Manchester City midfielder, Bernardo Silva, has admitted he “didn’t sleep” after his penalty miss against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final.

Silva was one of the City players that missed their kick as Madrid won 4-3 at the Etihad in midweek.

He, however, bounced back by scoring the winner in the 1-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday.

“It was a frustrating night for me [on Wednesday],” Silva said.

“[And a] frustrating week for me personally, for the whole team, because we wanted to go after another historic season and we can still go for it, but it was a big disappointment to get knocked out of the Champions League.

“First night, I didn’t sleep much, second night, you sleep a bit better, the third night you sleep almost the whole night, but it is what it is.”

[DailyPost]

The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kano State has once again labelled the recent suspension of the National Chairman of the party as another case of impersonation.

The Secretary of the party in the State, Ibrahim Zakari Sarina, made this known while speaking to our reporter via phone call.

Daily Trust had reported that the crisis rocking the party in Kano took a new twist when new executives emerged from Ganduje’s ward and issued fresh suspension to acting National Chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.

Last week, Ganduje was suspended by another faction of the party executives in his ward.

However, in yet another twist, the group led by the secretary of the ward, Jaafar Adamu, on Sunday said 11 out of the 27 executive members of Ganduje ward were the legitimate ward excos legally elected on 31st July, 2021.

Adamu said a fresh suspension had been slammed against Ganduje.

But reacting to the development, Sarina said it is still a case of impersonation sponsored by some elements who were not legitimate executives in Ganduje Ward.

While acknowledging some of the said Ward executives to be party members, he said they were not executives and did not hold any position in the party at any level.

 

“It is a case of impersonation still, they were also sponsored to come out and did it late evening on Saturday. We were called and told that this is what is happening.

“Some of them are party members of the APC but have never in any way been Executives nor held any position. Even the so-called Chairman has never been an executive.”

Sarina added that the party in the State was working towards bringing the real and genuine party executives to clear the air soon.

[DailyTrust]

Despite a successful burial ceremony for the former Anambra state governor, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, organized by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, tension allegedly rose between the Igboukwu community and the governor due to alleged violations of the state’s burial laws.

Ezeife, who died few months ago, was buried on Saturday at his Igboukwu country home in Aguata local government area of the state.

However, Anambra state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, is not happy that despite the existing law in the state, the kinsmen of Ezeife went ahead, ignoring the government’s earlier warning

During the burial, the family printed brochures, banners, flexes among other things that made the burial more expensive, which were against the burial law of the state.

The Anambra burial law was passed by the state house of Assembly and signed into law by the former governor Willie Obiano in 2019

Soludo said: “Okwadike that I knew was a stickler for process, for the law and that’s why he held Nigeria accountable to observe the principles of the federal character in everything because he believed in the law. 

“So all these fanfare that make burial very expensive, run contrary to the Anambra burial law which was passed three years before I became governor. I didn’t pass it. It has been there. It is the law. 

“Those things that play no role should be avoided. All that is required is for us to respect the dead. We have given Okwadike for God to grant him eternal rest as we lay him to rest in accordance with Anambra burial law. 

“That law also says that all burial funerals, condolences must be for one day. You don’t have a waiver for laws, you can only waive for rules.

 

“You either obey the law or amend it. Once it remains the law, it is to be obeyed. And that’s not the society that Okwadike dreamt of. The foundation we are working on, is the one he left for us” Soludo said.

However, two of Ezeife’s kinsmen, who spoke with The Nation, said the governor was on his own on the burial law of Anambra state, describing Ezeife as a national figure and not a local man.

The High chief, who did not want to be mentioned, warned Soludo not to cause the body of Ezeife not to rest in peace.

A lawyer from Ezeife’s community, commended Soludo for his support in the late Octogenarian’s burial, but warned him to desist from raising such issue in Okwadike’s burial.

“Yes, we know the law, but the great man is not the type of person you expect to bury like a fowl, though, law is for big and small, but Soludo should think twice” he said

The Nation, gathered Sunday that Soludo is already, preparing a document to be served on the Ezeife family very soon for flouting the burial right, despite his earlier warning.

[TheNation]

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged Nigeria’s 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to account for the spending of Federal Account Allocation Committee allocations to states and the FCT since 2019.

It also asked them to provide and widely publish documents on the spending of FAAC allocations received by their states and the FCT since 1999.

The Federal Account Allocation Committee is responsible for reviewing and adopting the allocation of funds to states and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The requests followed reports that the committee disbursed N1.123 trillion to the federal, state, and local governments for March 2024 alone. 

The breakdown showed states collected N398.689 billion.

SERAP’s request was contained in the Freedom of Information inquiry dated April 20, 2024, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.

“Without this information, Nigerians cannot follow the actions of their states and the FCT, and they cannot properly fulfil their responsibilities as citizens.

“Trillions of FAAC allocations received by Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT have allegedly gone down the drain. The resulting human costs directly threaten the human rights of socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians,” it said.

It added that publishing the documents would enable Nigerians to meaningfully engage in the implementation of projects executed with the FAAC allocations collected.

“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter.

“If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel you and your state and the FCT to comply with our requests in the public interest,” it added.

The FoI requests read in part, “Secrecy in the spending of FAAC allocations received by your state and the FCT is entirely inconsistent and incompatible with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international anti-corruption obligations.

“Secrecy in the spending of FAAC allocations received by your state and the FCT also denies Nigerians the right to know how public funds are spent. Transparency in the spending would allow them to retain control over their government.

“The documents should include the evidence and list of specific projects completed with the FAAC allocations collected, the locations of any such projects, and completion reports of the projects.

“The documents should also include details of the salaries and pensions paid from the FAAC allocations collected, as well as the details of projects executed on hospitals and schools with the FAAC allocations.

“Despite the increased FAAC allocations to states and FCT, millions of residents in your state and the FCT continue to face extreme poverty and lack access to basic public goods and services.”

[Punch]

…says Damagum’s survival is not defeat for Atiku or victory for Wike, it’s for the interest of PDP

The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Comrade Abba Patrick Moro, PDP, Benue South has given insight why the MInister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Nyesom Wike was allowed to attend the National Caucus meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, preparatory to last week’s National Executive Committee, meeting of the party.

According to Moro, there was no way Wike would have been stopped from attending the meeting since he has not been found guilty of any crime and penalized by the party.

The Minority leader said that if the party’s disciplinary committee, headed by former President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki found Wike guilty of the alleged antiparty activities and have him sanctioned, he would stop attending the party’s meetings.

Moro said the survival of Amb. Umar Lliya Damagum as Acting National Chairman of PDP was not a victory or defeat for anybody but a decision that was unanimously agreed on by the relevant stakeholders for the party to forge ahead.

Senator Moro’s reaction was against the backdrop of rumours in some quarters that Amb. Damagum’s survival, against call for his resignation, was victory for the former governor of River State, Nyesom Wike, and a defeat for PDP Presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar.

In a statement on Sunday by his Media Adviser, Emmanuel Eche’Ofun John, Senator Moro said the activities and inactivities of PDP should not be translated to Atiku and Wike.

He said the whole issue was not about victory or defeat for anybody but about PDP; about providing an alternative formidable platform for Nigerians to look up to.

Moro said, “We cannot translate the entirety of PDP’s activities and inactivities to Wike and Atiku, out of millions of other members of the party across the country who also have their own thinking and reasons for being in the party.

“The whole issue was not about Wike or Atiku, or victory for Wike or defeat for Atiku, the issue was existential.

“We came together and reasoned together, that in the present scenario where Nigerians are hurting due to the maladministration of the APC government, what do we do to provide an alternative platform for Nigerians to look up to? In that circumstances, we decided to thread with caution so that we dont throw away the baby with the bath water,” he said.

On why the National Caucus of the party allowed Nyesom Wike into their meeting, the Minority Leader said, “The constitution of our party is very clear on who is a member and who is not a member of the caucus of the party and I dare say, at this point, that as a former governor who is still a member of the party, Nyesom Wike is a member of the National Caucus of the party.

“If actions had been taken immediately after the elections and people who are perceived to have acted contrary to the desires and yearnings of the PDP have been sanctioned, then we can say that having been expelled or suspended, you can’t be here, but as it is, non of such actions has been taken, so you can’t just ban people from attending meetings.

“One of the fallouts of the last NEC meeting was the resuscitation of the Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committee, which is saddled with the responsibility of identifying the area of antiparty and the dramatis personae involved in the activities, and recommend appropriate punitive measures against those who have been found guilty to serve as deterrent to future occurrence.

“Unfortunately, that hasn’t been done, and so to that extent, as a voluntary organization, if the members involved insist they are still members of the party, until actions are taken by the Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committe we want to take that they are still members of the party.”

On expectations from the next NEC meeting scheduled for August 15 as it concerns the position of the National Chairman of the party, Moro who noted that the party’s constitution had a well spelt out succession plan, said, “The constitution of our party has a well spelt-out succession plan. Section 35 (3C) states that where a vacancy exists, someone from the zone of the immediate past occupier of the office shall be appointed by NEC to complete the tenure of the person who vacated the office.

“For the position of the National Chairman, we will look at the succession plan of the party, in accordance with the constitutional provisions, and produce a replacement for Senator Iyorchia Ayu from North Central now that he has heeded to our plea and withdrawn his case from the court. We will go to the next NEC meeting with open minds and invoke the relevant sections of the constitution to produce his replacement.”

Senator Moro who appealed to members and stakeholders of the party to have some level of circumspection and restraints in their actions and utterances so as not to further polarize the party, assured that everything humanly possible would be done to put the party on its winning ways, to rescue Nigerians from the grinding poverty and sufferings that the ruling APC has plunged them into.

[Vanguard]

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it is doing everything possible to achieve a stable foreign exchange (FX) rate.

Yemi Cardoso, CBN governor, spoke on April 20 during a press conference held at the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group.

He said the financial regulator is also working to ensure that the exchange rate finds its adequate price discovery level. 

“Again, to be honest, I think we should expect that there will be increases here and there, ups and downs and even from what you’ve reported yesterday, from what I gather, the naira has begun strengthening overnight,” he said.

“So I think the most important thing to say here is that we are doing everything possible to ensure that we have a stable exchange rate and an exchange rate that finds its adequate price discovery level.” 

He said the local currency will continue to appreciate against foreign currencies.

On diaspora remittances, Cardoso said the bank’s target is to double the present flows.

According to the CBN governor, the target may appear ambitious, but he expressed confidence that the country will be able to accomplish it.

Also, Cardoso said the country will continue to engage investors in discussions centred on the state of the reforms implemented so far.

He also said there has been positive response from foreign portfolio investors (FPI).

“They’re part of a process of continuous engagement. And it is so critical that we use any opportunity we can to dialogue with investors and to update them on the state of the reforms that have taken place,” he said.

“The response from the foreign portfolio investors has been very positive and it shows in the numbers and we expect from what the reactions that we got during the course of the past few days, that positive sentiment will continue to improve.”

Meanwhile, on April 20, the federal government had said it is considering the issuance of a diaspora bond to boost remittances.

[TheCable]

Na as goat stand for market dem dey price am.

For Naija, make we yarn about correction,

Wey dey needed for dis our nation.

E go better make we face di truth,

And tackle corruption wit strong resolution.

From top to down, e don dey enta bone,

Government people dey flex, dey chop alone.

Money wey for develop, e dey disappear,

Na so e dey happen year after year.

Election time, na so we dey see,

Politicians dey share money, dey do jamboree.

But wen e reach to serve di people right,

Dem dey vanish, dem no dey in sight.

From police station to di highest court,

Corruption dey reign, e dey carry clout.

If you no get money, you no go fit win,

Na so many innocent people dey enter bin.

E don do, we need to make correction,

Fight corruption, make we no dey fear action.

Make we join hand, make we stand as one,

Make we tame the lions, the snakes and monkeys

If not the wildlife go dry…

For Naija to better, e go take correction.

Corruption in Kogi State, Nigeria, has been a longstanding issue that has hindered the state’s development and progress. Like many other states in Nigeria, Kogi has grappled with corruption at various levels of government and society, impacting sectors such as infrastructure, education, healthcare, and public services.

One of the significant challenges is the mismanagement of public funds, where government officials, both elected and appointed, have been accused of embezzling public resources meant for development projects. This mismanagement has led to the deterioration of infrastructure and basic amenities, further exacerbating the living conditions of the residents.

Political corruption is also prevalent, with reports of vote-buying, electoral fraud, and manipulation during elections. This undermines the democratic process and erodes public trust in the government.

Furthermore, there have been allegations of nepotism and favoritism in government appointments and contracts, where individuals with connections to those in power are awarded lucrative deals at the expense of merit and transparency.

The lack of accountability and transparency mechanisms exacerbates the problem, as there is often little oversight or consequences for corrupt practices. Civil society organizations and anti-corruption agencies have highlighted the need for stronger institutions and enforcement of existing laws to combat corruption effectively.

So, away from the English above, Kogi state is the land of the white lion, turned lame goat…if you know, you know. It is the land of Dino Melaye, the land of Lugard. The only state in Nigeria to border ten other states. For those that do not know, economically, Kogi State is largely based around agriculture, mainly of coffee, cashew, groundnut, cocoa, oil palm, and yam crops. Other key industries are crude oil extraction and the livestock herding of cattle, goats, and sheep.

It is the land of Ajaokuta, that industry that keeps chopping money, any honest audit would show that the project has long since become an elephant project.

In case you forgot, the state which is nicknamed the “Confluence State” due to the fact that the confluence of the River Niger and the River Benue occurs next to its capital, Lokoja. It is also the state of the Igalas, very dominant in Kogi East with nine local governments, the Ebiras who are in Kogi Central with five local governments and the Okun in Kogi West with seven local governments. These three ethnic majority do juju, are beautiful and schooled (make your choice).

It is the land of great lawyers, diplomats, great media practitioners, and very disrespectful fuel attendants. It once had a bleaching governor and also a disappearing governor, it is the land of a tree climbing senator, and a mouthed motor loving politician…

This is what makes the white lion stories very hurtful, did you know that Kogi state has 21 local government areas. No World Class Hospital, the Kogi Reference Hospital is supposed to be one, but story for another day. The state does not have a FIFA standard football pitch, that 80billion could build 40 football pitches at 2billion each or that 80billion could build 21 primary health care centres?

The roads in the state are in terrible state, there are no world class schools with state of the art teaching facilities, and imagine what 80billion could do?

Have you ever seen the smallest overhead bridge in Kogi and the amount it gulped, did you see the allocation that Kogi got in eight years, yet workers were paid a minimal percent of their salaries and in cases where debited immediately after being credited…Let me help us understand, According to FAAC Kogi state from 2016 — 2023 got ₦750.60 billion, from the NBS the state generated internally ₦107.51 billion, its domestic debt for 2023 stood at ₦121.81 billion and external debt for 2023 was $51.17 million according to the DMO. According to EFCC a white lion misappropriated and made away with over 80billion 

in the words of my friend and colleague in the struggle, Steve Aluko, aka Maradona a son of ze shoil, the house of assembly should impeach the current white hen for aiding and abetting the white lion?

If you thought this was about Kogi state, follow let us conclude then. Efforts to address corruption in Kogi State require a multi-faceted approach, including:

1. Strengthening anti-corruption institutions and ensuring their independence and effectiveness in investigating and prosecuting cases of corruption.
2. Implementing transparent procurement processes and financial management systems to prevent misappropriation of public funds.
3. Promoting civic engagement and public participation in governance to hold elected officials accountable.
4. Enhancing awareness and education on the detrimental effects of corruption and the importance of integrity in public service.
5. Encouraging a culture of ethical leadership and accountability among government officials and civil servants.

You see the solutions I proffered above is not just about Kogi state but a majority of Nigerian states, there are white lions, green serpents, blue monkeys, red onions and all sorts masquerading as governors and fleecing their states. 

While combating corruption in Nigeria is undoubtedly challenging, sustained efforts and collective action from government, civil society, and citizens are essential to drive meaningful change and promote good governance and development in Nigeria, but we must tame the lions or else the wildlife will suffer—May Nigeria win.–

Prince Charles Dickson PhD

Josiah Majebi is the fifth Chief Judge of Kogi state (in north-central Nigeria) in four years and the fourth to exist almost entirely in the pocket of the state governor. He has been in office as substantive Chief Judge since the beginning of February 2023, having acted in that role since 26 June 2022 when his predecessor, Richard Olorunfemi, retired. Henry Olusiyi served in that office for under seven months from the end of June 2020 until January 2021. Sunday Otuh, who succeeded him, spent eight months in office before retiring in September 2021.

The last Chief Judge of Kogi State who attempted to hold that office with dignity and independence, Nasir Ajanah, paid with his life, un-mourned and exiled from the state. He was the second Chief Judge of the state to be politically lynched by the government of Kogi State in one decade.

At the beginning of April 2008, the Kogi State House of Assembly, defying an order of the state High Court, adopted a resolution asking the State Governor to remove the long-serving Chief Judge of the State, Umaru Eri. On that basis, then-acting governor, Clarence Olafemi, promptly announced the sack of the Chief Judge on April 2, 2008, and designated another judge, Sam Ota, to act in his place.

In his defence, Umaru Eri claimed that his crime was that he had declined the request of the politicians to act as the go-between in bribing the election petition tribunal on behalf of the then-state governor whose election was in dispute. On May 16, 2008, Alaba Ajileye, a judge of the High Court of Kogi State, reversed the sack and reinstated Umaru Eri.

11 years later, on June 18, 2019, Alaba Ajileye presided again in deciding a case that seemed uncannily to reprise issues in his earlier decision. As with the 2008 decision, the claimant in 2019 was another Chief Judge of Kogi State, Nasir Ajanah with his Chief Registrar, Yahya Adamu. The defendants included the Kogi State House of Assembly, its Speaker, and the State Governor, Yahaya Bello.

At the directive of Governor Yahaya Bello, the secretary to the government of Kogi State wrote on November 14, 2018, to Chief Judge Nasir Ajanah, asking him to provide “the payroll of judicial staff for the ongoing pay parade of civil servants in the state.” At the time, the governor was a defendant in the court of the Chief Judge. Hence, the Chief Registrar responded to the letter and explained that the judiciary was a self-accounting and co-equal branch of government supervised by the State Judicial Service Commission.

An affronted Governor Yahaya Bello wrote under his name to Walter Onnoghen, then Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chair of the National Judicial Council (NJC), asking the NJC to find the Chief Judge guilty of misconduct and requiring that he “step aside and (an) Acting Chief Judge allowed to take his place.”

While his petition was still waiting for the attention of the NJC, Yahaya Bello resorted to political self-help. He referred the perceived effrontery of Nasir Ajannah to the State House of Assembly, which promptly constituted an investigation committee. The Chief Judge sued. While his suit was pending, on April 2, 2019, the State House of Assembly adopted a resolution asking Yahaya Bello to remove the Chief Judge and also requiring disciplinary action against the Chief Registrar. On June 18, 2019, Alaba Ajileye sitting as the High Court of Kogi State in Kotonkarfe, determined that the Kogi State House of Assembly and the Governor acted unlawfully in seeking to remove the Chief Judge.

The reaction of the governor was bestial. He first went after Alaba Ajileye, a man of courage and learning whose judicial record was unblemished. With a doctorate in law, Alaba Ajileye was an expert in the rarefied subject of digital evidence. Following this judgment, however, Yahaya Bello’s government made it known that they could no longer guarantee his safety. Yet, when he was put forward for elevation to the Court of Appeal, the same Kogi state government actively blocked it. A man who would easily have adorned the Supreme Court with distinction, Alaba Ajileye retired from the High Court in February 2023 and has since then forged a career as a scholar and academic.

Turning to the State Chief Judge, meanwhile, Yahaya Bello made life unbearable for Nasir Ajannah. He began by banishing the man from official state functions. When Chief Judge Ajannah attended the swearing-in of the new Grand Khadi of Kogi State on May 21, 2020, the Chief Security Officer to Yahaya Bello informed him that “the governor gave a directive that he should not be allowed to attend the function.”

In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Yahaya Bello made Nasir Ajannah persona non-grata in the state. As a result, he was forced into internal displacement in Abuja, where his arrangements were worse than transitory. While in hiding in Abuja, Nasir Ajannah contracted COVID and died in isolation in Gwagwalada in the Federal Capital Territory on June 28, 2020. His death went unacknowledged and even the institutions of the judiciary were reluctant to mourn his passing.

The men who followed Nasir Ajannah in the office of Chief Judge of Kogi State learnt to stoke the vanities of Yahaya Bello and avoid his anger. Ahead of his departure from office at the end of eight years as governor of Kogi State in January 2024, Josiah Majebi as Chief Judge and Chair of the Kogi State Judicial Service Commission, prepared a list of candidates for nomination as judges of the High Court of Kogi State. At the top of the list was a wife to Yahaya Bello the basis of whose claim to the nomination was the dutiful fulfilment of the duties of connubium in Yahaya Bello’s bedroom. For the Chief Judge, it was also proof that he had truly abjured any pretensions to a mind of his own.

Alarmed at what they saw as a perversion of the system of judicial appointments, a group of seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) from the State wrote to Josiah Majebi to dissuade him from this course of action. In January 2024, they sued challenging his judicial nominations. Pending the outcome, the NJC suspended the process of appointment to the Kogi State judiciary. On April 18, 2024, James Omotoso, a judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja many of whose judgments usually have something of a smell problem about them, implausibly ruled that these SANs had no legitimate interest in the process of appointment of judges in their state and that, in any case, the discretion of the NJC in appointment of judges was effectively not open to review.

It was the day after Yahaya Bello’s chosen successor and blood relative, Usman Ododo chose to turn his predecessor into a fugitive from legal process and two days after Mr. Ododo opened his case in the petition questioning the lawfulness of his election as governor of Kogi State. As a bungling Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) waited to arrest Yahaya Bello in Abuja, one I.A. Jamil, a judge of the High Court of Kogi State, issued an order claiming to restrain the Commission from doing its job.

According to the order of the judge, the case which was filed over two months earlier on February 8, was hurriedly assigned while the siege was ongoing in Abuja, argued, heard and decided and the judge quickly signed the order and handed it to Governor Ododo to take with him to Abuja from where he spirited his cousin away from legal process in a blaze of gunfire. The court was almost assuredly disingenuous about the date of filing. In all likelihood, the case was filed the same day, April 17,  and then back-dated.

The EFCC now claims it has declared Yahaya Bello a fugitive but the real question will be how a compromised and complicit judicial leadership will now treat the nomination of his unqualified wife as a judge and the petition against the declaration of his violent cousin as governor of Kogi State. The judges who currently control Nigeria’s criminal politics now must show how much they owe Yahaya Bello.

---

A lawyer and a teacher, Odinkalu can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

As Workers’ Day approaches on May 1, 2024, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has set forth a list of seven critical demands from the Federal Government, highlighting the urgent need for a new minimum wage among other significant changes.

The announcement comes at a time of heightened anticipation, with expectations that President Bola Tinubu may announce the proposed new wage standards during the celebrations.

Key among the NLC’s demands is the establishment of state and local government police forces, aimed at addressing the escalating insecurity challenges across the nation.

Furthermore, the NLC insists that the new minimum wage, once ratified, must be uniformly implemented across all states, local governments, and the organized private sector.

This unified approach is deemed essential to ensure fairness and alleviate economic disparities across different regions and sectors.

This year’s Workers’ Day is particularly significant as it follows a tentative agreement by organized labour to set the new minimum wage at N615,000 per month.

This figure was determined prior to the recent increases in electricity tariffs by the Federal Government, which has added to the cost of living pressures faced by Nigerian workers.

An anonymous member of the Trade Union Congress’s National Executive Council shared with Punch that the wage figure was agreed upon after careful consideration of the current economic realities and the impact of governmental policy changes on the workforce.

The source said, “We are going to have another round of serious conversations with the government. Mind you, the tariff increase is also very good for us, because they (the government) did it when the new minimum wage process had not been concluded. So, it is going to be a good ground for us to ask for more money.”

The N30,000 subsisting minimum wage expired three days ago, as its five-year lifespan ended on April 18.

Former President Muhammad Buhari had signed the N30,000 Minimum Wage Act into law on April 18, 2019.

The tripartite committee, comprising representatives of organised private sector, organised labour and government, for a national minimum wage negotiation, follows the International Labour Organisation Convention 131.

In January, the president, through his Vice President, Kashim Shettima, had, on January 30, set up a 37-member panel at the council chamber of the State House in Abuja.

With its membership cutting across federal and state governments, the private sector, and organised labour, the panel is to recommend a new national minimum wage for the country.

In his opening address, Shettima urged members to ‘speedily’ arrive at a resolution and submit their reports early.

Chairing the panel is a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Bukar Aji, who, at the inauguration ceremony, affirmed that its members would come up with a “fair, practical, implementable and sustainable” minimum wage.

The inauguration followed months of agitation from organised labour who expressed concerns over the FG’s failure to inaugurate the committee as promised during negotiations last October.

From the government’s side, members include the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, representing the Minister of Labour and Employment; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, who was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Lydia Jafiya; the Minister of Budget Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Yemi Esan; and Permanent Secretary, GSO/OSGF, Dr Nnamdi Mbaeri, amongst others.

Representing the Nigeria Governors Forum are Mohammed Bago of Niger State, representing the North Central; Senator Bala Mohammed, Governor of Bauchi State- representing the North East; Umar Dikko Radda of Katsina State, representing the North West; Prof Charles Soludo of Anambra State, representing the South East; Senator Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, from South West; and Otu Bassey of Cross River State, representing the South-South.

From the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association are the Director-General of NECA, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde; Chuma Nwankwo; Thompson Akpabio; as well as members from the Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture— Michael Olawale-Cole (National President); Ahmed Rabiu (National Vice President), and Chief Humphrey Ngonadi, National Life President.

From organised labour are the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and President of the TUC, Festus Osifo; his deputy, Tommy Etim Okon, among others.

Ajaero had announced N1m as the new minimum wage, owing to the rising inflation in the country which, according to him, had pushed many of the NLC’s members into poverty.

This led to several controversies, including experts saying that the suggested wage was unrealisable and unsustainable.

Speaking to Punch in Abuja, the NLC’s National Treasurer, Hakeem Ambali, listed seven demands the congress had made from the federal and state governments.

He said, “First, we expect that there should be improved labour government industrial relations, full implementation of minimum wage across the board for the federal, state, local government and private sector workers.

“Settlement of pension arrears, the establishment of compressed natural gas conversion centers in all senatorial districts, fixing of Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries.

“Creation of state and local government police, granting of local government autonomy, granting of infrastructure support scheme to all local governments.”

Speaking further, Ambali noted that the Congress was still awaiting an invitation to the next meeting of the tripartite committee on minimum wage.

Meanwhile, a former two-term president of the TUC and one-time president of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Peter Esele, had warned against the arbitrary fixing of a new minimum wage.

Speaking with Punch, Esele noted that the Federal Government and organised labour should agree on a new minimum wage before it is announced by the president on Workers’ Day to avoid another round of protests and strikes.

He said, “First, I will be surprised if organised labour says the Federal Government should announce the minimum wage. Probably the unions are hoping that by then, they will have concluded negotiations with the government. But for me, if the negotiation is not concluded by that time and the Federal Government goes ahead to announce the new national minimum wage, it is also possible that organised labour will dispute it. And what we are going to have is another round of protests and strikes.

“So my expectation for the labour unions is to put what they want on the table, while the Federal Government also puts theirs on the table. They should then both agree. But, suppose the Federal Government goes ahead and unilaterally announces a new national minimum wage, labour would oppose it, which, as I said, will lead to another round of industrial actions.

“It will be strange if the Federal Government announces the new minimum wage on Workers’ Day. However, I believe the governments are also smart enough not to make such a move unless they reach an informal agreement with the organised labour, and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association.”

Esele also ruled out the possibility of problems arising if organised labour and the Federal Government fail to reach a concrete agreement on the new minimum wage by May Day.

He said, “The fact again remains that if both parties are still on the negotiation table by next month, it does not prevent the proposed new minimum wage from taking effect that month. What it simply implies is that whenever the agreement comes, the government will pay arrears.

“Even in the organised private sector, that is what we do. You can go on negotiation for even six months, but once an agreement is finally reached, and the last collective bargaining has expired, for whatever is agreed whether in six months or a year later, the arrears will be paid by the employers, which is the government in this case. So if the agreement is in place, it doesn’t matter whether they announce it on May 1 or not, the salary arrears must be paid.”

Meanwhile, the NLC is also demanding for the creation of state and local government police.

This demand is coming a few weeks after 16 state governors submitted reports expressing their support for establishing state police to the National Economic Council.

In the report, they also recommended changes to the constitution to allow for the creation of state police.

The reports were part of documentation received at the 140th NEC meeting presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Aso Rock Villa on Thursday, March 21.

Special Adviser to the Vice President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed that in a statement titled, ‘NEC endorses take-off of $617M i-DICE programme across states.’

According to the statement, NEC is still awaiting reports from 20 states. It expressed confidence that others would support it.

Disclosing discussions at the NEC meeting, Nkwocha said, the “Secretary to NEC (Nebeolisa Anako) made a presentation on submissions by states on the state policing initiative. Reports have been received by 16 states on the establishment of state police. 20 states have yet to send in their reports. All states across the country expressed their support for the establishment of state police.

“States made presentations in support of the creation of state police. They also recommended changes in the constitution, and the current policing structure to enable the operationalisation of the initiative.”

[NaijaNews]