Author: straightnewsng.com

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Wednesday said it was worried over the number of associations that have applied to be registered as political parties ahead of the 2023 general elections. The commission said it was perturbed that except there was an urgent reform of the extant electoral law in the country, over 200 political parties might participate in the next general elections. INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who made the revelation at an Electoral Reform Roundtable organised by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, in conjunction with the Kofi Annan Foundation, lamented that the number of associations seeking to…

The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, Wednesday, threw its weights behind former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, retd, and former military governor of old Rivers State, Gen. Zamani Lekwot, retd, over their recent written submission to the United Kingdom Parliament on the ongoing killings across communities of the Middle Belt and other parts of Nigeria. General Danjuma and Lekwot were among notable members of Nigerian Christian Elders’ Forum, NCEF, who petitioned the Parliament over ongoing agenda of ‘Islamisation and Fulanisation’ as evident by heinous genocide being perpetrated by herdsmen and terrorists across the Middle Belt and other parts of…

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said the problem of extreme poverty in Nigeria was keeping him awake every night. This is as United Nations has stated that 69 million people are poor in Nigeria. Osinbajo stated this at a dinner and interactive session with Faculty Members, Harvard Business School (HBS) on Tuesday in Lagos. The vice president featured alongside Srikant Datar, Professor of Business Administration (HBS), and Bayo Ogunlesi, a Nigerian investment banker at a question and answer session moderated by Hakeem Bello-Osagie, Chairman of Metis Capital Partners. Osinbajo said: “I think what keeps me up at night has to do…

President Muhammadu Buhari, Wednesday, said Nigeria would be guided by ‘‘national interest’’ in taking any decision on the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA. Some months ago, Nigeria delayed signing the agreement because it wanted time to consult with key stakeholders in the country. This includes the Nigerian labour congress, the manufacturers association as well as other players in the private sector. This is as Buhari noted that Nigeria lacks the capacity to stop countries within the African Union, AU, from dumping goods which would be detrimental to industries in the country. Receiving National Council of the…

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…