Author: straightnewsng.com

A faction of the Hope Democratic Party, HDP, has approached the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja to withdraw a petition filed in the name of the party, which is challenging the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari. Presidential candidate of the party, Chief Ambrose Owuru, had in a petition he jointly filed with the party, queried the declaration of President Buhari as the valid winner of the February 23 presidential election. The tribunal was in the petition, which has the HDP as the 2nd Petitioner, urged to nullify President Buhari’s election and order a fresh poll. According to the petitioners…

The Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry, NESI, requires investments of over $100 billion in the next 20 years, if the country, Nigeria must have 24 hours of electricity supply daily, stakeholders in the power sector have said. The stakeholders spoke at a two-day power sector stakeholders’ seminar held in Abuja, to discus and determine strategic approach for development of the Performance Improvement Plans 2020-2024, PIPs, as recently requested by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC. The seminar was convened by Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, ANED, in collaboration with the European Union, EU, AFD, and USAID/Power Africa NPSP project, with the participation of…

By Akanimo Sampson In the next 31 years, Nigeria is expected to add 200 million more people to the global population which is expected to hit some 10 billion by 2050. A new report, The World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) estimates: a mind-boggling 9.7 billion people will inhabit the Earth by 2050, which is an increase of two billion from now. Nine countries are projected to be responsible for over the half of that surge with India leading the way. She is projected to add 273 million to…

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday charged governors of the 36 states of the federation to enforce free basic education in their domain. Buhari also said it was criminal for parents to keep their children out of school, especially in the first nine years of basic education. The President, who made the remarks after inaugurating the 2019 to 2023 National Economic Council, NEC at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja, equally asked governors to pay great attention to security, health, education and agriculture so as to guarantee a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria. He said: “On education, I want to stress in particular…

By Akanimo Sampson Ten years into the huge humanitarian crisis created by the rampaging terrorist group, Boko Haram, in the North-East axis of Nigeria, a United Nations agency, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says 7.1 million citizens in the volatile region are still in need. Already, the UN agency is carrying out some essential activities to build hope for the surviving victims of the Boko Haram menace. By integrating psycho-social support into livelihood activities, IOM seems to be promoting positive coping mechanisms and resilience among the displaced population. These activities tend to be helping people manage stress and increase…

The Nigeria’s legendary Afro-beat singer, Femi Anikulapo-Kuti will perform at the opening ceremony of 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Organising Committee of the competition has announced. The 2019 AFCON set to kick off with the new expanded 24 teams on Friday in Egypt, will be a colourful opening ceremony. Kuti, a four-time Grammy award nominee, will perform along two other musicians Hakim from Egypt and Dobet Gnahore from Ivory Coast. The musician had previously performed at the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa at the Soccer City Stadium on June 11, 2010 in Johannesburg.…

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved appointment of a new Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, bringing to an end the tenure of Maikanti Baru, as the oil firm’s boss. He is Mr. Mele Kolo Kyari, the 19th Group Managing Director of the national oil company. NNPC’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ughamadu, who announced this in Abuja on Thursday morning, said the President also appointed seven new Chief Operating Officers. Ughamadu said the newly appointed Chief Operating Officers to include Mr. Roland Onoriode Ewubare (South-South) – Chief Operating Officer, Upstream; Mustapha Yinusa Yakubu…

Governor Babagana Zulum, Wednesday, told the Federal Government to explore other available options in addressing insurgency in the North East instead of using military force. Zulum stated this after meeting behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Fielding questions from State House correspondents after the meeting, Zulum said that there was need for the government to open other opportunities of bringing down the crisis rather than the continued use of kinetic force. According to him, one of such steps was to consider the integration of some young persons in the region who have been forced…

Angry youths drawn from the nine Niger Delta states have concluded plans to embark on streets protest across the region, alleging “some powerful politicians were frustrating the current board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from delivering on its core mandate in the region.” Coming under the aegis of the Consolidated Youths of Niger Delta (CYND), the youths resolved after their emergency meeting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital on Thursday, to also take the protest to Aso Rock, “if activities of politicians continue to hamper smooth operations of the Commission.” A communiqué at the end of the…

A Kaduna State High Court, Wednesday, declared that the state government has no right to screen and issue licences to religious preachers in the state. The court, presided over by Justice Hajaratu Gwadah, however, asserted that the government had the right to regulate religious activities in the state. The judgment was delivered in the suit filed by the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, challenging the constitutionality of the bill on the regulation of religious preaching in the state. The Bill, which was introduced by Governor Nasir El Rufai in the early part of his first tenure attracted controversy with both…