Author: straightnewsng.com

Open letter to Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria My Dear Senate President, Modesty Is a Virtue to Embrace I hope this letter finds you well, despite the passage of time since we last communicated directly. It is with a heavy heart that I take this public platform to address you, given our longstanding relationship and the mutual respect we have shared. Over the past three years, attempts to reach out to you have been met with silence, prompting me to resort to this open correspondence. It is crucial that I express my…

The Center For Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN), a good governance group in Nigeria, has decried the poor state of development in the 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom State. As a first-line measure, CHRAN wants the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to wake up to its oversight responsibility by embarking on a tour of the councils to appraise and spur up effective development at the grassroots. The position paper was jointly signed by CHRAN’s Director and its Secretary, Otuekong Franklyn Isong and Barr. Christopher Ekpo, respectively, and presented by…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has placed limits on the foreign exchange (FX) sales by Bureau De Change (BDC) operators.  The apex announced the directive on February 23, 2024, in a document entitled ‘Revised Regulatory and Supervisory Guidelines for Bureau De Change Operations in Nigeria’. BDCs, according to the circular, may sell foreign currency in the equivalent of $4,000 and $5,000 for personal travel allowance (PTA) or business travel allowance (BTA), respectively, to an individual once every six months, the apex bank said. This as the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi…

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday inaugurated the 181-megawatt Geometric Power plant in the Osisioma Industrial Layout of Aba in Abia State. The 188-MW thermal plant alongside Aba Power Ltd will take electricity from the new plant and supply to nine of the 17 local government areas in Abia State. Being the biggest investment in the Southeast, Geometric Power spent $800 million dollars on its integrated power project, which includes building a 27-kilometre natural gas pipeline from Owaza in Ukwa west LGA in Abia State to the Osisioma Industrial Layout in Aba. The inauguration of the historic project took place…

Vice President Kassim Shettima has equated Nigeria’s South-East region with the Jews, whom he described as “practically mobile, economically enterprising and educationally ambitious.” Shettima said that Nigeria will fully work when the south east performs optimally in industrialization with adequate power supply. The Vice President made the remarks during the launch of South East Business Roundtable “Light up Nigeria Program,” conducted by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited, NDPHC, in Enugu, on Monday. He rejected a proposal that suggested to cut off the south east from electricity supply due to a debt profile, noting that President Bola Tinubu means…

Afrobeats sensational singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido has revealed the princely price of his iconic diamond hourglass pendant. In an exciting video posted online, a fashion fanatic stopped the singer for an impromptu critique of his stunning costume. Asked to rate his outfit on a scale of 1 to 10, Davido humorously exceeded the scale by selecting 11, confirming his unshakable loyalty to Puma, the prestigious apparel company with which he has a dynamic connection. Also read Davido graces show marking his 31st birthday bash Breach of contract: Ex-NFF boss slams N2.3b lawsuit on Davido Grammy Awards: Burna…

Some Nigerians have reacted following Nigerian Army’s effort in dismissing the rumours of a possible coup against the President Bola Tinubu administration as “fake news.” An online publication alleged that the presidential guards have been placed on “high alert” over suspicions of a coup plot in Nigeria. The report said key brigades were under watch as the Commander of the Presidential Guards Brigade, Col. Adebisi Onasanya held meetings with Tinubu and his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. The news trended on X (formerly Twitter) for hours Sunday and Monday. Also read How Archbishop predicted coup d’etats in West Africa in…

A member of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State and six other persons lost their lives during a stampede to purchase affordable rice sold by Nigeria  Customs Service. The confirmation was contained in an obituary message by the APC on Saturday, February 24, 2024, that mourned the party member and other Nigerians lost in the incident. The incident occurred on Friday, February 23, 2024, as the victims attempted to purchase a 25kg bag of rice sold at a discounted price of ₦10,000 by the Customs. To cushion the effect of the prevailing economic hardship, the service announced last week…

The debt profile of Akwa Ibom State has soared to N347.75 billion in 2023, Tax Justice and Governance Platform Forum in Akwa Ibom raised the alarm. Addressing a press conference in Uyo on Saturday, the chairman of the forum, Dr. Harry Udoh, noted that data from the Debt Management Office reveals an alarming increase from N215.99 billion in 2019 to N347.75 billion in 2023, showing a 61.1 per cent rise in just four years. Udoh explained that the debt burden may spur aggressive tax policies which might disproportionately affect low income residents, exacerbate socio-economic disparities as well as diminish funding…

The 36 State governors in Nigeria and Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja are in trouble following a suit against them by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, over alleged misappropriated monthly allocations. The group sued the Governors and Minister for failing to render accounts over alleged missing N40 trillion federal allocations paid to local government councils in the FCT and in the states. The suit followed the damning revelations by former President Muhammadu Buhari who in December 2022 stated that, “If the money from the Federation Account is about N100 million, N50 million will be…