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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) yesterday gave reasons why they accepted N70,000 as the new minimum wage for workers across the country....Click Here To Continue Reading>>

The organised labour spoke after their meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Before now, the unions had insisted that they will not accept any amount below N250,000 as the minimum wage that will be acceptable by workers. This was after they brought down their demand from an initial N615,000, citing the prevailing economic hardship in Nigeria as the basis for their demand.

New Minimum Wage Amount To Be Announced Today As Committee Finalizes Report

The workers’ representatives pointed to President Tinubu’s removal of fuel subsidy without putting in place shock absorbers to cushion the effects of that action.

They argued further that the floating of the naira, side by side subsidy removal made life extremely difficult for millions of Nigerians as cost of living quadrupled.

The labour also cited the hike in electricity tariff, among others, as reasons for their demand.

While making reference to the April 18, 2024 expiration date of the N30,000 minimum wage being implemented especially at the national level since 2019, the labour leaders continued to insist that the government must put in place a wage that will take care of the basic necessities of life for the average worker.

However, the governments at both the national and sub-national levels kept saying that there are no sufficient funds to meet the demands of the Nigerian workforce.

Last week, Labour met with President Tinubu but were unable to reach an agreement until yesterday.

The president said he had to intervene in the negotiations, knowing the economic challenges faced by many Nigerians, and the need to provide urgent succour.

There is more to N70,000 – Ajaero

Addressing State House reporters after the meeting with President Tinubu yesterday, Joe Ajaero, who is the President of NLC, said they accepted the offer because of the prevailing situation in the country,  and the promises made by Tinubu that the minimum wage would be reviewed every three years instead of five years.

“What has been announced in terms of the amount of N70,000 happened to be where we are now. But the thing about it is that we will not wait for another five years to come for another review. Rather than settling on a figure that we (will) wait for five years, is like we will have to now negotiate even two times within five years, with a view to going up.

“That is one of the reasons we decided to reach where we are today. Because of the proviso that you know, you can review in the next three years. The other one, we came with other issues in the basket, like the issue of SSANU, NASU and others, especially with the affront by the Commissioner of Police, FCT; we brought it to Mr President, for that matter to be addressed. And magnanimously, he asked the agencies concerned to work out the modalities for the payment of those workers in the universities.”

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) had staged a protest yesterday in Abuja, over non payment of their withheld salaries after they joined the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in a prolonged strike action just before Tinubu took over power.

Ajaero said the government also promised other incentives which would lessen the burden of the prevailing hardship on Nigerians.

“We are taking it back to our constituency to see how we can get a buy in,” he said, adding that normally, their constituency always agrees with them.

In his remarks, the President of TUC, Festus Osifo said by next week, the federal government will put finishing touches to the minimum wage bill and transmit same to the National Assembly for passage.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and the Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, had earlier offered additional explanations on the resolutions.

House Speaker reacts to new minimum wage

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, in a reaction to the development, commended President Tinubu for agreeing to the new national minimum wage of N70,000.

Hours after, a statement issued by the Tinubu’s spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, said the entitlements of members of the SSANU and NASU would be considered, urging the Ministries of Finance, and Budget & Economic Planning to look at the possibilities of clearing the backlog.

Efforts to speak with the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) were not successful last night.

Workers, CSOs have different views

Mr Tunde Salman, the Team Lead/Convener, Good Governance Team (GGT) Nigeria, said while the new minimum wage is a good development, its implementation, especially in the states,  remains of concern.

The Executive Director, Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Comrade Ibrahim Zikirullahi, said that the approval of N70,000 as the new national minimum wage is another indication that the welfare of Nigerians is not a top priority on the agenda of the current government.

“The question we should be asking the government is: what can N70,000 buy in Nigeria today? We can categorically say that that amount is not enough to buy a 50kg of rice, talk more of being enough to meet the basic needs of an average family of six people”, he asked.

Also, the Senior Communications Officer at Yiaga Africa, Mr Mark Amaza, said that while the new minimum wage is an improvement, it is grossly inadequate.

On his part, the Country Director of Action Aid Nigeria (AAN), Mr Andrew Mamedu, commended President Tinubu, saying it is a positive step toward improving the living conditions of the workforce.

Also, a cross section of federal workers in some ministries expressed mixed feelings about the development, but majorly said they expected more.

One of them, who gave her name simply as Mrs Habib, said that she expected nothing less than N120,000 given the present high cost of living.

When our correspondent interviewed other workers, many of them lamented bitterly about the newly approved wage.

A worker, Aisha A, said, for President Tinubu to approve only N70,000 meant that he does not appreciate the problems of Nigerians.

Another worker who simply identified himself as Gboye, described the development as “disappointing”.

On her part, another female civil servant, who preferred anonymity, expressed mixed feelings over the situation. ...Click Here To Continue Reading>>

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The reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu has declared that his spirit has left the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP....Click Here To Continue Reading>>

He made this disclosure when he appeared on Arise TV on Friday morning. Shaibu, who was reinstated as the Deputy Governor by the Federal High Court days ago, stated that he has shifted camp to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. He, however, disclosed that he is only still a member of PDP because he has not official resigned, dropped the party’s card and announced his membership of the APC.

The Deputy Governor made these disclosures when the presenters queried him for backing the APC Governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, instead of the PDP’s candidate, Asug Ighodalo, accusing his of anti-party activities.

Shaibu initially stated that he learned what he was doing from his mentor and Boss, Governor Godwin Obaseki, who had backed the Labour Party, LP, during the 2023 elections on the pretext that he had the right to support whoever he wanted.

Speaking further, Shaibu then revealed that he would not belong to one party and support the candidate of another party, adding that his spirit had left the PDP and joined APC and what was left was to make it official.

Watch the video below: ...Click Here To Continue Reading>>

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The Labour Party chairperson in Rivers State, Hilda Dokubo, has been suspended from her role and membership in her ward, Asari Toru Local Government Area (LGA)....Click Here To Continue Reading>>

The suspension, effective July 15, was communicated in a letter addressed to the Labour Party chairman of Asari Toru LGA.

The letter was signed by several ward officials, including Ward Chairman Ajalamonia Ibama, Secretary Lole Amacheer, Treasurer Emmanuel Ibamathe, Women’s Leader Osaki Dieypiriye, and Publicity Secretary Osaki Dokubo.

The suspension was ratified by the Asari Toru LGA executives on July 18 following an emergency meeting of the party’s ward executive committee.

The decision was based on accusations of financial misconduct, abuse of office, and breach of party regulations against Ms. Dokubo.

The ward executives claimed that they conducted a thorough investigation into the allegations before concluding the suspension.

The letter outlined the reasons for the suspension, reiterating the need for accountability and adherence to party regulations.

The party officials also expressed their commitment to maintaining the integrity and ethical standards of the Labour Party. ...Click Here To Continue Reading>>

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Minister for Works David Umahi has announced the abolishment of surface dressing on Nigeria’s roads....Click Here To Continue Reading>>

Umahi stated that surface dressing was a serious source of failure of the country’s roads as it makes it easier for water permeating the asphalt as early as two months of job completion.

He made disclosure during the flagging-off of the 29th meeting of the National Council on Works with the theme, ‘Unlocking infrastructural potentials and opportunities as a catalyst for sustainable development under the Renewed Hope Agenda’, in Abakaliki on Thursday.

He commended the state governor, Francis Nwifuru for hosting the 36-commissioners and permanent secretaries of the Ministry of Works.

He said that the Ministry has equally banned the evaluation of variation of price of materials.

The minister described high cost of projects as a major factor working against the improvement of infrastructure in the country.

While faulting project delays, he admonished contractors to be diligent in improving road infrastructure and added that the time is ripe for the engineers to do things differently.

Responding, the Ebonyi State governor, Francis Nwifuru said the government has completed 700-kilometres of roads across the state. ...Click Here To Continue Reading>>

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The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, affirmed Douye Diri as the Governor of Bayelsa State....Click Here To Continue Reading>>

The three-man panel of justices, in a unanimous decision, dismissed an appeal that was filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), and its candidate, Timipre Sylva.

The Court of Appeal held that the appeal was incompetent and constituted an abuse of court process.

The court said it found no reason to dislodge the earlier judgement of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which declined to nullify the outcome of the gubernatorial poll that was held in the state on November 11, 2023.

Recall that Justice Adekunle Adeleye-led three-member tribunal had, on May 27, dismissed as lacking in merit, the petition that was filed against Governor Diri’s re-election by the APC and its candidate.

The tribunal held that the petitioners failed to adduce any credible evidence to substantiate any of the allegations they raised against the outcome of the governorship poll.

It struck out as incompetent, all the additional proof of evidence as well as statements on oath of some of the witnesses that testified for the petitioners.

According to the tribunal, the law expressly provided that an election petition must be filed not later than 21 days after the result of an election was declared.

It held that such petition must at the time it was filed, be accompanied with written statements of all the intended witnesses.

The tribunal held that the decision of Sylva and his party to file their additional proof of evidence and statement on oath of witnesses, long after they had filed the petition, was “tantamount to a surreptitious attempt to amend the case of the petitioners.”

More so, the tribunal dismissed the allegation that the deputy governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, tendered a forged University Degree Certificate and NYSC Exemption Certificate, to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in aid of his qualification to contest the election.

It held that the allegation was a pre-election matter that ought to be litigated before the Federal High Court, adding that the matter had become statute-barred since the petitioners failed to challenge the genuineness of the certificates, 14 days after it was submitted to INEC.

Besides, it held that the issue of Ewhrudjakpo’s educational qualification was previously determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The tribunal said it took judicial notice of the fact that the 3rd Respondent, Ewhrudjakpo, is a legal practitioner, saying it was satisfied that he was eminently qualified to contest the election.

Likewise, the tribunal noted that whereas Sylva and his party prayed it to declare that they were the valid winners of the governorship election, they equally applied for the same election to be declared invalid.

It held that prayers of the petitioners were contradictory, adding that Sylva and APC did not tender any electoral material to show that any irregularity occured during the election.

It held that the petitioners were unable to discharge the burden of proof that was placed on them by the law, stressing that they failed to show, polling units by polling units, the particulars of the non compliance they alleged and how it substantially affected the outcome of the election.

The tribunal Chairman, Justice Adeleye, who read the lead judgement, further held that some of the allegations in the petition contained elements of criminality that ought to have been proved beyond reasonable doubt.

The tribunal upheld preliminary objections the Respondents filed to challenge the competence of the election.

It will be recalled that INEC had declared that Governor Diri of the PDP garnered a total of 175, 196 votes to defeat his closest rival, Sylva of the APC, who polled 110, 108 votes.

However, dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, Sylva, who served as governor of the state from 2008 to 2012, and the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, approached the tribunal, alleging that results of the election in three Local Government Areas, LGAs, were wrongly excluded by INEC.

He told the tribunal that whereas the election held in Southern Ijaw, Ogbia and Nembe LGAs, however, the electoral body voided polling unit results that were forwarded for collation.

Sylva insisted that contrary to INEC’s position that election did not hold in the affected LGAs, its officials supervised the election and sent results from the various polling units to the collation center.

According to him, had it been that results from the three LGAs, which he described as his strongholds, were included, he would have won the gubernatorial contest.

Arguing that Governor Diri did not secure the highest number of valid votes cast at the election, Sylva insisted that the election was invalid by reason of non compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act.

It was equally his position that Governor Diri and his deputy were not qualified at the time the election was held.

He prayed the tribunal to invalidate the Certificate of Return that was issued to Governor Diri by INEC.

While dismissing the petition, the tribunal declined to set aside the result of the election as announced by INEC.

The tribunal said it was satisfied with evidence from INEC that the election did not hold in the disputed LGAs.

It held that the petitioners did not tender any Voters Register, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, machine, or call witnesses to establish that results from the said LGAs were excluded during the collation process. ...Click Here To Continue Reading>>

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A Bill seeking to establish a federal agency for the conduct of local government elections on Thursday, July18, scaled first reading in the Senate....Click Here To Continue Reading>>

Senate Sends Message To Tinubu, States Top Appointees That Should Be Sacked

The bill is titled, “Local Government Independent Electoral Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2024 (SB. 531)”

The bill was sponsored by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, (APC, Niger East). ...Click Here To Continue Reading>>

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House of Representatives has passed through the first reading, a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide for a single term of six years for the offices of the president, state governors and local government area chairman....Click Here To Continue Reading>>

The proposed legislation is sponsored by the member representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere and 50 others.

The bill seeks to alter Sections 7, 135, 137, 180 and 182 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Clause 2 seeks to amend Section 7 of the Principal Act by inserting a new subsection (5) immediately after the extant subsection 4 and before the extant subsection 5 as follows, “(5) A holder of the office of a Local Government Chairman shall vacate his office at expiration of a period of six years commencing from the date such holder was elected into office.”

Clause 3 of the bill seeks to amend Section 135 subsections (2), (2A) and (3) of the Principal Act by replacing the word “four” with “six” to read:

“(2) Subject to the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, the President shall vacate his office at the expiration of a period of six (6) years single tenure commencing from the date, when – (a) in the case of a person first elected as President under this Constitution, he took the Oath of Allegiance and the oath of office; and

(b) in any other case, the person last elected to that office under this Constitution took the oath of allegiance and oath of office or would, but for his death, have taken such oaths.

“(2A) in the determination of the six-year term, where a re-run election has taken place and the person earlier sworn wins the re-run election, the time spent in the office before the date the election was annulled shall be taken into account.

“(3) If the Federation is at war in which the territory of Nigeria is physically involved and the President considers that it is not practicable to hold elections, the National Assembly may by resolution extend the period of six years mentioned in subsection (2) of this section from time to time; but no such extension shall exceed six months at any one time.”

Clause 4 of the bill seeks to amend Section 137 of the Principal Act by deleting paragraph (b) and renumbering appropriately.

Clause 5 of the proposed legislation l seeks to amend Section 180 of the Principal Act by deleting the extant subsections 2 and 3 and replacing it with new subsections 2 and 3. ...Click Here To Continue Reading>>

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Ahead of the meeting between the organised labour and President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, governors are scheduled to meet today to adopt a common position that would be sent to the meeting....Click Here To Continue Reading>>

The governors, who would meet physically, have slated to discuss the financial autonomy granted by the Supreme Court to the 774 local governments in the country.

THISDAY sources at the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) Secretariat said the position of the governors on the financial autonomy was due to the constitutional issues that arose as a result of the supreme court decision.

According to a source at the NGF secretariat, Section 162(6) of the 1999 Constitution states that, “each state shall maintain a specific account to be called State-Joint Local Government Account into which shall be paid all allocations to the local government councils of the state from the Federation Account and from the government of the state.”

The source said much as the governors had said that they have no objection to the Supreme Court judgement, the development has thrown up constitutional issues that must be addressed

THISDAY further gathered that some governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were asking for a constitutional reform to address the perceived constitutional issues thrown up by section. 162 (6) of the 1999 constitution.

On the Thursday meeting between Tinubu and the organised labour, the governors are expected to submit a unified position on the minimum wage to the meeting

The governors have maintained that they could not afford to pay the organised labour demand of N250,000 minimum wage as it could cause spiral inflation in the country.

Already, the inflation statistics released by the National Board of Statistics (NBS) put inflation in the country at almost 34.2 per cent.

The governors were still calling for a minimum wage of each state based on ability to pay as a unified minimum wage, contrary to the spirit of federal constitutional democracy in the country.

At the last meeting of the tripartite committee meeting set up by the federal government, the governors insisted not exceeding N60,000 minimum wage. ...Click Here To Continue Reading>>