Author: straightnewsng.com

After two months of being detained in the custody of Department of State Security, DSS, the Federal High Court in Abuja, Friday, granted bail to the convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Mr. Omoyele Sowore but with stringent conditions. Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu barred Sowore and a co-defendant from addressing any rally pending the conclusion of their trial on charges of treasonable felony among others. Ojukwu also barred Sowore from traveling out of Abuja and the second defendant out of Osogbo, during the trial. She granted bail to Sowore in the sum of N100 million with two sureties in like sum. The sureties…

By Akanimo Sampson Global food prices were steady in September, as lower sugar prices were offset by increased quotations for vegetable oils and meat. But, in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Banana Fusarium wilt disease or Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense incorrectly referred to as Panama Disease occasionally, is threatening to sack millions of people who depend on the crop for their livelihoods. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), a United Nations agency has waded in to arrest the situation with an emergency project under its Technical Cooperation Programme to help the affected countries fight the spread of Fusarium wilt,…

By Akanimo Sampson President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is currently planning a massive purge of the civil service in a seeming bid to meet with the demand of labour on the disturbing N30,000 new minimum wage. But if the purge eventually takes place, it will compound the unemployment crisis in the country. The country’s unemployment rate stood at 23.1 percent of the work force in the third quarter of 2018, up from 18.1 percent a year earlier, Head of the Statistics Office, Yemi Kale, said on his official Twitter feed. President Buhari came to power in 2015 campaigning to fix the…

After five years in power, the Udom Emmanuel administration has claimed it inherited N32 billion as gratuity arrears from the past administration. Governor Emmanuel had told media professionals a fortnight ago at Banquet Hall, Government House, Uyo during a chat, but he did not inform them the exact amount of gratuity he has paid since assumption of office. Against this claim, Mr. Aniekan Akpan, a one-time Chairman of Eket local government area, wanted the governor to clear the N32 billion allegedly owed retired public servants from the N80 billion collected as refunds spent by the previous administration on Federal Government’s…

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…