Author: straightnewsng.com

Vocalist Kenny Rogers, who dominated the pop and country charts in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of sleekly tailored hits and won three Grammys, has died. Aged 81, Rogers “passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family,” a representative for the singer said in a statement. Due to the national COVID-19 emergency, the family is planning a small private service at this time with a public memorial planned for a later date. Rogers had announced a farewell tour in 2015 and was able to keep it going through…

By Akanimo Sampson The March 9 dethronement of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, by the Kano State Government could result in a new candidate in the 2023 presidential race, Menas Associates says. Menas has been helping multinational companies operate in the Middle East, Africa, and other emerging markets since the late 1970s. It is a strategic and political risk consultancy providing actionable intelligence for its clients, from country entry strategies, to due diligence, stakeholder analysis, political risk reports, market assessments, problem-solving and exit strategies. In a report, Menas claims that Governor Abdullahi Ganduje ordered the removal of Sanusi…

As coronavirus pandemic scare continues, National Universities Commission, Friday, ordered the closure of universities across the country for a month beginning from March 23, 2020. This is contained in a circular signed by the NUC’s deputy executive secretary, Suleiman Rammon-Yusuf. This is in line with the directive of the Federal Ministry of Education, ordering the closure of tertiary, secondary and primary schools nationwide over the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country. NUC said the directive is necessary to curtail the further spread of the COVID-19 across the country. “I write at the bearest of the Executive Secretary to inform…

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of people who have died has risen to 10,000, according to an AFP tally based on official data at 1030 GMT Friday. In total, 10,080 deaths have been reported, most of them in Europe (4,932) and Asia (3,431). Italy is the worst affected country with 3,405 fatalities, followed by China with 3,248, the initial epicentre of the outbreak, and Iran with 1,433. On Wednesday, March 18, President Donald Trump continued to blame China and doubled down on his use of the racist term “Chinese virus.” Coronavirus infections spiral out of control,…

By Akanimo Sampson Some of the development programmes of the Federal Government are suffering setbacks following opposition by the private sector. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, says opposition by the private sector to some policies of government has been a stumbling block in the successful implementation of some of the policies and programmes of government. According to him, the support of the private sector is most critical for the success of policies and programmes of Abuja for the economic development of the country. Gbajabiamila was speaking as a guest speaker at the Jackson, Etti & Edu (JEE)…

By Akanimo Sampson The Nigerian Army says it is high time Nigerians began to separate criminality from ethnicity. Chief of Civil Military Affairs of the army, Major-General US Mohammed, made this call while speaking at a public book reading organised by the Military Writers Society of Nigeria (MWSN) at Samuel Bill International Academy, Utako, Abuja. General Mohammed who was represented by Captain Veronica Williams, a Human Rights Desk Officer, urges Nigerians to separate criminality from ethnicity. According to the army chief, “crime has to do with the intent of the person not the ethnicity. “It is wrong to say a…

The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) has suspended church services in the affected areas to forestall an outbreak of coronavirus pandemic. The decision was contained in a statement after a state-wide broadcast on Thursday in Lagos and Ogun respectively. This was contained in a statement signed by the Assistant General Overseer (Administration), Pastor Gbesan Adebambo in the Church’s headquarters at Onike Iwaya, Lagos. The statement reads in parts: “We write to draw your attention to the directive from the Governments of Lagos and the Ogun States, respectively, banning all religious meetings and gatherings of more than fifty worshippers…

In what appears as a financial rip-off, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is expected to make N95 million on the short messaging system (SMS) from its candidates who are checking their 2020 results, an investigation by Straightnews has shown. Each of the approved telecommunication network providers such as MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9Mobile charges charges a candidate N50 on sms. More than 1,900,000 candidates registered for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examination of the board. JAMB said Sunday, February 16 that the 1.9 million was the highest number of registration done in the history of the board and would still…

A six-week-old baby and mother are among the five new cases of coronavirus confirmed by Nigerian government. Osagie Ehanire, Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Wednesday said the five new cases of Coronavirus involve two Nigerians and three foreigners, showing four recorded in Lagos and one in Ekiti. “Of the five new positive cases, three arrived from the United States, while two came in from the United Kingdom,” the minister said at a briefing in Abuja on Wednesday. He explained that two of the three-week old from the US are Nigerians; a mother and child making the six-week-old baby the youngest COVID-I9…

By Akanimo Sampson The Niger Delta, Nigeria’s main oil and gas region might not be a very safe area at the moment. Two oil governors: Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his Imo State counterpart, Hope Uzodinma, are locked in a seeming nasty partisan fight over the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole. Uzodinma of the APC appears to be drawing the ire of Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He is alleging that Wike’s party is responsible for the attempted removal of the embattled Oshiomhole. Apparently piqued, the combative Governor Wike charged at the…