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The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has extended congratulations to Nigerians who recently won elections in various foreign countries.
In a statement signed by the Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols at NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the Chairman/CEO, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, lauded the accomplishments of four Nigerians who have attained significant political milestones.
The successful individuals include Dr. Oye Owolewa, who was re-elected as the Shadow Representative for the District of Columbia under the Democratic Party; Chiaka Barry, elected into the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Legislative Assembly representing the Ginninderra District under the Liberal Party; Segun Adeyina, re-elected as State Representative of District 110, Georgia, USA; and Yemi Mobolade, who made history as the first Black person elected as the Mayor of Colorado Springs, USA.
Dabiri-Erewa commended their achievements, emphasizing the importance of their contributions to the political landscapes of their respective communities and recognizing them as standard-bearers for Nigerians worldwide.
“Your victories demonstrate the resilience, dedication, and excellence of Nigerians in the global arena. We are proud of your successes and urge you to maintain the tenacious spirit as you serve in your new capacities,” Dabiri-Erewa said.
She prayed for their continued protection, strength, and wisdom in carrying out their responsibilities, urging them to remain committed to service and leadership.
Dr. Oye Owolewa, a pharmacist, expressed gratitude to his supporters for their confidence in re-electing him as the Shadow Representative of the District of Columbia. Chiaka Barry, known for her experience in legal practice, legislative drafting, and community service, has been celebrated for her dedication to public service.
Segun Adeyina brings over 25 years of experience in IT program and project management, having worked for Fortune 500 companies such as General Motors and Hewlett Packard/Cap Gemini.
Meanwhile, Yemi Mobolade’s election as the 42nd Mayor of Colorado Springs marked a historic moment, being the first Black individual to hold the position in the city.
See the statement below:
The estimated cost of landing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, on Nigeria’s shores has seen a significant 20.34 per cent reduction, falling to ₦971.57 per litre over the past three months.
This decline, which includes importation and distribution expenses, reflects relief from global market fluctuations and supply chain dynamics.
Despite this drop, the retail price of petrol in Nigeria has surged by ₦443 or 71.79 per cent, increasing from ₦617 per litre on August 1, 2024, to ₦1,060 per litre as of November 8, 2024. Independent marketers are selling at even higher prices, up to ₦1,180 per litre.
Data from the Major Energies Marketers Association’s daily energy bulletin indicates that in August, oil marketers imported petrol at ₦1,219 per litre when Brent crude was priced at $80.72 per barrel, with an exchange rate of ₦1,611 per dollar. During this period, petrol retailed at ₦617 per litre.
However, by November, the landing cost had dropped to N971.57 per litre, with Brent crude priced at $75.57 per barrel and the exchange rate at ₦1,665.84 per dollar.
Yet, petrol now sells for ₦1,060 per litre at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) outlets and ₦1,180 at independent marketer stations.
The data also shows that the landing cost stood at ₦945.63 in September and ₦903.64 per litre in October 2024.
The increase in retail price, despite falling landing costs, is attributed to factors such as the ongoing deregulation of the fuel market, exchange rate fluctuations, rising inflation, and wider economic challenges.
Experts expect that the decline in landing costs should result in lower retail prices. However, on Sunday, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) accused fuel marketers of inflating petrol prices, stating that the current pump price is disproportionately high compared to the actual market value.
In a communique following its National Executive Council meeting, the NLC argued that Nigerians are being exploited, enduring heightened suffering and hunger due to government policies pushing many into poverty.
Ebonyi State-based prophet, His Holiness, Spirit Emmanuel Chukwudi, who prophesied the emergence of Mr Donald Trump has again said that former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will still become the president of Nigeria.
According to him, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has disappeared from the spirit realm.
Chukwudi, who is the General Overseer King of Kings Deliverance Ministries Worldwide, Gbonum Ulepa Ntezi, Ishielu Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, gave the prophecy while speaking in an interview shortly after Trump defeated Kamala Harris last week.
Chukwudi had days before the US election, predicted victory for Trump.
He has now said Atiku will become president, as God has directed him to announce it again to Nigerians.
He stated “Today, the Lord has said it again, that just as Donald Trump was elevated to lead Americans on November 5, so shall it come to pass in Nigeria regarding His word on Atiku Abubakar.
“I prophesied in 2019 and 2023, that Uzodinma will win, and he won.
“In 2011, I told Buhari that Goodluck Jonathan will be president.
“Jonathan won and Buhari lost. In 2014, I told Goodluck to retire, that Buhari will rule. The word of God came through me as Buhari won and Goodluck lost.
“In 2015, didn’t I say that Prince Abubakar Audu of APC will win in Kogi? Didn’t he win? He won and died.
“In 2020, I warned Chief Chekwas Okorie of APGA and UPP not to join APC, that he will disappear permanently from politics. Didn’t it happen?”
While decrying the release of fake prophecy by people he called puppet prophets, he declared that: “For many years, I have prophesied that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will become president. It has not yet happened and Nigerians are arguing that my prophecy is false. But know that the word of God does not fail.
“I have made tons and tons of prophecies, and they all came to pass. I don’t prophecy and fail. The word of God lives in me. I cannot even list half of them here.
“Three times, I have said that Donald Trump will be pardoned by God because he is on a rescue mission to save America and the world from the kingdom of darkness. Just a few days before the election, it happened again as I said that he must become president.
“Just like Trump, Atiku is coming. Every word of the Lord shall come to pass and His Word on Atiku shall also come to pass.
“As a matter of fact, the APC has disappeared from the spirit realm. So, Atiku is coming. He will be president. He has been reserved to save Nigeria, and it shall manifest in our presence.”
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has urged the state task force for price control of food items to take swift action against aggregators hoarding food items in their warehouses.
Bago made the call during the flagged-off of the Niger Foods’ corn harvest along Bida Road in a bid to achieve his Feed the Nation Agenda through mechanised agriculture.
He explained that the move was aimed at preventing artificial scarcity and ensure availability of essential commodities at reasonable prices.
” The activities of aggregators often lead to hikes in prices of food items as they stockpile them in their warehouses, ” he noted.
The governor, who was elated with the harvest, disclosed that so far, there are more than 100,000 hectares of corn fields of Niger Foods spread across the state, adding that 100 combined harvesters have been deployed to the farms.
According to him: “The use of the combined harvesters would reduce losses between 80 and 90 per cent. The state is expecting about a million metric tonnes of corn this year aside from rice, Soya bean, sesame, guinea corn and millet.”
In a related development, Bago visited the Emi Guye community around the farm, and interacted with the people while directing that some basic amenities such as water and solar energy be provided to the community and other adjourning communities.
Responding on behalf of the community, the village Head of Emi Guye, Alh. Usman Mohammed, thanked the governor and commended him for his development strides in the state.
The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has urged Nigerian judges, particularly justices of the Supreme Court to administer justice with the fear of God.
Sanusi made this call at a public discourse in Lagos with the theme, “Ethics, Morality And The Law,” charging them to remember that they are accountable to God.
The event was held in honour of Justice Habeed Abiru who was recently elevated as a justice of the Supreme Court.
He said his New Year resolution is that he no longer wants to be controversial.
The monarch advised the judges to be upright and should not allow hatred for people to make them do what is not right.
He also charged them to focus more on substantive justice, and not rely on technicalities.
“Do not be an advocate for wrongdoers and do not be an advocate for those who deceive themselves, because Allah does not love sinful wrongdoers.
“When your friends come to you, when government comes to you, and you listen to them and you tilt judgement in their favour, ask yourself, who will be your advocate before God, on the Day of Judgment?” he asked.
A northern Nigeria group, Northern Youths Movement, NYM, has tackled former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido over his recent comments concerning the affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Lamido had come hard on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, calling him a “small boy in PDP history” and asked “where he was in 1999”.
However, in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Sunday, which was signed by its Chairman, Mallam Ishaya Jato, the NYM reminded Lamido that those he kept referring to as children and small boys were the ones who did not let the PDP die “in aftermath of the 2014 rebellion in which he (Lamido) played prominent roles before he backed out.”
The youth group said it was ironic that those who were children when PDP was being formed had grown to maturity and were now fathers of many political children, while some of the elders of 1998 are still acting like children.
According to the group, “Little wonder that after being a Minister and Governor for eight years, an elder like Lamido had no other person in Jigawa State to present as PDP governorship candidate other than his own son.
“If in the estimation of Lamido, who became a political elder at 50 years, 57-year-old Wike is still a small boy, we wonder what he (Lamido) has become 36 years after he became an elder? Should he now be seen as an ancestral PDP elder?”
They accused Lamido of disparaging former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, as well as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in like fashion.
“Two years ago, Lamido publicly said ‘Obasanjo was an unknown prisoner when PDP was formed.’ Ironically, he went on to admonish Obasanjo to stop talking down on people publicly.
“In 2019, it was Atiku that Lamido described as his junior in politics, saying that he was in the House of Representatives in 1979 when Atiku was still an employee of Nigerian Customs Services.
“As a sitting PDP Governor, Lamido was everywhere disparaging President Jonathan, calling his government a failure.
“Even out of office, Lamido has not stopped disparaging President Jonathan.
“Therefore, we are not surprised that since Lamido and others deceived Atiku to lose the 2023 presidential election, by making him to see himself as President-In-Waiting, more than seven months before the election, he has been venting his frustration and anger on Wike, just because he, alongside other governors like Seyi Makinde, Samuel Ortom, Okezie Ikpeazu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi refused to be treated like children in a their own party,” the group further claimed.
DAILY POST recalls that the PDP has yet to recover from its loss at the 2023 presidential election, with a major leadership crisis bedevilling the party ever since.
Popular Lagos socialite Pretty Mike has claimed that Magodo is a place where married women often indulge in sexual affairs with younger men.
Magodo is a town in Kosofe LG bounded by Ikosi-Ketu and Ojodu Berger in Lagos state.
Speaking in a recent interview on Arise TV, Pretty Mike alleged that women in this area engage in illicit relationships without their husbands’ knowledge.
He made the claim while reacting to sex scandal involving embattled ex-Equatorial Guinea’s anti-graft boss Baltasar Engonga,
Pretty Mike argued that some societies accept open marriages, where couples consent to extramarital affairs.
According to him, “I think it is their thing. We are in a society where husbands are allowed to sleep with other women and women allowed to sleep with other men.
“In Lagos here it is heavy. Magodo is their headquarters in Lagos. Married women who sleep with young boys. Husbands of those married women are not aware.
“If you are a husband and you are not aware your wife is sleeping with other men that means something is wrong. Or it is a tight niche or a cartel where everybody is having fun.
“They know their husbands are cheating. They would just come together and say ‘you know what, our Ogas are doing this thing, let us just have our own fun.
“Trust me, any day this video or scandal comes out, I am sure it will be small compared to what we saw in Equatorial Guinea.”
Nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe has finally spoken about her decision to marry popular movie marketer, Kazim Adeoti, professionally called Adekaz.
The actress spoke during her recent appearance on _Nollywood on Radio’.
Mercy Aigbe announced her third marriage with Adekaz in January 2022, as second wife.
Speaking of her decision to be Adekaz’s second wife, the actress stated, “One of the reasons I got married to him is that we are both in the same industry.
“Together, we are building a production empire. I just felt I needed someone to collaborate with in the industry, and it is a good thing that he understands it too. Combining our strengths, the future looks promising.”
Popular singer and half of P-Square, Peter Okoye, aka Mr P, has debunked the song theft allegation levelled against him by his twin brother and former bandmate, Paul Okoye, aka Rudeboy.
Rudeboy recently accused Mr P and their former producer, Vampire, of stealing his songs.
He claimed that he wrote and sang a song titled ‘Winning,’ which was supposed to be released with his album next year. To his surprise, Mr P released the same song by the same producer.
Reacting to the allegation, Mr P claimed that the song was co-written and composed by himself and Calypso60.
He stated that it was impossible for him to steal his own song as claimed by his twin brother.
He begged his brother to allow him to focus on making music and stop the negativity.
In an Instagram post, Mr P wrote, “Person no dey thief him own Property! It is well! Thank you, @iam_vampire_official, for the clarification.
“For the record, ‘Winning’ was written and composed by @calypso60music and myself. Produced by @iam_vampire_official and co-produced by @goldswarm.
“They all deserve their Credit. And I appreciate them.
“Just As I said in my open letter three months ago, ‘Allow me to do my music in peace.’
“Now that I have a new single out, please allow me to enjoy my new single, WINNING, in peace. Enough of the negativity!
‘Winning’ is out on all music platforms; continue streaming and don’t get distracted. Love y’all, peace.”
![[PRESS RELEASE] Olaopa Decries Policy Research, Govt Disconnect](/media/k2/items/cache/30de061319b048eedd5eeb8c25ef2f89_S.jpg)
The Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, has decried what he identified as a palpable poor state of policy research with a virtual disconnect between the objectives of the research industry and the concerns of policy makers in government.
The seasoned public administrator spoke during the 6th General Assembly and Conference of the Association of African Public Service Commissions (AAPSCOMS) held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 6 to 8 November.
Olaopa spoke on the topic "Defining Issues in Research And Policy Linkages In Country-level Development Management in Africa." During the event, Olaopa emerged as the Vice President of AAPSCOMS for West Africa.
According to Olaopa, the disconnect is evident in the incredibly low level of research spend in Africa when compared to global total contributions. He added that the evidence that validates this is the fact that the bulk of usable development and administrative statistics generated in Africa are funded by foreign development agencies.
"This reality explains why African states cannot design their development agenda on their own terms. It also validates the reigning theory that African policy-makers do not as yet understand what development is all about", he said.
In his recommendation, he said "Africa needs a corps of scholars-practitioners evangelists who will push for a significant shift from common sense praxis to a more rigorous scientific approaches to development management in Africa."
Olaopa referenced President Bola Tinubu's desire to institute a government of national competence as a policy framework capable of galvanizing a shift from the pervasive “know-who” nepotism to “know-how”. He enjoined political parties to emulate practices in advanced democracies where for example the Democratic Party in the USA is technically backstopped by the Brooking Institution and the Republican by the American Enterprise Institute. He went further to advocate the professionalisation of planning and policy analysis departments, investment in future research and scenario planning and creation of special cadre in public service into which experts from other sectors of the economy and from the diaspora can be desk officers on renewable performance contracts outside of career paths in the public administration system
He lamented that African states still focus on the hardware of development namely, how many roads, schools, hospitals, mass housing, etc. are built, in utter disregard for intangible assets that enable sustainable development such as the quality of country’s human capital and education; the strength of institutions, rule of law and constitutional order; the value of social capital of communities, efficient judicial system, property rights, timely and reliable statistics, reformed public service, R&D, data security and privacy, intellectual property, patents, copyright, culture of innovation, knowledge creation, to name just a few. Most African states have indeed not confronted a critical indicator of underdevelopment around the question regarding why talented African professionals or experts in Canada, Germany or Japan are ten times more productive than their counterparts who choose to remain in Africa. The answer is that once they walk into those development enabled places, they step into a capacity context provided by an intangible per capital wealth worth on average over $500,000 compared to those in Africa contending with a paltry of $2,748 per capital.
He referenced Prof. Wolgang Stolper, hired by the World Bank in 1962 as Technical Adviser to the Nigerian government in the design and implementation of the country’s First NDP (1962-68), who "delivered a prescient judgement that goes to the heart of African development problematic in a seminal reflection published in 1966.
"Prof, Stolper had published an article titled 'Planning without Fact' as an account of his experience working in Nigeria. His basic thesis was that Nigeria is a country that plans and manages her development programmes without the benefit of evidence-based practices, by merely shooting in the dark, in unscientific manner."
To Olaopa, "this suggests that policy management practices in Africa are ridden in several countries, contexts and over time, with essential lack of statistical parameters by which implementable and sustainable development policies ought to be crafted. In other words, there is an unabating lack of a data culture and associated scientific parameters which makes it difficult to design and implement cogent policies that address strategically, poverty, unemployment, the youth bulge, climate change, induced flooding and all, terrorism and associated insecurities, and in managing critical macroeconomic challenges that the continent faces, within game-changing dynamic".
For Olaopa, policy-engaged research is at a crossroads as research centres in African states are increasingly torn between their original calling to conduct research and publish, and pressure to justify and sustain their existence .
The research agenda of these centres and those of local experts are generally dominated by themes and topics of concern of external partners and the major funders of policy research.
Thus for him, although public policy researchers complain against their works not being used by government, research institutions and think-tanks in Africa need to be strengthened so that they could mobilise resources from external partners, the private sector and civil society organisation without losing their autonomy in formulating their research programmes as such capacity would determine their effectiveness .
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The immediate past Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo, has questioned the rationale behind his dismissal from the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu.
According to Gwarzo, President Tinubu had informed him that Kano was overloaded with political officers, hence the need to cut down on some people from the state.
The former Minister, however, insisted that he wasn’t found guilty of any wrongdoing or poor performance, adding that he suspects that some people are behind the President’s decision to sack him.
He also added that after President Tinubu informed him of the pending dismissal, some suggestions were made regarding his replacement, but they were ignored.
Gwarzo argued further that the 2023 All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Kano, Nasir Gawuna, should have been offered the opportunity to represent Kano Central in the federal cabinet.
Speaking with BBC Hausa about his dismissal from Tinubu’s cabinet, he said: “I was surprised because I wasn’t found guilty of any wrongdoing or poor performance. And I was a minister of state with the senior minister who handles a large chunk of the ministry’s activities.
“Before the announcement, the President had put me on notice of his decision.
“He said Kano North was overloaded with political officers, hence the need to strike a balance. We gave our advice, but it was ignored.
“From there I began to suspect that some people are behind this, because for me that wasn’t a valid reason.
“If it’s true that the ministerial slot will be allocated to Kano Central, we have our 2023 gubernatorial candidate, who is also our leader in Kano Central. Why not consider giving him the slot?”
“Gawuna should be offered the position first, unless he declines, in which case it could be given to someone else.
“All his other colleagues who contested in other states were given positions, such as the candidates from Plateau and Zamfara states.”
[NaijaNews]
The outgoing Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has warned the incoming governor of the state, Monday Okpebholo, against prioritising politics over security, saying there will be problems if he does.
Obaseki gave the advice in Benin during the state’s security meeting with heads of security agencies in the state.
He said his administration was leaving the security of the state much better than he met it in 2016.
“My advice to the incoming administration is to take security seriously and never prioritise politics over security because there will be problems as citizens need to demand a secure environment.
“We have shown that it’s possible because we have men and women who have the capacity and training to offer security services to the state and the people of the state,” Obaseki said.
Attributing his success to the collaboration and support received from heads of security agencies, Obaseki said they had collectively changed the narrative and the perception about security in the state.
According to him, the development and growth in the domestic environment and the interest of investors in the state was due to the secure environment in the state.
Obaseki further pointed out that by adopting technology, his administration was able to cover the state and make it safe for the people, adding that it was able to document every incident in the state and work together to provide responses to the security situation.
He, however, called for the participation of all stakeholders in fixing the nation.
[DailyPost]
- Workers demand new deal for pensioners too Imo, Plateau, Osun still negotiating
With the battle for a new minimum wage settled in most of the 36 states,workers are now shifting attention to the payment of the arrears of their remuneration.
Many of the states commenced payment of the new wage last month while some have promised to do so at the end of this month.
But Imo,Osun and Plateau state governments are yet to commit themselves on how much they are willing to pay and when they plan to start paying.
The Minimum Wage Act took effect from July following the signing of the bill by President Bola Tinubu on July 29.
Negotiation between government (Federal and States),organised labour and the private sector on the matter took some time and when it was all over,the state governors asked that they be given till the end of October to enable them put their finances in order.
One of the states already preparing for negotiation of payment of arrears of the new wage is Katsina.
Chairman of the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Hussain Hamisu,told The Nation by phone that labour is scheduled to commence negotiations with the state government on the payment of arrears and on how retirees could benefit from the new salary structure.
The committee set up by the state government on the new minimum wage is about rounding off its assignment.
Hamisu said once the committee completes its assignment in another two weeks, negotiation on the arrears will begin.
‘’Retirees must equally be considered during negotiations, considering the fact that there was a circular on their benefits and entitlements at the time of their retirements,’’ he said.
The NLC boss said Katsina has a history of timely wage payments and taking care of the interest of workers.
The 15- member committee on the minimum wage was charged with the responsibility of advising the state government on strategy and modalities for the implementation of the new salary structure.
No question of arrears, retirees in Delta – NLC
Civil servants in Delta State are not looking forward to receiving arrears of the new minimum wage, according to the local chairman of the NLC, Comrade Goodluck Ofobrukwu.
He said the NLC was satisfied with the implementation of the new wage structure by the state government .
Ofobrukwu, in a telephone interview with The Nation, said the effective date for implementation date of the new minimum wage was October 1, and therefore will be no need for negotiations on payment of arrears.
Payment of the new minimum wage to retirees commenced also in October.
His words: “The Federal Government circular is with effect from 29th July, 2024. In Delta State, we agreed that the effective date should be 1st October, 2024, so there is no question of arrears. And we have been paid
“Some states are taking 1st November, others 1st October, some have not started. If we are adopting the circular and taking 1st October, which has been implemented, then there is no question of Delta State government paying arrears.
“The pensioners you talked about, the N32,000 that the Federal Government asked to be added to their salary has been added with effect from 1st October. That was the agreement we signed with the state government, so it has taken effect from 1st October.”
No agreement yet on arrears in Kwara
The Kwara State government agreed to commence payment of N70,000 as minimum wage from last month but asked that discussion with organized labour on arrears be put on hold.
Government, according to the local chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Olayinka Onikijipa,said sustainability of payment of the new minimum wage was more important than arrears for now.
“For sustainability, they said we should put on hold any discussion on payment of arrears,” Onikijipa said.
He added:” That is not what the law says. But we will continue to push for its implementation.’
On the fate of pensioners, he said:”The issue of extending the payment to pensioners has not come up at all. Pensioners are not yet captured in the state.”
Enugu still sorting out consequential adjustment of minimum wage
Payment of the new minimum wage took off in Enugu State last month but it was without consequential adjustment.
Government is yet to finalise work on that aspect of the new salary structure.
Chairman of the NLC in the state, Comrade Fabian Nwigbo, confirmed to The Nation in Enugu that civil servants went home with the new salary at the end of October while they now await conclusion of work on the consequential adjustment.
He said:”Now, what the committee is working on is the consequential adjustment and chart on the announced minimum wage.
“I believe everything will be ok soon.”
He said the NLC had reached out to government on the plight of pensioners and “I hope at the appropriate time he will address the request.”
Imo Govt, Labour close to agreement
Organized labour in Imo State is optimistic of reaching an agreement soon with the state government on the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage.
Chairman of the TUC in the state, Comrade Uchenna Great, said the conclusion of negotiation with government was caused by the foreign trip of Governor Hope Uzodimma.
He said:” organized labour had its own committee before the governor left… We met and discussed, the discussion centered on consequential adjustment.
“If both sides agree on the adjustment that will follow, we will come to an agreement and then sign, but both sides are waiting for the return of the governor.”
Comrade Uche Chigemezu, Imo State NLC Chairman, corroborated Great’s position, saying: “The state government has agreed to pay but we have not finalised on the matter.”
Why we couldn’t start payment of minimum wage in October – Gov Otti
Abia State governor, Alex Otti, said the planned commencement of payment of the minimum wage in October failed to materialise because of a “computation error”.
But he said both sides have now reached “an amicable agreement” and payment will start at the end of this month.
The chairman of NLC in the state, Comrade Ogbonnaya Okoro, could not be reached.
Bayelsa tasks LGAs on revenue generation
The Bayelsa State government has warned local governments in the state to intensify their internal revenue generation effort to be able to cope with their financial obligations to their employees.
Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo said in Yenagoa, the state capital that the councils must devise independent sources of revenue and desist from depending solely on the monthly federal allocations.
Receiving a delegation of the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), in his office, Ewhrudjakpo said it would be difficult for the councils to pay and sustain the new minimum wage if they continued to completely depend on statutory allocations from Abuja.
“I have asked experts in that area to work out the new minimum wage to see what the local governments will be able to pay. I know that council workers will insist that they should be paid like their state counterparts,” he said.
“But we should know that the state government and local governments do not have the same level or sources of funding. How many of our local governments are able to generate N100 million in a whole year? Just only a few of them.
“As I said earlier, the details of what is going to cost each local government area must be worked out first because if we are not careful, our councils will go bankrupt.
“That is why I have told them to be very innovative and serious about generating revenue for the councils. There is nothing that stops you from collecting little money from people selling in the market. Or, collect licenses from boat, motorbike, keke operators. That’s not a crime. It is legitimate.”
He assured the retirees that government was working hard to settle all pensioners who were inadvertently omitted in the payment of gratuities across board last year.
He also promised to make some effort to ensure that local government retirees have a share of the N7 billion the state government recently announced for the payment of outstanding gratuities.
On the issue of upward review of monthly pensions to the retirees, he said such review would be based on the capacity of the local governments.
Negotiations on N70,000 minimum wage ongoing – Plateau NLC
Civil servants in Plateau State expect to start enjoying the new minimum wage by the end of this month.
The state Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Eugene Manji, told The Nation that negotiations with the state were ongoing.
“We are still negotiating with the government committee on the minimum wage,” he said.
“Nothing is concluded yet but we have gone far with the negotiation. And I hope that negotiations will be concluded in the next few days so that payment of the minimum wage will commence this November.”
Kano civil servants too
Kano State civil servants are also hopeful that they will go home with the new salary this month.
Governor Abba Yusuf has already approved N71,000 as minimum wage.
Chairman of NLC in the state, Comrade Kabiru Inuwa, said the union was in negotiations with government on the payment of arrears and extension to retired workers.
“They (civil servants) will be paid their N71,000 minimum wage this November,” he said.
“We are in negotiations over payment of arrears. For retirees, we are also on their matter. We are holding talks,” Inuwa said.
The NLC state chairman said there are some workers in the state whose pay is as low as N5,000 but the union is negotiating to improve their wages.
“We are on top of all this,” he said.
Osun workers in limbo
Employees of the Osun State government are not sure of anything regarding the minimum wage despite assurances by agents of government that it will abide by the law on the matter.
The committee set up by the state government on consequential adjustment is still working, The Nation gathered in Osogbo.
Unlike other state governors, Governor Ademola Adeleke has not announced how much the state government is willing to pay.
Chairman of the NLC in the state, Comrade Chris Arapasopo could not be reached for comments.
[TheNation]
The Federal Government’s budget deficit has risen to 7.5 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product as of August 2024, reflecting a significant widening of the gap between government revenue and expenditure.
A member of the Central Bank of Nigeria Monetary Policy Committee, Muhammad Abdullahi, disclosed this in his personal statement at the 297th MPC meeting. The document was published on the website of the central bank.
This was as the CBN economic report revealed that Nigeria’s fiscal deficit surged to N4.53tn in the second quarter of 2024, up from N3.88tn in the previous quarter.
In simple terms, a fiscal deficit happens when a government’s spending exceeds its revenue from taxes and other sources. It means the government is spending more money than it’s bringing in.
To cover this gap, the government often borrows money, which can lead to an increase in public debt.
Abdullahi said this development underscores the ongoing challenges the government faces in enhancing its revenue generation efforts.
It also signals a greater reliance on borrowing to finance the growing expenditure, raising concerns about the long-term fiscal sustainability and potential impacts on national debt levels.
Highlighting the challenges posed by the situation, the MPC member stated that the committee must remain proactive in dampening the likely consequences of the deficit, especially with the commencement of the new minimum wage payment.
He said, “The Federal Government’s fiscal operations resulted in a budget deficit of 7.6 per cent of GDP as of August 2024.
“Monetary policy must thus remain proactive in dampening the likely consequences of the deficit especially when the implementation of the new minimum wage gains traction.”
“The deficit could, however, narrow as ongoing efforts to enhance revenue generation and reduce government expenditure are expected to improve the fiscal outlook.
“The narrowing of the fiscal deficit will have positive implications for overall macroeconomic stability.”
Similarly, Senior Fellow and Director of the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution and member of the Central Bank of Nigeria Monetary Policy Committee, Aloysius Ordu, while expressing his views on fiscal policy, stated that challenges abound that are at odds with the CBN’s firm anti-inflationary stance.
“A review of the fiscal indicators for the first half of 2024 showed that FGN revenues under-performed, achieving only 37.9 per cent of the target, due largely to the deficit in FAAC receipts.
“Recurrent spending exceeded targets, largely due to debt service payments, while spending on the capital account continued to underperform. As of mid-2024, the overall fiscal deficit exceeded budget projections by over 85 per cent, emphasizing the need to re-prioritize spending in favour of much-needed capital projects. It also emphasizes the need for the CBN to avoid monetizing the deficit,” he stated.
Also, the Deputy Governor for Operations at the Central Bank of Nigeria, and member of the Central Bank of Nigeria Monetary Policy Committee, Emem Usoro, emphasised that “other pressure points 20 for price stability include, the widening fiscal deficit occasioned by fiscal stress from the revenue side, exchange rate fluctuations emanating from seasonal effects and supply constraints, and climatic factors which have exacerbated supply chain disruptions.”
Also speaking on the issue of revenue generation, the immediate past Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission and member of the Central Bank of Nigeria Monetary Policy Committee, Lamido Yuguda, stated that revenue generation remains a daunting challenge for the FGN.
“From January to June, the retained revenue showed a significant (33.31 per cent) improvement over the corresponding period in 2023, but fell 62.10 per cent short of the target for the period.”
“This low revenue base underscores the poor fiscal performance in the period, as provisional numbers show that the level of fiscal deficit at mid-year (January to June 2024) is already 91.94 per cent of the projected amount for 2024,’ he concluded.
In the economic report, the CBN said the deficit in the first six months saw a notable rise, and the federal government’s revenue remittance increased only marginally to N2.3tn.
This figure represents a 57.66 per cent increase from the first quarter but still falls 52.49 per cent short of the target for the period, prompting a heavy reliance on deficit financing.
The report also highlights that while the government gains from foreign exchange revenue due to naira devaluation, its overall expenditure expanded significantly to N6.83tn, driven largely by high-interest payments on loans and other financial obligations.
This marks a 27.79 per cent increase from the previous quarter, with recurrent expenditures dominating the spending.
The data shows that 89.7 per cent of the federal government’s expenditure was on recurrent costs, while capital and transfer payments accounted for just 3.66 per cent and 6.37 per cent, respectively.
[Punch]