Author: straightnewsng.com

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, (Northern Region), has expressed its displeasure over statements credited to an Islamic group, Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, alleging that the recent abduction of nine children in Kano State was done with intention of forcibly converting them to Christianity. MURIC’s Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, while reacting to the rescue of the abducted children from a couple in Anambra State, Paul and Mercy Onwe, alleged that kidnappers had taken over the house of God. “The phenomenon of kidnapping for Christ has now rented the air. It is such a big shame that some Christian fanatics…

President Muhammadu Buhari, Wednesday, directed service chiefs to take urgent steps to settle the entitlements of soldiers who have paid the supreme price in the campaign against insurgency. Buhari, who gave the directive while launching the 2020 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration Emblem and Appeal Fund in Abuja, also told the service chiefs to settle the welfare packages of the soldiers for the benefit of their dependents. Speaking at the brief ceremony that took place at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting, the President reiterated that the unity of Nigeria…

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of new aides for the First Lady, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari. In a statement by the Director of Information, Office of First Lady, State House, Abuja the wife of former Governor of Nasarawa State, Dr. Mairo Almakura has been appointed Special Assistant on African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM). Muhammed Albishir is appointed Special Assistant on Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), while Wole Aboderin is appointed Special Assistant on Non-Governmental Organizations. Barr. Aiyu Abdullahi is the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Zainab Kazeem, Special Assistant on Domestic and…

Indications are rife that President Muhammadu Buhari may assent the Nigeria Peace Corps bill if passed again by the National Assembly into law. Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the president on National Assembly matters (Reps), Umar El-Yakub, dropped the hint Wednesday while addressing the media about the five new bills assented to by the President. Responding to a question as to whether the President would assent to the Nigeria Peace Corps Bill, if passed again and sent to him by the National Assembly, El-Yakub said: “So to answer you directly, of course, with the renewed relationship, I’m sure there will…

A new report by United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has said poor diets and a failing food system were responsible for at least 13.1 million cases of malnutrition among children in Nigeria. Already, Nigeria has the second highest proportion of children suffering malnutrition after the Democratic Republic of Congo in the West and Central Africa region, according to the report. The report released in commemoration of World Food Day entitled ”The State of the World’s Children 2019: Children, food and nutrition,” said: “At least 1 in 3 children under five is either undernourished or overweight. Almost 2 in 3 children between…

The Federal Government has announced the deportation of seven nationals of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, DPRK, for life. The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the Public Relations Office of the Nigerian Immigration Service Wednesday in Abuja. The statement read: “The Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, has carried out the deportation of the following seven Democratic People’s Republic of Korea DPRK nationals from Nigeria for life. ”They are; Jo Sun Phil, Hang Sung Chol, Che Chun Hyok and Pak Yong Gon. Others are Ri Yong Il, Ri Hak Su and Ri Tong Nam.…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, said Wednesday it recovered over 200 property, including plazas, bungalows and mansions, from suspected corrupt individuals in the last eight months. The Chairman of the Commission, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, who stated this at a meeting with the management of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, NIALS, in Abuja, boasted that the agency was on course to recover additional 100 houses from corrupt elements, adding that this would increase the number of seized assets to 300 before the end of the year. Owasanoye said the commission was working with the Federal…

The Senate, Wednesday, was told that the 600 state-owned enterprises in the country gulped not less than $3 billion on yearly basis with little or no returns into the public purse. The Upper Chamber was also informed that the N2.28 trillion deficit in the N10.33 trillion 2020 budget could best be funded by proceeds from privatization of moribund national assets than borrowing from foreign and local loans. Speaking in Abuja during an interactive session with the Senator Theodore Orji, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led Senate Committee on Privatization, Alex Okoh, the Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, said…

As the negotiation meeting between the Federal Government and the organised labour on the Consequential Adjustment on the new minimum wage ended in a deadlock Wednesday night, some state governments in the country may be perfecting plans to short change their workers. Apart from Ekiti and Kaduna State governments that have started paying their workers from Grade levels 01-06, other states are yet to pay or agree on the template for payment. Five months ago, for example, Akwa Ibom State government inaugurated a 14-member committee to work out modalities for the implementation of N30,000 new national minimum wage for workers…

By Akanimo Sampson Fifty-three migrant family groups comprising 64 children, 29 women and 33 men were last week air-lifted from the city of Matamoros (Tamaulipas, Mexico) to San Pedro Sula (Honduras). The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency, organised a charter flight for the 126 migrants who expressed their decision to return voluntarily to their country of origin. IOM deployed all efforts and collaborated closely with the Honduran Embassy in Mexico and with the National Migration Institute of Mexico to arrange for this first charter flight in its Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) programme. In the days preceding…