Author: straightnewsng.com

One of the controversial ex-Big Brother Naija housemates has been reinstated by the London Metropolitan Police. Khafi Kareem who returned to the United Kingdom two weeks ago was said to have met her superiors. It was alleged that she defied instruction to feature on the Nigerian reality show that lasted for 99 days, though she ejected from the house before then. According to the Mirror newspaper, Khafi, who clocks 30 Sunday said she has been asked to return to work. She and met with her superiors to discuss her conduct. There were reports she had been a subject of a…

By Akanimo Sampson While armed conflicts and crises around the world have left millions of civilians unable to access critical aid, an alarming trend of attacks on aid workers and other non-lethal obstacles to sustained humanitarian access has led to one development: humanitarian access gaps and challenges to principled engagement. The role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has become increasingly recognised in responding to mounting need while delivering effective humanitarian assistance and protection in access-constrained environments. Last week in Istanbul, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) together with the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) addressed these issues convening its first Regional IOM-NGO Humanitarian Consultation for the Middle East and North Africa Region. Consultation participants discussed good practices and complementarities for…

Despite the disagreement between the Federal Government and some local government areas over who has the right to conduct marriages in the country, the Federal Government has published 12 marriage registries and places licensed to conduct statutory marriage across the country. The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Interior, re-emphasised its position that it was the only tier of government permitted by the constitution to regulate and conduct marriages. It added that formation of statutory marriages was within the exclusive legislative list and that it was the regulatory body for the conduct of statutory marriages and the issuance of marriage…

By: Rowland Udoh Akwa (Abasi) Ibom State, is named after God and the people inhabiting the enclave enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), appear very religious. Some people are excited to attend ederi (church) every Sunday. As a matter of fact, they can be likened to the people of Athens who Apostle Paul in Acts 17: 22 tagged “most religious.” Most Akwa Ibom people name abasi for several things if they be not in the ederi fashion. They have abasi enyong (god of the sky or heavens), abasi isong (god of the earth…

By Akanimo Sampson A quarter century after the Beijing Conference on women, delegates gathered last week in the Addis Ababa, the headquarters of the African Union (AU) to press for economic inclusion of forcibly displaced and migrant women in Africa and reflect on their situation since that 1994 conference. Participants from embassies, the AU Commission, civil society, humanitarian aid organisations and refugees all took part in Tuesday’s meeting, which was organised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the AU Commission, as a side event during the Beijing+25…

By Akanimo Sampson         A 16-year-old Ugandan is still living with the traumatic memories of a sexual attack. As a result of the incident, she dropped out of formal education, but decided to apply for a job at a salon. While recalling the incident, Ms. Irene Asibazuyo, said, “as I feared being called names like married woman or raped girl, I chose to pursue hairdressing instead,’’ and described hairdressing as the “magic’’ skill that helped her overcome trauma and earn a living. In Uganda’s northern Arua District, Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for beauty salons in small towns…

South Africans white and black celebrated wildly on Saturday and expressed hopes that the Springboks’ Rugby World Cup win, inspired by black captain Siya Kolisi, would bring the nation together. The significance of Kolisi lifting the trophy after a 32-12 victory over England in Yokohama resonated across South Africa. During the years of apartheid, rugby was clearly identified as the sport of the country’s white minority. When Kolisi was made South Africa’s first black Test captain last year, it felt as if a barrier had been broken down — and in Yokohama on Saturday his achievement, and the team’s gradual…

The death toll from one of the deadliest “terrorist attack” on a military post in northeast Mali Friday has risen to 53, Communication Minister, Yaya Sangare, said on Saturday. Thirty-five soldiers were killed on Friday in the attack on the spot in Indelimane, Mali about 70 kilometres west of Menaka near the border with Niger, according to the army, which has dubbed the incident a terrorist attack. A civilian was also killed at the outpost close to the border with Niger, the country’s communication minister Yaya Sangare said on Twitter. “The situation is under control. A search and the process…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted Manchester United had taken a “step back” after their mini-revival came to a crashing halt as Josh King’s strike earned Bournemouth a 1-0 win in treacherous weather conditions on England’s south coast. Solskjaer’s men had not won away from home since March until 10 days ago, but three consecutive wins on the road at Partizan Belgrade, Norwich and Chelsea to book a place in the League Cup quarter-finals in midweek hinted at a turning point for the Norwegian. Instead, the failings that have characterised their season were back in evidence as a lack of goal threat…

By Rowland Udoh The decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to instigate reform in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by the appointment of an Interim Management Committee (IMC), has been greeted with a cacophony of voices. The committee is made up of three persons – Dr. Joi Nunieh, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, and Mr. Ibanga Atang – to oversee the period of the forensic audit of the NDDC covering the period 2001 to 2019. The attacks seem to be more directed at the member of the Federal Executive Council in charge of the Niger Delta Affairs Ministry, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio…