Author: straightnewsng.com

By Akanimo Sampson Deputy Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Nepal, Eloisa Astudillo Fernandez, has highlighted the value of integrating migration into development sectors. According to her, “it’s a two-way relationship between sustainable development and migration as it can both benefit migrants and transit communities, but at the same time it brings many risks. Therefore, it is important to manage the whole process of migration in a way that gives as many benefits as possible while also mitigating the risks.” Adding, Fernandez said, “For (our project in Nepal), we have identified nine sectors that are impacted by migration. In Nepal, we…

The Nigeria Labour Congress has given states in the country yet to implement the new national minimum wage December 31 ultimatum or face dire consequences. The NLC’s President, Ayuba Wabba, gave the ultimatum after a one-day meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, December 11. According to Premium Times, the labour union warned not to guarantee industrial harmony in states that fail to meet the December 31 deadline. The body commended the federal government and the states that have already commenced the implementation and payment of the wage. Also, the meeting applauded the federal government directive to all ministries, departments and agencies…

By Akanimo Sampson A global rights group, Human Rights Watch has released a video that shows that women and girls are facing relentless insecurity in Greece’s overcrowded Moria “hotspot” for asylum seekers and migrants on Lesbos Island. The group wants the Greek government to take immediate action to ensure safe, humane conditions for women and girls in line with their international human rights obligations and standards for humanitarian emergencies. As of this December 2, the Moria Reception and Identification Center was holding nearly 16,800 people in a facility with capacity for fewer than 3,000. Overcrowding has led authorities, as well as some asylum seekers…

By Akanimo Sampson The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has taken a seeming bold step against unethical recruitment practices and gaps in the governance of labour migration that are said to be leading risks facing migrant workers in the global economy. Fee-charging to workers, fraud during the hiring process, the confiscation of personal documents: these are all-too-common abuses that migrants encounter during the hiring process. For the United Nations migration agency, there is no better time than now to address these challenges. To this end, IOM and H&M Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote cooperation and mutual…

At least, four staffers of Akwa Ibom Newspaper Corporation (AKNC) are alleged to have died in an auto crash in Ekpene Ukim in Uruan local government area of Akwa Ibom State on Wednesday. AKNC owned by the state government is the publishers of The Pioneer newspapers. The accident was said to have occurred as the staffers were returning to Uyo from Uruan local government area after attending a traditional marriage of the daughter of one of the administrative staffers in the corporation. An eye witness said the driver who ran speed was said to have lost control along a sharp…

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has withdrawn from Akwa Ibom North West senatorial rerun election. Akpabio confirmed his decision in a letter dated December 2 and addressed to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole. The Appeal Court in Calabar had ordered a rerun for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District between Senator Akpabio of APC and Senator Christopher Ekpenyong of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. INEC has not announced the rerun date in Essien Udim local government area, one of the 10 local government areas, making up the senatorial district. The rerun…

By Akanimo Sampson The government of Bangladesh is allegedly blocking aid groups from providing any meaningful education to Rohingya children in refugee camps and banning the children from attending schools outside the camps, Human Rights Watch said in a report. The rights group, therefore, wants the government to urgently lift the restrictions that unlawfully deprive almost 400,000 Rohingya refugee children of their right to education. The 81-page report, “Are We Not Humans?”: Denial of Education for Rohingya Refugee Children in Bangladesh, “documents how Bangladesh prohibits aid groups in the refugee camps in the Cox’s Bazar district from providing Rohingya children with…

By Akanimo Sampson Ninety-three returning migrants who are interested in setting up small-scale businesses as well as mentorship and job placement opportunities are currently being trained in Nigeria by the United Nations migration agency, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The training consists of hands-on sessions on how to build participants’ online presence and improve their search campaigns, job-seeking skills online. Since Thursday, December 5, the UN agency has been partnering with Google Nigeria to conduct IOM’s first Digital Skills Training for returnees and potential migrants in Benin City, the Edo State capital and in Ikeja, the Lagos State capital.…

The Federal Government intends to spend N750.81billion on petrol subsidy in 2020, latest data from the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) have shown. For more than two years, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has shouldered petrol subsidy’s spending on behalf of the Federal Government. It was observed from the PPPRA’s data obtained on Tuesday that the N750.81billion was N300.81billion higher than the N450 billion which the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, recently said had been approved for subsidy in 2020. The minister had during the public presentation of the 2020 budget details stated that a provision of N450…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has accused Akwa Ibom Government of hindering the prosecution of corrupt officials in the state. The State Commissioner of ICPC, Mr Shola Shodipo while fielding questions from newsmen during the World Anti-Corruption Day 2019 on the theme “United Against Corruption” in Uyo on Monday said the government dragged the Commission to court. Shodipo, who was represented by Mr Kalu Ugbo, Head of Legal Service, recalled that “The State Government took ICPC to court and we have been in the court for the parts four to five years now- from High Court,…