Author: straightnewsng.com

Happiness, shocks and disappointment pervaded Senate on Tuesday as President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, rolled out names of chairmen and deputy chairmen of 69 standing committees. While some senators were happy with their positions, others were not comfortable with the committees they were given to chair. It was also a period of compensation as Lawan made some of his loyalists and campaign coordinators chairmen of some strong committees. Meanwhile, the Senate has vacated for its annual break of two months to resume September 24. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, got 20 chairmanship positions, while the ruling All…

President Muhammadu Buhari, Monday, described the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola as a bridge builder who could have prevented the religious and tribal issues happening in the country now if he had been allowed to rule Nigeria. Abiola, who was the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential elections, was prevented by the military junta of General Sani Abacha from assuming office. The election was annulled by the then Military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, and the late business mogul later died in detention in 1997 while struggling to claim his mandate. Receiving elders and leaders of Thought…

By Akanimo Sampson The Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State do not appear to be together on how to quickly resolve the seeming embarrassing security menace the killer Fulani herdsmen has thrown the Federal Government into. Apparently worried by the broadening concerns on the security challenges in Nigeria worsened by the killing spree of the Fulani herdsmen, Governor Ganduje has been insisting that the best way to improve the quality of lives of the Fulani and address security problems in parts of the country was to ban their seasonal movement outside Northern…

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has called for the arrest of former Vice President and presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of committing felony by behaving like an alternate president. The party said Abubakar had been making statements that should be the the exclusive preserve of a nation’s sovereign, adding that it expected the relevant authorities to enforce the law on him. But PDP in a swift reaction, said in a statement signed by Deputy National Secretary, Diran Odeyemi: “If the All Progressives Congress, APC, feels that His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has made…

By Akanimo Sampson Perhaps, Nigeria’s former military ruler, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, meant well for the country in initiating a round-table on security with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN). But it seems that initiative did not go down well with the anti-Ruga coalition- the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF). The coalition rejected an invitation from Abubakar for the talks. Their underlying reason might not be farfetched. The Buhari administration has not been dealing with all sections of the country fairly. It has been obviously pro-Fulani and pro-Sunni at the detriment of the Shia. As we…

Senator Godswill Akpabio was among the 43 ministerial nominees confirmed on Tuesday by Nigerian Senate. Akpabio was one of the nominees forwarded to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari for screening, the exercise which kicked off Wednesday last week and he was the third nominee to be screened and asked to take a bow. The list will be forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari to assign various portfolios to them and swear them in as Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Senate has, however given a matching order to the Ministers-designate, stressing that they must be prepared to work…

By Akanimo Sampson The battle for a grazing land for cattle which has allegedly been fueling frequent communal clashes in Odukpani local government area of Cross River State between last June 13 and this July 23, has so far claimed around 100 lives, including women and children, leaving more than 5,000 persons homeless and reducing 10 villages to rubbles. Settlements in the bleeding local government area with a population of 257,800 persons, include Akpap Okoyong, Eki, Eniong Abatim, Ito, Idere, Ukwa Ibom, Creek Town, Inuakpa Okoyong, Okurikang, among others. Odukpani falls under Cross River South Senatorial District alongside Calabar Municipal,…

By Akanimo Sampson Soon, a greater proportion of the human population on planet Earth would be replaced by scientifically re-designed human beings. Does this sound stranger than fiction to you? Will you rather opt for improved humanity if you could? Sadly, many of us have opinions about how we can boost up society and government. But, what about just re-engineering the people themselves, to make them more advanced physically and intellectually?  Would better bodies lead to better people? An amazing Rael-Science post says one person who can turn such musings into reality is George Church, the Harvard genetics professor famous…

In a bid to tackle insecurity in the North, the 19 Northern governors have planned to organize a summit on the Almajiri system of education in the zone. This is even as governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, said his administration would go ahead with the Ruga Settlement initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture to tackle herders /farmers conflict. Speaking to State House correspondents after a two-day Presidential Policy Retreat at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, weekend, chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Simon Lalong, said one of the issues that dominated discussions at the retreat was how to tackle insecurity. Lalong,…

Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum PGF, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, has asked the leadership of his ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to embark on genuine reconciliation of its leaders and a deliberate healing process among all its structures, if it must succeed in the task of ensuring national unity and cohesion. The Progressive Governors Forum is a platform of all governors in the APC. Lukman, who recently unveiled his book, “Power of Possibility and Politics of Change in Nigeria,” gave the advice in an exclusive chat with Vanguard in Abuja. The book, which attempts to present some exploratory arguments based…