The Bola Tinubu-led federal government and the Organised Labour met on Monday to discuss the fallout over the removal of fuel subsidy and draw a workable agreement.

Naija News reports that the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, and his team arrived at the Presidential Villa at about 5:45 pm on Monday.

While the President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo, and the Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro, arrived some minutes later for the six-hour meeting.

It is understood that the Monday meeting is the third in a series of engagements between the federal government and key labour stakeholders after the fuel subsidy removal announcement.

Previous attempts at dialogue with the organized labour sector ended without a resolution with the NLC asking the government to revert to the old pump petrol price or get ready for a planned nationwide strike.

The federal government’s team to the meeting was led by the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Others are the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele; former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari; Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Zacch Adedeji; and Executive Vice President (Downstream) of the NNPCL, Yemi Adetunji.

Also at the meeting was the former Commissioner of Information in Lagos State, Deke Alake, House of Representatives member, Hon. James Faleke; former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo; and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, among others.

[NaijaNews]

The continuous implementation of the subsidy on petrol has been the most thoughtless decision of the Nigerian administrations in the past two decades. Therefore, on May 29, 2023 when he was inaugurated, President Bola Tinubu announced that petrol subsidy had been removed. It was the wise thing to do. By announcing it on the day of his inauguration day, Tinubu believed that he was taking a decisive step that former President Muhammadu Buhari could not take throughout the eight years of his presidency.

However, there was a snag in that announcement by Tinubu. Beyond the shock of it on the populace, which made the price of petrol to rise from N189 per litre to over N500 in one day, it was the most hypocritical action Tinubu could have taken.

In January 2012, after months of consultations and discussions with different Nigerian stakeholders and general public, the administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan eventually began the implementation of the removal of petrol subsidy. Tinubu, as the national leader of the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, condemned the removal of petrol subsidy. He called it “Jonathan tax” and accused Jonathan of breaching his social contract with the people. He noted that with the subsidy removal, the people would become “enslaved to greater misery.”

Buhari, as the national leader of the opposition Congress for Progressives Change, was also fully against the removal of petrol subsidy. He said that subsidy did not exist but was only a smokescreen for corruption. Buhari said inter alia: “Nigerians are being deceived on the issue of fuel subsidy. The Federal Government takes out fuel for refining, only to come back and talk about removing the subsidy. That is nonsense and an attempt by a clique within the PDP-led Federal Government to siphon the proceeds to be realised from the removal of oil subsidy.”

A protest tagged Occupy Nigeria held in different parts of Nigeria for many days. Especially at the Ojota, Lagos rally, different musicians and celebrities performed. They took their turn to lambast the administration of Jonathan as insensitive and out-of-touch with the masses. Different personalities spoke at the rally, hitting hard on Jonathan.

It is believed that the seed of the merger of Tinubu’s party (the Action Congress of Nigeria), Buhari’s party (Congress for Progressives Change) and the All Nigeria People’s Party was sown during that protest against Jonathan’s removal of the petrol subsidy. About one year later on February 6, 2013, the key opposition parties merged under the umbrella of the All-Progressives Congress. That merger succeeded in ousting the People’s Democratic Party at the next election in 2015.

However, when Buhari assumed office in 2015 as president, to the shock and embarrassment of many Nigerians, he continued with the same subsidy he had claimed did not exist. Not only did he continue its implementation, he even spent much more money on subsidy than his predecessors that he condemned. In addition, Nigerian oil production dropped drastically as a result of oil theft.  Even though the Russian invasion of Ukraine created immense wealth for oil-producing countries, Nigeria was getting poorer and running deeper into debt under Buhari. For eight years of his administration, Buhari never apologised for implementing the same petrol subsidy he denied its existence. He never apologised for being in charge at a time corruption was worsening in the oil sector, even though he was also the minister of petroleum all through the eight years of his presidency.

Nigeria is reported to have spent a whopping N21.7tn in the last 18 and a half years, according to a recent computation by Thisday using data from the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative  and an independent review of figures from 2005 and the first half of 2023. The report shows that in 2005 when the computation started, Nigeria spent N351bn on petrol subsidy. By 2012 when the subsidy protest held against the Jonathan administration, the subsidy payout had risen to N1.36tn. Ironically, by the end of 2016, the first full year of Buhari as president, Nigeria paid N240bn on petrol subsidy. That was almost twice the amount paid in 2012 when the petrol subsidy protest took place. And by 2022, the last full year Buhari spent in office, the subsidy payment had ballooned to N4.4tn.

What compounded the woes of the Buhari administration was that he did not have the spine to remove the subsidy despite its terrible effect on the country. The irony is that one of the unique selling propositions that made many people vote in Buhari was that he was a retired military major general who was projected to have the courage to take decisive actions in the interest of the country. But even after his re-election in 2019, he went back and forth on the petrol subsidy removal, and eventually postponed its removal until after his exit, thereby setting up his successor for a face-off with the masses from inception.

With Tinubu taking over from Buhari and announcing the removal of petrol subsidy, it is surprising that Tinubu is taking such an action that he condemned vociferously as a member of the opposition without offering any apology to the public. During that 2012 protest, some Nigerians died; some property was destroyed; many companies lost money. During the succeeding 13 years of petrol subsidy, Nigeria lost a lot of money that could have been put to good use. The continuation of petrol subsidy also helped to impoverish many Nigerians and create more crime and instability in Nigeria.

However, Tinubu did not explain to Nigerians if he was wrong in 2012 for opposing subsidy removal. He did not explain to Nigerians what has changed between 2012 when he opposed subsidy removal and 2023 when he became the president and chose to remove it. That Tinubu could do a volte-face on petrol subsidy without any explanation or apology is not surprising about a Nigerian politician. To expect an apology from Tinubu, Buhari or most Nigerian politicians is like expecting a ewe to grow horns.

The brand of politics practised in Nigeria is negative and retrogressive. It is politics of arrogance, kingship, subterfuge, and non-accountability. Politicians say and do whatever they believe will earn them votes, not concerned about the practicability, truthfulness, or common good in such. Once power is acquired, such politicians can deny making the promise, even if they were recorded in video. They can also claim that it was their aides or party that made such a promise and not them. They can also simply decide not to even bother to respond to such an allegation with the belief that it will not cost them anything. But one thing that is rare to see a Nigerian politician do is apologise for any action or speech in the past or for going against any opinion held in the past.

It is part of the reasons Nigeria is under-performing and retrogressing. The leaders of Nigeria are rulers who have no respect for Nigerians. They don’t take Nigerians seriously. They don’t see themselves accountable to the people. And if leaders are not accountable to the people, the chances that they will be committed to the welfare of the people will be low.

Although it sounds like wishful thinking, one can only hope and pray that Nigerian leadership pattern can change and be like that of countries that are showing clear progress. The fastest way for a country to make progress is to copy the examples from countries which are making progress.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s President since May 29, 2023, once said that his lifelong ambition was to become the President of Nigeria. He was lucky that his dream came true. Though the outcome of the election remains contested, he has been Nigeria’s President the past one week. So what are the takeaways from his one week in office?

One, there was a bounce from his inauguration. Though Tinubu came to office with a huge legitimacy crisis and is one of the most scandal-ridden African Presidents, no fewer than 20 Presidents from around the world attended the inauguration according to some media reports. American President Joe Biden sent a delegation as did the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. And these were despite the damning reports of most of the international election observers of the presidential election in which INEC declared him the winner and the campaign by the opposition for world leaders not to legitimise Tinubu’s ‘victory’ by congratulating him.

Two, the bounce from the inauguration was overshadowed by the unintended consequences of Tinubu’s declaration on the day of his inauguration that “fuel subsidy is gone”. That speech immediately led to panic buying of fuel, the return of queues in petrol stations across the country and the jumping of pump prices in some filling stations to as much as N700 per litre.

Though the removal of fuel subsidy was expected and all the three leading presidential candidates – Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi –  had promised to remove it if they won the election, few people thought it would be done in such a dramatic manner as Tinubu did it. Those who argue that removing the subsidy on fuel was a decision foisted on Tinubu by the outgoing government forget that he has the powers to reverse it by sending a supplementary budget to the National Assembly with a request that funding the subsidy should remain while he put together his team and the necessary infrastructure that would help cushion the effect of that policy.

My feeling is that by announcing the ending of the fuel subsidy regime the way he did he wanted to convey a message that he would be a decisive President who would not bulk at taking tough decisions. This is especially so if his “fuel subsidy is gone” statement is related to his pre-inaugural speech where he declared that he would not want anyone to pity him because of the enormity of the challenges bedevilling the nation because he sought for the job and campaigned for it.

Three, the angst across the country resulting from the manner in which the removal of the subsidy was made shows that hardship has no ethnic, religious or political party affiliation. In fact, the argument that fuel subsidy benefits only (or even mostly the rich) is motor park economics as everyone – rich, middle class, the poor and businesses seems overwhelmed by a sense of foreboding following the 300% hike in the pump price of fuel in this largely generator-dependent economy.

Suddenly the perennial online combat between the ardent supporters of Tinubu and others that are often wrongly lumped together as ‘Obedients’ seem to have abated as everyone seems to worry how the policy will impact on them once it has cascaded through the entire value chain. Though a new price template of N488 per litre in Lagos and N537 and N557 in Abuja and Borno State respectively by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, led to the disappearance of queues in most filling stations, it would take a while for the effects of the nearly 300% price hike in fuel price to fully work themselves through the country’s various value chains.

My feeling is that if the anticipated hardship from this policy becomes overwhelming and is not attenuated within a reasonable time frame, even some of Tinubu’s most passionate supporters will join the camp of those praying for the court to overturn his declaration as the winner of the February 25, 2025 election.

Four, just a few days after his inauguration, some putative centres of power in the Tinubu government had begun to emerge. One of the President’s children, Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, the Iyaloja (“Mother of the Market”) of Lagos markets, crowned herself the First Daughter of Nigeria and also elevated her position from the Iyaloja of Lagos Markets to Iyaloja of Nigeria. She also announced the launching of what she called Friends of Iyaloja Initiative, which she said will “channel her experience, connections and human resources” towards supporting her father’s administration.

Similarly, just a few days after his inauguration, there was a viral video of the First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, sitting in a purported economic meeting with President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor Godwin Emefiele and the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari at the Presidential Villa Abuja. While some argued that the First Lady sitting in such a meeting was a violation of protocol, her supporters argued that as head of the Senate committee on NNPC during Saraki’s era as Senate President, she sat at the purported meeting as a politician, not as First Lady.

The point here is that one of the issues used against Tinubu during the campaigns was that different members of his family (Remi, Seyi and Folashade in particular) might constitute themselves into independent centres of power if he won the election.

Five, in the one week of his presidency, Tinubu has also started assembling members of his kitchen cabinet. In his first set of appointments as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Tinubu named Ambassador Kunle Adeleke as the State Chief of Protocol, SCOP, to the President; former Lagos State Commissioner of Information, Dele Alake, as Presidential Spokesman and Olusegun Dada as Special Adviser, Digital Media.

The following day he appointed Nosa Asemota as his official photographer and Adelani Opeyemi as the official photographer of Vice President Kashim Shettima. On June 2, 2023, just five days after his inauguration, he appointed the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, as his new Chief of Staff; former Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia, as Deputy Chief of Staff and Former Minister of Special Duties, George Akume, as Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

On Sunday, June 4, 2024, he announced the appointment of Nuhu Ribadu, the pioneer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, as the National Security Adviser.  While his appointments so far mirror the tendency for chief executives to populate their kitchen cabinets with long term allies and loyalists, he has so far not included very controversial individuals that would make the task of post campaign reconciliation more problematic.

For instance, if the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, was given to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai as was rumoured, it would have made reconciliation more difficult. This is because El-Rufai not only championed the Muslim-Muslim ticket in Kaduna, he sought to institutionalise that anomaly by ensuring that his hand-picked successor retained the same Muslim-Muslim template.

Similarly, it would have been more difficult to achieve reconciliation if the duo of Bayo Onanuga and Femi Fani-Kayode who uniquely fanned the embers of ethnic hatred and promoted both provincialism and Igbophobia are given front row seats in the government. 

Overall, Tinubu started with a fumble as many newly elected leaders often do. This is because while politicians are said to campaign in poetry, in governance, they will be forced to rule in prose. They will not only discover that the devil is in the detail but will also find out that every policy or even major pronouncement, has unintended consequences. 

 FG, NLC meet again, silent on way forward
• Maritime, NASU, NUJ, 51 NLC affiliates to begin strike midnight
• Maritime workers ground port operations nationwide
• Courts to shutdown as judiciary workers join NLC
• Unveil intervention, palliatives now, CPPE tells Tinubu
 
More intrigues, yesterday, trailed the industrial action called by organised labour to protest against the removal of petrol subsidy.

While the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was meeting with Federal Government representatives to find a middle ground to halt tomorrow’s planned action, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja division, restrained NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) from embarking on the strike.
 
The NLC, led by its President, Joe Ajaero, had arrived at the Presidential Villa around 5:45 p.m. for another round of negotiations after staying away from Sunday’s meeting with the organised labour. Last Friday, NLC issued a five-day ultimatum to the government to revert to the old price of petrol or face a nationwide protest.
 

But the meeting was still underway when the industrial court gave the order. Justice O.Y. Anuwe issued the order while ruling on an ex-parte motion in the suit marked: NCIN/ABJ/158/2023, filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), which was moved by Mrs. Maimuna Lami Shiru, Director of Civil Litigation, Federal Ministry of Justice.

 
Justice Anuwe said the order shall remain in force pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice dated June 5, which was filed by the Federal Government through the office of the AGF.
 
The judge said her action was informed by the argument by the Federal Government’s lawyer that the strike, if allowed, will occasion incalculable damage to the nation and fixed for hearing the motion on notice for June 19.
 
She said by Section 7(b) of the National Industrial Court (NIC) Act 2006, her court is empowered and indeed clothed with exclusive jurisdiction in matters relating to the grant of any order to restrain any person or body from taking part in any strike, lockout or any industrial action or conduct in contemplation or in furtherance of strike, lockout or any industrial action.
 
She said: “The urgency enumerated in the affidavit of urgency and in counsel’s submission reveals a scenario that may gravely affect the larger society and indeed the well-being of the nation at large.
 
“Counsel has pointed out that students of secondary schools nationwide, especially those writing WAEC exams will be affected; tertiary institutions that have only just resumed after a long ASUU strike will also be affected, not leaving the health sector, among other sectors; and above all, the economy of the nation. In my view, this is a situation of extreme urgency that will require the intervention of this court.”   Earlier, the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) had asked its members to join NLC in its planned strike beginning tomorrow in compliance with other workers’ unions, including the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
 
Giving the directive yesterday, JUSUN’s general secretary, M.J. Akwashiki, in a statement, directed all zonal vice-presidents to ensure total compliance with NLC’s directive, which would have meant a shutdown of all the courts across the country.
 
But in a phone interview with an NLC top official on condition of anonymity, he said the Congress was fully mobilised and nothing would stop it unless the government goes back to the status quo.
 

On the joint meeting with Federal Government and the sister union, TUC, slated for today (Tuesday), he said: “The meeting is because we are still holding on to our position. If they go back to the status quo then we will call off the strike and negotiate with them.”

 
Meanwhile, the TUC, in a statement signed by its president, Festus Osifo, and Secretary General, Nuhu Toro, yesterday, demanded immediate implementation that minimum wage should be increased from the current N30,000 to N200,000 before the end of June 2023 with consequential adjustment on Cost of Living Allowance (COLA), like feeding, transport, and housing, among others.
 
It demanded that the status quo ante of Petrol Motor Spirit (PMS) pump price should be maintained while the discussion continues.
 
Among the 14 items, it said a representative of state governors would be a party to the communiqué and all the governors must commit to implementing the new minimum wage.
 
It demanded tax holiday for employees both in the government and private sector that earn less than N200,000 or $500 monthly. It insisted that PMS allowance should be introduced for those earning between N200,000 to N500,000 or $500 to $1,200, whichever is higher.
 
It demanded that the Federal Government should provide mass transit vehicles for all categories of the populace. It also demanded that government should put in place an immediate review of the National Health Insurance Scheme to cover more Nigerians and prevent stock of drugs.
 
For the medium term, the labour centre demanded the deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) across the country, in line with the earlier promise made by the government. It said the framework and timeline would be developed and agreed by both parties.
 
It added that labour and government would design a framework that will be geared towards the reduction of cost of governance by 15 per cent in 2024 and 30 per cent by 2025.

ALREADY, more than 50 of the NLC affiliates, including its 36 state councils and Abuja are expected to begin an indefinite strike at midnight today if there is no truce between the organised labour and the Federal Government.
 
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), National Union of Engineering Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW), Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Senior Staff Union in Colleges of Education, Nigeria (SSUCOEN) are among several labour unions that have directed their members to give effect to the decision of the NLC until otherwise stated.  
 

But the Director-General of the Centre for the Promotion of Public Enterprise (CPPE), Muda Yusuf, said there is an urgent need for the Federal Government to put interventions in place that can assuage the suffering of the masses, especially the lower-level workers.  
 
“Government needs to urgently put immediate and short-term measures in place to mitigate the pains of the sharp increases in transportation costs on the citizens. Food and transportation account for over 50 per cent of the household budget of the poor. Something urgent needs to be done,” he added.
 
He stressed that such measures should focus on reducing the cost of food, provision of cheaper public transportation options, improving power supply to reduce demand for fuel for electricity generators, incentives to promote the use of autogas, reduction in import tariffs for intermediate products for food processing companies, eliminating taxes and levies on all agricultural inputs to boost food production and reduction in import tariffs on mass transit buses.
 
Yusuf insisted that the NNPCL retail outlets should sell petrol 15 less than the amount it goes for in other filling stations, saying, “this is necessary to signal social sensitivity by government.”
 
Looking into the future, Yusuf said things will get really difficult before getting better.
 
“Admittedly, the increase was quite high. And the shocks on citizens were enormous as well. But these are some of the inevitable costs of reforms. We need reforms to prevent the collapse of the economy. Apparently, things have to get worse before it gets better. It would be painful initially but it would progressively get better. As the supply side response improves, the prices will moderate,” he said.

ALREADY, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) yesterday paralysed operations of shipping companies, terminals, as well as oil and gas platforms nationwide. The workers, who gathered at the ports as early as 7:00 a.m. yesterday to disrupt operational activities in the ports, protested over lingering unresolved issues with shipping companies in Nigeria.
 

 He alleged that the Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN), the parent body of shipping lines in Nigeria for disregarding the directives of the Federal Government and failing to increase workers’ welfare for the past six years.
 
The union said the strike would be indefinite, especially as it has the backing of its other branches.
 
The MWUN chief recalled that the former Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, in a bid to ensure a peaceful industrial climate in the shipping sector, had directed the management of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to superintend a collective bargaining meeting between the union and shipping companies in Nigeria.
 
Adeyanju lamented that despite several meetings called at the instance of the NSC, the shipping firms’ representatives deliberately forestalled the negotiation process, alleging a lack of mandate from their respective principals, and insisting on maintaining the status quo.
 
Alleged that the NSC has lost its control and regulatory powers over the shipping companies, who have refused to obey the federal government’s interventions on the matter.
 

According to him, “The matter has been dragging for the past six years, and the shipping companies have refused to implement a minimum standard for shipping companies’ workers.
 
“Several ultimatum has been issued to the shipping companies, the union is requesting a minimum standard for shipping workers.
 
“The former Minister of Transportation had directed the NSC to midwife the process between MWUN and SAN. There have been several meetings at the instance of the Executive Secretary of the NSC but nothing has been done.”
 
Nicol warned that if this continues the shippers and other industry players will take the union and whoever initiates strike action to court and demand the pay for demurrage incurred for their actions.

BUT following the intervention of NSC between MWUN and companies in the shipping sector, the union has suspended its ongoing industrial action. At an emergency meeting convened by the NSC, involving the union and stakeholders in the shipping sector, a resolution was reached.
 
In the communiqué, both parties agreed to establish an acceptable minimum standard on the condition of service in the shipping sector, specifically focusing on gratuity, among others.

[Guardian]

With just one week to inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is stuck in a point at which a crucial decision must be made to ensure that its preferred candidates emerge presiding officers of both chambers of the federal legislature.

The governing party, LEADERSHIP gathered, is grappling with the exigency of having to deal with aspirants for the Senate presidency under its platform, Senators Abdulaziz Yari, Orji Kalu and Osita Isunazo, who have refused to shift ground even though the party’s zoning arrangement did not favour them.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of the APC had endorsed Akpabio as Senate President and Senator Barau Jubrin as his deputy.

Hon Tajudeen Abbass also received the blessing of Tinubu and APC as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, with Hon Benjamin Kalu as his deputy.

But some APC lawmakers under the aegis of G6 Coalition fiercely opposed the zoning arrangement, describing it as “an unconstitutional imposition of leadership of the 10th Assembly by forces outside the National Assembly.”

A crucial meeting scheduled by President Tinubu with federal lawmakers elected on the platform of opposition political parties for yesterday (Monday) at the presidential villa, Abuja, was postponed.

It was also gathered that another meeting between the president and APC lawmakers billed to hold last Sunday was also cancelled.

A source in the APC told our correspondent that the meetings were shifted following the refusal of the party’s aspirants vying for principal offices of the National Assembly to withdraw from the race to pave way for the party’s anointed candidates.

“There is no way a resolution would come out of any meeting with the lawmakers-elect who are divided among themselves. Until the APC aspirants agree to respect the zoning arrangement of the party, there cannot be any consensus ahead of the June 13 inauguration of the 10th National Assembly,” the source who did not want his name in print said.

Meanwhile, all appears not to be well in the camp of Senators Yari, Kalu and Izunaso over who to finally support for the office of the Senate president.

It was gathered that Kalu is threatening Yari’s supporters with a defection to the camp of the president.

Trouble started when the trio who are yet to decide on who to position for the office of Senate president met last night in a popular hotel (names withheld) outside the outskirts of Abuja to take a final position on who to support.

It was gathered that after heated arguments among the trio and their sponsors, including a serving presiding officer of the Senate, who has vowed never to toe the path of the president and National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, those who spoke in support of the former Governor of Zamfara State outnumbered those who spoke in support of Kalu and Izunaso.

An enraged Kalu was said to have threatened to dump the group for the president’s choices if the group refused to rescind its decision not to support him for the Senate presidency after the party had long zoned the office to the south.

The former Abia State governor and chief whip of the Senate was said to have told Yari’s sponsors that it would be the height of religious insensitivity on the path of the former Zamfara governor to want to occupy the office of the Senate president when the president and his vice are both Muslims.

It was also learnt that after very strong arguments for and against Yari’s ambition, which almost resulted in fisticuffs, Kalu threatened to walk out of the meeting.

Sensing the implications of the walkout he might stage and having threatened to dump the group, he was offered the position of the deputy Senate president and Izunaso, chairman, Senate committee on Appropriation.

It was not clear if Kalu and Izunazo accepted the offer but sources at the meeting told this paper that Kalu might eventually dump the anti-zoning group of lawmakers.

“With the way things are going on now in our camp, Kalu might dump the group because of their selfishness and insensitivity to national peace and unity,” the source told our correspondent in confidence.

Court Stops EFCC, Others From Detaining Ex-Zamfara Governor

Meanwhile, Justice Donatus Okorowo of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has stopped the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related offences Commission (ICPC) from arresting and detaining Senator Abdulaziz Yari pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

The court gave the order in a ruling delivered on an ex-parte motion moved by Yari’s counsel and for Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Michael Aondoakaa (SAN).

The court also stopped the Department of State Services (DSS) from detaining the former Zamfara governor.

Justice Okorowo ordered the respondents, EFCC, ICPC and DSS, to show cause why the prayers sought on the motion ex-parte should not be granted on the next adjourned date.

“The respondents are however restrained from detaining the applicant until the return date for the order to show cause,” he ruled.

The case has been fixed for June 8.

Yari had through his team of lawyers filed the ex-parte motion marked: FHC/ANJ/CS/785/23.

In the motion dated and filed on June 2, 2023, Yari listed EFCC, ICPC and DSS as 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively.

The former governor prayed the court for an order restraining the respondents, their officials, whosoever and howsoever described from arresting and/or threatening to arrest and detain him in order to prevent him from participating at the proclamation of the 10th Senate by President Tinubu on June 13.

Yari who gave 15 grounds on why the application should be granted averred that he was desirous of contesting the position of the president of the Senate of the 10th National Assembly in accordance with the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and pursuant to the Senate Standing Orders 2022 (as amended).

He said his aspiration to contest the position of Senate president had received overwhelming support from the general public and among distinguished Senators-elect irrespective of party affiliations.

He said the support which the applicant has continued to garner across party lines has drawn consternation from some members of his political party, the APC, who have allegedly resorted to using the respondents and their agents to harass and threaten to arrest and detain him on trumped-up charges for the period leading to the first sitting of the Senate when nominations and election of presiding officers shall be constituted.

“The respondents and their agents have threatened to violate the applicant’s rights as enshrined in the constitution by unlawfully threatening to arrest and detain the applicant.

“The respondents and their agents are mandated to operate within the ambit of their establishment laws, and to respect the fundamental human rights of the Applicant as enshrined in the Constitution,” he said.

Yari said if the order was not given, his rights would have been breached by the respondents.

 North Central Insists On Speakership As APC Govs Back Abbas, Benjamin Kalu

Meanwhile, stakeholders of the governing APC from the North Central geopolitical zone have asked the party to review its zoning arrangement for principal officers of the 10th National Assembly to ensure the next Speaker of the House of Representatives comes from the zone.

The stakeholders under the aegis of Concerned North Central APC Stakeholders Forum warned that the governing party risks losing the speakership position to opposition parties if it sticks to its current zoning arrangement.

Speaking when members of the forum stormed the party’s national secretariat  in Abuja, convener of the forum, Rev Dominic Alancha, threatened that North Central will withdraw their support for the party in the 2027 general election if the party maintains the micro-zoning arrangement.

Alancha said, “For an election that was concluded since February 25, ordinarily, the decision to zone National Assembly leadership positions should not have taken this long if due process, respect for order and egalitarian principles have been followed.

“I say this because it is the inexplicable and bias decision of the APC to ignore this sound and time tested process by going to introduce strange and obtuse arrangements where a whole geopolitical zone was sidelined while another was given two key positions in the National Assembly hierarchy that has led to this quagmire.

“Zoning the position of Senate President in the 10th Assembly to the South-South geopolitical zone, and the position of Deputy Senate President to the North-West zone; while the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives is also zoned to the North-West and the position of Deputy Speaker to the South East is unacceptable because it excluded the North Central from parliamentary leadership.

“We note the observation that the national chairman of our great party is from the North Central zone and with the appointment of George Akume as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), that the North Central has been compensated”.

Alancha described the exclusion of North Central as an aberration which is unacceptable, noting that if the people of North Central feel short-changed, there is no way they will support the party in 2027.

The stakeholders noted: “It is unfortunate that our governors are nowhere to speak, the region is looking up to them. We are telling them the feelings of our people.

 “It will not be in the best interest of our party for the opposition to snatch the position because of our inability of the party to present an acceptable consensus candidate.”

But APC governors under the aegis of Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) have declared their support for the party’s endorsed candidates for the Speaker and deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu.

The PGF chairman and governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma announced the resolution of the forum yesterday when he hosted the campaign team of the Abbas/Kalu joint ticket led by the Joint Task Force –10th Assembly Coalition at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge.

Uzodimma said APC has made the best choice of presiding officers for the House, and the least the governors should do is to ensure that the party’s preference and vision is actualised on June 13 when the 10th Assembly would be inaugurated.

He stated: “I congratulate you once more for the success you achieved in the last election and to commend you for coming together to form an alliance towards the speakership race. You have taken a good decision to support these two gentlemen.

“What we are practicing today is democracy and APC is the ruling party and you have a responsibility now to help the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to succeed, and we all know that the most sensitive arm of government is the legislature and if we make a mistake with it the other two arms will be affected.

“If the parliament is right, the government will be right, and I want to urge you to reach out to those who are aggrieved to persuade them to see the reason to agree with us. When you have a situation such as this, you will tell others your party is the best and in this instance, APC is in the majority and we have to demonstrate maturity by forging a common front in unity”.

The PGF chairman urged aggrieved aspirants to close ranks with the party’s preferred candidates and work together to determine a purposeful legislature capable of promoting and projecting the overall interest of Nigerians, adding that Abbas’ choice by the party was not an imposition.

“There’s no such thing as imposition, it’s for the benefit of all of us, and the synergy will help us to achieve more for our people back home. If you say that it means you’re willing and ready to disagree with the majority including the government. We know you have the power of appropriation, but when you appropriate, what about cash-backing?

“You certainly don’t want to go home after four years and tell your people you couldn’t achieve anything because you were not cooperating with the executive for their benefit, but when you work in harmony, you will reap the benefits of the cooperation and your people back home will be the better for it,” Uzodimma said.

Earlier, the anointed speakership candidate, Abbas, expressed confidence in the ability of the APC governors to ensure that the team as endorsed by the party is delivered on June 13.

On his part, the deputy speakership candidate, Benjamin Kalu, thanked Governor Uzodinma for throwing his weight behind their joint ticket, saying he trusts the governor’s love for the parliament, being a product of the legislature himself.

[Leadership]

The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU)has suspended its 12-day-old strike after meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Monday

JOHESU commenced an indefinite strike on Thursday, 25 May, following the failure of the Federal Government to meet its demand.

Tribune had reported that JOHESU is demanding the immediate approval and implementation of the technical committee report on CONHESS adjustment by the government.

They also demand immediate payment of the omission and shortfall in the COVID-19 hazard/inducement allowances of affected health workers in federal health institutions.

Other demands are the immediate and unconditional implementation of the pharmacist consultant cadre, unconditional payment of all withheld salaries of Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Jos University Teaching Hospital, and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, and outstanding April and May 2018 salaries of members at FMC, Azare.”

The union also called for the speedy implementation of the increase in the retirement age from 60 to 65 years and 70 years for consultants in the health professions.

In a phone interview with Tribune, the National Vice president of JOHESU, Comrade Obinna Ogbonna disclosed that the union was suspended due to the progress made during the engagement with the president on Monday.

The President appreciated the problem that we are having and he has come with the resolve in finding lasting solutions to them and we should take him at his word that he’s going to look into the problem in the health sector especially as it pertains to our demands

He said we should get back to our members that it is time to come together to build confidence and trust in one another.

He said the health workers “called a meeting shortly after meeting with the president and decided to call off the strike and gave a 21-day timeline to the government.

“We met with Mr President at the villa earlier today, and he pleaded with the striking health workers to give him the benefit of the doubt and that he will resolve the matters amicably to our own benefit and positive results.

“The congress considered his plea and also said we should give a 21-day timeline to assess progress and commitment of state actors in resolving the issues,” He said

When asked what will happen if the President failed to comply with demand after 21 days, Ogbonna who responded in the parable said “when we get to the river, we will cross it.

“For now we just have to work with what we have at hand. When that time comes, we know what next to do,” he said.

The controversy over the removal of fuel subsidy has again brought to the fore the challenges in the power sector.

DAILY POST reports that both power, petroleum and gas are intertwined in their functions. None can survive without the other’s support.

Nigerians for instance rely majorly on fuel to support the power generated nationally. This is mainly because generation and distribution remain an issue till date.

An average home connected to electricity has a power backup. Experts believe that approximately 70 percent of Nigerian electricity consumers have generators in their homes to support whatever they get from Discos. These generating sets rely on fuel to work.

Consequently, experts suggest that revamping the power sector and making it work optimally to the satisfaction of Nigerians will reduce the pressure on consumers who still need generators as an alternative source of power.

Fix power, end subsidy crisis

Charging the Bola Tinubu-led government, experts in the energy sector believe a quick fix of the power sector can help to cushion the effect of subsidy removal.

Mr James Ododo an oil marketer based in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, hailed the removal of fuel subsidy, but insisted that the government must immediately swing into action by fixing the power sector. According to him, Nigerians cannot survive in the absence of power and fuel.

He said: “If we don’t fix power immediately, we will run into problems because most Nigerians, even those into small scale businesses, use generators to power their businesses.

“If we are going to be buying fuel at the rate that it is right now, then we must immediately fix the power sector.

“It will be dangerous to just remove subsidy and still sit back and watch the power sector remain the way it is. How will people do their businesses? The first major area to fix under the new regime of removal of subsidy is the power sector.”

Recall that President Bola Tinubu had assured Nigerians that the power sector will be improved tremendously under his leadership.

Tinubu, during his inaugural speech, said power must triple, assuring collaboration with states for better and proper distribution.

How he will do it remains unknown.

Expert proffers solution to power problem

A System Power Engineer in one of the Discos, Engineer Adesola Oyedotun said the power sector may be on its way to a total reform, expressing optimism that with the incoming government, effort will be put in place to ensure major reforms in the sector.

Speaking to DAILY POST in Abuja, the power expert said his experience in the power sector puts him in the right position to offer the sector his professional advice, stating that though the sector faces problems within the value chain of the business generation, transmission and distribution, they are not insurmountable.

According to Oyedotun, the power sector problem had lingered for long and no particular administration or company could be held responsible, hence the most important task before the Tinubu government was to find a lasting solution.

He said, “The solution to the current challenge in the power sector is not far-fetched if we have the genuine spirit, will and determination to tackle it headlong. This is not rocket science. Actually, the power sector issue has been lingering for so long, but we are hopeful that with the new government in power, resolving those issues confronting the sector is quite possible.

“I’m confident they can address these long term challenges being experienced by the power sector.

“Remember that the power sector was privatised on November 1st, 2013. Before the privatisation, it was then under the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN. But there was some sort of reform in the sector which divided the Distribution segment of the business into eleven Discos in Nigeria.

“Consequently, we have Abuja Disco, Ikeja, Enugu, Benin, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Eko and others. That has helped the sector to get closer to the people, but this can be improved or be better.

“Hence, I believe that with the already established foundation, the new government of president Bola Tinubu can achieve a lot.

Coverage areas

Suggesting what can be done to ensure more areas are covered in terms of distribution, the electricity expert said:

“In the area of coverage, I believe this government can do more. For example, you can imagine 4 states being covered by only one Disco. It’s absolutely not going to give the maximum results.

“With millions of customers in demand for supply, it won’t be that effective. So four states in the hand of one Disco can be looked at again.

“For instance, how do you address the issue of transformers as a single Disco looks into the demands in Abuja, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger? It will be quite difficult meeting those demands in four states.”

Bill allowing states to generate power

He further stated: “But with the new bill signed by former president, Muhammadu Buhari before vacating office, which I consider a step in the right direction, states have jobs to do with regards to power.

“The bill has empowered each state to now begin to generate power and distribute. This will be a massive support towards power improvement.

“I believe each state can key into this and business will be opening and more jobs will be created. We should be out of the challenges in the sector if the states join in the struggle.”

How states, FG, private sector can collaborate

Clarifying the issue regarding the power sector being in the exclusive list and how the state can still come in, Engineer Oyedotun said, it is still possible as it is similar to what even obtains at the moment.

According to him, “Now, if you look at it, you will realise that currently, the government is having 40 percent stake in the sector. What that means is that the investors have 60 percent.

“So it’s still possible to further have a roundtable discussion on how the state can come in and you also let them know their stake.

“By the new law, states may decide to go alone. However, with the majority of the states having problems paying salaries, funding education etc, it is clear that only very few states currently have the financial muscle to go into a capital intensive and long-term investments like power.

“The States on their own or in collaboration with other states can encourage private sector-led investments in their states. Lagos state recently rolled out its own.

“So it is not so difficult for the sector to have 3 interested parties generating power. I think it is a huge solution.

“So as against having 60/40 percent for both the investors and the federal government, the state’s percentage could come in and ease off the current challenges.”

Power sector is long term investment

Talking about the long term investment of the power sector and how it could become very profitable not in the immediate, the power system engineer said: “Investors in this sector must understand that investment into distribution value chain of this business is a long time investment and must not be compared to investment in banking sector or other sectors of Nigeria economy.”

[DailyPost]

The Federal Operations Unit, Zone A , Ikeja of the Nigeria Customs Service says it intercepted 30, 900 litres of Premium Motor Spirit also known as petrol and 6,861 bags of foreign parboiled rice equivalent to 12 trailer loads and others with a duty paid value of N1bn in May 2023.

The unit, in a statement on Monday, said the contrabands were intercepted at different times and locations within border corridors of the South-West Zone.

The Acting Customs Area Controller in charge of the unit, Hussein Ejibunu, explained that some of the contrabands were intercepted for either violating the guidelines on the importation/exportation of goods, concealment, undervaluation or wrong classification and smuggling.

He said others were seized for contravening policy directives as in the case of foreign parboiled rice.

Ejibunu said, “Detentions and seizures recorded within the period under review amounted to 79 seizures, with a total duty paid value of N1bn. These were products of surveillance, intelligence gathering and regular patrols of our officers.

“These contrabands were intercepted at different times and locations within border corridors of the South-West Zone.

“Some of the seizures include, 6,861 bags of foreign parboiled rice by 50kg each equivalent to 12 trailer loads, 1,236 jerry cans of petroleum by 25 litres each equivalent to 30,900 litres, 9,857 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 5,338 kg, two X 20 containers of unprocessed wood, four units of tokunbo vehicles, 40 X five jerry cans of vegetable oil, 54 bales of second-hand clothing among others.”

He added that four suspects were arrested in connection with some of the intercepted goods.

“For ongoing prosecution of suspects, the Federal High Court at Abeokuta, Ogun State sentenced Musa Oloyede, Godwin David and Adeniyi Alaye, to two years imprisonment for assaulting our officers while carrying out their statutory duties,” he said.

He added, “On revenue, N38.4bn was generated through conscious and thorough documentary checks, followed by the issuance of demand notices on consignments that were found to have paid lesser amounts than the appropriate customs duty.

“It is very worrisome that a total of 9,857 parcels of cannabis sativa were seized in a single swoop. Crime experts have found a direct relationship between the intake of this controlled plant and violent crimes.

“We are conscious of this challenge and will continually cut the supply chain of illicit drugs and other prohibited substances.”

The Customs boss urged the public to promptly share useful information that will assist to checkmate smuggling with operatives.

“Since smuggling is a crime that deals in illegal trade, such as illicit drugs and prohibited weapons, Nigerians should see insecurity and other crimes as products of smuggling,” he said.

[Punch]

Microsoft will pay $20 million to settle government charges that it collected personal information from children without their parents’ consent, officials said Monday.

The Federal Trade Commission alleged that from 2015 to 2020 Microsoft collected personal data from children under age 13 who signed up to its Xbox gaming system without their parents’ permission and retained this information.

To open an account, users had to provide their first and last names, email addresses, and dates of birth.

The FTC said Microsoft violated a law called the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA.

“Our proposed order makes it easier for parents to protect their children’s privacy on Xbox, and limits what information Microsoft can collect and retain about kids,” said Samuel Levine, head of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

“This action should also make it abundantly clear that kids’ avatars, biometric data, and health information are not exempt from COPPA,” Levine added.

The decision still needs the approval of a federal court before it can be implemented.

The FTC said Microsoft will be required to take several steps to bolster privacy protections for child users of its Xbox system.

Under the COPPA law, online services and websites aimed at kids under 13 must notify parents about the personal information they collect and obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting and using any personal information collected from children.

Microsoft did not immediately reply to an AFP request for comment.

AFP

Karma – loosely refers here as nemesis or retributive justice – connotes “cause and effect” in Indian religions; “measure for measure” in Judaism; “one reaps what one sows” (Galatians 6:7) in Christianity; and “what goes around comes around” in Western culture.

Essentially, Karma, as a “concept of action, work, and deed, and its effect or consequences,” isn’t a respecter of persons, no matter their status or station in life.

This is what President Bola Tinubu is about to be visited with, barely one week after his epochal inauguration as 16th Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria on May 29.

The organised labour has served notice of a nationwide strike to protest Tinubu’s announced removal of fuel subsidy from the economy, beginning in July – but oil marketers have marked up pump price to about 300% of subsisting official price of N175 per litre.

Tinubu, as a leading opposition figure, had railed against President Goodluck Jonathan’s removal of fuel subsidy in 2012, which led to “Occupy Nigeria” street protests across the country, and in front of the Nigerian High Commission in London, United Kingdom.

On January 1, 2012, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) issued a statement on removal of subsidy on petroleum products, with a 120% increase in pump price of petrol.

Reacting to the government action that ruined the New Year celebrations for Nigerians, the “Occupy Nigeria” movement – spearheading the protests – used the opportunity to highlight corruption in government and the public service, inhuman treatment of Nigerians by government and security agents, and high rate of poverty in the land.

According to Wikipedia, the protests that lasted 12 days (January 2-14, 2012) were defined by “civil disobedience, civil resistance, strike actions, demonstrations and online activism,” aimed at “reversing the subsidy on petroleum products, and a review of the Federal Government budget, with cut-backs on politicians’ allowances.”

By the time President Jonathan was forced to reverse the decision, 16 people were reportedly killed by the Police in several states.

In a January 8, 2012, lengthy article, entitled: “Removal of Oil Subsidy: President Jonathan breaks social contract with the people,” as published in guardpost.ng, Tinubu queried the timing of the subsidy removal, Jonathan’s non-consultation with relevant stakeholders, and the ripple effects on the voters and the economy at large.

Let’s take some extracts from the opinion piece, and consider if Tinubu followed his observations and recommendations therein, to declare on May 29 that, “subsidy is gone,” during his inaugural speech. He wrote:

“As Nigerians gathered with family and friends to celebrate the New Year, the federal government was baking a national cake wrapped in a scheme that would instantly make the New Year a bitter one.

“Barely had the public weaned itself from last year when the government dropped a historic surprise on an unsuspecting nation. PPPRA issued a statement abolishing the fuel subsidy. By this sly piece of paper, the federal government breached the social contract with the people.

“The government, which owes its very existence to the people’s desire to be governed by someone more humble than elitist, has turned its back on the collective will.

“By bureaucratic fiat, the government made the most fateful economic decision any administration has made since the inception of the Fourth Republic and it has done so with an arrogant wave of the hand as if issuing a minor regulation.

“Because of the terrible substance of the decision and the haughty style of its enactment, the people feel betrayed and angry. At this moment, we do know not where this anger will lead.

“In good conscience, we pray against violence. Also in good conscience, it is the duty of every citizen to peacefully demonstrate and record their opposition to this draconian measure that is swiftly crippling the economy more than it will ever cure it.”

Continuing, Tinubu descended on Jonathan, saying: “This crisis will bear his (Jonathan’s) name and will be his legacy. The people now pay a steep tax for voting him into office. The removal of the subsidy is the ‘Jonathan tax.’

“The situation shows that ideas count more than personalities. People may occupy office but how that person performs depends on the ideas that occupy his mind.

“Though someday, Nigeria will have to remove the subsidy, the time to do it is not now. This subsidy removal is ill-timed and violates the condition precedent necessary before such a decision is made.

“First, the government needs to clean up and throw away the salad of corruption in the NNPC.Then, proceed to lay the foundation for a mass transit system in the railways and road network with long-term bonds and fully develop the energy sector towards revitalizing Nigeria’s economy and easing the burden any subsidy removal may have on the people.”

Fast forward to May 29, 2023. It’s a reversal of roles between President Tinubu and the organised labour: He issuing off-the-curf declaration – as he’d accused Jonathan of doing in 2012 – and the labour unions reacting as he did in his epistle to slam Jonathan’s subsidy removal.

Tinubu simply proclaimed that, “subsidy is gone,” without much thought to the effects the policy would have on the voters that gave him the mandate to realise his “lifelong ambition” to be President of Nigeria.

All Tinubu accused Jonathan of doing is what he blatantly exhibited as the new Sheriff in town at his inauguration on May 29.

Indications point to the President taking Nigerians for a ride, and only embarking on dialoguing with labour to fulfill all righteousness.

Despite his holier-than-thou posturing in 2012, Tinubu had made up his mind to remove fuel subsidy, even as President Buhari’s government aided the course by not providing for subsidy beyond June 2023.

For the record, the three main contenders in the February 25 presidential poll: Tinubu of the APC, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi of Labour Party campaigned to remove fuel subsidy.

Tinubu said it wasn’t sustainable  and had to go, “no matter the protest” by Nigerians; Atiku said he would remove the subsidy, and also sell off the NNPC Limited; and Obi described the policy as “organised crime,” and pledged to remove it on day one of his administration.

Now, the President, as a minority,  has had his say; will he also have his way with the organised labour, as he literally stares down the gun’s barrel till Wednesday, June 7?

“Return petrol to old pump price or face nationwide action,” the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajero, roared on June 2 after a meeting of the union’s National Executive Council in Abuja, following a deadlocked parley with government.

Accusing the NNPCL of lacking the monopoly to fix fuel price (at N488 to N500 per litre, depending on the zone of the country) even as a private company, Ajero said labour would embark on strike if the NNPCL failed to revert to the original template.

“Consequently, NLC has decided that if by Wednesday, the NNPCL, a private Limited Liability Company, that illegally announced the price regime in the oil sector, refuses to revert itself for negotiation to continue, the Nigeria Labour Congress and its affiliates will withdraw their services and commence protest nationwide until this is complied with.”

Will President Tinubu succumb, and flip-flop like his predecessors, who didn’t possess the political will to tame the fuel subsidy that gulped N13.7trn in 15 years (figures supplied by Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI)), with most of the scarce revenue funnelled into the pockets of oil crooks.

Tinubu says he’s going to be different, and Nigerians wait with baited breath to see how strong he’s to grab the fuel subsidy bull by the horns, and land it on its side to surrender. Good luck to the President!

Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria