Author: straightnewsng.com

The National Assembly, Tuesday, took a swipe at oil companies operating in the Niger Delta for their refusal to pay N72 billion and $273 million debt owed Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. According to the National Assembly, efforts were made in the 8th National Assembly to ensure the prompt payment of money meant for the NDDC, just as it accused the oil companies of not disclosing their real budget saying that most of the firms tampered with their annual budgets. Meanwhile, the Senate has resolved to carry out a full audit of NDDC, just as it welcomed plans by the…

President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate, requesting for the screening and subsequent confirmation of former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dr. Pius Odubu as Chairman, Board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. Odubu was deputy to the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole when he was governor of Edo State. In a letter read yesterday, during plenary by the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, President Buhari also requested for the confirmation of 15 other members of the board. A letter dated October 18, 2019 read, “In accordance with the provisions of Section 2(2)(a)…

Nigeria has secured an early qualification into the Round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil following the Golden Eaglets’ dramatic 3-2 win over Ecuador on Tuesday night. Coach Manu Garba’s boys who came from behind to beat Hungary in their opening game of the tournament at the weekend had earlier blown their early lead in Tuesday’s outing against Ecuador. However, two quickfire goals from Ibrahim Said in the latter stages of the second half saw Nigeria winning the five-goal thriller. It was Nigeria that got the opening goal just five minutes into the game but…

Nigeria has made the list of countries where killings of journalists numbering over 200 are unsolved. According to a media watchdog group, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the 13 countries are cited for enabling “impunity” for the crimes and they were home to the majority of journalist killings over the past 10 years. The countries “represent a mix of conflict-ridden regions and more stable countries where criminal groups, politicians, government officials, and other powerful actors resort to violence to silence critical and investigative reporting.” According to AFP, Somalia is the worst country for the fifth year in a row in a…

The Nigerian Army has announced appointment of new commanders for the multinational Joint Task Force, MJTF, Ndjamena, General Officers Commanding, Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, and some of its formations. The new shakeup contained in a statement by the acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, Tuesday, saw the appointment of Major General FO Agugo, erstwhile Chief of Army Transformation and Innovation, as the General Officer Commanding, GOC 6 Division, Port Harcourt. On the other hand, Major-General J Sarham, the former General Officer Commanding 6 Division, is now the Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, while Major-General CO Ude has been redeployed from Headquarters,…

New measures have been approved to checkmate the growing danger of fake news and hate speech across the country. The measures, which were sanctioned by the Federal Executive Council, FEC, were borne out of the recommendations of a special committee raised by the government to find ways and means of curtailing hate speech and fake news which became very prevalent during the last general elections. Under the new arrangement unveiled by the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at a media briefing in Abuja Tuesday, the National Broadcasting Commission Act is to be amended to enable the commission licence web-based…

A Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital has granted five persons N5 million bail each for allegedly dealing on adulterated rice. The accused with charge number FHC/UY/70C/19 were arraigned before Justice Anulika Okeke on Tuesday. The five accused persons pleaded not guilty to the 17 Count Charges brought against them by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). According to the prosecutor, the five accused were arrested and arraigned for advertising and displaying for sale defective, unsafe and re-bagged rice, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 11 of the Consumer Protection Council Act, Cap C25,…

By Akanimo Sampson For the first time, a seeming startling report has revealed the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ethiopia who are returning to their communities, their condition, and their needs. Completed this October, the shares findings from data collected in July via site assessment of 1,163 sites throughout the country, and that reflects 1,642,458 people as internally displaced.  The biggest causes of displacement were conflict which displaced 1,089,856 IDPs, followed by drought which affected 424,845 IDPs and seasonal flood which affected 35,995 IDPs. The government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has however endorsed the International…

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said Monday that the ever busy Abuja-Kaduna rail line will take delivery of 10 additional coaches to ease challenges faced by passengers plying the route on a daily basis. The Minister stated this in Lagos Monday while on a tour of railway facilities linking different part of the city to neighbouring state of Ogun. When added, Amaechi said the challenge of standing faced by some passengers on the two-hour ride from Abuja to Kaduna and vice versa would be addressed reasonably. “The reason we are allowing standing on the Abuja-Kaduna rail line is because the…

By Akanimo Sampson From January to June this 2019, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency, says it tracked 238,219 movements along a dangerous route in Africa. It has pointed out that Ethiopian nationals are by far the majority (95%) of those moving along the Eastern route, followed by Somalis (almost 5%), while other nationalities observed accounted for less than 0.1 per cent. These facts are contained in a new report on mobility trends across the East and Horn of Africa region, released by the agency’s Regional Data Hub: A Region on the Move – Mid-year Mobility…