The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) has ruled in favour of Nigerians in a dispute with pay-TV operator Multichoice Nigeria.

The Tribunal imposed a N150 million fine on Multichoice and ordered the company to provide a one-month free subscription to all DStv and GOtv customers.

The ruling was delivered by a three-man panel led by Justice Thomas Okosu on Friday. This decision follows a suit CCPT/OP/2/2024, filed by Barrister Festus Onifade.

In April 2024, Multichoice announced upcoming price adjustments for their DStv and GOtv packages, citing rising operational costs.

The email to subscribers read: “On Wednesday, 1 May 2024 we will adjust our prices across all our packages on DStv and GOtv. We understand the impact this change may have on you – our valued customer, but the rise in the cost of business operations, has led us to make this difficult decision. It remains our mission to provide the best entertainment and viewing experience to you and are committed to continue to deliver high-quality content and unparalleled service.”

This move resulted in a 25-26 percent increase across various subscription tiers.

Onifade challenged this action, focusing on the lack of proper notice rather than the price hike itself. He argued that the eight-day notice given by Multichoice before a price hike in May 2024 was insufficient.

The Tribunal, led by Justice Saratu Shafii, previously issued a restraining order preventing Multichoice from implementing the price increase scheduled for May 1, 2024, until the case was settled.

However, Multichoice disregarded the order and proceeded with the price adjustments.

Multichoice’s counsel, Moyosore J. Onibanjo (SAN), contested the CCPT’s authority to hear the case, citing a previous price dispute ruling in their favour.

Onibanjo tendered the previous judgement of the tribunal in suit no CCPT/OP/1/2022 (Exhibit A), alongside his application, stating that a court had ruled on the matter between the same parties, on the same subject, and that the same matter cannot be reinitiated by any tribunal or court.

He stated that the power to regulate prices is vested in the president of Nigeria, adding that the Tribunal is not the forum where the claimant can come to seek to regulate the prices and services offered by Multichoice.

Responding, Onifade said: “It is our submission that the 8-day notice issued by Multichoice Nigeria  is insufficient in law. A monthly subscriber should be given at least a month.

“Dismiss this application (by Multichoice) for being a waste of time on the court.”

Onifade also prayed the court to direct Multi-choice Nigeria Limited to pay a fine of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira only) or any amount the court may deem fit for “deliberately disobeying, contravening, and failure to comply with the Interim Order of this Honourable Tribunal granted on the 29th April 2024.”

The Tribunal’s ruling on Friday condemned Multichoice’s actions. They emphasized the company’s failure to comply with the interim order and the inadequate notice period provided to customers.

“The jurisdiction of this tribunal extends to all business activities within Nigeria.

“I have come to the conclusion that this tribunal has the jurisdiction to preside over consumer rights as in the instant case and I resolve this issue against Multichoice.

“The first defendant is hereby mandated to pay N150 million penalty.

“Multichoice is hereby ordered to give Nigerians a one month free subscription.” the judge ruled.

Okosu noted that he looked at relevant provisions cited by parties and did not find where an aggrieved consumer who seeks to enforce his rights is required to file a complaint to the President of Nigeria or the Price Control Board.

As Labour, FG Continues Negotiation

Report has indicated that state governors are not considering a new national minimum wage that is higher than ₦70,000.

According to The Nation, the state helmsmen, after a meeting in Abuja reviewed the situation and concluded that any amount above ₦70,000 is not feasible.

They ruled out the ₦100,000 option being dangled by some people.

Sources at the meeting said the governors, who met under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), considered options between ₦60,000 offered to Labour by the Federal Government before the strike, and ₦70,000, which is what the Edo State Government has started paying.

The source said, “After deliberation on the minimum wage, we decided to consider options between N60,000 and N70,000 a month. We could not reach a concrete decision on the wage rate for states.

“Eventually, a committee, to be led by Governor Uzodimma, was mandated to look at all presentations and make recommendations.

“The NGF will soon reconvene to consider the Uzodimma Committee report.

“No state can afford to pay a N100,000 minimum wage and we have ruled out this benchmark.

“Records available to us indicated that some states are still paying N18,000 because they are unable to afford N30,000 (which came into effect in 2019). Only a state has adopted a N70, 000 wage.”

Naija News reports that this development is in line with a previous statement by Chairman of NGF and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq that states will only agree to a minimum wage that is “affordable and sustainable”.

The naira appreciated against the dollar in the foreign exchange market.

According to FMDQ data, the naira was exchanged at N1,481.49 for a dollar on Thursday, compared to N1,488.60 on Wednesday.

This represents a slight N7.11 appreciation.

Similarly, in the parallel market section, the currency appreciated to N1,485 against the dollar on Thursday from N1,500 on Wednesday.

The development comes after the naira depreciated for the second consecutive time.

Nigeria’s forex market has continued to experience fluctuations since mid-April 2024, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s intervention.

FMDQ securities exchange data showed that the apex bank sold $575 million to banks as an intervention in May 2024.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has lamented his inability to pay his four drivers a monthly salary of N100,000 each.

This revelation came during his address to a Christian group on Thursday, as he sought their support amid ongoing negotiations by the Tripartite Committee on the national minimum wage with the Organised Labour.

In his address, Akume stated, “I can’t afford to pay my drivers N100,000 each because they are four of them, along with other dependants. Labour initially demanded N600,000, which equates to approximately N9.9 trillion for the federal government. Where do we get that money from? Then labour reduced it to N400,000, which still amounts to over N5 trillion. We are asking for understanding because we simply cannot meet these demands.

He further explained, “We are exploring alternative solutions, such as housing schemes. The Federal Housing authorities are actively collecting lands across states to create housing facilities for a significant portion of the Nigerian populace.”

LEADERSHIP recalls that the organised labour and the Federal Government have been in prolonged negotiations. On Monday, labour declared an indefinite strike after their demands were not met. The strike, which disrupted various sectors of the economy, including airports and electricity, was called off on Tuesday as both parties resumed negotiations.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, was being awaited to submit the minimum wage template to President Bola Tinubu on Thursday.

Top federal government officials have kept their lips shut on the new national minimum wage proposal submitted yesterday to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by Wale Edun, the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy.

It was similar with organised labour officials when LEADERSHIP Friday contacted them on the issue. They, too, would not volunteer information.

The only information offered by a source close to the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, was a rebuttal of claims that the minister proposed N105,000 as minimum wage to the president.

The presidency also said the amount published by some online platforms as the new minimum wage was untrue.

Even the minister of state for labour and employment, Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, who attended yesterday’s government-labour meeting, declined to tell journalists what transpired at the parley.

The minister, a member of the Tripartite Wage Negotiating Team, dodged questions put to her during a chat with journalists.

Her response to one of the questions was: “Why are you asking what is unnecessary?” (referring to the figure submitted to the president).

Pressed further, she said, “Wait for the conclusion of our negotiations.”

In his report, Edu presented President Bola Tinubu with the projected cost implications of implementing a new national minimum wage.

The submission came just two days after Tinubu issued a 48-hour directive to Edun to present a proposed new minimum wage figure and analysis of the associated costs.

The finance minister’s report outlines several potential new minimum wage levels along with the anticipated fiscal impacts on the federal budget of each option.

In his reaction to the rumoured N105,000 rate, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said there was no truth in it.

Onanuga refuted the claims in a post on his X handle yesterday.

He wrote: “The honourable minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Wale Edun, has not proposed N105,000 minimum wage. The contrary story being disseminated is false.”

LEADERSHIP Friday recalls that the federal government and the Organised Private Sector had presented N60,000 as the new minimum wage, but organised labour rejected it.

Consequently, on Monday, members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) embarked on an indefinite nationwide strike to press home their demands for a new national minimum wage and a reversal of the recent electricity tariff hike. This development paralysed activities in both public and private sectors across the country.

The next day the organised labour and the federal government reached a resolution to further engage daily for the next one week at the level of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage until a final agreement is reached.

This came after the federal government assured the Labour leaders that President Tinubu was committed to paying a new monthly minimum wage above the initial offer of N60,000.

North Central Council Flays NLC, TUC Over High Wage Demand

Meanwhile, the North Central Citizens Council (NCCC) has strongly condemned the reckless agitation of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and her counterpart, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for an unreasonable increase in the minimum wage of Nigerian workers.

The NCCC, in a statement by the coordinator, Comrade Mohammed Eneji, termed the efforts by the labour unions in forcing the federal government to succumb to their terms in the negotiation process as inhuman and selfish as this will have an adverse effect on the common man who does not earn salary.

It said if the minimum wage of workers is jacked up without considering the adverse effect it will have on the ordinary citizens of the country, especially those living in the rural areas, then the effort will be counterproductive and useless.

It said if many state governors are still battling to pay the N30,000 minimum wage, “how then do we think that the governments both at state and local government levels will be able to pay the minimum wage of 60,000 and above?”

It said the labour movement is obviously not putting Nigeria and Nigerians first in this process of the negotiation and, as such, NCCC demands that the labour leadership reviews and considers the plight of the larger percentage of Nigerians who are not under the payroll of the government, nor the private sector, as this percentage of Nigerians constitutes the largest population of workforce in Nigeria compared to those under government employ who are less than 1% of the entire Nigerian population.

“We also demand that the Labour be flexible by looking at the bigger picture as this demand of theirs will further heighten the inflation rate in the country and also increase the unemployment rate, for as a result of the increase in the minimum wage, many multinationals and government agencies at state level may result in downsizing the personnel on their payroll due to inability to pay the new wage.”

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, has said the negotiation between government and organised private sector is not all about Nigerian workers, but also the sovereignty of the country.

Uzodimma said at the end of the day, both parties would come to an agreeable terms that would be in the overall interest of everyone.

The autopsy report on the late singer, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has revealed new details about his death, but the exact cause remains uncertain.

The report, obtained by TheCable on Thursday, shows that the autopsy was conducted at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and included a toxicology test.

The test results showed traces of Diphenhydramine, an anti-histamine, in Mohbad’s system, but the concentration was not fatal or lethal. Anti-histamines are commonly used to treat allergies, stomach problems, colds, and anxiety.

The autopsy also revealed an injury on Mohbad’s right forearm and moderate to severe decomposition of his body, which was exhumed eight days after burial. However, no significant gross findings could be attributed to his death.

The report suggests that the possibility of a fatal anaphylactic shock or drug reaction cannot be ruled out, despite the absence of significant post-mortem and toxicology findings. Anaphylactic shock is a severe allergic reaction that can be life-threatening.

“It is noteworthy that the body neither had an autopsy nor embalmed prior to interment on the second day,” the report states.

“Following the Order for Exhumation, the body was exhumed on 21/09/2023 (8 days after the burial).

“Autopsy revealed moderate to marked decomposition of organs. Apart from the superficial injury on the right forearm, no significant gross finding could be attributed to death.

“Against this background, samples were taken for toxicology. This is to determine if there was any anaphylactic reaction, substances of abuse, overdosage or common household poisoning.

“Toxicology revealed positive findings of Diphenhydramine, an anti-histamine; however, this concentration was not in a fatal or lethal range. The other analytics were unremarkable.

“In determining fatal anaphylactic shock, blood sample needs to be taken as quickly as possible.

“Unfortunately, this was prevented or made impossible by the burial of the deceased on the second day. In the light of the foregoing, cause of death could not be ascertained.

“However, the possibility of a fatal anaphylactic shock (drug reaction) could be considered in view of the absence of any significant post mortem and toxicology findings.”

The autopsy report highlights the importance of timely blood sampling to determine fatal anaphylactic shock, which was not possible in this case due to Mohbad’s burial on the second day.

Saudi Arabia has announced the sighting of the Dhul Hijjah crescent which signaled the beginning of the 12th Islamic month.

The announcement was made on Thursday.

Consequently, tomorrow will mark the beginning of the holy month. Also, the Hajj pilgrimage for 1445 AH-2024 will commence on Friday, June 14, with the day of Arafah falling on Saturday, June 15.

With the development, the Muslim biggest festival, Eid Al-Adha, will be observed on Sunday, June 16, 2024.

Meet Samuel Odugbesan who lost his arms working with an electricity company0.00 / 0.00

The Arafat Day, which precedes the festival, will fall on June 15.

Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court had on Wednesday called on all Muslims across the Kingdom to participate in the sighting of the crescent moon of the Arabic month Dhu Al Hijjah.

This action is expected to help determine the commencement of the new and last month of the Hijr and also the day the festival falls on (Islamic) calendar.

Eid Al Adha, the biggest Islamic festival falls on the 10th of Dhu Al Hijjah.

Eid ul-Adha is celebrated by Muslims all around the world on the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah (the twelfth month of the Islamic lunar calendar)

It is the second major Islamic festival celebrated by Muslims after Eid-ul-Fitr.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Inspector General of Police to immediately comply with a Court order for the arrest and presentation of former Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, for prosecution.

The party said the delay in the prompt and diligent prosecution of Ari for his alleged criminal conduct during the governorship election in Adamawa State in 2023 constitutes a clear and present danger to democracy and the Rule of Law.

The national publicity secretary of PDP, Hon Debo Ologungaba, at a press conference, recalled that Ari had “brazenly attempted to subvert our nation’s constitutional democratic rule by trying to install an illegal government in Adamawa State in violation of Section 1(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”

He also recounted that Ari, on Sunday April 16, 2023 “attempted to override the will of the people of Adamawa State in the Saturday April 15, 2023 election by illegally declaring the candidate of the defeated All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner while collation of results was on-going.”

Ologungaba alleged that Ari’s action amounted to a “civilian coup” which tried to undermine the nation’s sovereignty, triggered a serious crisis in Adamawa State and threatened national peace and security.”

The PDP spokesman said Ari has been on the run, since his removal by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the declaration of Governor Ahmed Fintiri at the end of collation as the lawful and duly elected Governor of Adamawa State.

Says FX reforms already bearing fruit

Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Olawale Cardoso said the apex bank will continue to implement bold reforms that makes the economy works for everyone.

He spoke at the 2024 Annual Vanguard Economic Discourse with the theme: “Reform in an era of Global Economic Uncertainty: Whither Nigeria”, in Lagos.

According to Cardoso, the recent measures introduced by the CBN to reform are already bearing fruit.
He said: “The theme, Reforms in the Era of Global Economic Uncertainties: Whither Nigeria, embodies for me the tough challenges and the trade-offs that policymakers worldwide are having to make or are having to navigate in response to the terrible headwinds and economic turbulence we all face.

In this era that has been aptly captured as a vocal era, which is the era of volatility, uncertainty, is characterized by choppiness of the headwinds that are dreaming by the unending stream of shocks in the global and the regional sphere.

Global Uncertainty

This has led to what we tag today as an elevated level of global uncertainty. It is true.
There is an index called the World Uncertainty Index that measures how uncertain the world is today. And the last report of that index says that, and I like the way it summarizes it, so let me read it for you. It says, the shocks that have shaken the global economy in recent years have introduced a new normal for turbulence.

These episodes, the turbulence driven in some cases by political fragmentation between countries, these episodes also lifted uncertainty to exceptionally high levels, which in turn caused economic growth. And I think that’s the part that we are particularly interested in today. The uncertainties that we are seeing globally are having a significant impact on the economic growth and economic outcomes.

On its part, the IMF said recently that we are expecting a growth rate of about 3.2% globally. However, it was true to mention that there are clear risks to the achievement of this economic growth level, and it names those risks as including tight financial conditions, disruptions to global supply chains, geopolitical tension and economic fragmentations.

The economic market, or the financial market tightening that we have seen globally has been as a result of monetary authorities taking steps to rein in inflation. And as the market is tighten, that has had impact on developing the economy like ours because we have seen flights of investment leaving developing economy back to safety as they worry about risk and uncertainties.

Energy and financial markets as well as world trade foods have also been impacted significantly by conflicts especially the crisis in the Middle East and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine which we have seen impacting on trade and other markets. This impact has resulted in a drag on economic growth and has caused significant inflationary pressure.

In addition, we have also seen fragmentation that started during the COVID 19 where governments have resulted more in protectionism to keep more of what they produce to protect themselves.
These kinds of protectionism have created uncertainties in global trade.

Furthermore, the growth in global debt levels especially amongst developing countries that are also struggling to pay or to cover the debt repayment schedule has also created some additional uncertainty in the economic environment.

Domestic challenges

On the domestic front, we have been faced with uncertainty driven by high inflationary pressure, fx for volatility, rising debt burden and slowing economic growth.

The challenge of high inflation in Nigeria is driven largely by food inflation due to the rising cost of transport of farm produce, infrastructure related constraints, and security challenges of food producing areas and exchange rate pass through to domestic prices from imported goods.

All of these have created uncertainty for businesses and for homes.

Another concern that we face is the volatility in the foreign exchange market which over the years have been driven by market distortions and reduced supply of foreign exchange which have created opportunity for speculative activities that have impacted the price and the rate and the value of the naira.

In addition we’ve had concerns or more or less we’ve prioritized as one of the things that we need to do increasing the capacity of the banking system to be able to facilitate the size of transactions that will help us build and establish the one trillion dollar economy that Mr President has envisioned.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen having identified some of the challenges versus the abundant human resources which is typified by the great talents and intellectual capacity that I see across the room this morning and the natural resources in our land we certainly deserve better outcomes than the current economic realities that we find ourselves in.

In responding to these uncertainties and indeed to any kind of uncertainties, the need for appropriate focus and unwavering reforms cannot be over emphasized

As the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, I remain committed to reposition the bank to deliver meaningful data-driven and sustainable solutions with clear positive impact on the livelihood of all Nigerians.

However, addressing these challenges requires the concerted effort of all stakeholders, especially the monetary and fiscal authorities working in harmony.

I therefore wish to acknowledge the contribution of Vanguard Newspaper in organizing these very important summits as a platform for collaboration and synergy in the march towards our common goal of a larger and more resilient economy.

When I was being ushered in, I had the opportunity to greet the publisher and his adorable wife and I was want to whisper to them a big thank you for putting this together because we hope that at the end of this summit, we’ll be able to harvest many new and germane ideas that we would mix with available data to move our country forward.

Like you all know, we are always on the lookout for new ideas, for new collaboration, for new ways to add value to our economy, and to build our economy and make it work for all of us. 

On our part, my team and I in the Central Bank of Nigeria are determined to continue to implement bold reforms to make the economy work for all Nigerians.

Monetary policy

We have embarked on tightening the bank’s monetary policy to address inflationary pressure in the economy and believe that the results will become evident in the near term.

Luckily, we are already seeing deceleration in inflation, evidenced by a decline in the month-on-month growth in the headline and food inflation rates, based on our March inflation numbers.

We remain committed to use all the Autonomous Monetary Policy tools available to us to address inflation.

FX measures

We have also embarked on major reforms to liberalize the foreign exchange market, which has enhanced transparency, reduced arbitrage opportunity, promoted stability, and improved liquidity in the market.
The settlement of all valid FX forwards, which was one of my commitments when I came as a Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, has also improved the confidence of stakeholders. We are already seeing the results of this reform in the growth of FX flows into the country.

In fact, the FX flows into the country in Q1 of 2024 was 136% of the total inflows that we had in the whole of 2023. I think that deserves a round of applause.

In addition, we are working to address the challenges in the BDC segment. To this end, we have developed and revised regulatory and supervisory guidelines for BDCs operation in Nigeria. This is aimed at ensuring that BDCs play the right role in the foreign exchange market.

In addition, we have also revoked the license of BDCs who have been involved in unwholesome practices.
Also, we continue to be focused on increasing the flows from diaspora remittances into the economy through official channels. We are working to improve liquidity in the foreign exchange market. We are working closely with key stakeholders in this segment. And recently, to push this forward, we licensed 14 new IMTOs, which are international money transfer operators to enhance competition, efficiency, and transparency in the foreign exchange market.

We continue to be committed to a transparent and functional FX market where price discovery is based on market-driven frameworks and we are confident that this will lead to long-term stability of the Naira, which I know is what all of us see.

Let us be able to know exactly what the rate of the naira is at any given time.

Banking recapitalization

Furthermore, the bank is in the process of implementing far reaching reforms in the in the banking system which includes increasing the capital requirement for banks to improve financial system stability and enhance the capacity of banks to support the one trillion economy envisioned by Mr. President.

Measures are also being taken to ensure good ethical and professional practices in the banks by enforcing compliance with enhanced corporate governance guidelines.

Distinguished participants, I am pleased to note that some of our bold actions are already bearing fruit, evidenced by the improvement in Nigerian foreign credit rating and the commendations from the World Bank and other multilateral institutions.

We are confident that the prudent implementation of our reform program will restore the economy to the path of inclusive and accelerated economic growth in the near term.

I would like to acknowledge that much more work is required to address our economic challenges. But let me assure you that the Central Bank of Nigeria is committed to and will continue to enhance its efforts to deliver on its mandate of promoting monetary and price stability in Nigeria.

The CBN will continue to strengthen its collaboration with other regulators as well as with fiscal authorities in order to deliver sustained and inclusive economic growth. In doing this, the Central Bank will pay attention to all the deliberations.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Thursday, said the government will initiate processes to possibly relocate Ikoyi prison and some other correctional centres from urban centres in the country to other areas.

Tunji-Ojo revealed this plan on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday.

The minister said urbanisation has eaten into the setbacks that ought to be around correctional centres in the country.

Tunji-Ojo said, “Under this administration, we’ve not had any jail attack; what we’ve had was force majeure which was Suleja because that particular correctional centre was built in 1914. It’s about 110 years old.

“President Tinubu was not President a 110 years old. He inherited 256 correctional centres that needed attention. There is no way he would have completely overhaul it in one year.

“I must talk about urbanisation. Look at Suleja for example, the Suleja correctional centre that came down was only 7 metres away from the next house. Instead of what the law says which is a buffer space of 100 metres. So, urbanisation has eaten deep.

“Look at Ikoyi Correctional Centre sharing a fence with (another house). What’s (a) correctional centre doing in Ikoyi? This administration is looking at being able to initiate the process of possibly relocating some of these correctional centres.”

He said the government would soon commence an “inmate audit” across the country’s 256 correctional centres and sanitise them by freeing those who don’t have any business being there in the first place.

Tunji-Ojo said President Bola Tinubu inherited so many old correctional centres that need attention but the government has started the renovation and rebuilding of some of the prisons in Nigeria.

“We’ve renovated over 10 correctional centres under this administration,” he said, adding that the government has done “magic in the Kuje correctional centre.”