Veteran journalist, Dele Momodu, has accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, of causing crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Labour Party, LP, and New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.

Momodu said APC was orchestrating crisis within the opposition to weaken them.

In an interview with Arise Television, the PDP chieftain accused APC of pushing Nigeria towards a one-party state.

According to Momodu: “Nigeria is obviously moving in a direction of a one-party state.

“The ruling party, APC, is so scared of opposition that right now crisis are being orchestrated from party to party, especially the leading opposition parties like PDP, Labour Party, and NNPP. It’s obvious what is going on.”

He further expressed concern about the uncertainty surrounding the situation, stating, “no one is in doubt about that. How this would end, I have no idea. So, we are watching.”

Stressing that power is transient, Momodu cautioned those currently aligned with the APC.

“The maximum they would do is eight years, so after that, what next? It’s not about how long, it’s about how well.

“That’s why I’m advising a lot of people now who are holding onto Asiwaju; he would think they love him—No!

“It’s self-preservation because they lost out in one party, they ran to Asiwaju, and now they are using him as an umbrella when they should be holding

the broom,” he said.

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero, has again rejected the proposed 50 percent hike in telecom tariffs by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, in collaboration with telecom operators.

Naija News reports that Ajaero, in an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, asserted that any increase must be accompanied by genuine stakeholder engagement to explore sustainable alternatives that do not jeopardize Nigerians’ livelihoods.

While questioning the rationale behind the proposed hike, particularly given the significant growth of the telecom sector over the years, Ajaero described the move as an undue burden on Nigerians already grappling with rising inflation, high transportation costs, increased electricity tariffs, and the general economic downturn.

The NLC President further emphasized that the proposed tariff hike would worsen inflation and aggravate the economic hardship faced by millions of Nigerians.

He said: “When GSM operators began operations in Nigeria, the subscriber base was below 50,000. Today, the market has expanded to over 200 million active lines. Despite this, the sector is claiming it cannot sustain operations without a 50% increase in tariffs. This reasoning does not align with the reality of their profitability.

“Increasing tariffs in the telecom sector, like in the power sector, creates a vicious cycle of inflation. Nigerians, who are already bearing the brunt of economic pressures, cannot afford to shoulder another burden.

“The principle of stakeholder consultation is central to tariff modeling. Unfortunately, this has been ignored. Decisions of this magnitude cannot be made without input from key stakeholders, including labor unions, civil society organizations, and consumers.

“Our position is clear, any increase must be equitable and based on genuine consultation. We cannot accept arbitrary figures imposed without due consideration of their impact on the populace.

“We will consult with labour unions, civil society organizations, and Nigerians at large to determine the best course of action. A boycott is one of the many tools at our disposal, but the final decision will be inclusive and reflective of the collective will of Nigerians.”

The Federal Government has announced ongoing plans to fully transition all examinations in Nigeria to 100 percent computer-based testing (CBT) by the year 2027.

Naija News reports that this development was announced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, during the inauguration of the Committee on Improvement of Quality Examinations in Nigeria, held in Abuja on Thursday, January 23.

Alausa stated that the committee has been assigned the critical task of addressing significant challenges within the education sector, standardizing examination practices, and ensuring both fairness and quality in assessments.

He underscored the government’s dedication to combating prevalent examination malpractices and improving the overall quality of educational evaluations in the country.

The minister noted that addressing examination leakages necessitates a comprehensive approach, as students are not the sole offenders in these malpractices.

He pointed out that parents also play a role in perpetuating examination malpractices by encouraging their children, while teachers, school principals, and examination supervisors are equally responsible for the increasing incidence of such misconduct in the nation.

“So, we’re planning that by 2027, all our exams will be computer-based. We will work so hard to ensure that that happens. We have to use technology to help our endeavour.

“The committee will also be working with local swapping of candidates.

“There are multiple participants in exam practices. From the student to parents, teachers, principals, to even people regulating and supervising exam conduct.

“During this change, a lot of areas of compromises will happen. There will be people investigating and regulating the exams,” the Minister stated.

Alausa delineated several objectives that the committee was established to accomplish, which include the eradication of examination leakages, tackling identity theft in assessments, and enhancing the supervision of examinations.

He emphasized the necessity of transitioning to computer-based examinations by the year 2027 and addressing the issue of local candidate swapping during assessments.

He indicated that this initiative would be facilitated by the government’s significant investment in education under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, with a pronounced emphasis on human capital development.

Additionally, the minister revealed that examination certificates would now incorporate three essential identifiers: national identification numbers, photographs of candidates, and birthdates, to ensure the integrity of the results.

He characterized examination malpractice as an escalating concern, cautioning that its continuation would jeopardize the efforts of dedicated students who are striving for self-improvement.

“I’ve mandated all the registrars of our examination bodies, such as WAEC, NECO and NAPTEB that by their next examinations scheduled for May, June and July, there will be three identifiers on the certificates they issue.

“These identifiers will be the national identification number of the candidates, picture of the candidate on the certificates and their date of birth.

“By having these three identifiers, we will ensure almost 100 per cent certainty in identifying candidates,” he stated.

Responding, the Chairman of the committee, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, thanked the Federal Government for the confidence reposed in him and other members of the committee in carrying out the national assignment.

Oloyede, who is the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), pledged to carry out the assignment dutifully and promptly

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has described the service-based tariff, which assigns electricity users to different bands according to the service delivered by distribution companies, as the highest form of fraud.

Naija News reports that the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, during a budget defence session at the National Assembly this week, claimed that 90 percent of electricity users in Band A have confirmed getting the benefit of being in the category, stressing that more customers would be migrated to Band A to enjoy electricity for longer hours.

However, Ajaero, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, questioned the idea of migrating customers from one band to another.

The labour leader also questioned why some people should be in Band A and others in lower bands, saying the practice is discriminatory.

He said, “Now the ministry is talking about migrating from Band A to Band B, that is the highest level of 419 one can think of.

“Who is in Band A and who is in Band B? Is it based on geographical area that you have Band A or Band B or is it based on the dictates of the provider?

“In countries of the world that are targeting 24 hours power supply, why would somebody be talking about Band A or Band B? How would it happen? So, that idea is concocted to make money unnecessarily and say people are migrated.”

Ajaero also criticized the Federal Government for including provisions in the 2025 budget for power distribution companies, which are supposedly private companies.

He said that the money the government wants to use to improve the power sector should be used for something else, while the money generated by private-owned power companies should be used to run their companies