The meeting between representatives of the President Bola Tinubu-led government and leaders of the organised labour over the 30-day ultimatum to meet the demands of laour unions as contained in a signed Memorandum of Understanding, has been postponed.
Naija News reports that the essence of the meeting with the government is to agree on the milestones and demands yet to be met and the reasons why and agree before any action is taken.
Speaking to The PUNCH, a top official of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said the meeting will now hold next Tuesday, adding that the meeting was postponed at the instance of the Federal Government; “they shifted it because they did not remember that the supposed date was to be their Federal Executive Council meeting.”
He revealed that the organised labour said they don’t have confidence in the Minister of Labour being in the meeting.
“The organised labour suspended the last planned strike action and gave the Federal Government 30 days to meet our demands,” he said.
Speaking further, he explained that as organised labour what they agreed on was that once the ultimatum expires, an organ meeting would be called that will now assess what the Federal Government has done.
He added, “If the organs believe that what the government has done is not substantial and not in line with the agreement signed, they will give fresh directives on how to handle the situation without giving any further notice of industrial action.”
According to him, if the government has not done anything in the reckoning of the organs, they may order that we proceed with industrial action immediately and we would do that.
However, he mentioned that the organised labour demands are out there in the open, and it is for every Nigerian and every worker to look at the situation and see how many of our demands that the Federal Government has met.
Meanwhile, he noted that the government should be the one telling organised labour and Nigerians which of the demands they have met so far.
However, he hinted that the Federal Government has not met a lot of labour demands.
He further mentioned that everything would be reviewed at the next meeting to decide on the best way forward.
Also speaking with The PUNCH, the Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress, Mr Toro Nuhu, stated that the scheduled meeting between the organised labour and the Federal Government would assess the progress made so far and discuss the remaining demands that have not been met.
He noted that during this meeting, the organised labour would engage in discussions with the Federal Government regarding the outstanding demands.
Timipre Sylva, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, says he must come back as governor because Bayelsa State is in a mess.
A former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, stated this during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today.
Sylva had served as governor of Bayelsa State from 2007 to 2012.
He said he is coming back with experience which none of the contenders has.
“I am bringing the experience back. I was a governor and a minister. None of them (his opponents) has the experience I am bringing back. Frankly at some point I never thought I would come back as a governor any more. If you go to Bayelsa, you will know why exactly I must come back. The place is in a mess.
“I have a lot of programmes, one of which is to ensure that power is stabilized. I want Bayelsa to be the first state in Nigeria to stabilize power.”
Arguing that Governor Douye Diri, his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenger in the election does not have an agenda, Sylva said one of his own agenda is to turn Bayelsa’s water into wealth.
“The governor (Douye Diri) has no agenda at all. One of my agendas is to turn Bayelsa’s water into wealth by creating job opportunities.”
The naira strengthened to N815/$ at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market( NAFEM) 24 hours after the exchange rate fell to the lowest level ever when it sold N993.8/$, representing a massive 20.5% depreciation.
Before now, the lowest level was N848/$1 recorded on the 17th of October 2023 which represented a one-day 8.17% depreciation at the time.
However, the market opened at N778 to a dollar, and closed at N815, strengthening by N178 from the previous day’s position.
The currency was little changed at 1,170 a dollar on the street, according to finding from our reporters in Abuja and Lagos
The Ondo State High Court, sitting in Akure, the state capital, on Tuesday, awarded the sum of N200,000 against the state deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, over the failure of his lawyer to appear in court.
Aiyedatiwa’s counsel was said not to have appeared in the court to argue the motion he filed to restrain the state Chief Judge and the House of Assembly from proceeding on his impeachment pending the hearing and determination of the appeal he filed against the court judgement of October 10, 2023.
The court also asked the deputy governor to pay N50,000 each to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, the Clerk, and the state Chief Judge who are the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth respondents respectively, in the suit.
The judge, Justice O. Akintan-Osadebay, had earlier dismissed Aiyedatiwa’s suit on the grounds that it would amount to an abuse of judicial process, in view of the earlier suit which he filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, over the same impeachment matter.
After the case had been dismissed, Aiyedatiwa filed a notice of appeal together with an application that the court should restrain the Assembly and the Chief Judge from proceeding with the impeachment, pending the hearing and determination of his appeal.
However, when the case was called on Tuesday, at the court in Akure, the counsel for the Assembly and the state Chief Judge were in court, but the deputy governor’s counsel was absent.
Counsel for the Assembly, Femi Emodamori, informed the court that the motion for injunction was earlier adjourned till Tuesday, based on the agreement of both parties and wondered why Aiyedatiwa’s counsel was absent and allegedly did not write the court over his absence.
Justice O. Akintan-Osadebay adjourned the hearing of the motion till November 7, 2023, and awarded the N200,000 cost against Aiyedatiwa for wasting the time of the court and the other parties.
The Senate has launched a fresh investigation into the printing of new naira notes produced by Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company last year.
The Central Bank of Nigeria had said it redesigned all major naira notes, including N100, N200, N500 and N1,000 notes and will by December 2022 start circulating them.
The move to probe the printing of new notes was raised by Senator Adams Oshiomole (APC, Edo-North) a member of the committee, who demanded documents detailing the printing of the new notes.
Oshiomole said, “When coming to see us, you should come with documents related to the printing of new naira notes.
“We need to see how much was printed, how much was spent printing the new naira notes.”
It will be recalled that the CBN naira redesign and cashless policy created crisis in the country ahead of the general elections.
The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a middle aged man who is operating a barbing salon in Ilorin, the state capital, over a girl who allegedly died during a sex romp on Monday.
The police who confirmed the incident on Tuesday said that it had commenced investigation into the cause of the death of the lady, who allegedly died after a sex romp with her boyfriend in a guest house in Ilorin.
Investigation revealed that the incident happened on Monday at a guest house situated at the Temidire community, Offa Garage area in the metropolis, while it was reported that the middle aged man, said to own a barbing salon, went for relaxation with his girlfriend.
An unconfirmed report from members of the community also alleged that the man was under the influence of drug with the aim of impressing his girlfriend before the experience turned sour.
“The girl was said to have got tired during the mating and later gave up the ghost.
“During the outing, the girl was said to have been tired and became unconscious. It was at this point that the lady became helpless and thereafter gave up the ghost.”
The sources said that the man raised the alarm when the lady reportedly became unconscious and thus attracted workers of the guest house. The lady was said to have been rushed to a nearby hospital where she was confirmed dead.
It was also gathered that when the owner of the guest house reported the incident at the Police ‘A’ Division, Ilorin, the middle-aged man was subsequently arrested.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Okasanmi Ajayi, who confirmed the incident, said that the police had commenced a full investigation into the incident.
“The incident is true. The state police command has arrested the man involved while full investigations have commenced to know what actually happened between the man and the deceased”.
The humanitarian trust fund portal that is being circulated in Nigeria currently is fake, the Federal Government announced on Tuesday.
It also announced that the Canadian government has expressed readiness to support the humanitarian and poverty alleviation response in Nigeria with a commitment of $18m.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, in a statement issued in Abuja, informed the general public that a circulating portal tagged ‘FG Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund Portal,’ was fake.
She said the portal did not emanate from her ministry, stressing that it was created by undesirable elements with the sole intention of defrauding unsuspecting members of the public.
Edu said there would never be a portal from either her ministry or any other ministry, department or agency of government or its partners that would request the public to apply for, or access funds from the humanitarian and poverty alleviation trust fund.
“The general public is therefore advised to discountenance the circulating link to the alleged portal as it is a creation of fraudsters,” the minister stated.
In another development, the humanitarian ministry said the Canadian government had expressed readiness to support President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in poverty alleviation.
It said in a statement that the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Jamie Christoff, made this known when he led his team to visit Edu at her office in Abuja.
Christoff said the Canadian government had committed to put in $152m as part of their assistance to Nigeria for various programmes, while $18m was earmarked for humanitarian response.
He was quoted as saying, “I am here with my team to register our support to the mandate of the President in his efforts to alleviate poverty and reduce humanitarian crises in Nigeria through your ministry.”
Responding, Edu informed the commissioner of the determination of the Federal Government to significantly tackle multi-dimensional poverty and humanitarian crises in Nigeria by 2030 in line with the SDG target.
The Federal Government has commenced payment of the N35,000 wage award to federal civil servants, under the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure, our correspondent has learnt.
Some civil servants who spoke to our correspondent confirmed that they started receiving credit alerts on Tuesday.
A civil servant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed receiving payment for September only and not for two months as promised.
The source said, “Yes I did receive it. I saw the alert about 15 minutes ago. I think it is for September because the alert indicated September.”
Another civil servant said ,”Yes, I have seen mine too but we are expecting to see another alert because the President said it would start from September so maybe another one will come which will read October.”
Recently, President Bola Tinubu approved N35,000 as a provisional wage award for all treasury-paid Federal Government workers for six months.
This wage award followed the outcome of the meeting between the representatives of the Federal Government and leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress to avert the planned nationwide strike by the unions on aimed at protesting subsidy removal.
On Monday, the Federal Executive Council approved the N2.12trn supplementary budget to enable proper budgetary allocation.
Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali. a former national chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and Senator Sulaiman Othman Hunkuyi, candidate of the NNPP in the March 18 governorship election in Kaduna State, have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
National chairman of the APC, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, received them into the party, on Tuesday.
Prof. Bem Angwe, a former national legal adviser of the NNPP and Benue State governorship candidate, alongside 23 others from the NNPP and PDP also joined the ruling party.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Alkali said they didn’t join the APC because it is the ruling party, but that having left the NNPP, the APC remained the best vehicle if they must make progress politically.
“Today, we have all decided to move forward with the APC. In our view, with the new mood in the country, both His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the new leadership of the party under your able and distinguished Chairmanship, both of you veteran politicians, APC has shifted the gear and you have also opened a new page in the history of party politics in the country that is more welcoming and more accommodating.
“The good news we are bringing to you and to the APC today is that we are here just as representatives of the multitude of hundreds of thousands of our supporters, friends, associates and well wishers within the NNPP and PDP nationwide who were earnestly waiting for this historic day.
“As the events of today come to an end, we shall all go back to our respective states, local government areas and our wards to commence the mop up operations to ensure that no one is left behind in this great journey of salvaging our nation. This will happen and APC shall be celebrated under Your Excellency’s watch,” he said.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reinstated former Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa state.
The court reversed the disqualification order handed down on Sylva by the Federal High Court in Abuja on October 9.
A member of the APC in the state, Demesuoyefa Kolomo, had in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/821/2023 asked the court to determine whether Sylva was qualified to contest in the election, having occupied the office of governor of Bayelsa from May 29, 2007, to April 15, 2008, and May 27, 2008, to Jan. 27, 2012.
Consequently, Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court ruled that Sylva was sworn in twice and ruled for five years as governor of the state, and therefore was not qualified to contest again as allowing that would breach the 1999 constitution.
Dissatisfied, Sylva and the APC approached the court of appeal to set aside the judgment in the interest of justice.
The court on Friday, presided over by Justice Haruna Tsamani reserved judgement to Tuesday that the two appeals would be consolidated.
In giving judgement on Tuesday, the judge vacated the decision of the lower court and said Sylva should be reinstated to stand as a candidate for the November 11 election.
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The Supreme Court has announced a new date to rule on a petition seeking to unseat Hope Uzodinma as the Governor of Imo State.
Naija News understands that the state chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) had prayed to the court to remove Uzodinma from office. Upon receipt of the application, the apex court had fixed October 31, 2023, for the commencement of a hearing on the matter.
The court, however, announced on Tuesday that the hearing will now be held on December 5, 2023.
In 2020, APGA filed an application where the party argued that there ought to have been a fresh election in the state after the apex court nullified the election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Emeka Ihedioha.
The party said the Supreme Court did not rule on the validity of Uzodinma’s candidacy since Ihedioha and the PDP did not challenge it in the appeal marked SC/1462/2019.
Three years after the application was filed, the apex court fixed its hearing on Tuesday. However, when journalists visited the apex court on Tuesday, the matter was not listed on the court’s cause list.
One of the apex court registrars told journalists that the case had been moved to December 5, The PUNCH said, adding that no reasons were given for the postponement of the case.
[NaijaNews]
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, wrote the House of Representatives seeking the approval of the lawmakers for a supplementary appropriation bill of N2,176,791,286,033.
The president in a letter read at plenary, the speaker, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, said the supplementary budget is aimed at addressing labour wage adjustments, security, and other matters.
Aside from that, the president also sent the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework & Fiscal Strategy Paper to the House of Representatives for consideration
Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Atiku Bagudu, had on Monday said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at its meeting approved 2023 supplementary budget of N2.1 trillion.
According to him, the approval of the supplementary budget was to address urgent issues.
Bagudu said: “FEC approved the sum of N2,176,791,286,033 as supplementary budget and this supplementary budget is to fund urgent issues including N605 billion for national defence and security.
“This is to sustain the gains made in security and to accelerate and these are funds that are needed by the security agencies before the year runs out.”
“Equally the sum of N210 billion is provided for the payment of wage Awards. In negotiation with the Nigeria Labour Congress,” Bagudu added.
“The Federal Government agreed to pay N35,000 each to about 1.5 million employees of the Federal Government for September, October, November, and December 2023.
“And that amounts to about N210 billion which has been approved and also N400 billion as Cash Transfer payments.
“You may recall that the Federal Government secured a $800m loan from the World Bank to pay cash transfers of N25,000 to 15 million households. The $800 million is for two months: October and November. The President graciously approved that an additional month should be funded by the federal government and that is what this N100 billion is for.”
[Guardian]
The National Police Council has confirmed Kayode Egbetokun as the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had appointed Deputy Inspector-General of Police, DIG Egbetokun, as the acting Inspector-General of Police on June 20, pending confirmation by the Police Council.
The Police Council, chaired by the President and consisting of the 36 governors, the Minister of the FCT, Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), confirmed Egbetokun.
Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Gaidam, announced Egbetokun’s confirmation as the IGP to state house correspondents after the meeting.
He highlighted Egbetokun’s impressive curriculum vitae and international exposure.
[Leadership]
The former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba, has asked the National Judicial Council (NJC) to heed the issues raised by retired Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad in his valedictory speech.
Agbakoba, in an interview with Arise Television, noted that NJC needs to take action in order to address the ‘rot’ in Nigeria’s judicial system.
He stressed that Dattijo’s speech was not maligning the character of Chief Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, but only addressing the inconsistencies of the office.
According to Agbakoba, the corruption that Dattijo mentioned in his recent speech was also mentioned by Justice Samson Uwaifo in his valedictory speech in 2004.
He stated, “I think what lessons we should draw from what Justice Dattijo had said is to implement a report that was put together, in my view, perhaps the most reformist CJN in Nigeria, that is, the late Justice Dahiru Mustapha.”
“The problem with judges is that they have no clue as to judicial administration versus administration of justice,” he added.
Agbakoba argued that Dattijo used the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to describe the ‘rot’ that is occurring in the legal system and not Ariwoola himself.
“He really wasn’t attacking the current CJN. He was referring more to the institutional lapses that has occurred over the last, God knows, how long now.”
The former NBA president claimed that the situation with the Supreme Court is ‘toxic’, and it needs to change.
He said, “The difference between a judge of the high court and the CJN is like God in heaven and somebody on earth. We need to really take the opportunity of the lesson, I think, that Dattijo Muhammed’s valedictory, which has been the most candid, has given us. It’s to understand where we are in the judiciary, and if we want to reverse judicial failure, then the current NJC must implement it.”
“Public opinion of the judiciary is at its lowest ebb, and I think that this is something that the judiciary ought to take very seriously. They ought to take the points made by Justice Dattijo Mohammed extremely seriously. The judiciary is going to go downhill.”
“Of the three arms of government—the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary—the most undemocratic is actually the judiciary, so that’s where the problem is. So, what I would recommend to the current NJC is to have a very good look at the report, update it, and absolutely remove the powers of the CJN to be everywhere,” he said.
[Vanguard]