Author: straightnewsng.com

By Akanimo Sampson Barbados has become the latest Caribbean country to launch an online investment guide, iGuide. This is coming as it is preparing to host the 15th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) quadrennial conference in October. Last February 14, it unveiled the one-stop repository that provides foreign investors with up-to-date information on opportunities and conditions for doing business in the country. The site, www.theiguides.org/barbados, offers a comprehensive overview of business and labour legislation and various taxes including corporation, property and value-added tax. It provides current information such as legislation, steps and costs of starting a business on…

The 178th (Extraordinary) Meeting of the Conference of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, has ended in Vienna, Austria, with the recommendation of 1.5 million barrels per day, bpd output cut until June 2020. The recommendation made to the 8th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting, which would be applied to pro-rata between OPEC (1.0 mb/d) and non-OPEC producing countries (0.5 mb/d) participating in the Declaration of Cooperation also seek to extend the adjustment levels agreed at the 177th Meeting of the Conference and the 7th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting for the remainder of the year. In a…

By Akanimo Sampson The coronavirus outbreak has helped to push the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Food Price Index down. This is coming as higher maize outputs in West Africa and Ukraine, affected cereal supply and demand. Its estimates for 2019 world production is expected to hit 2 719 million tonnes. FAO forecasts world trade in cereals to rise by 2.3 percent to 420 million tonnes in 2019/20, the second-highest level on record, with wheat shipments accounting for more than half of the expected increase. Interestingly, world food prices declined in February for the first time in four months due…

By Akanimo Sampson Italian oil major, Agip, is currently under intense pressure in Bayelsa State, to halt oil spills caused by leaks on its pipeline at Taylor Creek. Foremost environmental rights group, Environmental Rights Action (ERA) has joined community groups in pressing the oil company to remediate the despoiled environment. ERA which also doubles as Nigeria’s wing of a global federation, Friends of the Earth International (FoEI), says site visits to the impacted area by its field monitors in October 2019 showed that the leak was a result of vandalism which occurred around September 2019. Head of ERA’s Field Operations,…

A Federal High Court in Jabi, Abuja has ordered the suspension of the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC,  Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit. Justice Danlami Senchi who granted the injunction on Wednesday said that political parties must be bound by their constitution and having been suspended by his ward, Oshiomhole is restrained from functioning as the National Chairman of the party. The application was filed by Oluwale Afolabi, Oshiohmole is the first respondent while APC is the second respondent. Afolabi in his apllication dated and filed on January 16 contended that…

By:  Israel Umoh  The congregation sang and danced jubilantly. And the guests joined in thanking God supposedly for His blessings and for ushering them into a new month- March. But, the birthday anniversary of a Nigerian Senator was still loading. The pastor preached and offerings and other collections were taken. And the ambience was set for speeches. The speech by the celebrator, Akon Eyakenyi representing Akwa Ibom South in Nigerian Senate during her 60th birthday bash at Destiny International Mission, Uyo, did not cause a stir. But, Udom Emmanuel’s speech set the church aglow. The congregants might have forgotten the…

Ross Barkley’s wonder strike helped Chelsea knock out Liverpool and reach the last eight of the FA Cup. It was a tale of two keepers at Stamford Bridge as Adrian, deputising for the rested Alisson, made a howler to allow Willian to give Chelsea the lead on 13 minutes. Kepa recently dropped by Lampard for his poor performances, then produced a stunning triple save to keep the home side in the lead at half time. Evertonian Barkley scored a goal to savour to put the game beyond the reach of Jurgen Klopp’s side after the break. The England international picked…

By Akanimo Sampson The N500 million compensation plan Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State approved for the state’s proposed cargo airport in Obudu is currently drawing blood in the area. Already, one person has been killed, several others injured and over six houses razed as Igwo community in Obudu Local Government Area of the state erupted in violence over the N500 million. The amount is compensation for the 1,500 hectares of land acquired by the state government for the construction of the airport in Obudu. Governor Ayade’s approval came after the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV)…

Five bankers who specialise in forging signatures of deceased bank customers and stealing from their accounts have been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). They are Mbong Essien, Akwa Ephraim Akwa, Precious John, Kenneth Udoetuk, and Ubong Udom. The EFCC said the suspects were arraigned on Monday before Justice Archibong Archibong of the Akwa Ibom State High Court in Uyo. In a statement on Monday, the anti-graft agency stated that the suspects were arrested by operatives attached to its zonal office in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. According to it, the suspects also execute fraudulent financial…

By Akanimo Sampson Courts in Cross River State are shut down over non-confirmation of Justice Akon Ikpeme, as the Chief Judge of the state. The state House of Assembly has rejected her nomination. In a voice vote, the lawmakers declined her confirmation after rejecting two parallel reports presented by a divided Committee on Judiciary which was set up to screen Ikpeme. In one of the reports, Efah Esua, Committee Chairman, accepted her nomination as substantive Chief Judge and recommended that the House gives a go-ahead. But in a parallel report, Godwin Akwaji, representing Obudu State Constituency alongside five others recommended…