Author: straightnewsng.com

By Akanimo Sampson Women in technology are underrepresented and poorly funded, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) eTrade for Women Project Manager, Candace Nkoth Bisseck, has said. Bisseck said “It’s a well-known fact that women in technology are underrepresented and poorly funded.’’ Pitchbook, says in 2018, start-ups in the United States with only female founders took a meagre 2.2% of the $130 billion venture capital deployed. Yet, women have played a key but shadow role in science, technology and innovation over the past two centuries. But women’s role, contribution and ideas need not be relegated to the…

By Akanimo Sampson It appears there is a growing pressure of sorts seeking to reclaim the policy space lost to footloose capital by creating a new public realm at the global level. Last week in Washington, the international community was recalling the achievement of their forebears who, 75 years ago, with the fight against fascism won, laid the grounds for a post-war multilateral economic order. Humanists are, however, curious. They are asking, with today’s multilateral system in crisis, what should they be celebrating? The aims of the Bretton Woods agreement were set out by the United States Treasury Secretary Henry…

By Akanimo Sampson Female genital mutilation is still widespread in Egypt despite being outlawed for more than a decade. Yet, rather than helping to eliminate the practice, public campaigns highlighting its dangers may have had an unexpected side effect: pushing the procedure from the home to the very place where staff are meant to “do no harm” – the health facility. “About 75 per cent of female genital mutilation in the country is performed by doctors”, said Dr. Ayman Sadek, an expert on the subject. Despite years of efforts by the government and health organisations, female genital mutilation remains deeply…

A civil society organisation in Nigeria, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has requested the US President Donald Trump to impose a “temporarily” travel restriction into the US on state governors and other senior Nigerian officials who are “misusing the criminal justice system to jail journalists, bloggers and activists reporting on allegations of corruption”. A Nigerian journalist and publisher of CrossRiverWatch, Agba Jalingo, is currently standing trial in Calabar for treason over a story alleging that the governor of Cross River state, Ben Ayade, diverted N500 million belonging to the state government. Another Nigerian, a lawyer and a renowned critic…

The National Assembly, Tuesday, took a swipe at oil companies operating in the Niger Delta for their refusal to pay N72 billion and $273 million debt owed Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. According to the National Assembly, efforts were made in the 8th National Assembly to ensure the prompt payment of money meant for the NDDC, just as it accused the oil companies of not disclosing their real budget saying that most of the firms tampered with their annual budgets. Meanwhile, the Senate has resolved to carry out a full audit of NDDC, just as it welcomed plans by the…

President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate, requesting for the screening and subsequent confirmation of former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dr. Pius Odubu as Chairman, Board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. Odubu was deputy to the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole when he was governor of Edo State. In a letter read yesterday, during plenary by the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, President Buhari also requested for the confirmation of 15 other members of the board. A letter dated October 18, 2019 read, “In accordance with the provisions of Section 2(2)(a)…

Nigeria has secured an early qualification into the Round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil following the Golden Eaglets’ dramatic 3-2 win over Ecuador on Tuesday night. Coach Manu Garba’s boys who came from behind to beat Hungary in their opening game of the tournament at the weekend had earlier blown their early lead in Tuesday’s outing against Ecuador. However, two quickfire goals from Ibrahim Said in the latter stages of the second half saw Nigeria winning the five-goal thriller. It was Nigeria that got the opening goal just five minutes into the game but…

Nigeria has made the list of countries where killings of journalists numbering over 200 are unsolved. According to a media watchdog group, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the 13 countries are cited for enabling “impunity” for the crimes and they were home to the majority of journalist killings over the past 10 years. The countries “represent a mix of conflict-ridden regions and more stable countries where criminal groups, politicians, government officials, and other powerful actors resort to violence to silence critical and investigative reporting.” According to AFP, Somalia is the worst country for the fifth year in a row in a…

The Nigerian Army has announced appointment of new commanders for the multinational Joint Task Force, MJTF, Ndjamena, General Officers Commanding, Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, and some of its formations. The new shakeup contained in a statement by the acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, Tuesday, saw the appointment of Major General FO Agugo, erstwhile Chief of Army Transformation and Innovation, as the General Officer Commanding, GOC 6 Division, Port Harcourt. On the other hand, Major-General J Sarham, the former General Officer Commanding 6 Division, is now the Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, while Major-General CO Ude has been redeployed from Headquarters,…

New measures have been approved to checkmate the growing danger of fake news and hate speech across the country. The measures, which were sanctioned by the Federal Executive Council, FEC, were borne out of the recommendations of a special committee raised by the government to find ways and means of curtailing hate speech and fake news which became very prevalent during the last general elections. Under the new arrangement unveiled by the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at a media briefing in Abuja Tuesday, the National Broadcasting Commission Act is to be amended to enable the commission licence web-based…