Author: straightnewsng.com

A Federal High Court in Uyo has granted bail to Bassey Albert Akpan, a senator representing Akwa Ibom North-east, charged with corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The court presided over by Justice A. A. Okeke had charged and arraigned Mr Bassey on allegation of money laundering. The EFCC, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Tony Orilade, on Monday, said the former finance commissioner was arraigned on a six-count charge. Mr Bassey’s appearance in court follows a bench warrant issued on him by the same court on June 17 for breaching the terms of bail granted…

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Monday said recent comment credited to Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, that troops battling insurgency and banditry in the land were not committed enough, has vindicated its position that President Muhammadu Buhari has failed in his duties as a Commander-In-Chief. In a statement issued by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party singled out President Buhari for blame over the growing insecurity in the land, stressing that it was his duty to protect lives and properties of Nigerians and residents of the Nigeria. The statement read: “Mr. President, as chief security officer of the…

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, Abuja Monday dismissed an application the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, filed to be granted access to inspect the central server they claimed was used by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to transmit results of the February 23 presidential election. The tribunal, in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel of Justices, said the request could not be granted since the issue of whether such central server existed or not, was already a subject of controversy in the substantive petition challenging President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election. It stressed that the fact that…

The National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Monday set to a fact-finding committee on the role played by some of its members in the election of presiding officers of the National Assembly held a fortnight ago. The committee, which is to be chaired by former Senator President, Adolphus Wabara, is to, among others, find out why some of House of Representatives members-elect and senators-elect failed to abide by the decision of the party as to who to vote for during the NASS leadership election. In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party,…

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…