Author: straightnewsng.com

The House of Representatives Committee on Power and the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Tuesday, agreed that the planned hike in electricity tariffs was not backed by any law. Subsequently, the House Committee headed by Magaji Da’u Aliyu (APC-Jigawa), ordered the Minister of Power, Engr. Saleh Mamman and NERC to suspend the plan indefinitely. The committee also rejected a Presidential Directive to the Power Ministry, transferring the supervision of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Transmission, NBET, to the Ministry of Finance and claims by NERC that 50 per cent of Nigerians, had prepaid metres. The Committee, besides rejecting the presidential directive…

By Akanimo Sampson The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres has said that the global body will not abandon Haiti in a hurry. While marking the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy, he unequivocally renewed the commitment of the UN to helping the country and its people build a better future. “On this day, we remember the hundreds of thousands of Haitians who lost their lives and the millions gravely affected by the devastating earthquake that struck their country ten years ago,” Guterres said in a video statement, also honouring the memory of the UN colleagues lost on that same day. “My heart goes out to all those who lost family, friends…

No fewer than 35 people have been reportedly killed and another 58 abducted after suspected bandits invaded 10 communities in Chikun and Birnin Gwari local government areas of Kaduna State. The gunmen were said to have invaded the villages and carried out the attacks on January 6, and subsequently demanded the payment of N100 million ransom for the release of their victims. The attacks had caused some residents to panic and flee their homes, taking refuge in government schools and other communities. Speaking when Jonathan Asake, president of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, SOKAPU, visited victims of the attack at aschool,…

By Akanimo Sampson Gibson Shipbrokers, the first UK shipbroker to become a fully independent, employee owned company, run on behalf of, and for the benefit of all worldwide employees of the company says 2020 is already turning out to be a highly volatile year. According to its latest report, “most tanker freight markets have remained extremely firm over the first two weeks of January whilst geopolitical risk has ratcheted up once again. The US killing of General Qassem Soleimani, followed by Iran’s retaliatory action could have had major repercussions for the oil and tanker markets. “However, aside from price impacts,…

The Supreme Court, Tuesday, nullified the election of Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the governor of Imo State. The apex court declared Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the winner of the March 9 governorship election in the state. Mr Uzodinma originally came fourth in the election. The seven-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Tanko Muhammad gave the unanimous decision on Tuesday in Abuja. Earlier, the Supreme Court had on Tuesday,  dismissed the appeal of Uche Nwosu, the candidate of the Action Alliance in the election. Mr Nwosu, who…

Anxiety is said to have gripped six governors in the country as the Supreme Court, Monday, adjourned 13 appeals that arose from governorship elections held in the states on March 9, 2019. The apex court, which had in its cause-list for Monday, okayed hearing in appeals seeking to nullify the outcome of governorship elections in Kano, Imo, Sokoto, Plateau, Bauchi and Benue State, suddenly suspended its proceedings after one of the Justices developed an undisclosed sickness. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Tanko Muhammad, who led a seven-man panel of Justices, announced a stand-down of all the appeals, midway…

The hope of improving electricity supply in the country has received a boost as the Federal Government, Monday, approved the constitution of two committees for the multi-billion naira Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project in Taraba State. The committees, which include the Inter-ministerial Steering Committee, IMSC, and Project Delivery Committee, PDC, are expected to be inaugurated soon. A statement by Aaron Artimas, Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the Minister of Power, said, members of the Inter-ministerial Steering Committee are representatives of federal agencies and Taraba State government. It noted the Minister of Power, Mr. Sale Mamman, will chair the Inter-ministerial Steering…

As the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, completed shortlisting of successful applicants, a total of 664,934 have lost out in its job recruitment exercise. Already, NCS has short-listed162,399 applicants or 19.7 per cent out of 828,333 who applied for various positions in the organisation, last year. The Comptroller-General, Col. Hamid Ali (retd) said he would ensure a transparent recruitment exercise. The Public Relations Officer of the Service, Joseph Attah, in a statement, Monday, indicated that short-listed candidates were being notified via their e-mail addresses and telephone numbers. According to him, the candidates would write an aptitude test on the date and…

By Akanimo Sampson The low-sulfur regime of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) which kicked in on January 1, is said to be just the first chapter of what is projected by analysts to be a decade-long saga over how best to limit the shipping industry’s greenhouse gas emissions. The IMO 2020 commitment to a 0.5% sulfur limit for marine fuels is coming some 11 years after, and three years after it confirmed the 2020 start date. According to a Platts report, the majority of the shipping industry has plumped for taking whatever 0.5% sulfur fuel blends the world’s bunker producers…

By Akanimo Sampson The All Progressives Congress (APC) administration in Nigeria under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari, is currently shifting the country’s upstream operation towards NGLs and natural gas, in a bid to comply with its crude production quota under the OPEC+ agreement. Under the OPEC+ deal, the size of the group’s daily production cuts target will be increased from 1.2 million barrels to 1.7 million barrels, compared to a baseline of October 2018, according to ministers including Russia’s Alexander Novak and Iran’s Bijan Namdar Zanganeh. That does not require the group as a whole to pump less oil,…