and replaced with Keme Pondei, a professor. A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the extension was to allow for the conduct of the forensic audit of the Commission, ordered last year by President Buhari. The President also granted the IMC powers to complement both federal and state…

By Akanimo Sampson Grocery workers, flight attendants and autoworkerAs have seen their health and livelihoods threatened by the rampaging COVID-19 pandemic. This is coming to the open as the corona virus crisis is having a devastating effect on workers and employers in all sectors. Workers in essential services such as health and frontline emergency response are said to be at high risk of infection. Already, in a series of briefs the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has captured the impact of the crisis on several social and economic sectors, including public emergency services (PES), health services, education, food retail, automotive, tourism, civil aviation,…

By: Israel Umoh The crowning of 24 states in the country for attaining the nine-point indices set by the World Bank shocked many. In fact, some non-benefitting states started to scratch their heads that if not that the indices were many, they would have made the list of beneficiaries. And others have become embittered that the humongous amounts would have cushioned the biting effects of the COVID-19 on their depressing economy. Under the World Bank-Assisted States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) Programme-for-Results, the states were rewarded for achieving the online publication of the approved annual budget and audited financial…

By Akanimo Sampson The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned that 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy are in immediate danger of having their livelihoods destroyed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to ILO, that is nearly half of the global workforce. That is largely due to the continued sharp decline in working hours globally as a result of the pandemic. According to the third edition of ILO Monitor, the drop in working hours in the current (second) quarter of 2020 is expected to be significantly worse than previously estimated. Compared to pre-crisis levels (Q4 2019), a 10.5 per cent…

A total of 17 suspected cultists in Akwa Ibom have been arrested by the State Police Command over the murder of two persons. A statement signed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Frederick N-Nudam, and made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Uyo, said there was a clash between rival Debam and Iceland cult groups in Mbiaso and Ikot Etim communities in Inen Clan, Oruk Anam local government area. According to him, the clash resulted in the death of two males: Ofonime Uduak and Iniobong Kufre Silas. N-Nudam explained that following the intervention of the Police, normalcy had…

Nigeria has recorded 196 new cases of #COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 1,728. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control made this known via its Twitter handle. The NCDC also announced that Nigeria’s COVID-19 fatalities have increased to 51 COVID-19 has spread to 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Yobe is the most recent state to record a case of COVID-19 in the country. It tweeted, “196 new cases of #COVID19 reported: 87 were recorded in Lagos, Kano – 24, Gombe – 18, Kaduna – 17, FCT- 16, Katsina – 10, Sokoto…

By Akanimo Sampson The World Food Programme and UNICEF say 370 million children are missing out on school meals amid school closures due to the rampaging COVID-19. These two UN agencies are accordingly urging national governments to prevent devastating nutrition and health consequences for children. Sadly, the COVID-19 crisis is already pushing up levels of hunger among the global poor. In Nigeria, the Federal Government has said it will not endanger the lives of children by opening schools. Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, says there is no date yet for schools in the country to resume. While clarifying…