Author: straightnewsng.com

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Akwa Ibom Council of Nigeria Labour Congress is deeply concerned about the dearth of medical personnel in the health-care system of the state. In particular, the state NLC is worried by one medical doctor to 16,000 patients’ ratio (1:16,000) in Akwa Ibom against the doctor-patient ratio of 1:1,000 recommended by World Health Organisation (WHO). Painting the gloomy picture of the health sector at Workers Solidarity Centre, Atan Offot, Uyo, Sunny James, the state NLC Chairperson, said the state health sector is plagued by a scarcity of essential staffers in all departments of the service. James who…

The Akwa Ibom Council of Nigeria Labour Congress may head on a collision course with the state government if what the union sees as “Illegal Deductions from Workers Salary/Over-taxation,” is not resolved. The state NLC Chairperson, Sunny James raised the red flag on Friday during the partial observance of 2020 International Workers’ Day in Akwa Ibom State with a few members owing to the social distancing order of the COVID-19 pandemic. James, a comrade in his five-page address said “We have confirmed that various amounts ranging from N700 to N7,000 were illegally deducted from the salaries of public servants in…

Henceforth, the use of face masks by persons in public places is compulsory in Akwa Ibom State. In a statewide radio and television broadcast on Saturday morning, Governor Udom Emmanuel who said he was adhering to the guidelines from the Federal Government further announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the state from 8 p.m to 6 a.m effective Monday, May 4. Emmanuel who announced the relaxation of some restrictions put in place as the government works to curtail the spread of coronavirus pandemic said: “markets will be opened three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays) between 10 a.m to 4…

Nigeria has recorded 238 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 2,170. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control announced this via its Twitter handle on Friday. It also said that 10 persons died of coronavirus-related complications in the country on Friday. It tweeted, “On the 1st of May 2020, 238 new confirmed cases and ten deaths were recorded in Nigeria. No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours. “Till date, 2,170 cases have been confirmed, 351 cases have been discharged and 68 deaths have been recorded in 34 states and…

The COVID-19 pandemic has marred the celebration of the 2020 International Workers’ Day globally owing to order for people to strictly observe social distancing as a way of curtailing spread of the virus. The day is in memory of the comrades who lost their lives in the Haymarket in Chicago, the United States during the struggle for an eight-hour working day in 1885 while COVID-19 burst in Wuhan, China in December 2019. In Akwa Ibom State, this year’s workers’ day was partially observed at Workers Solidarity Centre, Atan Offot, Uyo with less than 10 persons while Nigeria Labour Congress and…

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,…