Former Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, has criticized the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) for regretting supporting President Bola Tinubu during the last general election.

Recalls that the NEF spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, in a statement last month, said the North made a mistake in voting Tinubu to the presidency in 2023.

Suleiman said it is unlikely that they will repeat the same error in the future.

However, Masari, in an interview with Daily Trust, said the Northern elders endorsed Tinubu based on expectations rather than principles.

The former governor said it was too early in the administration’s first year for most of the criticisms it has suffered.

He said, “Those who say they are regretting supporting him (Tinubu) are saying it because they did not support on principles. They supported him on expectations, and when those expectations were not met for them, then they could say they regretted it.

“The problem is that some of us stood for principles (in supporting Tinubu), and a government that has come to serve for four years has served for six months, nine months, and you are passing judgments on it; that is absolutely wrong.”

Reacting to the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Peter Obi, who have been very critical of the APC-led government’s policies, Masari said there was no magic the opposition could have performed to alleviate the pains Nigerians are going through within the period Tinubu has been in power.

He added that the other leading contestants in the 2023 presidential election equally promised to remove the fuel subsidy that has plunged the country into untold hardship during the campaign.

He said, “Some of the people who are talking now, their own would have been worse. Since during the campaign, all the political parties, including those who are talking now, didn’t they promise that they would remove subsidy?

“Is there any political party that did not campaign on subsidy removal? Let us not go there. Because we are Nigerians, we are bad losers. And sometimes, the winners are supposed to be more accommodating and patient. That’s the price of leadership.”

The National President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Shettima Yerima, has praised the credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He stated this while reacting to a recent comment by former Anambra governor, Peter Obi.

Naija News recalls that Obi had stated that justice in Nigeria is “commodified” and “goes to the highest bidder”.

He opined that the biggest problem in Nigeria’s democracy is the Judiciary, not the INEC.

Sharing his thoughts on Obi’s submission, Yerima, in a statement on Saturday, expressed his firm belief that INEC is a reputable institution that consistently upholds the principles of fairness, impartiality, and transparency in conducting elections in the country.

According to him, Obi’s acknowledgement that the Judiciary, rather than INEC, posed the greatest challenge to Nigeria’s democracy further strengthened his conviction in the integrity of the apex electoral umpire in the land.

The AYCF has long maintained that INEC is a credible, impartial, and unbiased institution that consistently conducts credible elections.

He said, “Peter Obi’s remarks have vindicated our stance and affirmed that INEC is not the primary obstacle to democratic electoral practices in Nigeria.

“We emphasized the importance of strong institutions like INEC in ensuring the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.”

Nabila Fash, the ex-wife of Nigerian singer, Oritsefemi, has dismissed a recent interview in which her ex-husband made a series of accusations against her, including having 21 miscarriages during their marriage.

Naija News reported that Oritsefemi, during an interview with media personality, Jude Chidonwo, disclosed that his wife, Nabila, who had accused him of cheating on her in their home and having children behind her back, betrayed him.

However, in an interview with celebrity journalist, Stella Dimoko Korkus, Nabila urged the public to disregard Oritsefemi’s interview, stating that it was all a lie.

Speaking on the 21 miscarriages, she said, “How is it possible that I miscarried 21 times and I am still normal? How is it possible that I lost 21 children? Why the lies? PLease anyone who listened to his interview should disregard the narrative because it s not true at all….
This is just a distraction, I am presently out of Nigeria working, so you can imagine the calls and encouraging words i have been getting, I was actually confused as to what was going on until it was made clear to me what he had said, this is a distraction but a funny one cos its all lies.”

Nabila also confirmed that they are officially divorced, and she is living her best life, “We are officially divorced. On March 21, 2024 our divorce pulled through, I am officially divorced and officially single and i am happy and living my best life!”

Nabila described the accusation of sending 20 of her friends to attack Oritsefemi as a figment of the singer’s imagination.

She said, “I dont even have up to 20 friends and that never happened…..He is not the kind of person that anyone would attack and get away with it, so trust me that it never happened….it is a figment of his imagination.”

On the accusation of being nasty to his kids, she said, “Never. We have a good relationship. We still spoke today when the interview became viral, one of them called me and was upset that her father all said all what he said and i calmed her down….I was good to his kids and they will never forget me.”

Nabali added that her marriage to Oritsefemi was a nightmare and urged young ladies to look before they leap.

She said, “My marriage was a nightmare that i woke up from.. I dont believe in running down an ex so i will not banter words. God has blessed me and elevated me and i will not look back in regret. I am not angry and i am at peace .i found closure from all the horrible things that happened. My advice to young ladies is look before you leap cos that jump might land you in deep shit.”

An unidentified middle-aged man has reportedly died while watching a football match in Lagos State.

Naija News understands that the unfortunate incident occurred on Thursday, May 16.

According to Punch, the deceased, who is said to be a regular customer of the open bar, walked in, sat down, and started to watch a football match until he fell asleep.

However, all efforts to wake the deceased when the match ended were abortive, as he was found motionless.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident, saying it was reported to the Elere Police Division.

According to him, “The owner of a bar located along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway reported at Elere Division that at about 6:15 pm on Thursday, one of his male customers in his 50s, whose name and address are yet unknown, came into the open bar to sit and watch television.

“He was later observed to be sleeping on the chair and in an attempt to wake him up, it was discovered that he was lifeless. The scene was visited by detectives of the division, and the deceased was seen lifeless on the chair without any mark of violence.

The body has been removed to the Mainland General Hospital mortuary, Yaba, Lagos State for autopsy. Efforts to trace his family are in progress.”

Nigerian striker, Victor Boniface has flew his childhood coach who discovered his potential while starting his career as a juvenile in Akugre, Nigeria, to watch the Bundesliga champions' coronation, Newspremises reports.

Boniface finished an outstanding first season with the BayArena outfit with his 14th goal of the Bundesliga campaign as Leverkusen defeated Augsburg on the final day.

Despite winning the league in April, Bayer Leverkusen were presented with their medals and the trophy in a fully packed BayArena on Saturday, May 18, 2024.

In pictures shared on social media, Boniface who was encouraging his fans not to give up on their dreams posted photos of when he started football with his ex-coach and his crowning moment with the man known as Coach Perez holding the Bundesliga title.

Boniface has been a key figure at Leverkusen since joining the club from Belgian side, Union Saint-Gilloise, last summer, scoring 21 goals and delivering 10 assists across all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

The 23-year-old could end the season with an unprecedented treble as Leverkusen prepare to face Kaiserslautern in the DFB Pokal final and Atalanta in the Europa League.

Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso's men are now 51 games without a defeat.

Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team has defeated their counterparts from Burkina Faso to advance to the fourth and final qualifying round for the 2024 FIFA U17 Women World Cup in the Dominican Republic.

The Flamingos powered to a well-deserved 6-0 win over their fellow West African side inside the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja to secure a 7-1 aggregate victory.

Harmony Chidi was Nigeria’s outstanding performer as the young forward netted an excellent hat-trick while Peace Effiong claimed a brace to inspire the Flamingos to another huge win.

It would be recalled that the two teams earlier played out a 1-1 draw at the Stade 26 Mars in Bamako, Mali, last week.

However, the Flamingos were in no mood for niceties in Abuja for the return leg match on Saturday as the Coach Bankole Olowookere-led side took a two-goal lead into the halftime break.

Chidi gave Nigeria the lead in the 11th minute before Peace Effiong doubled the advantage just past the half-hour mark.

Nigeria extended the superiority after the interval with Chidi heading home her second of the match and the Flamingos’ third and Ramota Kareem’s brilliant effort compounded the woes for the visitors.

Chidi completed her hat-trick four minutes from time before Peace Effiong bagged her second of the encounter as the rampant Flamingos made light work of Burkina Faso.

The Flamingos’ 6-0 win equals Nigeria’s biggest win during the qualifiers and the country’s best result since beating Azerbaijan 11-0 at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in 2012.

Nigeria have now advanced to the final qualifying round of the 2024 Women’s World Cup, where Flamingos will face either Senegal or Liberia.

The Flamingos won a bronze medal at the 2022 edition of the U17 Women’s World Cup in India after beating Germany in the third-place match.

The Federal Government has explained the importance of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to economic development, saying every 1,000,000 vehicles converted to CNG will save the country about $2.5bn.

The Programme Director, Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas, Pi-CNG, Michael Oluwagbemi, said the push for CNG by the Federal Government would end the era of pollution, environmental degradation and economic hardship.

Oluwagbemi spoke during a one-day South South and Southeast stakeholders engagement meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He said the natural gas was in abundance in the nation but people lacked the foresight to utilise it insisting that CNG is cleaner, cheaper and will reduce the cost of transportation.

He said: “The initiative of the government is critical to our national development and to the well-being of the people. Rivers State is the heart of the oil and gas region. Over the last five to six decades these resources have continued to waste. Nigeria is the second largest waster of oil and gas. We exploit it and waste it then continue to suffer poverty.

“The President has set us on natural gas feature and set up on the nation on the path of growth. The use of gas ensures we have energy savings, mind you the price of Natural gas is controlled by government.

“What the President is asking is to do more with the blessings God has given us. If we are able to move three million vehicles in the next three years we are going to end the era of environmental degradation.”

Oluwagbemi said that the nation stood to benefit with the energy transition, adding that CNG remained more reliable for the transportation sector of the country.

He said CNG had the capacity to reduce the current inflation troubling the nation’s economy.

He said: “Nigeria stands to gain a lot from the energy transition in the transportation sector. First and foremost, CNG is our own resource. Natural gas is everywhere in Nigeria. It is a much more reliable source of fuel the transportation sector. No longer will there be crises out of Nigeria impact the economic livelihood of the country.

“It has the capacity of reducing inflation. It is cheaper. You can realise between 40% to 50% savings from patrol. This is good for Nigeria and it is safer. It is 18 time safer than our petrol and diesel. IT is cleaner and safer for the environment.

“We will stop subsidizing poverty importing unemployment and exporting jobs. We will be using our own natural gas to drive our transportation sector. To a common man this translates to reduction in the cost of transportation. Our jobs is to give incentivise the CNG vehicle. To ensure we close the financing gap that exists.

“There is enough demand for natural gas all we need to do now is to open stations, pipelines and conversations centres. When we convert our vehicles, 1,000,000 vehicles they will convert it save the country about $2.5 billion a year. This will also save us 6,000,000 litres a day. These are monies that we can spend on hospitals on roads.”

In his remarks, Fola Akinola, the Chief Executive Officer of FEMADEC Energy Limited, said plans had been concluded to open two CNG refueling stations, and two vehicle conversion parks in Port Harcourt.

He said: “CNG is an old technology. We want to tell you that you have the opportunity to convert your vehicle from fuel to CNG. The stations will be launched in Port Harcourt and we are launching a refueling unit alongside. Rivers State is going to have a micro refueling unit at Stadium Road and in GRA.

“Those that wants to invest in CNG refueling units it is available. Even those who have fuel State facilities can as well invest in this.”

The Abia State Government said it had already diverted its N2bn subsidy palliative from the federal government for investment in CNG.

The Commissioner for Energy and Environment, Abia State, Prof. Joel Ogbonna, told the Pi-CNG committee that his state had set all grounds ready to key into the presidential directive, adding that the state was ready to kick off.

He said: “When Governor Alex Otti came, he declared State of emergency on environment. The governor has set aside N2 billion for the fuel subsidy for CNG. Abia State has set aside the Abia State Poly for trainings in CGN.

“We have also development an industrial park to be able to produce gas. We want to also pass a bill so that people will be told what to do to ensure safety so that there will not be hazards. We are ready to take off with the CNG.”

Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State has declared that his administration has recorded giant strides in infrastructure since assuming office one year ago.

Fubara said his administration has done better in the execution of projects than his predecessor, Nyesom Wike’s eight years.

The governor spoke in Ngo Town at the inauguration of the Andoni section of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo Unity Road project, in Andoni Local Government Area on Saturday.

He promised to ensure his administration carried out more infrastructural projects.

According to Fubara: “Like I said the other day, we just started. We started about three or four months ago but I am very happy that if we have to assess ourselves within those three months, we have done better than people who stayed for eight years, I stand to be challenged.”

Recall that Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory have been at loggerheads shortly after assuming office.

During the week, the governor had boasted of defeating his political enemies, stressing that they now slept with their eyes open and restless.

Organised Labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, has said it will not accept the N48,000 minimum wage offer proposed by the Federal Government.

The organised private sector had proposed an initial offer of N54,000 as a monthly living wage.

The unions had on Wednesday dumped the minimum wage negotiation after the Federal Government offered to pay N48,000, a figure far below the N615,00 the unions were demanding as the new national minimum wage.

After abandoning the session, the furious labour leaders in an emergency press conference vented their displeasure with the offer, stating that it was “an insult to the sensibilities of Nigerian workers”.

This was the second time in two weeks that the negotiation had run into trouble.

The last session, held on April 29, was deadlocked after organised labour insisted on N615,000 minimum wage.

The Federal Government disagreed with labour’s demand, stating that it was unreasonable.

The National President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, stressed that the amount was arrived at after analysing the current economic situation and the needs of an average Nigerian family of six.

He blamed the government and the OPS for the breakdown in negotiation, saying, “Despite earnest efforts to reach an equitable agreement, the less than reasonable action of the government and the organised private sector has led to a breakdown in negotiations”.

Ajaero had, in an earlier interview on the matter, said, “Living wage is such that it will, at least, keep you alive. It is not a wage that will make you poorer and poorer. It is not a wage that will make you borrow to go to work. It is not a wage that will lead you to be in the hospital every day because of malnutrition. For that living wage, we have tried to look at N615,000.

“Let me give you a breakdown of how we arrived at that figure. We have housing and accommodation of N40,000. We asked for electricity of N20,000 — of course, that was before the current tariff increase. Nobody can spend this amount currently. We have a utility that is about N10,000. We looked at kerosene and gas, that is about N25,000 to N35,000.”

Explaining further, the NLC president said, “We looked at food for a family of six. That is about N9,000 in a day. For 30 days, that is about N270,000. Look at health. With the N50,000 provided, there will be no surgery or whatever. For clothing, we looked at N20,000. For education, N50,000. I don’t know about those who tried to put their children in private schools, they will not be able to cope with this amount. We also have sanitation of N10,000.

“I think where we have another bulk of the money is transportation. This is because the workers stay on the fringes and because of the cost of petrol, which amounted to N110,000. That brought the whole living wage to N615,000, and I want anyone to subject this to further investigation and find out whether there will be any savings when you pay somebody at this rate.”

Explaining why the unions would not accept the proposals by the FG and OPS, NLC’s National Treasurer, Mr Hakeem Ambali, said the expectation of labour was cut short with the Federal Government’s N48,000 offer.


He stressed that labour would only come back to the negotiation table when the FG shifts ground and consider paying workers a ‘worthy’ wage.

He said the government must consider food inflation, electricity tariff hikes and the removal of fuel subsidy before coming up with any amount as the minimum wage.

“Our government and employers of labour must show seriousness towards prioritising workers’ welfare and better remuneration. This is because this hardship that is meted out on Nigerians was caused by the policies of the government. All other employers are already benefitting from the increase in allocation in the state and local government.

“Retailers have also increased the price of their goods. Transporters have also increased their rate. Electricity tariff has also been increased. It is only the salary that is static and something urgent must be done. Labour is of the opinion that the right thing must be done. Government must show seriousness towards resolving this issue because it is no longer easy to live in Nigeria as a worker.

“That is why Labour condemned the N48,000 suggestion. Is it meant for feeding alone? If we have a family of six and they are fed with N500 per meal, that will give us N90,000 in a month. This is not adding transport, medical bills and rent. So, the government must also come up with a reasonable minimum wage regime that will address the economic crisis in the country,” he added.

The national treasurer also said FG had refused to engage the main issues on why the N30,000 was no longer sustainable.

He said, “It is not that someone will just tell us, ‘We will give you N100,000 or we will give you N150,0000.’ We will not accept it. There must be empirical data to support it. That is seriousness and collective bargaining.

“We are all living in Nigeria; we are not strangers. How much does it take to go to work for an average worker? How much is rent today? How much is feeding? Our conclusions must be logical.”

Reacting to the position of some experts who proposed N100,000 as a reasonable wage considering the current economic realities, Ambali said anyone who said that was not an expert.

“Those experts must be among the bourgeoisie because how can N100,000 be enough for the worker? Even treating malaria now is a problem for a Nigerian worker. By the calculation of labour, it means no one would be able to live or afford to take care of his family.

“That is why the government was unable to produce something substantial at that meeting because the issues backed by labour are backed by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics. The World Bank said the poverty index is about $2 per person.

“If we have six persons in a family, that is $12 per day. If we multiply $12 by 30 days, using the current exchange rate, we know what we are talking about.

“The government must address both the issue of minimum wage and the galloping inflation rate in the country and put up social policies that would take care of the vulnerable in the society, and not look for a way to pilfer and deep their hands into contributory pension funds, which so many employers are not even paying anyway.

“We believe that the new minimum wage must be a total rework of the workers’ welfare package,” he added.

When asked what organised labour would do if its demands on minimum wage were not met by the government, Ambali said workers might withdraw their services as they would not be able to cope.

He said, “It may not be a strike but it could be withdrawal of services. This is because if workers can no longer go to work, then they will stay at home. If workers trek to work today and trek for one week, they all will relax at home the next week because they may not be able to trek. Workers can’t continue going to work on an empty stomach. Those are the indices that will guide our engagements”.

‘Govt can pay workers’

The NLC treasurer also insisted that the government now had more money with the savings from fuel subsidy removal and could afford to pay workers a decent living wage.

He said,” The Federal Government has said the removal of the subsidy has earned the government over N1trn every month. If 50 per cent of that is reinvested in addressing poverty and the suffering of workers, it will be good.

“This is because the government is about the collective good of the people. We also know that the rate of the tax being imposed on workers is heavy. The poor are being overtaxed in Nigeria while the rich are enjoying tax holidays and exemptions.”

Ambali also called for a reduction in the cost of governance and wasteful government spending, noting that when citizens are going through economic hardship, the most reasonable thing to do is cut the cost of governance where possible.

He lamented that this was not happening in Nigeria with the government at all levels acting as if nothing had changed.

He added, “We have a large retinue of government appointees in Nigeria following elected officers up and down. There are too many. There are too many international trips. These are wastages in the system. There are some appointments that are not adding value to governance. All this should be looked at. Even the size of the cabinet is too much. Let the government reduce all these costs to address the needs of labour.”

The NLC official , however, urged workers to keep faith in the leadership of labour in the battle to get a living wage.

He said, “There is bound to be a lot of propaganda surrounding this matter. Labour leaders would be called names by politicians who will try to divide us and shift focus from the real subject matter. Workers must have confidence in their leaders. Once we are convinced that what is being offered can take an average worker home, we can sign an agreement with the government.”

Similarly, the Deputy National President of the Trade Union Congress, Dr Tommy Etim, said while labour was ready for the Tuesday meeting with the government, it was not ready to compromise on its position that Nigerian workers deserve a decent living wage.

He said, “Labour has already met and our position is very clear on this issue. When we pulled out, we wrote to the two centres (FG and organised private sector), appealing to us to come back for negotiation. They have agreed to shift their grounds and invited us for the continuation of the negotiation.

“We have given our submission. It is up for negotiations. It is based on variables which are known to them. Let them shift ground based on the variables. They have to take cognisance of the cost of accommodation, food, and other important things.

“According to the NBS, a meal is N900. That is official. When we look at what we submitted to them, we put N500 per meal. That is without meat. Let them tell us how they will arrive at whatever they will put on the table for us to consider.”

Labour’s next line of action

He also noted that labour expects the government to take definite action on the minimum wage before its May 31 deadline.

“We gave them May 31 as the deadline for this thing to be concluded. I think they are also working towards making sure the deadline is met. There are several grounds to cover. They know that we have what it takes.

“We believe they will be reasonable this time around to know that they are not playing with children. We want to see their level of seriousness before we discuss the next line of action. They should see the way labour picketed the electricity centres over the tariff. It tells you labour is united for this course. So, there is no cause for going back to the past. Labour is united and there is no going back to our unity,” he added.

Strike an option – TUC

When asked whether labour would consider going on strike over minimum wage, the TUC leader said the strike option was on the table.

He said, “That is one of the options and it is legal. No sane judge or court can give that kind of order to stop workers from exercising their constitutional rights. We are not deterred.”

The EFCC in Lagos has delivered $22,000, which was reclaimed from a convicted cybercriminal, Hakeem Ayotunde Olanrewaju, to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

This was made known by the EFCC via its X handle on Saturday, May 18.

It reads: “Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos had, on August 15, 2023, ordered that the money recovered from Olanrewaju, who was sentenced to two years imprisonment for identity theft and impersonation, be restituted to his victim in the United States of America, U.S.A.

“Speaking during the handover ceremony in Lagos, the Acting Director, Lagos Zonal Command of the EFCC, Michael T. Wetkas, reaffirmed the Commission's dedication to combating crimes and restoring sanity to the nation.

“We are delighted to be handing over this proceeds of crime today.

“The EFCC is willing and always ready to do more.”

“Responding, the FBI Legal Attaché, Charles Smith, said: “The EFCC and FBI work collaboratively together, and it is thanks to the EFCC that we can recover funds of this nature, especially from Business email Compromise, BEC.

“This type of crime cripples businesses in the US, and for them to recover the money within one to two years gives hope to the affected companies and brings some level of justice, even if not all subjects have been identified.

“We hope our relationship continues and fosters a more cohesive partnership between the two agencies. If there's anything the FBI can do to support this investigation, we will do so.

“We appreciate this on behalf of the FBI and thank the EFCC."