Author: straightnewsng.com

By Akanimo Sampson A new international development organisation has sprouted up in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city. Its name is Ikore, which in the Yoruba language means harvest. The group is coming to proffer some innovative solutions to drive sustainable social and enterprise development in Nigeria, geared towards boosting economic productivity. A young official of the group who did not want his name on print told this reporter on the telephone that Ikore was out to provide a wide range of services to diverse organisations ‘’offering optimum, and targeted solutions to their specific needs intended to support sustainable development across Africa’’.…

By Akanimo Sampson More people are still migrating to other countries, especially those within their region, going by the World Migration Report 2020 of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), an agency of the United Nations. Current estimates are that there are 272 million international migrants globally which represent 3.5% of the world’s population. This is in spite of the fact that the vast majority of people in the world have continued to live in the country in which they were born, Many others are migrating to high-income countries that are further afield. Work is the major reason that people…

The National Industrial Court has ordered the Nigerian Army to reinstate a senior officer because the military authorities violated the law in his 2016 dismissal. Trial judge, Justice Rakiya Haastrup, who gave the judgment, Tuesday, at the headquarters of the Industrial Court in Abuja, ordered for reinstatement of Abdulfatai Mohammed. The judgment upholding Mr. Mohammed’s claim that the authorities of the army arbitrarily forced him to retire, capped off nearly four years of efforts to get justice, including repeated appeals to President Muhammadu Buhari for redress. “Advise your clients to comply,” Ms. Haastrup told the counsel to the defendants after…

Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, has said that the Finance Bill 2019 signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, has palliatives for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs and ordinary citizens. Economists and organised labour had reacted to the Act with concerns, noting that the increase in the Value Added Tax, VAT, which from 5 per cent to 7.5 per cent would negatively impact businesses and make life more difficult for the Nigerian public. But the minister, in a statement by her Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Yunusa Abdullahi, explained that measures had been put…

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of former Director-General of the Directorate of State Services, Mr. Afakriya Gadzama, as the Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Institute for Security Studies. The appointment of the former DSS boss, which takes effect from December 16, 2029, is contained in a statement by Secretary to the Government of the Federation dated January 2, 2020. According to the statement, the appointment is for the initial term of four years in accordance with the provisions of Section 4 of the National Institute for Security Studies Establishment Act, 2019. The appointment was confirmed…

The Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Tuesday, said that there was a need for a multi-agency approach to tackle human trafficking. She has also hailed the Nigerian Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon for acting fast in rescuing Omolola Ajayi, 23-year-old Nigerian Speaking to State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, she said the Lebanese, whom Omolola last worked for in Beirut, will fend for her ticket and other logistics in order to return her home. According to her, “We are glad that the Nigerian embassy in Beirut was able to rescue Omolola, a victim of trafficking…

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,…