Author: straightnewsng.com

By Akanimo Sampson The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is currently helping the Government of Ukraine to provide immediate assistance to the victims of human trafficking.  On European Union (EU) Anti-Trafficking Day on October 18, the Ministry of Social Policy and the National Police of Ukraine revealed the details of a shocking case of mass trafficking during a press conference in the capital Kyiv. Over 80 jobless Ukrainians from the Odessa and Dnipropetrovsk regions were allegedly lured to work at a farm by promises of free accommodation and meals, as well as salaries of $170 per month (well below the average…

By Akanimo Sampson In a seeming frantic bid to end the kafala system and to mark a momentous step forward in upholding the rights of migrant workers, Qatar has announced sweeping reforms to its labour market. The Council of Ministers of the State of Qatar on October 16 unanimously endorsed new legislation allowing workers to change employers freely. Workers in Qatar had previously required a no-objection certificate (NOC) from their employer in order to do so. A Ministerial Decree by the Minister of Interior was also signed, removing exit permit requirements for all workers, except military personnel. Together, these steps…

The public hearing of the 2020 Akwa Ibom government budget now before the state House of Assembly has brought to the fore some duplicitous allocations and non-existing offices. At the public hearing of a Bill for a Law to appropriate monies out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund and Capital Development Fund to the service of Akwa Ibom State Government and for other matters connected therewith organized by House Committee on Appropriation Committee, Civil Liberties Oganisation (CLO), Akwa Ibom State branch raised red flag on some doubtful budgetary allocations. During the event held at the Old Chapel, House of Assembly, Uyo…

The public hearing on the 2020 budget proposals presented by Governor Udom Emmanuel to the seventh Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly for approval has sparked another serious concern on the health status of the state government-owned industries. Though it is claimed that Udom Emmanuel administration has established more than 15 industries, Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing Company Ltd, Kings Flour Mill, Ethanol Plant, Sweet Factory, Gabriel Coconut Processing Factory, Garri Processing factory, Plywood Processing Factory, Metering Solutions Manufacturing Services Ltd (MSMSL), AKEES Pencil Factory and Greenwell Technologies producing fertiliser, among others are the prominent ones. But Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Akwa…

The 2020 budget proposals presented to Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly for approval has begun to experience heat from the stakeholders. The budget christened The Budget of Industrialisation for Poverty Alleviation Phase 11 and presented by Governor Udom Emmanuel has a budgetary outlay of N597.800 billion against approved provision of N672.985 billion for 2019. Th dissenting voice was registered by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Akwa Ibom Council during a public hearing on A bill for a law to appropriate monies out of the consolidated revenue fund and capital development fund to the service of Akwa Ibom State Government and…

By Rowland Udoh The APC led Federal Government of Nigeria rode to power in 2015 on populism. To pay back the cult- like support given to its standard bearer, then General Muhammadu Buhari, they chose the National Social Investment Programme and domiciled it in the Presidency. Since then, the programme has been dogged by controversy. What is of special interest to this writer is the National Cash Transfer Initiative where beneficiaries are paid a stipend of N5,000 monthly. A careful look at the implementation figures show that 1,491,296 households, 6,056,872 individuals have been captured in the register. The budget releases…

MTN Nigeria says it will go ahead to charge its customers for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) voice or text message which allows them access to bank services via their mobile phones. The telecom said it would start charging its subscribers from today, despite a directive by the Federal Government to halt the plan. MTN’s subscribers on Sunday received messages from the company informing them that with effect from Monday, it will start charging them N4 per 20 seconds for USSD voice or N4 for text message. One of the messages from MTN read: “Yello, as requested by your bank,…

“I dedicate the award to every journalist in Akwa Ibom State,” a PREMIUM TIMES’ journalist who emerged the best investigative reporter in West Africa on Saturday declared. Cletus Ukpong was adjudged to have produced the best investigative story among all the entries received in that category at the 2019 West Africa Media Excellence Awards (WAMECA) held in Accra, Ghana. Speaking with Straightnews after carting the prestigious award, he said “I also dedicate the award to Governor Udom Emmanuel for making bold effort to tackle the rot in public schools in the state. I thank him for that because he has…

Few days ago, prominent and other Nigerians joined Yakubu Gowon, the retired general and a former head of state in Nigeria in celebrating his 85th birthday anniversary. Gowon who presided over the Nigerian Civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970 was overthrown by the late General Murtala Mohammed in 1975. President Muhammadu Buhari described Gowon as a living legend and a symbol of national unity. As Nigeria’s youngest leader since Independence, President Buhari affirmed that Gen. Gowon’s visionary leadership style, wisdom and disciplined outlook kept the country as one, extolling the former Head of State for faith and steadfastness…

As kidnappers abducted Musa Rambo, an Assistant Commissioner of Police who is the Area Commander of Suleja in Niger State and his driver, a popular Nigerian social media critic and commentator on public issues is worried over the safety of other Nigerians. This is as Kaduna State police command has confirmed the kidnap of an Assistant Commissioner of Police along Kaduna-Jos road on Saturday. Femi Fan-Kayode, a one-time minister of Aviation wrote in his Twitter handle “Musa Rambo, an Assistant Commissioner of Police who is the Area Commander of Suleja in Niger State and his driver have been abducted by…