Author: straightnewsng.com

By Akanimo Sampson International Labour Organisation (ILO) says persons with disabilities constitute a largely untapped pool of talent in the labour market. They are estimated to be about 15 per cent of the world’s population of 7.8 billion people which translates to 1.14 billion. According to ILO, they face a high risk of being marginalised further as the world of work undergoes rapid transformations, including technological developments, climate change and demographic shifts. “As a result, existing inequalities may increase, unless countries implement a range of measures to tackle the issue,’’ says ILO. In the European Union, for instance, 60 per…

By Akanimo Sampson The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and members of the House have been dragged to Federal High Court, Abuja over the plan by the Federal lawmakers to spend N5.04 billion on 400 exotic cars. The plaintiffs-193 concerned Nigerians, including the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) – are praying the court to restrain and stop them from spending the huge amount on cars. Recall that the members had resolved February 24 to acquire Toyota Camry 2020 model for members as official cars, otherwise called utility vehicles after rejecting the ones from Innosen Motors. The…

By Akanimo Sampson A hotel project by the Nigerian Navy in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, has sparked a seeming bitter land dispute between the state government and the navy. The land which previously served as the Navy Officers’ Mess is being converted to a hotel by the navy. But, Governor Ben Ayade, has ordered the navy to withdraw from the site, claiming that the land belongs to the state government. In a swift response, the navy deployed its heavily armed personnel to the disputed site in a bid to deter intruders, including state government officials. The state Information…

By Akanimo Sampson Naval assets of the European Union (EU) will be patrolling no closer than 100 kilometers (60 miles) off the eastern coast of Libya, where women, men, and children trying to flee Libya depart on overcrowded, unseaworthy boats. The decision formally ends the already moribund Operation Sophia, the anti-smuggling mission set up in 2015 but left without any ships in the water since March 2019. It had failed principally because the previous Italian government had refused to allow people to disembark. Operation Sophia, however, rescued more than 50,000 people at sea. “Ironically, the operation was undone by its…

A popular Nigerian social media critic and commentator has hailed Tyson Fury for employing deft boxing tactics to floor Deontay Wider in reclaiming a seventh-round stoppage. The self-styled “Gypsy King” produced a boxing masterclass to reign again as a world heavyweight champion as he pummeled Wilder in their tension-soaked rematch in Las Vegas Saturday. Femi Fani-Kayode, who is also a one-time Minister of Aviation in his Twitter handle, wrote “Congrats to@Tyson_Fury. He fought a great fight & took@BronzeBomber apart! According to him, “I was touched when he gave glory to our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ for his victory &proclaimed…

Straightnews has begun what is called Akwa Ibom Political Series. The essence is to look at the roles of key players in the political developments of the state since the return of the country and the state as a whole to democracy in 1999. The online newspaper looks at Paul Ekpo, otherwise known as “Paul Politics,” the state PDP chairman, his role and his future in the emerging Akwa Ibom politics. Paul Ekpo, the incumbent Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Akwa Ibom State, and the National Chairman of Committee of State Chairmen in PDP has come a long…

By Akanimo Sampson Nigeria is currently considering Finnish high-tech to address its worrisome economic and security challenges. Mobile technology and advanced software in areas such as process and network automation have been an integral part of the Finnish high-tech landscape for many years. HighTech Finland says there is a growing number of small Finnish companies that are making inroads into other fields, such as data and software security. HighTech Finland profiles a broad cross-section of the exciting work being done by Finnish companies and researchers – in areas ranging from mobile communications and sustainable energy to environmental technologies, new types…

By Akanimo Sampson There are serious concerns in some quarters that the 2030 development agenda is mainly a priority for global seed companies. But, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) seek to strengthen global partnerships to support and achieve the ambitious targets of the 2030 development agenda, with the private sector playing an essential role in this. For those who know better, regional companies generally do not align their business activities with the SDGs. An exception, however, is South and Southeast Asia, where two-thirds of the regional companies report SDG commitments, but only two companies make these publicly available. One of them…

By Akanimo Sampson About seven million people in South Sudan, more than half of the population, are currently at the risk of being wiped off the earth as a result of acute food insecurity. Three United Nations agencies gave the warning in a joint statement on Thursday, saying that it will be happening at the height of this hunger season (May-July). According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report released by the government of South Sudan, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP), the situation is particularly worrying…

By Akanimo Sampson More than 30,000 inhabitants of Nouadhibou, Mauritania’s second-largest city, with a population of 120,000 are migrants. The city used to be a sleepy fishing port, receiving few of the small numbers of tourists this Saharan African country sees. Recent data generated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reveal that 32,000 migrants currently live in Nouadhibou, about three-quarters of them arriving from Mauritania’s neighbours, Senegal and Mali. According to the IOM survey, 70 per cent of these migrants say their primary need is to find a stable job and to have access to health care and housing.…