Author: straightnewsng.com

President Muhammadu Buhari’s 59th Independence Anniversary speech, Tuesday, elicited kudos and knocks in the polity. While some said the president addressed burning issues in the country, others disagreed and said he shied away from key issues. Aside the president’s claim on boosting the economy, and how he is tackling insecurity, one of the issues that elicited strong response was his perceived diminishing of the powers of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo by moving the special intervention programmes to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. Buhari said he took the decision in order to institutionalize the programmes. Among…

By Akanimo Sampson In collaboration with the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) and the Organisation africaine de la propriété intellectuelle (OAPI) with the support of the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the Government of Zimbabwe, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) is organising a conference on Intellectual Property, Innovation and Value Addition for Business Competitiveness in Africa. It will be holding from November 5 through 8 in Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. Participants will explore: The challenges and opportunities for Africa in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution; Ways to harness the potential of universities and research…

By Akanimo Sampson                                                                              Vietnam’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, is chairing the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva. WIPO is the global forum for intellectual property policy, services, information and cooperation. It is a specialised agency of the UN, assisting its 192 member states in developing a balanced international IP legal framework to meet society’s evolving needs. It also provides business services for obtaining IP rights in multiple countries and resolving disputes. It delivers capacity-building programs to help developing countries benefit from using IP. And it provides free access to…

Today marks the day the dreams of our forebears for freedom became a reality -it’s Nigeria’s anniversary as an independent, sovereign country! With 15 leaders who have spared no exertion at moving the country forward since gaining self-rule, Nigeria stands tall in the comity of nations, although not without setbacks. As we celebrate today, let’s remember that this independence connotes unity and togetherness. Therefore we must put aside hate and come together as one big, unified family, regardless of our ethnicities. May we never, by our actions, let the sacrifices of our heroes past be in vain. Happy 59th Independence…

As the military intensifies efforts to end terrorism in the country, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff, has said a combination of physical and spiritual battle has become necessary to end the menace. This is even as US President, Donald Trump, while congratulating Nigeria on its 59th independence anniversary Monday, charged President Muhammadu Buhari to drive out Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province, ISWAP, from the nation’s territories. However, Buratai noting that ideology was the main driver of terrorists’ activities, insisted that spiritual warfare must be deployed immediately against the enemy forces. The Army…

The outgoing President of the National Industrial Court, NIC, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, lamented that 10,000 industrial cases were currently pending before the courts nationwide. Justice Adejumo also said about N150 billion was required to put the judicial sector in proper perspective in order to deliver its task effectively.  This is as President Muhammadu Buhari Monday appealed to the legislature and the judiciary to collaborate with the executive to ensure the rights of Nigerians were safeguarded. Speaking while commissioning the National Industrial Court annex in Abuja, Buhari pledged that his administration would continue to adequately fund the judiciary to enable it discharge its…

Executive Secretary National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, has called on government agencies to abide by the rule of law and refrain from disobeying orders and judgments of court. Reacting to the continued detention of the Presidential Candidate of African Action Congress, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, by the Department of State Service, DSS, despite court orders, Ojukwu said no individual or institution should be allowed to toy with the judgment and decisions of the court. He emphasized that “all court orders are binding and must be respected by affected persons or institutions”. According to him, the decent way to disagree with…

A bill for a law to allow worshippers at religious places, including Churches and Mosques, to handle firearms is underway in the House of Representatives. The bill, entitled “An Act to Establish Dangerous Weapons, To Provide for the Prohibition of Possession of Dangerous Weapons Intended to be Used for Unlawful Purposes and for Related Matters”, is sponsored by Ossai Nicholas Ossai (PDP-Delta). The bill, though prescribes a ban on certain categories of persons from carrying weapons, exempts a host of others, including worshippers. Section 2 of the proposed law states that this “Act does not apply to the following activities:…

A total of 800,000 jobs are expected to be rolled out following the takeover of the 40-acre National Arts Theatre, Lagos by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and the Bankers Committee on Tuesday for the implementation of the N22 billion creative industry initiative. This followed approval of President Muhammadu Buhari that the National Arts Theatre be handed over to the CBN and the Bankers Committee for the purpose. Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, who stated this Monday in Lagos while speaking at the Creative Nigeria Summit, said similar parks would be located in…

Detained activist and convener of #RevolutionNow protest that held in various parts of the country on August 5, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, and co-defendant were Monday docked and remanded in prison. Sowore had earlier pleaded not guilty to a seven-count criminal charge the Federal Government slammed against him. Sowore, who was the presidential candidate of African Action Congress, AAC, in the last general election and publisher of an online media platform, Sahara Reporters, was docked before the Federal High Court in Abuja, alongside his co-defendant, Olawale Adebayo Bakare (aka Mandate). It will be recalled that though Sowore called for a nationwide…