The federal government has insisted that the planned strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against the removal of the petrol subsidy and the high cost of living in the country is a violation of an existing court order.

On Wednesday, NLC issued a seven-day ultimatum to the federal government to reverse all “anti-poor” and “insensitive” policies.

The policies, the union said, include the recent hike in the price of petrol, and the sudden increase in public school fees, among others.

However, the federal government said the union is restrained by an order of the national industrial court from embarking on any strike regarding the removal of petrol subsidy.

Commenting on the issue, Femi Falana, a human writes lawyer, said the strike action does not translate into contempt of court.

In a letter addressed to Beatrice Jedy-Agba, solicitor-general of the federation, Falana said the court or any other organ had not granted an order of interim, interlocutory or perpetual injunction restraining Nigerian workers from participating in peaceful rallies convened by the NLC.

He argued that it is the constitutional right of workers to protest peacefully.

However, in another letter on Monday, the solicitor-general asked Falana to advise the union to shelve the planned strike.

She said the subject matter which is the major cause of the strike is subjudice.

Jedy-Agba also stated that from the communique issued by the NLC, the planned strike goes beyond a peaceful protest as it intends to “ground the government by endangering public peace, instilling fear in the masses”.

“We assert that it is grossly inappropriate to lead a public protest in respect of issues relating to or connected with the fuel price increase, which are currently before the court,” she said.

“From the communique, it is apparent that the current move by NLC goes beyond peaceful protest by issuing a seven-day ultimatum for government to meet its demands and also embark on a nationwide action to compel the government to reverse alleged anti-worker policies.

“Furthermore, uncontroverted media reports have established that NLC is not planning a peaceful protest but intends to ground the government by endangering public peace, instilling fear in the masses, precipitating a further crisis.”

Jedy-Agba also cited statements by the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) in which they indicated interest to join the strike action.

“We reiterate that the interim order clearly restrained NLC from embarking on industrial action of any nature,” the solicitor-general stated.

“It is common knowledge that a strike is only a form of industrial action. NLC has expressed the intention to embark on a nationwide action to force the government (employer) to agree to its demands.

“Furthermore, the participation of workers in the protest will result in restriction or limitation on or a delay in the performance of work.

“The foregoing, inclusive of the purported peaceful protest (in view of its intended aims or purposes), undoubtedly amounts to industrial action. It is incumbent on your law firm to sensitize the labour unions that peaceful protests are no justification for disrupting or shutting down essential services, which is tantamount to strike action.”

House of Representatives, on Tuesday, directed that the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force and the Police as well as all the intelligence agencies, among other stakeholders, appear before it on Wednesday.

Chairman, Ad-hoc Committee probing employment racketeering and gross mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) by agencies of the Federal Government, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, handed down the directive in Abuja.

Hon. Gagdi who expressed displeasure over the absence though they were duly invited, said: “Let me say this to all agencies we have invited, I think we need to read their names clearly here.

“They are the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, the Nigerian Communication Commission, the Nigerian Post Services, the Nigerian frequency management Council, Galaxy Backbone, National Identity Management Commission, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Fire Service, Nigerian Police Force, Defence Intelligence Agency, State Security Service, National Intelligence Agency, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Airforce, Nigerian Navy must appear tomorrow (Wednesday) since they have failed to appear today. This is the ruling of the committee,” Hon  Gagdi said.

In her presentation, the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) who also denied allegations that her office was engaging in the enrolment of ghost workers for personal gains, disclosed that her office is working hard to fish out ghost workers who existed in the system before the introduction of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.

She said: “Having realised that this is a system that needs to be reviewed, on my assumption of duty, I met a series of issues around IPPIS and that made me organize stakeholders with all the service providers around the IPPIS, where the service providers came and made presentations, questions were asked.

“The stakeholders meeting ran for two weeks where all the service providers were scheduled for each day and came with their technical hands while the technical team of the OAGF was also on the ground where we were discussing a series of issues about the system.

“And after the meeting, we further broke down into technical committees where a series of issues identified from the stakeholders’ meeting was subjected to further discussions.

“I have just received an interim report of this meeting, which we are looking at to see how we address all the issues that are emanating from this engagement to enable us to take further action on the management of the IPPIS.”

She said only 640 out of over 900 agencies of the Federal Government were captured on the IPPIS.

“As of today we have 640 MDAs registered on the IPPIS, enrolled on the IPPIS, because there are some that are not on the IPPIS like all the security agencies, federal government-owned enterprises that generate revenue, they are not on IPPIS.

“Then self-funding agencies are not on IPPIS. Some parastatals that have different arrangements for the payment of their salaries like those that are receiving first-line transfers like the National Assembly are not on the IPPIS and so many others like that.

“So, if we put the number of those outside IPPIS, it may get to over 900. Except if an Act of the National Assembly makes it compulsory that all government agencies must be on IPPIS..”

Also testifying before the Ad-hoc Committee, IPPIS Director, Mr. Emma Deko, accused some universities of sending more names than required to be captured on the system.

“We are all aware of the issue of ASUU. We were told to enroll them and the enrolment did not pass through the normal process because it was an ad hoc thing. It was an emergency.

“They refused to come on board. But when the government persuaded them to come on. We were asked to enroll them without going through the process. So I want to place on record that some of them were given numbers to enroll. To enroll people who were on their payroll prior to that time.

“But in a bid to increase their payroll, some of them enrolled more than what was previously on their payroll. For instance, if somebody is told to enroll 1,000, they enroll 1,300 or 1,4000. And it is only for 1,000 that the Budget Office provided money for that would be paid.

“I want to give an instance, the University College Hospital, Ibadan. Our staff went there to enroll what was approved. They were held hostage. They were forced to enroll everybody and you know that to protect themselves, it is only someone who is alive that can come back to tell you the story.

“So, they played and enrolled everybody but when we came back, we had to payroll only what money is provided in the budget.”

[Tribune]

The senate has commenced screening of 14 of President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominees.

The process commenced on Monday after David Umahi, deputy majority leader, moved a motion to that effect.

14 nominees, including Nyesom Wike, immediate past governor of Rivers, were screened on Monday.

Last week, the president sent a list of 28 ministerial nominees to the senate for confirmation.

Umahi, former governor of Ebonyi and Wale Edun, a former commissioner of finance in Lagos, have just been screened.

Others to be screened today are Nasir el-Rufai, immediate past governor of Kaduna; and Dele Alake, special adviser to the president, special duties, communications and strategy.

See the full list of nominees scheduled for screening today.

David Umahi (Ebonyi)
Adebayo Olawale Edun (Ogun)
Nasir el-rufai CON (Kaduna)
Ahmed Musa Dangiwa (Katsina)
Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji (Enugu)
Stella Okotete (Delta)
Dele Alake (Ekiti)
Adebayo Adelabu (Oyo)
Muhammad Idris (Niger)
Professor Ali Pate Bauchi
Doris Anite Uzoka (Imo)
Lateef Fagbemi SAN (Kwara)
Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo (Akwa Ibom)
Barr Hannatu Musawa (Katsina)

The special adviser on monetary policy to President Bola Tinubu and Ministerial nominee has said the current exchange rate of the naira to the dollar is not backed by fundamentals of the Nigerian economy but by speculation.  

Chief Edun made this known while appearing before the Senate for confirmation and fielding questions from senators.  

Exchange rate not backed by fundamentals 

While answering questions from the senate minority leader on the exchange rate, he said  

• “What I can say is this, for a country that has revenue flows from oil, remittances, and other non-oil exports of over $100 billion yearly, there is no reason that there is not a stable exchange rate.
•  “All other things being equal, the current N860/$ we are seeing today is not backed up by fundamentals of the Nigerian economy.”  

Speaking further, the likely finance minister said speculators and the mismanagement, inefficiency and corruption of the previous administration have created an overhand of unpaid dollar bills which is responsible for the pressure on the exchange rate.  

He noted the Tinubu administration hopes to resolve this by raising revenues, attracting investment and equity funds and not debt. 

Exchange rate should be N700/$ 

When speaking on the likely exchange rate after their policies have been rolled into action, he said  

• “It is difficult to predict because the exchange market takes up a psychology of their own. I would just like to warn that all the models are showing that the fundamental value of the naira should be somewhere around N700/$.’’ 

He further warned speculators to be cautious that as liquidity flows in and rates go down, there is a chance they’ll lose their bets. “It is just a warning,” he said.  

Mr. Edun also used the opportunity to argue for a separation between the office of the accountant-general of the federation and the accountant-general of the federal government saying that has been his position for a long time.  

Subsidy and palliatives 

• On subsidy and distribution of money to the poor, the President’s special adviser said “The removal of subsidy and elimination of multiple exchange windows has put us in a strong position going forward”  
• For palliative, he said, “A digital identity for every Nigerian is what is needed and what tis recommended for us. The condition attached to the $800 million world bank loan states so”  

What you should know

President Bola Tinubu appointed Chief Wale Edun as his special adviser on monetary policy and also a Ministerial nominee by the President.

Many tout the President may likey assign Chief Edun as the country’s finance Minister owing to his background in economics, monetary policy, investment banking and development finance.

He was also commissioner of finance in Lagos during the tenure of the Tinubu administration.  

[Nairametrics]

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), misplaced his two mobile phones at the tribunal session in Abuja on Tuesday.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that Obi was accompanied by his running mate, Ahmed Baba-Ahmed, award-winning novelist Chimamanda Adichie, and other political associates.

Obi, dressed in his usual black attire, sat close to Baba-Ahmed throughout the court’s proceeding.

In a video which has gone viral, Obi was seen searching for his phones, which he allegedly misplaced.

“I came in with two of them (phones) here,” he told Datti, who sought to know what was wrong.

It was after the court’s proceedings in his petition challenging the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election that Obi discovered that his mobile phone was missing.

However, a source later confirmed that the phones were found, TheCable reports.

Peter Obi and his party, Labour Party, are contesting the election victory of President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Election Petition Court.

[PoliticsNigeria]

Many Nigerians are urging caution over last week’s resolution of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Authority of Heads of State and Government in handling the military coup in Niger Republic.

DAILY POST reported that the ECOWAS gave General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the mastermind of the coup in Niger Republic seven days to return power to the ousted President Mohammed Bazoom.

The decision formed part of resolutions reached during the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government emergency meeting held in Abuja.

DAILY POST also learnt that other resolutions at the end of the meeting included a stern warning that if the coup plotters failed to restore political stability in seven days, ECOWAS might use force. The regional body also directed member states’ chiefs of defence staff to meet immediately.

As announced by Omar Alieu-Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, the leaders ordered the closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS countries and Niger, including the imposition of a no-fly zone on all commercial flights to and from Niger.

He also announced on behalf of the organisation the suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Niger, including freezing all service transactions, energy transactions, and freezing the assets of the Republic of Niger in ECOWAS Central Banks.

“ECOWAS condemn in the strongest terms, the attempted overthrow of constitutional order in Niger, and the illegal detention of His Excellency President Mohammed Bazoum, President and head of state of Niger, as well as members of his family and government.

“Consider the illegal detention of President Mohammed Bazoum as a hostage situation and hold the authors of the attempted coup d’etat solely and fully responsible for the safety and security of His Excellency President Mohammed Bazoum, as well as members of his family and government.

“In the event the authorities’ demands are not met within one week. Take all measures necessary to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger. Such measures may include the use of force. For this effect, the chiefs of defence staff of ECOWAS are to meet immediately,” part of the resolution read.

At the summit were the following heads of state and government and mandated representatives: His Excellency President Patrice Talon, President of the Republic of Benin, President Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire. Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of the Gambia. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana.

Others are General Omar Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló, President of the Republic of Guinea Bissau. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, President Faure Gnassingbé of the Togolese Republic. The representative of the President of the Republic of Cape Verde, the representative of the President of the Republic of Liberia, the representative of President Bazoom, the President and Head of State of the Republic of Niger, the representative of President Julius Maada Wonie Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

Others include Omar Al Turia, President of the ECOWAS; Musa Faki Muhammad, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; Leonardo Santos Simão, who was special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel and Head of Universe, including Mr Job, President of the Commission of UMR.

But in a dangerous turn of events, military-ruled Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea have declared their support for the coup in Niger, daring any threat of attack against the junta republic.

In a joint statement on Monday, Burkina Faso and Mali warned that any military intervention against Niamey would be considered a declaration of war against their nations.

The warning was read out on their national broadcasters a day after ECOWAS threatened to use force to reinstate Niger’s deposed President Mohamed Bazoum should the coup plotters not comply after seven days.

They described sanctions imposed on Niger as “illegal, illegitimate and inhumane against the people and authorities of Niger hence will not apply them.”

However, some Nigerians have expressed dissenting views over the possibility of military intervention in the Niger Republic, warning that Nigeria should not be drawn into what they have described as a proxy war.

Some believe any armed invasion of the Niger Republic is simply a war between Nigeria and Niger because of their proximity.

Speaking to DAILY POST in an interview on Tuesday, a former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Barrister Mike Ejiofor, stated that he believes Tinubu will rely more on negotiation and diplomacy to save the situation in the Niger Republic.

Ejiofor warned that the nation is already grappling with its economic and political challenges and might not have resources to waste as it did in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

However, the security expert advised politicians to be conscious, accountable, and responsive to their citizens’ yearnings, pointing out that bad governance gives rise to military coups.

“The whole world is moving forward in terms of democracy, but you can see that in the West African sub-region, we are moving backwards with coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and now in Niger. The one of Niger even has ominous signs for Nigeria because it is a neighbouring country.

“The ECOWAS’s Heads of State and Government, where our President is the chairman, has given the juntas seven days within which to relinquish power and restore democracy, or they face military action.

“I believe such action should be well thought out because in as much as we condemn military coups, it is bad governance that is giving rise to all these military coups.

“We have seen how the people are reacting, even burning down political party offices and attacking politicians; that shows you the anger of the people.

“So, it is a lesson that our politicians should be conscious and accountable to the people and be responsive to the yearning of the people. It is not only a coup you can see, you can even see an uprising worse than a coup.

“I think the signs are not good, but the government and the ECOWAS should also think this thing through because eventually, if military action is embarked upon, they are going to rely heavily on Nigeria. We have our own economic and political challenges. We don’t have such resources like they wasted in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

“What are our foreign interests if you are going to embark on forceful eviction of the junta?

“I believe that the government of President Tinubu will rely more on negotiation and diplomacy to save the situation.”

On his part, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adamu Garba, alleged that the United States and France have set a trap for the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, to go into a total war in the region.

According to Garba, any mistake of military intervention in Niger might spell doom for Nigeria.

He expressed his view via his verified Twitter handle on Sunday.

Garba urged President Bola Tinubu to be courageous enough to resist pressure from France and U.S. for the ECOWAS to wage any military action against Niger but instead opt for a non-kinetic and diplomatic approach.

“The West, under France and the U.S., have perfectly set a TRAP for ECOWAS to go into a total war in the region. Any mistake of military intervention in Niger means we are done with it.

“President Tinubu must be courageous enough to resist French and U.S pressure on ECOWAS to wage any military action against Niger. We must use a non-kinetic, diplomatic approach.

“If we make the mistake of involving military means in Niger, we may end up inviting more internal problems to ourselves and to the effort we made so hard in building a democratic government in place,” Garba said.

On his part, a former lawmaker and social critic, Shehu Sani warned that Nigeria must not support any armed invasion of the Niger Republic, listing thirteen reasons in his statement to support his argument.

Sani urged Tinubu not to allow himself to be pushed to initiate and trigger a war with a neighbouring country and later be left stranded.

He insisted that no West African country has the military capability to start or sustain a war with the Niger Republic.

He said, “President Tinubu should not allow himself to be pushed to initiate and trigger a war with a neighbouring country and later be left stranded.

“No west African country has any military capability to start or sustain a war with the Niger Republic; everyone will be relying on Nigeria.”

The social critic also added that Niger had been helpful to Nigeria in the fight against terrorist groups and that the country is currently hosting over 303 thousand Nigerian refugees, warning that this could be in danger in the event of war.

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Daniel Bwala, has urged Tinubu to exercise caution and discretion on how he approaches the coup in the Niger Republic.

Bwala, a former federal lawmaker, insisted that Nigeria does not want military intervention anywhere in Africa, advising him to resist by all means the temptation to send soldiers to Niger but instead engage in diplomacy.

“Mr President should exercise caution and discretion on the Niger coup and how to approach it. One fact is clear; we don’t want military intervention anywhere in Africa. No matter how imperfect democracy is, we shall force its growth through citizenship engagement.

“PBAT should avoid being drawn into what appears to be a proxy war. The temptation to send soldiers to Niger should be resisted by all means. Peace in Niger is strategic to our national security. Engage through diplomacy; use the power of economic, trade, travel sanctions etc., but avoid militarization of diplomacy,” Bwala said.

[DailyPost]

Burkina Faso and Mali have warned that any military intervention in Niger to restore deposed President Mohamed Bazoum will be considered a “declaration of war against their two countries”.

The warning from Niger’s military-ruled neighbours came a day after West African leaders, supported by their Western partners, threatened to use “force” to reinstate the democratically elected Bazoum and slapped financial sanctions on the putschists.

In a joint statement, the governments of Burkina Faso and Mali warned that “any military intervention against Niger would be tantamount to a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali.”

They said the “disastrous consequences of a military intervention in Niger… could destabilise the entire region.”

They also said they “refuse to apply” the “illegal, illegitimate and inhumane sanctions against the people and authorities of Niger.”

This came as the Russian Federation also advised the Economic Community of West African States against the use of military intervention in the Niger crisis.

In response to an inquiry by The PUNCH, Russia’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Alexei Shebarshin, advised the use of constitutional means in restoring peace to the West African country.

In a short response, the Russian ambassador said, “Russia opposes a military solution to the conflict, Russia has no plans to use its armed forces in Niger. The people of Niger should solve their problems independently in a constitutional manner without any resort to force or threat to use it.”

At an emergency summit on Sunday, ECOWAS demanded that Bazoum be reinstated within a week, failing which it would take “all measures” to restore constitutional order.

“Such measures may include the use of force for this effect,” it said in a statement.

The bloc also slapped financial sanctions on the junta leaders and the country, freezing “all commercial and financial transactions” between member states and Niger, one of the world’s poorest nations, which often ranks last on the UN’s Human Development Index.

Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Femi Falana, also called on the authority of the Economic Community of West African States not to attack Niger Republic as a whole but impose sanctions on the military junta.

He said, “Apart from suspending Niger from ECOWAS, the leaders of the sub-regional body should refrain from attending international conferences with coup plotters as was recently witnessed during the recently concluded Russia-Africa Summit held in St. Petersburg, Russia.”

Falana made the calls in a paper titled “Unconstitutional Change of Governments: the Role of Bar Associations”, delivered today at a 2-day conference of the West African Bar Association in Accra, Ghana.

Niger’s junta on Monday accused France of seeking to “intervene militarily” to reinstate Bazoum, which French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna denied, according to AFP.

“It’s wrong,” Colonna told France’s BFM news channel of the allegation, adding it was still “possible” to return the president to power.

“And it’s necessary because destabilisation is perilous for Niger and its neighbours,” she said Monday evening.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday vowed “immediate and uncompromising” action if French citizens or interests were attacked, after thousands rallied outside the French embassy in Niamey. Some tried to enter the compound but were dispersed by tear gas.

Russia has called for the swift return of “the rule of law” and “restraint from all parties” in Niger.

Macron has spoken to Bazoum several times as well as to regional leaders, the presidential palace in Paris said.

Meanwhile, Italy’s foreign minister on Tuesday said the government would arrange a special flight to repatriate nationals from Niamey, the capital of Niger, after a military takeover took place in the African state.

“The Italian government has decided to offer our fellow citizens in Niamey the chance to leave the city on a special flight to Italy,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani posted on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

In remarks sent to Reuters via his office, Tajani said the Italian embassy remained open and the ambassador was returning to Niger from Rome where she went for the U.N. Food Systems summit last week.

Also, France prepared to evacuate hundreds of French and European citizens from Niger on Tuesday, a day after neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso said any outside intervention to restore the ousted government would be seen as a declaration of war, a report by global news agency, Reuters said on Tuesday.

Bazoum — a Western ally whose election just over two years ago marked Niger’s first peaceful transition of power since independence from France in 1960 — was toppled on July 26 by the elite Presidential Guard.

In Mali, a 2020 putsch led to a bust-up with France, which last year withdrew its troops as the junta brought in Russian paramilitaries.

France also quit Burkina Faso after two coups last year brought in a junta that adopted a nationalist line.

The withdrawals prompted France to reconfigure its decade-long anti-jihadist strategy in the Sahel, concentrating on Niger, where it fields 1,500 troops with a major air base near Niamey.

[Punch]

THE Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has insisted that today’s protest against fuel subsidy removal would hold, as talks with the Federal Government on short-term palliatives collapsed yesterday.

This came as the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, warned that police would not tolerate any violent protest called by the NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC.

The Federal Government had, at yesterday’s meeting of Presidential Steering Committee on Palliatives, pleaded with labour to shelve the planned protest, saying it was doing everything possible to address its concerns.

The IGP’s warning came on a day the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, directed its affiliates and the 36 state councils to fully participate in the protest.

This is even as Pro-labour civil society groups, under the aegis of the Joint Action Front, JAF, and Campaign for Democratic Workers Rights, CDWR, asked members across the country to mobilise and join the protest.

Recall that the Nigeria labour Congress, NLC, had earlier directed it affiliates nationwide to also mobilise for the protest scheduled for today

But the IGP said the warning became necessary because of the ugly experiences of such protests in most major cosmopolitan cities in the country in the past.

Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, who disclosed the IGP’s warning in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, said: “The Acting Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, is deeply concerned about recent developments regarding planned nationwide protests by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC.

“While being mindful of the right to peaceful protest, as enshrined in our constitution, the IGP urges all parties involved to ensure that the planned demonstrations are conducted in a peaceful manner to prevent being hijacked by miscreants.

“The IGP, however, acknowledges the grievances raised by the labour unions and the importance of constructive dialogue, which is sine qua none, in addressing these issues.

“In light of this, the IGP orders the Commissioners of Police in charge of various commands, and supervisory Assistant Inspectors-General of Police, to engage in fruitful discussions with the NLC/TUC leadership to foster understanding and reach common grounds on the planned protests.

“A peaceful and coordinated approach is crucial to achieving meaningful solutions and preventing any form of violence or disruptions to public order, should the protests persist.

“The Nigeria Police Force reiterates its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all citizens during the period of the planned protests as all necessary measures to facilitate the peaceful conduct of these demonstrations have been emplaced.

“However, it is hereby reaffirmed that any attempt by miscreants to exploit the situation for violent purposes viz-a-viz vandalism, gangsterism, and extortion will be met with firm, professional and commensurate lawful approach.

“The Police will not tolerate any act that threatens the peace and well-being of our country. In the light of the potential challenges posed by the planned protests, the Nigeria Police Force is fully prepared to deploy all available resources to maintain law and order and to protect the lives and property of our citizens.

“The IGP, therefore, calls on all officers to be vigilant, professional, and uphold the highest standards of conduct during this period.

“The Police boss urges all stakeholders, including the NLC, TUC, and other civil society groups, to embrace peaceful dialogue as the most effective means of resolving grievances

“He also re-emphasized that the Police is committed to ensuring a secure and conducive environment for open dialogue, constructive engagement and mutaul understanding for a seamless exercise of civil rights.”

FG appeals to labour to suspend protest

The IGP’s warning notwithstanding, the federal government pleaded with organised labour to suspend the proposed strike, saying it was doing everything to ensure the hardship occasioned by the petrol subsidy removal was sorted out.

But the organised labour said the palliatives rolled out by the President in his nationwide broadcast on Monday night, was very insignificant to cushion the effect of the suffering in the country.
This is as the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero was conspicuously absent at the meeting.

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, specifically said it was going ahead with the proposed national protest on Wednesday.

Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Presidential Steering Committee on Palliatives held at the State House, Abuja, the Chief of Staf to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, appealed to organised labour to suspend the planned protest.

He said: “We have laid out the plans, the interventions of Mr. President, as you all heard in his broadcast yesterday (Monday), we made it clear that this was just Mr. President’s initial rollout and interventions and that conversations will be ongoing as we go along.

“We appealed to Labour, we did appeal to labour to call off the protests for tomorrow (today). We found listening ears here and they did agree that they all accepted that Mr. President’s broadcast was a welcome development and that they will go back home to talk to the other leaders that are not present today (yesterday). ‘’So we’re hopeful that they will do the right thing and call off the strike tomorrow.”

However, the NLC, led by its Deputy President, Comrade Titus Amba, said there was nothing new, apart from the broadcast of President Bola Tinubu, that was presented to the committee, adding that the palliatives as rolled out by the President in his broadcast could not remedy anything.

Briefing journalists on the outcome of the meeting, the TUC President, Festus Osifo said: “We told Nigerians that we’ll be meeting today (yesterday) by 12 noon, so we came here much later. We had the conversation, and again the government team told us that what the President has put on the table is more or less like a starting point, and it’s a baseline.

“So we on our path also said yes, that we would have been surprised if that is everything that will be put forward because for us, we felt there are some gaps. For us, we felt that the President has said that N1 trillion has been saved in the last two months, that what has been proposed is not far-reaching.

“For us, you know, as part of the principle of negotiations, when anything is put on the table, you accept, but you push for more. So, on our part, we said what has been put on the table is not sufficient, it’s not enough, and that they can do more.

“So part of what we put forward was that, we will look at those things the President highlighted. We think, for example, that 3000 CNG buses are not sufficient, we think it is not sufficient. By the time you divide 3000 by 37, you can see how many they can come up to, so it’s not sufficient, it’s grossly inadequate.

“We also think that some of the measures put on the table are not far-reaching. So we are also going to demand for what we think will do, so if we think 30,000 buses could do it or 40,000 buses could do it in the immediate.

“Yes, we’ll push it forward. So those were all the conversations that we had. Then on the government part, they also appealed that we should shelve the protests. Our response was that we are going to go back this evening (yesterday) and also have a conversation around that and you will hear from us at the end of that conversation.

Asked the position of labour on minimum wage increase, Osifo said: “On our part, what we’re demanding was wage award. For example, you’ve heard some states that have said we’re paying N40,000 minimum wage, so more or less they are the ones giving it. It is not the law, they are doing above the minimum wage.

‘’So for us, we felt the federal government could on their own, do above the minimum wage without much conversation, because the committee on the minimum wage has not been constituted.

“But what we have been advocating on the part of labour is wage award that doesn’t have bureaucracies, that doesn’t have much issues around the law, because the law that prescribed minimum wage said five years.

“Until you amend that, no other thing can kick in. But we said for the immediate, let government come out just as some state governments have announced that paying N40,000. Some say N50,000, so they should do something like that.

“We have also heard some state say that they are going to pay PMS allowance of XYZ amount. So those are the wage awards that we are thinking and we are pushing governments to do. What they have proposed like you have heard the President say yesterday, we are taking that as a baseline. We believe strongly that the President, the state governments should do more.”

Protest ‘ll hold, NLC insists

On his part, the Deputy President of NLC, Titus Amba, when asked whether the proposed protest will still hold today, he answered in the affirmative.

He told journalists: “We’re on the same page, like the TUC national president said. Yeah, we met today (yesterday), and we discussed based on what we all left yesterday, with the mind of coming back today. We all listened to the President’s speech with an appeal that time should be given to this very government.

“We sat down, analysed it very, very well, and we came up with some issues, which I believe you heard from the TUC President where he said the president of this country did mention that within two months, the government of Nigeria was able to save at least N1trillion from subsidy removal.

“To the ordinary Nigerian out there, he will conclude that there are a lot of funds kept because of this subsidy issue. So why can’t this monies be made available to cushion the suffering and yearning of all Nigerians. So these were some of the things we discussed.

“We also said the 3000 buses proposed to be made available are not sufficient. If you divide 3,000 by the number of states we have, it won’t take us anywhere. So, the government came with an appeal of shifting the intended protest tomorrow. “

On the plea for the suspension of the protest, he said: “We said no, it is not something we can discuss here, because we have other organs of the union that we have to go back to for them to look at it critically.

‘’The truth is that every Nigerian out there is boiling and waiting to see what will come out of this very meeting.

“We had to go back and maybe make a presentation to them that this is what the government has said and this is what we’re thinking, how we should go about it. So this is the decision we have now.”
Asked if the protest still would hold, he simply said “Yes, of course.”

On the absence of the NLC President, Comrade Amba said “he is indisposed to be sincere.”

TUC mobilises affiliates, others

Meanwhile, mobilisation for the protest continued yesterday, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, directed its affiliates and the 36 state councils to fully participate in the protest.

Similarly, Pro-labour civil society groups under the aegis of the Joint Action Front, JAF and Campaign for Democratic Workers Rights, CDWR, also directed members across the country to mobilise and join the protest.
Recall that Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, had last week directed its affiliates and 36 state councils including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, to mobilize civil society allies, market women, traders, artisans and informal sector workers among other Nigerians for the mass protest from today.

Already, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, has asked workers in all port formations, including jetties across the country, to actively participate in the protest.

TUC in a statement by the President and Secretary General, Festus Osifo and Nuhu Toro, respectively, directed all its state councils in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, to mobilise for the protest against what it described as draconian policies of the Federal Government.

While lamenting the hardship the recent removal of subsidy on petrol had inflicted on Nigerians and that though TUC was not averse to the removal of subsidy, the union insisted that measures ought to have been in place to ameliorate its effect on Nigerians before the removal.

The statement read: “Such measures include fixing of the refineries and possibly building more, functional transportation system, living wage, good medical facilities and employment. The policy was not thought through, which is why its impact is excruciating on Nigerians.

‘’Sadly, when Nigerians cried out, the Federal Government proposed a paltry N8,000 for poor families without details on the mode of payment. Annoyingly also, the same government is giving a whopping N70 billion to 469 lawmakers and N39 billion to the judiciary. Injustice and impunity cannot be tolerated.

“Three days ago, organized labour (TUC/NLC) was at the Villa for a meeting with the Federal Government to discuss further the palliatives but the government boycotted the meeting, slowing down the negotiation process. Nigerians are dying and we cannot afford to keep quiet any longer.

“The Federal Government must realise that governance goes beyond the declaration of emergency on food security. It is time to swing into action to avert starvation in the land. The government promised to attract investors when they win elections which we have not seen.

‘’The government should get investors, create more decent jobs and provide an enabling environment for investment in terms of security and others. It is when more people get employed that taxes can be paid and governments will make more money.

“The exchange rate is abysmally high and stifling businesses. This has affected the cost of production and the inflation rate. Naira should not be in a free fall. No country allows that. Nigeria is dollar-dependent and our only major source of forex is oil and painfully, we cannot refine our crude locally. ‘’The Federal Government has failed to manage its forex well and it is taking a toll on the pockets of Nigerians.

Government must come up with good monetary policies that will help investments and also empower the naira.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration has said that so far, the sum of N1trillion has been saved from the removal of subsidy in two months. If they knew the country would save that much within two months, why then borrow the sum $800million World Bank facility?

‘’It shows improper planning or it could also be that some people somewhere took advantage of the situation to rip-off the country.

“All affiliates and state councils of congress are, hereby, directed to mobilise their members for action by midnight of today, 1st August, 2023.”

JAF mobilises members

On its part, the Joint Action Front, JAF, has equally directed all members nationwide to join the protest.
Already JAF members in Kano State, yesterday, trooped into the ancient city to protest perceived anti-poor’s policies of the Federal Government, including the removal of subsidy on petrol.

JAF in a statement by Achike Chude said: “JAF supports the decision of the NLC to call Nigerian workers and poor masses out on protest, starting from Wednesday, August 2, 2023, (today) against the wicked and neoliberal policies of the President Tinubu’s government, including, the severe hike in the price of petrol and devaluation of the naira.

“JAF urges unity of the NLC and the TUC in their engagement with the Federal Government and encourages them to jointly mobilize for the Wednesday August 2nd mass action. We call on the Nigerian working people and youth to see the August 2nd date as the beginning of nationwide resistance against fuel price hike and other anti-poor policies.

“We call on the Nigerian working people, the poor masses and youth to prepare for mass action on Wednesday (today) by organizing democratically-constituted action committees in their workplaces, communities and campuses.

‘’We agree that the minimum aim of the forthcoming struggle is reversal of the criminal hike of petrol from N617 to N195, reversal of other criminal policies like fee hike in public tertiary institutions, devaluation of the naira, which has added to the untold hardships the people are facing from fuel price hike, and rejection of the planned electricity tariff increase.

‘’Others include meeting of demands of doctors, other health workers, education workers like ASUU and all other unions, adequate funding of public education, payment of all owed salaries and pension and the signing of a new National Minimum wage agreement to save working people from penury.”

CDWR backs protest

Similarly, CDWR in a statement by Rufus Olusesan and Chinedu Bosah, national chairperson and National Publicity Secretary, respectively, said: “We fully support the mass protest called by the NLC to begin on Wednesday (today).

‘’It is high-time mass actions, including a general strike, began to respond to the barrage of attacks on the living standards of already pauperized Nigerian workers and the poor masses.

“By virtue of the removal of petrol subsidy, hike in school fees, hike in taxation, devaluation of the naira, consolidation of privileges and emolument of political office holders, the Tinubu-led government and the capitalist ruling elite have declared war on workers and the poor masses.

“It is an irony for the Tinubu-led government and its apologists to tell workers and the poor masses to bear the hardship, while the rich oil marketers and political officeholders smile to the banks and continue in opulence and insane privileges.

Nigeria is too rich in human and material resources to become a country with one of the highest numbers of poor people; the problem, however, is the massive exploitation and looting by a few capitalists, in connivance with IMF, World Bank and multinational companies.

“It is a clear error on the part of the NLC and TUC leadership to enter into a palliative discussion after the government had unleashed a series of attacks on living standards. CDWR calls on the NLC leadership to stop investing hope in any palliative programme of the government.

“We call on the NLC leadership to take these planned mass actions seriously and consolidate them with a 48-hours warning general strike afterwards, should government refuse to reverse all the anti-poor policies.
‘’Labour should not allow itself to be enslaved by court orders from the bourgeois court that closes its eyes when hardship is imposed on workers and poor masses but comes alive when the people choose to resist.

‘’We call on the TUC leadership to join forces with the NLC and other pro-labour organizations in mobilizing for sustainable resistance. Labour should also lead a principled ideological struggle against capitalist policies by putting forward socialist alternatives as the only way to sustain a resistance struggle and liberate the working class and poor masses from the shackles of exploitation and poverty.”

Police responsible for the protection of Nigerians — NLC

Replying to the IGP yesterday, NLC advised the Police hierarchy to ensure there was no violence as Organized Labour and its allies begin mass protests today over the harsh economic policies of the Federal Government, saying it was the constitutional responsibility of the police to protect lives and property.

Responding to the Inspector General of Police, IGP’s threat that the force would not tolerate any form of violence during the protest nationwide, a senior officer of NLC, said “We in Organized Labour are law-abiding and decent leaders who do not believe in violence.

‘’It is the constitutional responsibility of the police to protect the lives of Nigerians and their property anywhere in the country, whether in the place of worship, at work, in the school, on the street, at home and other public and private places.

‘’We advise the IGP not to allow himself to be used to unleash mayhem on innocent Nigerians who are paying his salary and other benefits to give him the comfort he now found himself.”

[Vanguard]

FIFA has announced that the 2023 World Cup prize money will be paid directly to the players — without interference from a third party.

In a viral video on social media, Fatma Samoura, FIFA secretary-general, said the policy change is due to unpaid allowance issues involving Nigeria’s Super Falcons.

During the lead-up to the World Cup, Randy Waldrum, Falcons head coach, revealed that some players are owed “per diem and bonuses” from two years ago.

The development caused a stir and almost affected the preparation of the Nigerian players.

However, in the video, Samoura acknowledged that “things have been tough” for the Falcons.

She added that FIFA — for the first time — will monitor that match bonuses get to the players directly.

“I know that things have been tough. We have to face the realities of Nigeria. It pains me a lot. It is because of you [the Super Falcons] that, for the first time, the prize money has been ring-fenced in the history of FIFA to ensure that it goes to you,” the FIFA secretary-general said.

FIFA had announced that every player participating in the World Cup group stage will earn $30,000.

The match bonuses will increase to $60,000 in the second round of the competition.

The Falcons have qualified for the round of 16 after finishing second in group B. Every player on the team will be earning at least $60,000 for the feat.

Nigeria is billed to take on England in the second-round contest on Monday.

[TheCable]

Three decades and two years ago, General Babangida, a flamboyant and self-styled military president, hurriedly relocated the federal capital to Abuja after the failed violent coup staged by Major Gideon Gwaza Orkar in April 1990. And Aso Rock, a more befitting edifice, became the seat of power, but Nigeria was never the same ever since.

Yes, the country had suffered inexplicable leadership misfortunes before General Babangida, but moving to Aso Rock opened yet new chapters of woes unfolding in torrents and confirming the claims of Mr Rueben Abati (one-time special adviser to President Jonathan) that evil spirits rule the Villa.

Incontrovertibly, the quality of leadership from the Aso Rock Villa leaves one speechless. It appears the extraterrestrial always imposes its evil agenda on mortals who trudge that corridor of power such that one of the progenitors of leadership in the Villa was famed as the EVIL GENIUS.

Starting from the evil genius himself, General Babangida paints a picture of a smart, intelligent, renowned coup maestro and accomplished military strategist with tentacles and boys spreading across the nation, even amongst the civilian population. From a well-crafted transitional programme to return the country to civil rule, he ended up being the undertaker of the widely adjudged freest and fairest election ever, which ultimately culminated in the incarceration and death of the presumed winner, Chief MKO Abiola, in the draconian rule of the dark goggled-eyed, Gen Sani Abacha.

Indeed, the mysteries and godless interplay of the spirits seem feverishly peaked, or why would Gen Babangida annul the June 12 election and slide into national disrepute at the verge of what would have enshrined him as a national hero with a cult following? The spirits in Aso Rock made men mad!

While trying to recover from that whirlwind democracy misadventure, Gen Sani Abacha elevated the madness to a crescendo. He did not only commune with the spirits but assumed their roles and unleashed terror on the political class, and for the first-time, merciless snippers, the infamous Strike Force and Presidential Guard overran the country, yet Reuben Abati stands disparaged when he declared that Aso Rock Villa needs spiritual cleansing.

Abacha went down in history as one of the most notorious and ruthless military despots with insatiable kleptomaniac prowess second to none. The country is still gathering Abacha’s loot from around the world to date.

Sadly, the self-professed born again, former Military General and Head of State, Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo, who should know better having miraculously escaped the death row of General Abacha, had deep conversations with the spirits in the Villa who announced his messianic roles and only a third term in office will confer on him the father of the nation status. Otherwise, what business had Olusegun Obasanjo with a third term agenda, even when he had denied it, but the footprints were unmistakable. If you doubt me, ask Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, his former Vice or the former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani.

Probably the spirits hindered President Musa Yar’dua from serving out his tenure as the cold hands of infirmities seized him barely two years after he assumed office. Again, as Rueben Abati stated, Mr Death lurks around the Villa menacingly and is ready to devour like it did the wife of Obasanjo.

For me, the story of Goodluck Jonathan was a sad tale. The spirits were so trickery that they made almost the whole nation, call Mr President clueless, despite having a doctorate in his kitty. The gods went mad in this instance, as massive treachery within, opposition venom, and international community complicities booted out an incumbent president for the first time through the ballot in Nigeria. These spirits are not small boys in the realm.
If you think you have heard tales about the wonders of the spirits that rule Aso Rock, then the eight years of President Buhari will send chills down your spine. The anti-corruption czar, Mr Integrity and the custodian of national pride in terms of discipline in his first coming seem to have a brutal encounter with the spirits in the Aso Rock. In the words of respected and revered Bishop Kukah, the Buhari administration turned out the most corrupt since the turn of this democratic dispensation, and on top of that, the regime was branded the most divisive along ethnic and religious lines in our history as a people.

So, here we are at last, wondering what is the ongoing conversation between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his men and the spirits in Aso Rock Villa. So far, it appears it is a mixed grilled. It seems the fangs of the Spirits are beginning to set in but with steady and visible resistance from the power that be.

Otherwise, why would a NADECO Tinubu supervise the gymnastic of the DSS over Mr Emefiele after all he, Tinubu suffered in those dark days? Why is so much energy dissipated on this Emefiele man such that the fundamental tenants of democracy - the rule of law, are transgressed under our supposed champion of democracy and hero against the dare-deviled Abacha junta?

Yes, Nigerians demand accountability from the poorly executed Naira redesign policy foisted on us by Mr Emefiele under the direct supervision of Mr Buhari, but should this be outside the precinct of decency, decorum and the rule of law? Flaunting court orders and the bravado of a re-arrest against the pronouncement of a competent court of law is not what one will want to associate with Mr Tinubu. Haba, not him, except the gods are beginning to lay their cold hands over his mind.

True, Emefiele would have resigned under Buhari but show me one Nigerian that would have done the same under that cabal-driven government and not regret the day he was born. How come Mr Emefiele has become the fall guy or scapegoat for the sins of the Buhari administration? With accusations and counter-accusations of painted aircraft, billions of naira freighted away, oil subsidy scams, crude oil theft running into billions, and refineries enmeshed in corruption, yet the best we get is people tearing their shirts on national television about who will keep the bible clinging Emefiele? By the way, at what point do we separate the man and the orders he carried out from the commander-in-chief? Indeed, this Emefiele must die, but how convenient it is to hit the weakest.

If Mr Emefiele has committed any verifiable crime, he should face the music, but to disobey court orders under the watch of this President, a Democrat and one touted as the most prepared politician ever to vie for the highest office, smacks of tact and maybe another case of the evil spirits in Aso Rock doing what they know how to do best. Else how come the Presidency recently appointed investigators on the matter after the show of shame? These spirits are African brands!
It is time for deeper reflection and elevating the economy from the ruins inherited from Mr Buhari. While we commend the President on his recent broadcast, translating these ideals and blueprint into concrete socio-economic fortunes requires eagle-eyed concentration and avoiding such frivolities and charades the Emefiele witch hunt brings.

May the evil spirits lurking around Aso Rock Villa allow Mr  President some respite, since it is too early in the day for executive rascality because the land mourns and groans in pain, poverty and penury, gradually replicating same consequences that puts Emefiele in this mess at the first place.