Author: straightnewsng.com

At least, 25,794 people were killed in various attacks during the first term of President Muhammadu Buhari from May 2015 to May 2019, data from Nigeria Security Tracker, NST, has shown. The NST, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Africa programme which documents violence in Nigeria, said the attacks were motivated by political, economic, or social grievances. This is as troops comprising Air Force components and ground soldiers on Saturday foiled an attempt by ISWAP/BHT terrorists to establish new camps and claim territory in Borno State, and destroyed the camps, killing three terrorists and rescuing 95 hostages, including…

The internet was abuzz Monday after Tonye Cole, billionaire politician, shared his flight experience on how Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate, was asked to vacate a seat by a passenger onboard a flight. Cole, the co-founder and former group executive director of Sahara Group and Energy, had taken to his Instagram page on Sunday to narrate how a young passenger insisted that the foremost playwright must leave the window seat assigned to him. This was despite pleas from him and the cabin crew. He wrote: “I met one of the greatest Nigerians walking on earth and as with other times, he…

More than one million small holder farmers in the country accessed money through Anchor Borrowers Programme, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said on Monday. Emefiele, while reeling out the policy road map for his second tenure of five years in Abuja, explained that the bank made serious efforts to improve cultivation of agricultural commodities such as rice, tomatoes, fish, cotton and palm oil. The CBN governor said the programme also enabled agro-processors and manufacturers to source their inputs from local sources, rather than relying on the importation of these items. “We also deployed other intervention facilities such as the…

Indications are rife that relevant government authorities in Akwa Ibom State would accord persons living with disabilities respect and pay more attention to their plights. The Speaker of Akwa Ibom House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey gave the words of assurance when a renowned NGO, Project Alert on Violence Against Women, Lagos in partnership with Friends of the Needy, FONO, Uyo paid a fact-finding visit on him in his office. Bassey who was represented by Rt. Hon. Felicia Bassey, his deputy, described as pathetic and deplorable, the challenges facing women living with disabilities. He pledged the readiness of the…

Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, early Monday morning temporarily witnessed a shut-down as protesters calling for the removal of Abba Kyari, the immediate past Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu, poured into streets. The protest with banner headlines “Abba Kyari Must Go” was staged by members of All Progressives Congress (APC) Concerned National Stakeholders. The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Nigerians believe in President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerians elected President Muhammadu Buhari”; “No more cabal, no more intimidation, PMB remains our sole leader”; PMB must take charge of the government” as well as “#AbbaKyariMustGo,” among others. Addressing journalists during the protest,…

By Akanimo Sampson The United Nations trade cluster is currently setting sights on the creation of a multi-donor trust fund since at the country level, the cluster seems to be bringing the UN system together to improve its efficiency, coherence and impact on trade and development matters at the country level. Interestingly, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)-led UN inter-agency cluster on trade and productive capacity is ramping up its initiatives to better support countries to scale up efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Following the unveiling of its new brochure during a UN Economic and…

By Akanimo Sampson Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, one of the big oil and gas states in Nigeria, has placed a curse on political leaders troubling the peace, security and economic development of the state. Though he has vowed that his administration will continue to partner Churches for the development of the oil state, he however, declared that those who do not want the state to progress will not progress themselves. According to him, “On March 9, 2019, light prevailed over darkness.  God showed Himself and He is in charge. But for God, I wouldn’t have been here addressing the Christian faithful.…

By Akanimo Sampson The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), the pioneer anti-corruption agency set up by the Nigeria Government in 1979 during the Second Republic, has landed in trouble following its refusal to Freedom of Information request by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) for the asset declarations of past and present Nigerian leaders since 1999 till date. Within the period, apart from the late President Umaru Yar’Adua who made his asset declaration public, those of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, past and present governors of the 36 states of the federation are…

Former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has condemned the attempted coup in Ethiopia which claimed the lives of the President of Amhara region and the country’s army chief. Reports said a “hit squad”, led by Amhara’s security chief, Asaminew Tsige, stormed a meeting in the state offices of Amhara’s capital, Bahir Dar, on Saturday and shot the President of the region Ambachew Mekonnen and his adviser Ezez Wassie. In what appeared like a coordinated attack, the chief of staff of the national security forces, Seare Mekonnen, and a retired general were killed by his bodyguard in Addis Ababa. Reacting to the…

The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, has recovered N 57.7 billion unremmitted tax revenue from banks. The Head, Public Relations of the commission, Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed, stated in a statement, in Abuja, Sunday, that the federal government’s share of N48.7 billion had been paid into the Federation Account. Mohammed added that the balance of N9.7 billion which relates to withholding tax of dividends has also been paid to the beneficiary state governments. In an earlier exercise covering January, 2008-June, 2012 RMAFC had recovered N4.2 billion from the banks, promising that more recoveries would be made. The commission insisted that its…