Author: straightnewsng.com

By Akanimo Sampson In Mali, a vast landlocked African country that is the continent’s third biggest exporter of gold, life is increasingly becoming hellish for both men and women. Why? A third of the around 70 tons of total gold production in the country is estimated to come from artisanal mining which employs over one million people, according to government estimates. For instance, in the small gold-mining site of Tiemba in southern Mali, women and men reportedly form a human chain, from the holes dug in dry earth to the river bordering Guinea. The chain is made up of women pulling up buckets of…

By Akanimo Sampson There are a lot of unspeakable sad tales of African migrants. Their quest for the good life in Europe has not been as rosy as they often expected. For most of those who survived the hellish journey, they would not even wish the worst of their enemies the ordeals of the migrants. For instance, the case of the 24-year-old Joshua from Sierra Leone is quite touching to the kind-hearted. Like most young people in Africa in need of jobs, since Joshua could not find a stable job back home, he decided to drop out of his Sociology…

In this interview, Uwem Jonah Akpan, a Ph.D holder in African History/International Studies from the University of Calabar, and the author of Ikono The Cradle of Ibibio Nation: A refutation agrees that Ibibios are people of hoare antiquity.  In addition, he pans his thinking lens on other burning historical issues in Akwa Ibom and in Nigeria. Excerpts:    What actually motivated you to write the book- Ikono The Cradle of Ibibio Nation: A refutation? Thank you. Firstly, I am a historian by the grace of God. The three historians of the book I have successfully refuted are not. Secondly, I…

By Akanimo Sampson Sometimes in 2017 in Libya, Alhagie reportedly heard the sound of gunshots as he found his way through the dank, musty detention centre in Tripoli, the capital city of the North African country. Surrounding him were other migrants from across Africa: Ghanaians, Malians, Nigerians, Senegalese; and many others. Alhagie thought to himself that there must be thousands of other migrants who had attempted the arduous journey to Europe, just as he had, only to find themselves stranded in Libya, and their dreams of reaching “the promised land” slipping through their fingers. The Gambia, with a population of…

Priscilla Graves is a hairstylist with 15 years’ experience straightening and coloring black women’s hair. She has endured bouts of dizziness, nausea and difficulty breathing from applying potent chemical straighteners, and regularly deals with distraught clients suffering alopecia and painful blisters after using dyes and lotions specifically marketed to African Americans. “I try to find out online what’s in the products, but the government should be doing more to keep us safe and keep dangerous chemicals out of cosmetics,” said Graves, 34, at a salon in Harlem. “There should be clear warnings on the labels, we need more information.” The…

By Akanimo Sampson The Managing Director of Hanseaticsoft, Alexander Buchmann, says technology will make more impact on the shipping industry this 2020, as companies are increasingly introducing cloud-based software and apps in their businesses. Hanseaticsoft is, however, concerned with offering modern software solutions to optimise workflows in shipping companies. It also helps companies to gain new perspectives on processes and increase business performance. Many years of developing cross-departmental software for the maximum benefit has made Hanseaticsoft an expert in this field – not only in Germany but globally. According to Buchmann, the increased availability, reliability and reduced cost of the…

The Trade Union Congress, TUC, has given the 36 state governments in the country that have not complied with the implementation of the N30,000 new National Minimum Wage to do so to prevent industrial action. In a communique issued on Thursday evening after a National Executive Meeting (NEC) in Lagos, Quadri Olaleye, the president of TUC, said the union has directed all states to start mobilisation for strike ahead of January 31. “As at now and by our record, only six states have signed and commenced implementation, 15 states are in the process of negotiation, while the rest are yet…

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday, met with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. This came as the Federal Government said that about 70 percent of members of ASUU, had enrolled in the government`s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, despite the opposition by the union’s leadership. ASUU had opposed the IPPIS policy of the government and had threatened to down tools if the government stops the payment of salaries of its members, who refused to enroll, claiming that it was against the university autonomy law. The union has meanwhile, expressed its…

President Muhammadu Buhari has reversed the dismissal of Marilyn Amobi as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company Limited, NBET, by Minister of Power, Mr. Sale Mamman. Buhari had on Tuesday, overruled the minister on the suspension of Damilola Ogunbiyi as the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, REA. The directive on Amobi is in a memo by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha. The agency has also been moved from the Ministry of Power to the Ministry of Finance. It will be recalled that in December 2019,…

More than 500 Police lawyers spread across the Nigerian Police Force, Force headquarters, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, Inspector-General of Police, described as unfortunate the underutilisation. Adamu said, “The time has come for us to alter this narrative. This is more so that the new orientation envisioned for the Police under our leadership is that which is driven by respect for rule of law and professional proficiency in the investigative and prosecution functions of the Nigeria Police’ “The achievement of these requires that the legal department of the Nigeria Police be reorganised, refocussed, and empowered to effectively lead the process. It is…