Author: straightnewsng.com

By Akanimo Sampson Interest groups and lobbyists across Nigeria are presently not leaving any stone unturned in their intense push to ensure that their anointed political sons and daughters get juicy slots in the NextLevel cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari. While President Buhari, his wife, Aisha, some prominent traditional rulers, religious leaders, business tycoons, and top politicians close to the first family are being pressured to convince the ex-Army General to accommodate those begging them in his cabinet, the hot scramble for a ministerial position has sparked off a worrisome in-fighting and bickering in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).…

By Akanimo Sampson The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) is calling for a commission of inquiry into the worrisome pipeline vandalism and illegal oil refining in the Ogoni axis of the troubled Rivers State in a bid to unravel an alleged deep connivance between security operatives and criminals gangs. A factional General Secretary of the Ogoni mass movement,  Monday Neeka Ziinu, a church deacon, said in a statement, “We are convinced that an investigation will unravel and justify the reasons why illegal oil refining have flourished in the Niger Delta despite efforts to halt the illicit…

By Akanimo Sampson Going by the emerging strong indicators, the United States of America under President Donald Trump’s watch is set for a military response to the growing security risk of Iran to Washington’s imperial dominance. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is already pressing on with the Trump administration’s belligerent threats against Iran, declaring in an interview on CBS Face the Nation that the US was “considering a full range of options.” And when asked if that included a military response, he declared “of course.” Dismissing any suggestion that the US had no evidence to prove that Iran had…

The lobbying for various political positions into the Federal Executive Council, FEC, in the country began before the February 23 general elections. Canvassers for appointable positions went for merchandising. They had donated money to political parties and the political office seekers; some had donated their houses as campaign offices and spent time to woo electorate for the electoral success of their principals. Though most lobbyists used their countable votes from their polling units, financial and intrinsic contributions as scorecard to press home for positions, a few depended on their social and otherwise connections/networks to secure political appointments. To this class…

Three secondary school students reportedly drowned at Ibeno Beach, Akwa Ibom State. This is as a policeman also drowned in a river at Agwagwune village, Biase local government area, Cross River State. It was gathered that the students of a grammar school located in Upenekang community in Ibeno local government area, two boys and one girl, went to the beach to swim after their morning exercise, weekend, when the incident occurred. Vanguard learned that they were buried on the river banks according to the tradition of the people; anyone that drowns should be buried by the waterside. Task Force Chairman…

The inability of Akwa Ibom government to publicly announce the dissolution of the State Executive Council is used by some commissioners and special advisers against the smooth running of the government, investigation by Straightnews has shown. During the swearing in of the re-appointed Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, Governor Udom Emmanuel assured that he would re-appoint some members of the ‘dissolved’ state executive council, indicating that he had relieved them of the appointment on May 29, 2019, the day he took oath for a second term in the office. Investigation by Straightnews shows that most permanent secretaries…

The Archbishop of Kaduna Catholic Diocese, Most. Rev. Mathew Ndago-Manoso, Tuesday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to quit office if he doesn’t have the capacity to govern the country or lacks answer to the myriads of the country’s problems. Ndago-Manoso stated this in an interview with journalists at the on going Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Nigeria Catholic Diocese Priests’ Association taking place at the Catholic Social Centre, Kaduna. More Nigerians have gone into poverty, according to the Catholic cleric. He noted that many people now come to his office to beg for food, saying: “You see, in governance or…

Debt Management Office, DMO, Tuesday, stated that the federal government would tap concessionary long-term loans to finance its 2019 budget, in addition to borrowing at home It also stated that the federal government had no plan to float Eurobond this year. The Director-General, DMO, Patience Oniha, who stated these at an Islamic finance conference in Lagos, said after a sixth outing in November 2018, the federal government raised $2.86 billion and would no longer go for Eurobond this year. Oniha said: “The government has said it wanted to tap concessionary long-term loans to finance its 2019 budget in addition to…

The Presidency, Tuesday, insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari won the February 23, 2019 presidential elections with a clear margin. The Presidency also defended the suspension of former Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen by Buhari over the controversy surrounding his Asset Declaration Form before the last general elections Senior Special Assistant to the President on media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu in a statement expressed reservations over the joint report of the International Republic Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) on the 2019 general elections in Nigeria and recommendations for the 2023 general elections. Shehu said it was…

Two institutions, the International Republican Institute, IRI, and the National Democratic Institute, NDI, Tuesday, called for urgent national conversation to harmonise recommendations of various committees on electoral reforms. This is even as Ambassador Ketil Karlsen, Head of European Union Election Observer Team, Tuesday said the body contributed over €100 million to support electoral reforms in Nigeria. But the All Progressives Congress, APC, in a swift reaction, said the reports of the international observers should be ignored, saying ”we are no kids, we can take care of ourselves.” However, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on its part, said the report by…