Author: straightnewsng.com

By Akanimo Sampson Backstage permutations for the 2023 presidential race in Nigeria has started with some surprising re-alignment across the two leading political parties in the country- the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Except the opposition PDP re-jigs itself for the battle ahead, the odd does not seem to favour it at the moment. Like it was in the Jos Township Stadium in 1993 during the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) National Convention, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar might again find the former SDP National Chairman, Babagana Kingibe, a tough nut to crack…

The notion that ExxonMobil with operational headquarters at Qua Iboe Terminal in Ibeno local government area has not been making financial contribution to the development of Akwa Ibom State as its host community has been punctured by a prominent indigene of the state. On the contrary, Obong Aniekan Akpan, a one-time Chairman of Eket local government area alleged that Exxon Mobil has been paying N30 billion as development funds to the state government every financial year. ExxonMobil Corporation, doing business as ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant…

US President Donald Trump has lashed out at congressional Democrats after they vowed to summon the White House to produce documents this week. Committees are demanding documents relating to the administration’s dealings with Ukraine, which is now at the heart of an impeachment inquiry. The president accused Democratic leaders of dishonesty and even treason. Democrats have defended the inquiry – which focuses on a phone call between Mr. Trump and the Ukrainian president. During a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Mr. Trump called Mr. Biden and his son, Hunter, “stone-cold corrupt”. Mr. Trump directed much of his…

By Akanimo Sampson President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has been entangled in the diversion of N543.63 billion Natural Resources Development fund. The Nigeria Extractive Industries and Transparency Initiative (NEITI) is accusing the administration of diverting the fund to fund the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and budget deficit. According to NEITI, the diverted N543.63 billion was also used to fund budget deficits, national security and Nigeria Armed Forces, among others. This is coming as President Buhari directed the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to release N600 billion for Capital Expenditure in the next three months. He gave the directive in his…

By Akanimo Sampson With estimates suggesting that by 2050 Africa’s population will double from 1.2 billion today to 2.4 billion, policymakers in the continent will be facing the challenge of how to tackle the menace of worsening unemployment among young people. This is so because over 60 percent of people of the continent are projected to be under the age of 25. This implies over 1.44 billion people. Such a large young population certainly presents significant opportunities and challenges to African leaders. Some concerned experts are however, pointing to an effective Intellectual Property (IP) system as the potent medicine the…

After 59 years of tottering on the path of greatness, Peter Obi, a one-time Governor of Anambra State, has proffered three antidotes that can aid the country in attaining meaningful development. Speaking Tuesday at The Platform, a programme by the Covenant Christian Centre, Iganmu, Lagos that marked Nigeria’s 59th Independence Day, Obi listed security of life and properties, quality education and economy with emphasis to solve unemployment. “Nigeria is living on a cliff…There are major factors affecting the growth of the nation which are security, education and our economy (with emphasis on solving the current underemployment and unemployment situation),” he…

By Akanimo Sampson With only six weeks to go until the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, it is crunch time for all partners to secure firm commitments to realise the promise of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), and get the job done by the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Executive Director of the Lebanese American University’s Arab Institute for Women, Dr. Lina Abirafeh, had said “please let it happen in my lifetime. I don’t want to go to ICPD50 on September 26 during Join Us on the Road to Nairobi, an event organised by…

A former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Professor Charles Soludo, says it is important for Nigeria to be innovative. Soludo explained that this was necessary for the country to remain relevant among the comity of nations, noting the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA). “The implication (of the signing) is that insularity will no longer be an option; the name of the game of the future in an increasingly integrated world is innovate, compete or die,” Soludo said while giving a speech at The Platform, an annual programme organised by the Covenant Christian Centre,…

…Says Wilfera is a Blackmailer, Fraudster seeking to defraud his company .. Warns him on attempt to pitch him Against Udom, Ephraim Inyang By Koko Robson The Chief Executive Officer, Beijing Jindixin Sheng Company Limited(BJCC), Chief Sunny Udonsek, has described as unfounded, malicious and defamatory a publication in a local tabloid, The Ink, of Tuesday, 1st October, 2019 by one Mr. Wilfera Era Odiete. Mr Wilfera Odiete who is the CEO, Wilfera Dredging and Marine Services Limited (WDMSLTD) had in the said publication accused Chief Udonsek among other things of breeching the terms of contract he signed with his company,…

Stakeholders in the Niger Delta region were divided, Tuesday, over President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-assignment of the supervision of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, from the office of the Secretary to the Federal Government to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. While some applauded the move, describing it as strategic and a well-thought out decision to breathe a new lease of life in the interventionist agency, others said it will not change anything. Former Provost-Marshal of the Nigerian Army and South-South leader, Brigadier-General Idada Ikponmwen (retd) and the leadership of Benin National Congress, BNC, frowned at the move to place…