The federal government has unveiled a lineup of activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Democracy Day, marking twenty-five years of continuous democratic governance in Nigeria.

The announcement was made in a notice issued by Abdulhakeem Adeoye, acting on behalf of the Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

The notice outlines that the celebration will start on Tuesday, June 11, with a symposium held at the State House Conference Centre, Presidential Villa, Abuja, commencing at 9:00 am.

Following the symposium, a youth conference is scheduled to take place at Ladi Kwali Hall, Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, starting at 6:00 pm.

The agenda for Wednesday, June 12, includes a grand parade at Eagle Square, Abuja, at 8:00 AM, followed by a dinner at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, at 6:00 PM.

“The programmes lined up for the celebration include a symposium on Tuesday, June 11, at 9:00 AM at the State House Conference Centre, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“Later that day, a youth conference will hold at Ladi Kwali Hall, Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, at 6:00 PM.

“A grand parade will take place on Wednesday, June 12, at 8:00 AM at Eagle Square, Abuja,” followed by “a dinner at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, at 6:00 PM,” the noice read.

Furthermore, the notice assured to provide additional updates as the celebration comes closer.

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has urged his daughter, Nike Adeleke, to find a partner and get married.

Adeleke gave the urge during a Q&A session on Nike’s Instagram page on Saturday.

Nike, who is approaching her 29th birthday, asked her father how he felt about her not being married yet.

“I am now 28 and I am about to be 29. How do you feel about me not being married yet?” she inquired.

In response, Governor Adeleke expressed his expectation for her to settle down soon, emphasizing that she is not getting any younger.

He then gave her a one-year ultimatum to get married.

“Better start getting ready to get married. That is the next thing. You think you are young? I am expecting all those your toasters, better bring one so you can come and tell me, ‘Dad, this is the one I am going to marry,'” he said.

He further highlighted that he had married and had Nike’s brother, Adesina, by the age of 28.

“Do you know that at the age of 27, 28 I got married and I had your brother Adesina? You are now 28, I am giving you one more year.”

The Nigerian U-17 women’s national football team, the Flamingos, secured a comfortable 4-1 victory against Liberia in the first leg of the final qualifying round for the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. 

The match took place on Sunday evening at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium. 

The Flamingos, under the leadership of coach Bankole Olowookere, dominated the game from the outset.

Abidemi Moshood opened the scoring in the 19th minute, setting the tone for a deluge of goals. 

Just ten minutes later, Peace Effiong extended the lead with a well-placed shot.

Harmony Chidi added to Liberia’s woes, netting Nigeria’s third goal nine minutes before halftime.

Substitute Blessing Ifitezue sealed the victory with a fourth goal 16 minutes from full time.

Liberia managed to score a consolation goal from the penalty spot in the 87th minute, but it was too little, too late to challenge Nigeria’s dominance.

The reverse fixture is scheduled for next weekend at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.

Premier League giants Arsenal have reportedly dropped their interest in Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen, due to his €130m price tag amid player swap rumours, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

After four successful seasons at Napoli, Osimhen is expected to call time on his career with the 2022/23 Serie A champions this summer, as confirmed by club president Aurelio de Laurentiis.

The Partenopei have fought hard to keep hold of the Nigeria international and agreed a new contract with their star striker last December, but his terms only run until the summer of 2026.

With Osimhen’s contract also including a release clause worth around €130m (£110.6m), De Laurentiis has resigned himself to losing the former Lille man to one of Europe’s financial powerhouses ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Arsenal have been one of a handful of clubs tipped to move for Osimhen, alongside Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, although the latter will not make an approach due to the recent capture of Kylian Mbappe.

It has also been reported that new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is against the signing of the 25-year-old as well, as he does not believe that Osimhen is a striker who can link play and drop deep, which is one of his principal requirements.

As a result, a two-way fight could have materialised between PSG and Arsenal, the latter of whom were apparently informed that a part-exchange deal involving Emile Smith Rowe and Takehiro Tomiyasu could have been their ticket to an agreement. 

However, according to Sky Italia, Arsenal have informed Napoli that they are not bowing to their £110.6m demands, especially after breaking their own transfer record with the £105m capture of Declan Rice last year.

Arsenal still rate the striker highly but cannot justify forking out a nine-figure fee, which is also the case with most of Osimhen’s other suitors, so De Laurentiis may be forced to relent on demanding that the Nigerian’s release clause is paid in full.

The Napoli president is now under added pressure to accept a lower fee for the Nigerian due to the arrival of Antonio Conte, who wants to reunite with Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku in one of his first acts as head coach.

PSG are now considered the favourites for Osimhen’s signature, as the ex-Lille man is not keen on moving to Saudi Arabia, and the French champions will save €200m (£170.1m) in yearly wages now that Mbappe has departed.

Osimhen topped the Serie A scoring charts in the 2022/23 season with 26 strikes and netted 15 times in 2023/24 missing a large part of the season due to injuries and the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

About 30 travellers, including some students of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa were reportedly abducted by suspected kidnappers along the Abuja-Nasarawa Highway on Friday.

PUNCH Metro gathered from a source who pleaded anonymity due to the nature of the incident on Sunday that the kidnappers laid siege to the vehicles conveying the travellers and abducted them into a nearby bush in the Uke area of Nasarawa State.

The source stated further that a student of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa was travelling to her family in Abuja.

Our correspondent further gathered that a driver of one of the buses who escaped the attack called the attention of the police in the area to the incident.

The source said, “Thirty persons were kidnapped between Nasarawa and Abuja on Friday. The passengers were abducted from two buses and taken into the bush around a place called Uke in Nasarawa State.

“One of the passengers abducted in the incidents is an HND student of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, in Nasarawa State, who was returning to Abuja to meet her family.

“One of the bus drivers escaped from the incident. When he returned to the vehicle, he picked up some items, including the phone of one of the kidnapped victims, and reported the incident to the police station in Uke.” 

When contacted by PUNCH Metro for a reaction on Sunday, the Nasarawa Police Public Relations Officer, Rahman Nansel, confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, stressing that three victims had been rescued while a search and rescue operation was ongoing.

He, however, said the abducted persons were not up to 30 as claimed but did not confirm the number of the victims.

“The number (30) was exaggerated. An 18-seater bus was recovered at the scene and three people were rescued. A search and rescue operation is still ongoing,” Nansel told our correspondent.

PUNCH Metro reported in October 2023 that there was an invasion of a community in the Keffi Local Government Area by gunmen where four students of the state’s university were kidnapped and taken to an unknown destination.

Confirming the incident, Nansel explained that the abduction of the students occurred in the early hours at Angwan Ka’are area of the LGA.

The Kwara State Muslim Pilgrims Board has disclosed the tragic death of two pilgrims from the state during the ongoing Hajj in Madina, Saudi Arabia.

One of the deaths has been confirmed as a suicide, following investigations by Saudi authorities.

In a press release signed by the Executive Secretary of the board, Abdulsalam Abdulkabir, it was revealed that one of the deceased, Hajia Hawawu, died after falling from the rooftop of her apartment in what was determined to be a suicide.

The incident has cast a sombre shadow over the pilgrimage for the Kwara contingent.

The board’s release also mentioned the death of another pilgrim, Saliu Mohammed, who passed away in an intensive care unit of a public hospital in Madina after he suddenly fell ill. The specific details of his illness were not disclosed in the statement.

Expressing deep regret over these unfortunate incidents, the board described the events as “sad” and stated that it submits entirely to the decree and ultimate knowledge of Allah in all affairs.

The board extended its profound condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for Allah’s comfort and forgiveness for the deceased.

The statement reads, “Kwara State Muslim Pilgrims Board sends heartfelt commiserations to the families of two of our pilgrims who returned to their Lord in Madina, Saudi Arabia.

“Saliu Mohammed, who arrived with Batch 3 of the state contingent, died in an intensive care unit of a public hospital in Madina after suddenly falling ill; while Hajia Hawawu Mohammed (Batch 9) also died following what Saudi authorities have investigated and found to be an unfortunate suicidal episode from the rooftop of her apartment in Madina.

“The pilgrims’ board deeply regrets these sad events but submits totally to the decree and ultimate knowledge of Allaah in all affairs.

“The board sends profound condolences to their families and asks Allaah to grant them comfort and forgive the deceased.”

The match between Rangers and Enyimba in Week 35 of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) was called off after a late penalty was awarded to the Flying Antelopes.

The crucial Oriental Derby on Sunday was a title decider, with Rangers at the top of the league with 60 points and Enyimba just two points behind.

The stadium was packed with fans for the intense match, which was going well until the referee awarded Rangers a penalty in the 101st minute with the score at 0-0.

The decision sparked protests from Enyimba players, and despite efforts to resume play, the game was disrupted by fans invading the pitch.

Opinions are split on the fairness of the penalty, as the Enyimba defender seemed to pull back the Rangers striker who was attempting a shot on goal inside the box.

A win tonight would have allowed Rangers to establish a five-point lead over Enyimba with only two matches remaining in the season.

“Rangers 0-0 Enyimba #RANENY #NPFL24 #TheFinalStretch.

“Match interrupted after penalty awarded to Rangers in added time,” the NPFL wrote on its X platform.

The league body has not yet commented on the match or the next steps.

See video below:

Mr. Quadri I Adeyinka, a staff of the Nigeria Immigration Service has bagged a 7-year jail term over fraud pertaining to a travelling passport fraud.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) made the revelation on Sunday evening through its spokesman, Demola Bakare.

The immigration officer’s journey began after he was arraigned by ICPC before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja.

According to the ICPC spokesman, Adeyinka was arraigned on a four-counts charge bordering on gratification, conferment of corrupt advantage and cheating contrary to extant provisions of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and the Penal Code Act.

Meanwhile, the ICPC Counsel Dr. Osuobeni E. Akponimisingha told the court how Adeyinka defrauded one Mr. Ovie Justice Ojeffia under the pretence of regularising his international passport.

According to him, Adeyinka received the sum of N100k from Ojeffia to regularise the said passport “but reneged.

“The victim thereafter petitioned ICPC, which led to the investigation and arraignment of the convict before the court.

“In his judgement, Justice Onwuegbuzie found Mr. Adeyinka guilty on all four (4) counts charge and sentenced him to seven (7) years each for counts 1 and 2, five (5) years for count 4 and two (2) years for count 3. The sentences are to run concurrently,” Bakare said.

Over the course of nine months since assuming office, twenty-two states have collectively disbursed ₦251.79 billion to service debts accumulated by preceding administrations.

According to Sunday PUNCH, the states obtained fresh loans of ₦310.99 billion between July 2023 and March 2024, despite increased monetary allocations from the Federation account.

The data was sourced from the budget implementation reports of individual states, accessed through Open Nigerian States, a budgIT-supported platform that acts as a repository for government budget information, with budgIT being a Nigerian civic organization advocating for transparency.

The performance report is compiled quarterly and released within four weeks following the conclusion of each quarter.

The report contains the original approved budget and revised/final budget appropriations for the year 2023 for each organizational unit, categorizing expenditures into core economic classifications including personnel, overheads, capital, and others.

Additionally, it incorporates the actual expenditures for quarter Q3, attributed to each organizational unit, along with the cumulative expenditures for the year to date, and balances against each of the revenue and expenditure appropriations.

An analysis conducted by Saturday PUNCH revealed that the states listed include Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, and Zamfara.

Further examination of the report revealed that the states encountered a challenging endeavor to revitalize their respective economies, having inherited a minimum of ₦2.1 trillion in domestic debts and $1.9 billion in external debts from their predecessors.

Investigations also revealed that the states grappled with numerous months of unpaid workers’ salaries and increasing pension liabilities, amid calls for the implementation of the nationally agreed minimum wage.

Additionally, they faced challenges posed by rising inflation, soaring prices of goods and services, and declining purchasing power.

In Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, the sole governor under the Labour Party platform, inherited a total domestic debt of ₦104,573,334,025.73 and an external debt of $95,632,239.04.

Meanwhile, Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, assumed office with ₦143,368,150,982.89 in domestic debt and $30,472,977.14 in foreign debt.

Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State was burdened with ₦175,198,799,155.96 in domestic debt and $215,754,975.33 in foreign debt.

Similarly, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, was faced with a domestic debt of ₦219,617,660,991.63 and $46,569,647.22 in external debt, among other challenges.

Recall that after the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange markets, there was a significant rise in states’ earnings from the Federation Account Allocation Committee, totaling N3.34 trillion in the post-fuel subsidy era.

With the improved earnings, states had the autonomy to settle outstanding loans acquired by the previous administration, particularly during the third and fourth quarters of 2023.

This financial enhancement afforded the states the opportunity to address fiscal obligations and alleviate financial burdens inherited from previous administrations.

After several days of deliberations, the Nigerian government and Organised Private Sector (OPS) jointly proposed N62,000 as minimum wage raising the amount from the N60,000 earlier proposed.

But an analysis conducted by THE WHISTLER has shown that the amount is far less valuable than the N7,500 minimum wage of 2000, N18,000 wage of 2011 and N30,000 wage of 2019.

Since the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023 and the introduction of a managed float of the naira which now trades at N1485.8 at the official market from N462 per dollar in 2023, the cost of living has spiked beyond the reach of most Nigerians.

Inflation has risen from 22.41 per cent when the administration took over office in May 2023 to 33.69 per cent in April 2024.

Since 1999, the Nigerian government has paid N7,500 as minimum wage which was later reviewed to N18,000 in 2011 and N30,000 in 2015.

But currency depreciation, inflation, and high cost of living have, overtime eroded the value of wages.

N7,500 minimum wage in 2000 VS N62,000 In 2024

The Nigerian government led by former president Olusegun Obasanjo paid N7,500 minimum wage in 2000 and at the time, the exchange rate was N91.83 per dollar according to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Based on the time value of money, the N7,500 minimum wage was equivalent to $81.67 in 2000. Compared with the current CBN exchange rate, the proposed N62,000 minimum wage is valued $41.7.

By implication, the N7,500 minimum wage which equals $81.67 in 2000 is worth N121,349.23 in 2024 at the prevailing exchange rate of N1,485.8 per dollar. The newly proposed minimum wage is 195.7 per cent lower than the N7,500 paid under Obasanjo.

Other Indices

Also, when comparing commodity prices, the price of a 50-kilogram bag of rice in 2000 was N2,500 which implies that N7500 wage can afford three bags of 50kg rice while N62,000 minimum wage can not afford a bag of rice that sells between N79,000 to N82,000 per 50kg bag.

In 2000 N7,500 minimum wage could buy 14 bags of cement at the price of N550 per 50kg bag while the proposed N62,000 wage can buy almost buy eight bags of cement (7.75 bags) at an average price of N8,000.

Comparing the cost of borrowing, in 2000, the CBN monetary policy rate was 11.7 per cent according to the World Bank while as of May, MPR was hiked to 26.25 per cent making it over twice more expensive to service loans.

N18,000 minimum wage in 2011 VS N62,000 In 2024

In 2011, the Goodluck Jonathan administration made an upward review of the minimum wage after 11 years from N7,500 to N18,000.

When the wage was raised to N18, 000 the exchange rate was N196.99 per dollar. At the exchange rate, the N18,000 wage was equal to $91.3 while the proposed N62,000 minimum wage is $41.7 at CBN exchange rate of N1485.8 per dollar on June 6, 2024.

Consequently, the value of the N18,000 ($91.3) minimum wage in 2024 is N135,653.5 at the current exchange rate of N1485.8 per dollar. By implication, workers are paid 218.7 per cent far less than they earned in 2011.

Other Indices

In 2011, the average price of a 50kg bag of rice was N9,000 and the N18,000 wage could afford two bags of rice while the proposed N62,000 wage can not buy a bag of rice that is sold between N79,000 to N82,000 in 2024.

Nigeria’s N18,000 minimum wage could also buy 9.23 bags of 50kg cement which was sold at N1,950 in 2011. However, the newly proposed minimum wage of N62,000 can only buy almost eight bags of cement at an average price of N8,000.

Based on interest rate, the benchmark rate of the CBN was 12.0 per cent in 2011 while the CBN has raised the rate to 26.25 as of May 2024.

N30,000 minimum wage in 2019 VS N62,000 In 2024

After the Jonathan administration ended in 2015, his successor, former president Muhammadu Buhari also approved N30,000 national minimum wage in 2019. Labour unions protested the high cost of living after inflation rose to 11.25 per cent in March 2019.

When compared with the proposed N62,000 minimum wage, THE WHISTLER found that the N30,000 wage in 2019 is 234 per cent higher.

A breakdown reveals that the exchange rate as of the time was N306.95 per dollar which means the N30,000 wage was equal to $ 97.73. Using the exchange rate of N1,485.8 per dollar, the $97.73 (N30,000 in 2019) is worth N145,215.8 in 2024.

Other Indices

Between 2019 and 2024, the price of a 50kg bag of rice surged from N24,000 to N82,000 respectively.

In 2019, the minimum wage could buy one bag of 50kg rice with N6,000 balance, but in 2024, the proposed N62,000 wage cannot buy a bag of 50kg rice.

Compared with the purchasing power of the two wages to buy 50kg bag of cement, the N30,000 minimum wage could buy 12 bags at the cost of N2,500 per bag. Meanwhile, the N62,000 wage can only buy almost eight bags of cement at an average price of N8,000.

Also, the cost of borrowing was lower in 2019. The CBN MPR was 13.5 per cent while the rate is 26.25 per cent making it more expensive to access loans and service debt.

[THE WHISTLER]