The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said President Bola Tinubu must keep his promise during the last negotiation on minimum wage that fuel prices will not be increased.

The NLC Head of Information Department, Benson Upah, said the organized labour knew that ₦70,000 minimum wage was not ideal, but they wanted to avoid fuel price rising to ₦2,000 per litre.

“We knew ₦70,000 was not ideal for the average Nigerian, but we had to make a deal, expecting President Tinubu to keep his word,” Upah said.

In an interview, on Wednesday, with Arise TV, NLC advised Nigerians to give labour time to process decisions that would come from its different organs.

He said, “Well, we have not said we are going on strike. I would want you to read our statement carefully. We said the appropriate organs of the Congress will need to take appropriate decisions, and those decisions will be made public. So I would want you to be patient to see whether a strike will be one of them.

“But let’s assume that a strike is an option. Our strike is the least harmful, as effective as a strike can be. Our strikes are essentially to wake the government up and point in the right direction. When other Nigerians strike, the difference is always clear. You remember Endsars? You remember the last strike? I mean, the end hunger protests. You remember that?

“But I tell you this, what we are sensitizing government to is the possible consequences of a people outrage, the outrage of Nigerians, because they have had it up to neck. And government must realize this fact. You see, it is wanting to talk about extreme right-wing market policies. It is another thing to implement them and diligently too.”

Benson Upah explained that President Tinubu chose an extreme right-wing market policy approach, but failed to adopt social security measures that go along with extreme right-wing market approach.

He decried that Nigerians pay for everything that government should provide and the government has shown no interest in living up to its social welfare responsibility.

“For the entities that implement extreme right-market policies, the way Mr. President is doing, they carry something on the left hand. They mitigate the harsh effects of those right-wing policies. You have social protection policies dealing with job losses, dealing with health insurance, dealing with energy, dealing with particularly other aspects of life. And this manages resentment, dissolution and uprising.

“But here we have a country where you do not have anything called social protection. Everybody is on their own. Even right-wing issue providing light and security, you are on your own. And government is carrying on as if it does not owe us an obligation. It is deceiving itself,” Upah added.

[NaijaNews]

With today, September 5, 2024 being the deadline given by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) for banking agents, known as Point of Sale(POS) operators to register their activities or face prosecution, the Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria (AMMBAN) has challenged the directive in court.

Recall that the federal government through the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) had issued a two-month registration deadline for POS companies, to register their agents, merchants, and individuals with the commission in line with legal requirements and the directives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

This new directive came against the backdrop of frequent fraud incidents involving POS terminals and plans to stop trading in cryptocurrency or any virtual currency by the CBN.

According to a report by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) Plc, POS terminals accounted for 26.37 per cent of fraud incidents in 2023, according to fraud. CAC said the move would curb fraud in the system, kidnapping and payment of ransoms.

The national general secretary, AMMBAN, Oluwasegun Elegbede, in an interview with LEADERSHIP, argued that the registration requirements imposed by CAC, violated the provision of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, which “explicitly states that the commission has no jurisdiction over individuals not operating as a company.

“According to section 863(1) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2004, the order to enforce CAC directive on individual PoS agents operating under their name is wrong and will be challenged, as it contravenes the Companies and Allied Matters Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, which explicitly states that CAC has no jurisdiction over individuals not operating as a company.

“The matter is already in court and the court has scheduled this September for hearing. The court will have to intervene in the interpretation of the quoted section of the CAMA if individuals operating as a sub-agent (likened to a bank branch) must register with CAC,” Elegbede added.

Speaking on the concerns raised by CAC, Elegbede said, fighting crime is beyond the jurisdiction of CAC, adding that AMMBAN, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, is curbing the prevalence of fraud in the industry.

“Every POS operator has a BVN/NIN, so they are all traceable. We can trace them through NIBSS, as no operator can have a POS without NIBSS knowing. We can  trace them with their SIM cards.

We can also trace them to the company/bank that issued the POS machine to them. So, there is no hiding place for operators, if they default,” he added.

The national general secretary emphasised the critical role that mobile money agents play in driving financial inclusion across Nigeria, particularly in rural areas where traditional banking services are scarce.

Speaking on the impact of the registration on members, he averred that CAC registration cost nothing less than N35,000, adding that, some of their members do not even have that figure as capital. “These are young people trying to make a living for themselves. Imposing N35,000 on them could potentially cripple the operations of many small-scale agents across the country.

“While we understand the need for regulation, it is essential that such measures do not stifle the growth of the sector or place undue burdens on small business owners. We are confident that the court will recognize the merit in our case,” he stated.

Meanwhile, LEADERSHIP  findings show that many of the operators have been complying with the directive.

This is even as the association of PoS Operators say they are still awaiting the outcome of the court case on the matter.

Findings showed that many POS operators had registered as some of the financial service providers had created a way to make it easier to make registration with CAC.

A POS operator, Akeem, who uses a terminal provided by Opay said he had been able to register through the financial service provider.

He explained that he had been able to register online with the help of area coordinators sent by Opay at a sum of N19,000.

The same procedure had applied for POS operators who are using the Moniepoint terminals.

A poultry products retailer in Lagos, Kemisola, while speaking to  LEADERSHIP  said her financial services provider had blocked the terminal with her business name because she had not registered it with the CAC. However, she continues to use the terminal that is attached to her personal account.

“I use my personal account now. How much do I make from the sales that the government is requiring that I register. I got the POS because of the issues we faced last year during the cash scarcity and to make it easier for my customers to make payment without cash. I still pay charges on this POS and customers don’t want to pay the extra charges.

“If they block one of my personal accounts, I will just revert to collecting cash only because even transfers are not that reliable. There is a fake alert and sometimes payment reverses when the transfer is done.” she explained

many POS operators had registered as some of the financial service providers had created a way to make it easier to register with the CAC.

According to a POS operator, Akeem who uses a terminal provided by Opay, said he had been able to register through the financial service provider.

He explained that he had been able to register online with the help of area coordinators sent by OPAY at a sum of N19,000. The same procedure had applied for POS operators who are using the Moniepoint terminals.

[Leadership]

The latest hike in the price of petrol has pushed up transport fares by over 50 percent in major cities across Nigeria, findings by Daily Trust have revealed.

The newest price hikes, implemented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company’s (NNPCL) Retail Management, range from N855 to N897 per litre, depending on the location, from the previous N568-N617.

Independent marketers have adjusted their prices to between N930 and N1,200 per litre of petrol.

The price hike has had a widespread impact, with some Nigerians resorting to long-distance trekking and others missing work due to the higher transportation costs.

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday joined the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in demanding reversal of the increase in the petrol pump price.

This is even as the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) warned that the price hike could lead to higher inflation.

Also yesterday, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) announced plans to protest and shut down major cities from 15th of this month.

Abuja, Lagos commuters express frustration

Commuters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos and other states yesterday expressed frustration over the hike in the price of petrol which, according to them, has constrained their living conditions.

Many of them, who spoke to our correspondents, said the unaffordability of transportation cost had forced them to trek to work.

Adeolu Segun, a civil servant residing in Zuba, Abuja, said the fare from his area to Berger had risen from N1,000 to N1,500.

Mrs. Zainab Ibrahim, a mother of six living in Kubwa, said she paid N1,000 as fare as against the previous N500 for the same route.

Ismaila Danjuma, the Secretary of the Zuba branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), explained that the rise in transport fares was due to the fuel price hike.

A passenger, Murjanatu Shehu, who was travelling to Kano from Abuja, said the fare rose from N8,000 to N11,000.

Haruna Yakubu, a driver on the Abuja-Lokoja route, confirmed fare increase from N4, 500 to N6,000; and Abuja-Okene routes fare rose from N6,500-N10,000.

Lagos bus drivers, Ojo Jamiu and Chukwuka Ogwu, said they now charge more than double as fares.

Kano, Rivers residents trek

In Kano and Port Harcourt, residents resorted to trekking.

Yakubu Isa, who said he used to pay N200 to go to Kano Guest Inn from Kwana Hudu, could not afford the new N400 fare, but had to trek. A teacher in Kano, Maikudi Haliru, also said he trekked to school to avoid the higher tricycle fares.

Our correspondent observed a low turnout of passengers at the Kano Line Motor Park yesterday as fares for the Kano-Kaduna and Kano-Abuja routes had risen to N6,000 and N12,000 respectively.

Some residents of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, also said the latest increase in transport fares had forced them to trek.

In Ondo State where transport fares have also doubled, residents said it would be better to trek a few distances to their workplaces.

In Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, tricycle fares have been increased by 50 percent; while same rose in Borno and Yobe states by 30 per cent.

Inflation figures may go up – MAN

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has said that the new price of petrol might push inflation figures high, impacting household budgets.  It also said Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs), which often operate on thin margins, could be hard hit by the development.

The MAN, in a statement by its Director-General, Segun Ajayi-Kadir yesterday, enumerated the impacts of the petrol price hike.

“So, in terms of what the impact might be and judging from what we have witnessed in the past, the cost of transportation may increase, and so would the prices of goods and services. As the cost of petrol rises, consumers will spend more on transportation and energy, leaving them with less disposable income.

“This decrease in purchasing power may lead to reduced demand for non-essential goods and services, affecting businesses across various sectors. These are pointers to the high possibility of a rise in inflation figures, impacting household budgets,” the DG said.

We’ll shut down major cities – Students

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has announced plans for a “large-scale” shutdown of all major cities in Nigeria over the fuel price hike, starting from September 15, 2024.

In a notification sent to students yesterday, Okunomo Henry Adewumi, President of the NANS’ Senate, demanded immediate reversal of the fuel price hike and the removal of Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPCL.

The statement said that the protest will be conducted peacefully and in accordance with the law.

Meanwhile, another faction of the NAN yesterday debunked the claim that the student union was planning a nationwide shutdown of major cities.

Akinteye Babatunde, the association’s factional Senate President, in a statement, said NANS did not announce nor endorse any such protest, describing the claim as baseless.

Afenifere, PDP demand pump price hike reversal

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, yesterday urged the federal government to direct the NNPCL to reverse the increase in fuel pump price.

Afenifere asked the government to stick to the claim by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, that it did not instruct the increase.

In a statement signed by Jare Ajayi, the spokesman of the Afenifere’s faction loyal to Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the group, said that Nigerians are currently going through a lot of challenges as a result of biting socio-economic crunch and the attendant hardships.

“It is therefore a wrong time to come up with any policy that will increase the undesirable challenges Nigerians are going through presently. Failure by the NNPCL to reverse the latest increment in fuel price will rub off negatively on some policies of Tinubu administration to ease things for the citizens. Policies such as the Students Loan Scheme and Consumer Credit Scheme that are just taking off”, it said.

Afenifere said with the latest increase in petrol price, the cost of fuel in Nigeria had risen by 460 per cent in 15 months.

It was curious that an organisation that declared a profit running into trillions of Naira could, almost in the same breath, claim indebtedness to the tune of nearly $7 billion. “Why not pay off the debt from the available fund before declaring it as profit?

“It is a common knowledge that the cost and availability of energy such as petrol, gas, electricity, diesel and kerosine are major factors not only in production and services but also on the quality of well-being that Nigerians can enjoy. Hikes in prices of these energy sources have astronomically increased the costs of services and commodities, reduced the disposal incomes of average Nigerians and heighten their health risk. The combination of all these are making a daily living an onerous task for the majority of the citizens. Considering the fact that millions of the Nigerians had been described as being ‘multi-dimensionally poor’, the recent hike in costs of fuel and electricity are uploading the number of people in that category phenomenally”, it said.

Similarly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday condemned the hike in fuel price, alleging that it was a “brutal assault” on Nigerians by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP said the increase is a “recipe for crisis,” particularly during a time of severe economic hardship under President Tinubu’s administration.

Debo Ologunagba, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, in a statement, urged President Tinubu to reverse the fuel price increase and reconsider other policies negatively impacting the nation.

He said with proper management, petrol should not cost more than N250 per litre.

He said the continuous rise in fuel prices, without consideration for the people’s welfare, was exacerbating the already dire economic situation, pushing millions of Nigerians further into poverty.

The PDP also alleged that over 150 million Nigerians had fallen below the poverty line, with businesses collapsing due to the high cost of living, a weakened naira and rising unemployment.

Tricycle riders protest fuel price hike in Delta

Tricycle riders in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State yesterday protested the petrol price hike, disrupting business activities and vehicular movements.

They blocked the Deco Road Junction, the First-Marine Gate Junction and the popular Hausa Quarters, Igbudu.

TUC asks govt to rescind decision

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on Wednesday criticized the federal government for the recent hike in the pump price of petrol, demanding its immediate reversal.

TUC President Festus Osifo, in a statement, said the union expressed deep concern that the sudden increase in fuel and electricity costs would exacerbate poverty levels, worsen the suffering of citizens and potentially lead to social unrest.

Osifo criticized the government for implementing the price increase without consulting key stakeholders, calling it a blatant disregard for the welfare of the Nigerian people, particularly the working class who are most affected by such decisions.

“The news of the PMS price hike has sent a wave of apprehension and depression across the nation, especially as it comes on top of existing hardships faced by citizens,” he said.

He said the TUC was also concerned about the recent 250% increase in electricity tariffs, labelling it as an additional burden on the poorest in society and a sign of the government’s lack of empathy for ordinary Nigerians.

Tinubu didn’t bargain fuel price for minimum wage-Presidency

The Senior Special Assistant to the President of Media (Print), Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Wednesday on his X, said Tinubu never bargained with the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) not to increase the price of petrol before arriving at N70,000 as the new minimum wage.

He was reacting to the allegation by the NLC’s president, Joe Ajaero, that Tinubu asked them to accept N70,000 as minimum wage for the petrol price to remain N617/litre.

Abdulaziz said: “I sat through the two meetings President @officialABAT had with labour leaders on minimum wage. At neither of the meetings was an offer made in exchange for a fuel price hike. Ajaero is once again playing his dirty politics with the emotions of Nigerians.”

In his reaction yesterday, Ajaero, through the NLC’s spokesman, Benson Upah, said, “As for Abdulaziz’s side-dig, he should stop insulting the intelligence of Nigerians as they do not need Comrade Joe Ajaero to know they have been taken for a ride and that life has never been this mean, all due to the policies of government.”

[DailyTrust]

• Caretaker to conduct election  in party offices within 90 days

The crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP) escalated yesterday, despite a strident attempt to resolve it.

National Chairman, Julius Abure, rejected the 29-member interim committee headed by Senator Esther Nnenadi Usman, former Minister of State for Finance, describing it as illegal.

The committee was set up during the extended stakeholders’ meeting of the party convened by the Abia State Governor Alex Otti and the national leader of the party, Mr. Peter Obi.

Otti is the only governor elected on the platform of the party.

Nnenadi, who accepted to lead the party, promised to embark on a rescue mission.

However, the National Working Committee(NWC), led by Abure, a lawyer, described the committee as  unconstitutional.

Although Abure was contacted about the meeting by the convener, he did not show up.

The caretaker committee is made up of three representatives from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), three representatives of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), three Senators, four House of Representatives members, three House of Assembly members, representatives from six geo-political zones, and four former governorship candidates.

The committee’s term of reference is the conduct of party congresses and the national convention within 90 days.

Otti, who hosted the meeting at the Banquet Hall of the Government House in Umuahia, said there was an urgent need to save the party from an impending danger that may lead to its extinction.

The governor, who clarified that he was not interested in whoever becomes the national chairman, said if the party was not rescued, it may jeopardize its participation  in future elections.

Otti said while the Abure-led leadership has the right to challenge the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the court, it is better for LP to avoid  any action that may render its actions illegal in the future.

Obi, who described LP as the third largest party in the country, called for unity and support for the caretaker committee.

The NLC National Vice President, Salamatu Aliu, who witnessed the meeting, said the rule of law should be followed in setting up a transition committee.

He said the leadership should be put to rest, adding that previous mistakes should also be avoided.

In a communiqué read  by the 2023 deputy governorship candidate of the party in Plateau State, Edward Pwajok, the stakeholders called on party members in court to withdraw the cases.

They also affirmed their confidence in Obi as the national leader while hailing the setting up of the caretaker committee to fill the leadership vacuum in the party.

The stakeholders commended Otti for his effort to deliver the democratic dividend to the people of Abia State.

Nnenadi Usman, who promised to unite the party, assured that her committee will deliver on the assignment within 90 days.

She said LP should go into future elections as a united front, adding that the party can produce the next president in 2027.

A chieftain, Senator Victor Umeh, said those calling for the resignation of Obi as the national leader are on a white goose chase.

At the meeting were Kelvin Chukwu, Okey Ezea, Victor Lar, Nneji Achonu, Yusuf Datti, Ikechukwu Emetu, Obi Aguocha, Senator Neda Imasuen, Barr. Sunday Umeha, Deputy Speaker, Abia House of Assembly, Austin Okezie Meregini, some LP-NWC members, NEC members; NLC, TUC and other statutory members, former governorship candidates from the six geopolitical zones and Prof. Kenneth Kalu, Secretary to Abia State Government.

Abure rejects caretaker committee

The Julius Abure-led NWC rejected the caretaker committee,  describing it as illegal and unconstitutional.

He said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, that he remained the  legitimate national chairman.

It described the meeting in Umuahia as a “charade, a waste of time and resources of Abia People.”

The statement reads: “As clearly stated in our previous statement, the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, and all others who have converged on Umuahia have no power within the Party Constitution, the Electoral Act and even within the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to convene any meeting of the Party.

“The combined reading of the two provisions show clearly that the so called meeting in Umuahia is a charade, a waste of time and resources of Abia People.

“The premise on which Governor Alex Otti called the meeting is not only faulty but mischievous. Government business is not transacted verbally but through official communication and correspondences which are done in writing.

“As we speak, there is no communication whatsoever from INEC to the Party as regards any objection to the conduct of the National Convention.

“We challenge Alex Otti to produce the official letter addressed to him from INEC on the subject matter. There is no vacuum in the leadership of the Party.

“Consequently, the so-called caretaker committee set up by the Governor of Abia State is not known to the constitution of the Party and can best be described as a department in Abia State Government House.

“We are shocked to note that the so-called chairman of the caretaker committee is not a registered member of the Party. She surfaced during the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign to assist Peter Obi in his campaign.”

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says the federal government is more focused on arresting protesters than addressing the worsening insecurity in the country.

In a post on his X Page on Wednesday, Abubakar condemned the terrorist attack in Yobe state on Sunday.

On Sunday, Dungus Abdulkarim, Yobe police spokesperson, said suspected Boko Haram insurgents looted and set shops and houses on fire in Mafa village under Tarmuwa LGA.

Abdulkarim said the gunmen killed an “unspecified number of people and dropped some fliers with Arabic inscriptions”.

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, also reported that the attack occurred during the Muslims’ Maghrib prayer when the gunmen shot sporadically into the gathering.

Makama said 34 worshippers were killed, adding that the gunmen also laid multiple explosives on the path to the village.

Meanwhile, Nigerians staged a 10-day nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest from August 1, demanding a reduction in governance costs, petrol subsidy reinstatement, food security, and fiscal discipline, among others.

The demonstration turned violent in some parts of the country and was characterised by looting and vandalism.

The police announced the arrest of the alleged perpetrators and secured an order to detain them for 60 days pending the conclusion of investigations.

One hundred and twenty-four protesters are in prison custody in the federal capital territory (FCT).

Ten of the 124 persons in custody took their plea on Monday before a federal high court in Abuja.

However, the former vice-president, while reacting to these developments, said the federal government has “preoccupied itself with stifling dissent and imposing death sentences on protesters”.

Abubakar said the “atrocity in Yobe is a stark testament to the failure of the current security framework, demanding immediate and comprehensive reform”.

“Despite the tragic bloodshed in Yobe, which has claimed scores of lives, and the rampant destruction across numerous villages in Katsina, Sokoto, and other towns within the North-West and North-Central regions, the government seems to remain detached, engrossed in inconsequential affairs,” Atiku wrote.

“The turmoil extends to the South as well, where the disquiet wrought by Boko Haram and the unsettling political discord threatens the nation’s peace.

“Amidst these grave challenges, the Federal Government preoccupies itself with stifling dissent, resorting to draconian measures such as imposing death sentences on protesters.

“The atrocity in Yobe is a stark testament to the failure of the current security framework, demanding immediate and comprehensive reform.

“My heart goes out to the victims of these horrific attacks, and I fervently implore the Tinubu administration to demonstrate a heightened commitment to safeguarding life and property across the nation.”

[TheCable]

Thirty years ago, Nigeria was in severe crisis. In the wake of the previous year’s elections that was annulled and the attendant protests, 1994 was an unpleasant time. General Sani Abacha had rigged his way into power through a coup and was setting the country on edge. Media houses had been shut, and journalists serially harassed and detained. Acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election, Moshood Abiola, was in prison along with scores of activists who had protested either the fuel prices inflation or the election annulment. Ken Saro-Wiwa too was in prison. The Niger-Delta region was restless due to the state-induced violence racking the region.

NADECO members were arrested and charged with treason for their audacity to challenge Abacha. Government critics had their homes raided, and some were attacked. That was the year Prof. Wole Soyinka went into exile. Decree after decree expanded the government’s power to punish. They could detain—without charge or trial—anyone suspected of subversive activities. The Senate that had been inaugurated the previous year was disbanded. Six of the lawmakers who had taken a stand against the government were arrested and charged with “treasonable felony and conspiracy.” They were initially granted bail, and five of them re-arrested months later. The sixth person? That was Bola Tinubu.

By now, I am sure you already see where I am going. As you would have read, this week the police arrested and charged 10 people who allegedly participated in the #EndBadGovernance protests last month for the same crime Abacha’s government had once arrested Tinubu: treason. Those 10 people, along with another 700 police said they also arrested, were some of the thousands who responded to the strangulating economic and political conditions the same way Tinubu and his fellow travellers did in 1994.

Tinubu is either forgetful of history or, since he once confessed that he took a major economic policy while under the influence of a “spirit,” has been fully possessed by Abacha’s ghost. It does not matter which is true; the shame is that a severe charge like treason is being trivialised by a government that cannot brook citizens towing the same path that brought him into power. I want to believe that Tinubu’s fellow pro-democracy activists, some of whom were imprisoned on frivolous charges during the dark days of Abacha’s rule, are looking at the unfolding chain of events and terrified at the uncanny repetition of history.

Wherever he is now, Abacha must be exultant. He should rejoice; he is not the only tyrant whose ignominious history would be tossed into the sewers of our national history. By the time their time passes, Tinubu and company would have personified the Orwellian pigs who became indistinguishable from the “man” they kicked out of the animal farm. When we find the mouth with which to tell the story, we will understand how we sought statesmen but were rewarded with executioners.

After reading the police’s press release issued by a fellow called Olumuyiwa Adejobi, I still fail to see how the protests are treasonable. Which “foreign sources” gave “substantial backing” to the #EndBadGovernance protesters? Or was it just that one Briton, Andrew Wynne, who constituted the so-called “foreign sources”? Given that last month, the Department of State Services also arrested about eight Polish nationals who were on an education tour in Kano State while the protests were ongoing, this might just be a case of using white Europeans to create a sensation. DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya said those Polish nationals were arrested “because of where they were found during the protests and for displaying foreign flags.” I am yet to understand the method to the madness of this “foreign-phobia” among our security agencies.

There are several wild accusations in Adejobi’s document that need substantiating. I am not saying Adejobi plagiarised Abacha’s playbook, but the allegations are a frightful recrudescence of the military era. He says, “preliminary findings suggest they orchestrated and funded violent protests…to create anarchy and justify their illegal plot to overthrow…government.” But what is the pedigree of these individuals that they could organise what is tantamount to a coup? How would their supposed plan to overthrow the government through protests have led them to Aso Rock? Did they have an armoury, or the weapons of their supposed warfare were just placards? What were their plans to take over the National Assembly, for instance?

Adejobi also says they are investigating how these people planned to “orchestrate violence across the country”? I am genuinely curious how this bunch of individuals (including a shop attendant) can have the means to organise the violence that will disrupt the entirety of a complex country like Nigeria. Meanwhile, hear Adejobi on how they established Wynne’s guilt: We went to invade (Wynne’s) bookshop. As we asked questions, he came out. If you have a genuine business, are you not going to ask the police what we went to do in his shop or his office? You read that and you wonder at the quality of investigation that sort of rudimentary extrapolation of evidence can possibly produce. Meanwhile, let us not forget that the “comprehensive investigation” on which they planked their whole case took place in less than a month. If they are that efficient, how come they find it hard to solve kidnapping problems?

Whether they like it or not, protests are a democratic right. You can charge people who committed crimes of looting or violence during protests, but you cannot stifle the right to protest. I never thought the day would come that I would look back and compare Muhammadu Buhari’s government favourably with anyone, but looking wistfully from inside the fire of Tinubu’s government, I am beginning to think we were better off inside Buhari’s frying pan. Even in all his pathological madness, Buhari did not go to the extent of charging the #EndSARS protesters for treason. He did accuse them of trying to topple him, but the ghost of Abacha that had been haunting Aso Rock did not possess him fully. The ghost waited until the perfect person usurped his path into power before completing Abacha’s historic mission of perpetuating himself in power using democratic means.

You listen to the families of those arrested and you realise these people have no new game; they are stuck in historical time. Unfortunately, we are trapped along with them. The Nigeria of 2024 is not that different from that of 1994. There is hardship in the land. Prices of goods and services are skyrocketing; purchasing power is dwindling, and it is getting harder and harder to get by. The marriage of Asiwaju and Shettima of last year has become Àşetì 2023. Nobody’s hope has been renewed, and people are more combustible than the fuel they are expending hours on their lives on extended queues just to purchase. The days ahead are likely to be filled with protests, and the government is preemptively charging protestors with arrests to intimidate.

Meanwhile, this same government faces a million other challenges. There is economic insecurity, a serious threat to the lives and livelihood of Nigerians. Shouts of “ebi ń pa wá” have replaced the “on your mandate we shall stand” anthem in many mouths; hunger is resetting the political loyalties of those whose heads were climbed into power but have now been forgotten. The government appears confused by the complexity of the situation; they have undone several economic knots, and they know not how to re-tie them. Then there is the issue of kidnapping that has become a national epidemic and revealed the police as impotent. Let us not even talk about banditry, plus the one million problems of poor infrastructure that bedevil the country.

Rather than the Tinubu administration concentrating on what it can solve, it compounds its own problems by investing administrative time and energy hounding people for treason. Like the Yoruba door that eventually gets unhinged when endlessly swung back and forth, the Tinubu regime too has found the wàhálà that will wear it down. I almost feel sorry for them.

Three PMS vessels arrive, transport fares jump as major marketers raise fuel price

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has reportedly suspended the sale of Premium Motor Spirit – popularly called petrol – to independent marketers after it hiked the product’s price on Tuesday.

This is even as three vessels berthed at the Apapa, Lagos jetty on Wednesday to discharge imported petrol.

The price hike sparked a protest in Delta State as commercial tricycle operators, also known as ‘keke’ riders, took to the streets of Warri and Effurun metropolis to resist the price hike.

Checks by our correspondents revealed that commuters across the country were either stranded or trekked long distances on Wednesday as fuel queues worsened amid scarcity of the product.

Few commercial motorists came out for business, with most of them lamenting the agonising hike in fuel, barely a month after the hardship protest rocked the nation.

The National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Hammed Fashola, told The PUNCH that the NNPC stopped selling fuel to independent marketers on Tuesday when it raised the price of a litre of PMS to N855 and above across its retail outlets nationwide.

Independent marketers sold the product for as much as N1,200 and N1,300/litre in some states following the upward review of prices by the NNPC.

Fashola wondered why the national oil firm would suspend the sale of petrol to the marketers take without any official communication, even when the marketers had paid for the product over two months ago.

Asked if it was true that many of the independent marketers did not go to the depot to lift fuel, Fashola responded, “What are they going there to do? They have stopped our loading. All the tickets we have in the kitties of NNPC, they are not treating them; everything has been suspended.”

When our correspondent inquired to know if the suspension was done despite having paid for the product ordered, he replied, “Yes, our tickets were suspended for loading. They have not been attending to us since yesterday (Tuesday), and there is no official communication yet.

“It is a very bad situation for somebody who has paid for the product, maybe like two to three months ago, and all of a sudden, you stopped loading, maybe because you want to change the price. And it’s not the fault of that customer, because it is supposed to be cash-and-carry. So, I think the NNPC should look at that situation critically.”

It was learnt that NNPC usually prioritised major marketers while IPMAN members resorted to private depot owners, who sold at higher prices, leading to a wide gap between the prices offered by both categories of marketers.

“We’re usually forced to go to private depots, it’s not out of our own volition. We were forced to go there because of inadequate supply,” Fashola stressed.

Speaking on the Dangote refinery fuel, which is expected to hit the pumps soon, Fashola said marketers would monitor the situation till Friday.

“We are watching the development. We are monitoring it; we will wait, maybe by Friday we will know where we are going by the time the Federal Government makes a pronouncement as regards the price. There is no official communication yet.”

The IPMAN official added that each filling station sold at their convenient price because NNPC couldn’t fix prices for other operators in the sector.

He stated that the new price announced by the state-owned company is only binding on the NNPC retail outlets.

“You know, NNPC cannot fix the price for us. They fixed the price for their stations; they are now a limited company. They have their retail outlets. That new price is their internal arrangement. So, we are yet to have an ex-depot price or marketer’s price,” he explained.

While believing that the new arrangement will close the price disparity between major and independent marketers, Fashola reiterated that at N855 per litre, the NNPC was still paying subsidy on petrol.

“I believe the price disparity gap will be closed somehow now. That is our belief. The truth is that, with the N855 in Lagos, and the landing cost of petrol, there are still some elements of subsidy. If the NNPC claimed that they are selling at half the cost of the landing price at N568/litre, it means the landing cost should be around N1, 200/litre. If they are selling a litre of petrol at N855/litre, there are still some elements of subsidy,” he added.

He said the association was expecting the details of the arrangement between Dangote and the government on the supply of PMS, especially as Aliko Dangote announced that the NNPC would fix the price.

“For now, we don’t have the details; it’s only Dangote who made the announcement that NNPC would fix the price. So, it’s in two ways. Maybe NNPC wants to act as an off-taker for the Dangote refinery, and they will now start distributing on behalf of Dangote to the marketers. There are a lot of things involved in this Dangote naira-to-naira transaction. There must be something that’s a factor. Maybe that will bring the price to a reasonable level, I don’t know. It may not be called a subsidy, maybe an in-house arrangement.

“If Dangote is buying naira-to-naira, there must be some little difference in terms of cost. It might be so small, but I believe there must be a difference. They know what they are doing, we are waiting for them to come out and we will react,” Fshola noted.

NNPC spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, did not reply to calls or messages from our correspondent on the matter.

The PUNCH reports that the fuel crisis that has lingered for two months worsened on Wednesday following the price hike.

Several filling stations seized the opportunity to extort customers who were in dire need of the product for their vehicles, power generators and other machines.

Some of the stations in Lagos and along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway sold petrol around N900 and N1,200/litre as the queues worsened across Nigeria’s commercial capital city.

Residents of Ogun border communities disclosed that they got PMS at N1,600/litre from black marketers, claiming petrol supply had been banned from the areas.

Though the NNPC denied ordering Tuesday price increase, all its retail stations have adjusted to the new price, leaving Nigerians not knowing who to believe.

Commuters were stranded as there were a few commercial buses on the road to convey passengers. The drivers conveyed only commuters who were ready to pay more for transport fares, blaming the rise in fares on the high cost of fuel

Three vessels arrive

The PUNCH gathered that three vessels arrived the Apapa depot in Lagos on Wednesday to discharge petrol.

Multiple sources told our correspondent that loading improved on Wednesday compared to Tuesday, when the marketers stayed away.

“Loading is picking up slowly. It is far better than yesterday (Tuesday),” a source said.

Another depot operator, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said supply was ramped up by the NNPC, the sole importer of petrol.

“Supply is good today (Wednesday). Three PMS-laden vessels are in Apapa jetty now as we speak. Two of them are already discharging the product,” the depot official said.

It was gathered that the NNPC was making efforts to sell its old stocks before starting its transaction with Dangote refinery.

While unveiling its PMS on Tuesday, Dangote announced that the product would hit the market in 48 hours, adding, however, that this was subject to the readiness of the Federal Government and the NNPC.

Nigerians are eager to know whether or not the Dangote refinery could crash the price of PMS.

TUC slams FG

Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria on Wednesday expressed shock and dismay over Tuesday’s hike in the pump price of petrol, demanding its immediate reversal by the Federal Government.

TUC in a statement by its president, Festus Osifo, contended that the sudden hike in fuel and electricity costs will exacerbate the poverty level, worsen the suffering and hardships across the country and may trigger social unrest.

The statement read, “TUC received the news of PMS Price hike with great contestation and grave concern. The burden of PMS price increase is huge and percolates all facet of our social-economic life.

“This sudden hike, implemented without consultation with critical stakeholders, represents a blatant disregard for the welfare of the Nigerian people, particularly the working class who bear the brunt of such decisions.

“The disturbing news of the increase in PMS pump price all over the country has sent a wave of apprehension and depression across the length and breadth of the nation.

“This is in the wake of an already existing unprecedented hardship upon citizens.

“In addition, we are deeply troubled by the further hike in electricity tariffs to 250 percent a service that is essential for the survival of the poorest in our society. The timing and magnitude of these increases, in the absence of any meaningful social security measures, demonstrate a lack of empathy and understanding of the challenges faced by ordinary Nigerians.”

It added, “Why does it have to be the common Nigerians bearing all the pains of high cost of living while those in power enjoy increased allocation and affluence?

“The government has not made any concerted efforts to reduce the cost of governance or personal effects, nor have they focused on directing resources or effecting policies that would strengthen the naira and improve the standard of living of our citizens.

“The Congress has long posited several strategies that should be activated towards improving the strength of the Naira and give value to every kobo spent by Nigerians as this is one of the root causes of all the economic woes we face as a country today. Yet much hasn’t been done about these recommendations.”

Also, the Nigeria Labour Congress on Wednesday responded to the denial by the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Print Media, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, regarding an agreement on minimum wage and fuel price hike.

The union described Abdulaziz’s denial as “amusing” and questioned his credibility, suggesting he might be suffering from “selective amnesia” or “attention span deficit.”

The Presidency on Wednesday accused NLC president, Joe Ajaero, of playing dirty politics following his declaration that the Tinubu administration betrayed the NLC by increasing the price of fuel despite a mutual agreement.

Speaking in a statement signed by Benson Upah, Head, Public Relations, NLC, the union reaffirmed its statement, challenging Abdulaziz to reveal the truth about the presidential meetings with labour leaders. They also criticized his personal attack on Joe Ajaero, stating that Nigerians don’t need Ajaero to recognize the harsh realities of life under the current government.

“The union emphasised that Nigerians deserve a decent life, free from harassment and starvation, and warned that “falsehood does not live forever.” They remain resolute in their stance, despite the government’s attempts to discredit them.

“Whatever the matter is with Abdulaziz, we stand by our statement. And if Abdulaziz was at those meetings as he claimed, he should be courageous enough to let the  world know whether the President gave the labour leaders one hour to meet and resolve  to either  accept and allow increase or accept N62,000.

“Labour leaders instead chose to meet outside the Villa and report in a week. When they came back, they were blunt and rejected the offer.

“As for Abdulaziz’s side-dig, he should stop insulting the intelligence of Nigerians as they do not need Comrade Joe Ajaero to know they have been taken for a ride and that life has never been this mean, all due to the policies of government.

“We also find it necessary to let Abdulaziz and those who sent him know that Nigerians are entitled to a decent, respectable life free from harassment, intimidation and starvation.

“Government may have all the ultimate weapons of coercion, true power resides with the people. Finally, we are also acutely conscious of the fact that falsehood does not live forever.”

Protest, lamentations

Commercial tricycle operators in Warri and Effurun metropolis of Delta State, alongside aggrieved women and youths took to the streets on Wednesday in a peaceful protest over the persistent scarcity of fuel amidst the hike in price.

The market women and the cyclists, in their hundreds, marched through the major roads, calling on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene and reverse the fuel price hike.

The protesters carried placards and chanted slogans expressing their frustration and anger over the government’s decision to increase fuel price to almost N1100/litre, which they say has worsened their economic struggles.

Some of the placards had inscriptions such as ‘Tinubu, intervene now to alleviate commuters sufferings’, ‘Tinubu, activate Warri, Kaduna refineries without further delay’, and ‘We are suffering in silence, the fuel price hike is a killer.’

One of our correspondents observed that most of the filling stations along the Warri-Sapele road were shut to motorists on Wednesday morning while the few that were open for business sold petrol at above N1,000.

Consequently, the development had adverse effects on commuters within the metropolis as well as inter-state travellers as motorists adjusted their transport fares upwards.

Workers ride bicycles

Following the increase in pump price on Tuesday, more residents and workers, including civil servants in Borno State, have embraced trekking, tricycles and bicycles for mobility.

During the early hours of Wednesday in Maiduguri, the state capital, there were less vehicles and more pedestrians on major roads.

Some residents of Nasarawa State lamented the hike after it forced many of them to resort to trekking as they could not afford the luxury of boarding tricycles and buses.

The product, which used to be sold between N930 and N950/litre in most stations in Lafia and its environs, is now sold between N990 and N1,000/litre.

Our correspondent in Lafia observed on Wednesday that many workers and businessmen trekked short distances to their workplaces to avoid spending outside their budgets.

Tricycles, motorcycles and vehicles operators in the state capital had jacked up their prices for both short and long distances due to the rising cost of fuel.

Tricycle riders in Lafia had fixed N250 for a drop per passenger but with the increase in price, the transporters jacked up their prices to between N350 and N400.

In Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, residents stayed indoors following the increase in fuel price.

There was a dearth of vehicles on the streets of Ilorin as a result of the increase in the price of PMS.

Many vehicle owners, who were caught unaware, angrily abandoned their cars at home or parked by the roadside to make use of commercial motorcycles and tricycles to their respective destinations.

A litre of petrol was sold at N870/litre at NNPC stations while independent marketers sold at between N950 and N1,200/litre.

However, commercial vehicle operators in Ilorin complained of low turnout by passengers.

Similarly, one of the leaders of IPMAN in the state, Alhaji Kunle Sanni, tasked the Presidency to halt what he described as “their flamboyant lifestyles” while masses were being pushed deeper into poverty.

The septuagenarian told The PUNCH that it was regrettable that the Presidency was travelling around the globe in needless multi-billion Naira private jets while its citizens lived in penury.

He said, “There has to be a social service that any government must provide for her people but the present government hasn’t done anything in this regard. Instead all of them, the Presidency and National Assembly members, are living flamboyant lifestyles while the masses are suffering more and more.

“The former price of N580/litre was on a very high side, we complained bitterly against it and expected that Dangote product would give us a relief but here we are with another increase and all manner of sabotage stories about Dangote refinery. What kind of a government is this?” “I haven’t sold PMS for over three months now because of the increase because I can’t stand people’s curses on me for what I don’t know anything about.”

The hikealso left hundreds of commuters stranded in Kaduna, with many filing stations closing shop or selling at exorbitant prices.

On Wednesday, residents were forced to trek long distances or opt for expensive alternative transportation.

Journalist Amos Mathew parked his car due to the hike, spending N400 on a tricycle ride instead of the usual N100.

[Punch]

Our movement was fairly routine. We would fly into Katsina Airport from Abuja and drive straight to the presidential lodge. But on this occasion, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua changed the protocol. “Please drive straight to my mother’s place. I came purposely to see her.” Prior to that day, only the ADC, Mustapha Onoyiveta, CSO, Yusuf Tilde, SA Domestic, Hamza Nadada, PLO, Habu Habib, Chief Physician, Salisu Banye and Alhaji Inuwa Baba (the only ‘Senator’ with a global constituency) went with the president whenever he visited his mother. That occasion provided the first opportunity to meet Hajiya Dada, and I noticed something as we took turns to greet her. Though there were a few chairs in the room for visitors, the late president took his seat on the floor beside her mattress. Before we left them alone, I witnessed how the power dynamics in Nigeria had changed as Yar’Adua attended to his mother in awe. When he eventually came out of the room, he held a jug I was told contained fura da nono, a special delicacy she always made for him.

I arrived back to Abuja on Monday from China and was not feeling too well when the news broke that Hajiya Dada had passed. But I was determined to pay her my last respects by attending the burial slated for 1.30PM on Tuesday. I must therefore express my appreciation to the former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje who provided a space for me on the aircraft that took him, his former Kebbi counterpart, Senator Adamu Aliero and Professor Modibbo Ahmed to Katsina. And I was impressed that Vice President Kashim Shettima, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party presidential candidate in the last election, Mr Peter Obi, as well as former Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and many other important dignitaries defied the slight rain to attend the prayers on the football field of Katsina Township stadium.

In every sense, the late Hajiya Dada bore similarities to the late Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy of the United States. Mrs Kennedy died in 1995 at age 104. Hajiya Dada died at age 102. Mrs Kennedy was married to a top politician who chaired the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and was US Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Hajiya Dada’s husband was also a politician, administrator and Minister of Lagos Affairs during Nigeria’s First Republic. Mrs Kennedy had nine children, including a US President who died in office and two senators who also died in office, all during her lifetime. Hajiya Dada also had nine children, among them a former number two man in Nigeria, Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and his younger brother, Umaru who died as president—both in her lifetime. Perhaps because of their longevity, both Mrs Kennedy and Hajia Dada also lost other children while alive. Fortunately for Hajiya Dada, she left behind Hajiya Habi, Malam Sule, Hajiya Hafisatu and Senator Audu Musa Yar’Adua (Audu Soja, as he is fondly called within the family being a retired Lt Colonel). And of course, she is also survived by Murtala Shehu Yar’Adua, a former Minister of State for Defence, among many grandchildren.

But the essential similarity between Mrs Kennedy and Hajiya Dada is that they raised extraordinarily successful children and suffered more than their share of tragedy. Even though both families were privileged, one could see the critical roles played by the matriarchs. This much was captured by Mrs Kennedy in her 1974 autobiography, ‘Times to Remember’, where she explained her role in bringing up her children to be who they were. “I looked on child rearing not only as a work of love and duty but as a profession that was fully as interesting and challenging as any honorable profession in the world and one that demanded the best I could bring to it,” she wrote as a testimony to her influence in how the children had turned out. “What greater aspiration and challenge are there for a mother than the hope of raising a great son or daughter?”

Hajiya Dada was noted by many as an exceedingly spiritual woman whose guidance was sought by her sons throughout their lives. But she was also known for her uncommon special attention to detail, especially regarding them. The Director General of the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Ms Jacquline Farris once shared a story with me. “When Umaru (the late president) took me to condole with Hajia Dada after Shehu died in December 1997, she went into her room and brought out his school uniform after hearing about my plan for the exhibition hall,” she said. “That she had kept it in her room all those years and knew exactly where she kept it amazed me.” And on the day that Hajia Dada visited the Centre, many people panicked when they couldn’t locate her whereabouts. “We later found her at the exhibition hall, alone”, evidently absorbing the environment while reliving the memories of her departed son.

Hajiya Dada left no memoir, but I believe she could say the same thing about her efforts in raising her children to who they were in Nigeria, just as Mrs Kennedy did. And there could have been no greater testimony than the number of people who gathered in Katsina on Tuesday for her burial. Most of them may never have met Hajiya Dada in person. Even some of us who had met her could not boast of any special relationship with her. We were there in Katsina simply to honour her illustrious children—a worthy legacy to her life.

May God grant her eternal rest.

But Where We Wan Go?

It is not the kind of argument a government official should be making but we live in a country where people say all kinds of things. “If NNPC imports PMS and sells to marketers at perhaps N600 or below, there’s no way that smuggling can stop,” theMinister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri said last week while arguing that the only antidote to fuel smuggling across Nigerian borders is to sell the commodity above the landing cost in a tacit admission of failure of critical institutions. “When smugglers are taking the products outside the country, even if you put all the policemen on the road, they are Nigerians; you and I know the answer.”

When the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) responded on Tuesday by jerking up the pump prices of fuel by about 50 percent, Lokpobiri became angry that Nigerians would hold the federal government to account on the issue. He would not even take responsibility for his own declaration a few days earlier. “We categorically condemn these claims as baseless, malicious, and a deliberate attempt to incite public discontent,” he said in response to reports on the pump price. “Such a claim is entirely devoid of truth and should be recognised as an intentional effort to mislead the public. It must be stressed that NNPCL operates as an independent entity under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, with a fully empowered Board of Directors.”

It is not only Lokpobiri who takes Nigerians for fools on this matter of subsidy.  Several other operatives of the current administration have also decided to adopt the same lie: The federal government has nothing to do with the pump price, it is the NNPCL. But Lokpobiri is adding insult to injury with his CAMA tales. Meanwhile, it is not a secret that I endorse removal of fuel subsidy. It is an argument I have canvassed for more than two decades and my position on it has not changed. But implementing fuel subsidy removal at the same time as floating the Naira has proved to be a dangerous combination for the economy. Now things have gone haywire.

I have read people who blame the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for our woes. The usual argument is that the government is taking their usual pills. But that’s not my reading of the situation in Nigeria today. When Witold Henisz, currently theVice Dean and Faculty Director, ESG Initiative; Deloitte & Touche Professor of Management at the University of Pennsylvania, joined other leading academics to conduct research on market reforms in dozens of Third World countries, they were said to be looking for a link between failed or troubled reform efforts and the presence of the World Bank or the IMF. At the end, they reportedly found one interesting link. “If you see the IMF and World Bank influencing reforms in a country,” says Henisz, “It’s not a seal of approval. It’s a warning flag!”

That remains true of Nigeria today. We are in a serious economic crisis. The situation may have been exacerbated by the arrogance and thoughtlessness with which the Tinubu administration handled critical issues, but the problems preceded them. The challenge is that to get out of the mess, we require short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions. Part of the long-term solutions must include how to tackle the menace of a growing but largely unproductive population. I am aware that some don’t like to hear this but it’s an issue we must deal with. In 1960, the United Kingdom from where we secured our independence had a population of 52.2 million people whereas Nigeria was then inhabited by 45.14 million people. Today, the UK is 69 million, an increase of about 14 percent over a period of 64 years. Meanwhile, the population of Nigeria today is put at 229 million, an increase of about 500 percent! And we are talking of people with little or no access to education, healthcare and other basics of life.

However, that is not the issue for today as we seek to tackle the current challenge. In his 1923 work, ‘The Tract on Monetary Reform’, English economist and philosopher, John Maynard Keynes, made a profound statement though not often referenced in full.“The long run is a misleading guide to current affairs. In the long run we are all dead,” Keynes wrote but most people often leave out the next lines. “Economists set themselves too easy, too useless a task if in tempestuous seasons they can only tell us that when the storm is past the ocean is flat again.”

It is not that Keynes could not appreciate the benefits of long-term planning. On the contrary, his thesis actually supports that. What he is saying is that you must survive today before you can envision tomorrow. That is a message for those who are formulating policies for this administration. Yesterday, I was listening to a radio call-in programme in the vehicle and many callers were expressing their frustration about the high cost of living which would be compounded by the hike in fuel price. The picture of deprivation painted by many was just too harrowing. One caller summed it up by repeatedly chanting, “Where we wan go? Where we wan go? Where we wan go?”

Most Nigerians are now at their tethers end. And they need solutions to their pressing challenges. Deploying the Sani Abacha tactics of intimidation, coercion and other forms of repression provide no solution. Beyond mismanaging expectations, I hope those in power today are not also poor students of history.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has warned the federal government that the latest increase in the pump price of petroleum products would worsen poverty among workers

The union said the sudden hike allegedly “implemented without consultation with critical stakeholders,” represented a blatant disregard for the welfare of the Nigerian people, particularly the working class who bear the brunt of such decisions.

In a statement by its president, Comrade Festus Osifo, the TUC urged the government to “immediately rescind these decisions, promote policies that will strengthen the naira, and take decisive steps to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians.”

According to the statement, the federal government must “act swiftly to restore confidence and prevent further deterioration in the living conditions of its citizens.”

The statement said: “The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) received the news of the PMS price hike with great contestation and grave concern. The burden of PMS price increase is huge and percolates to all facets of our social-economic life. This sudden hike, implemented without consultation with critical stakeholders, represents a blatant disregard for the welfare of the Nigerian people, particularly the working class who bear the brunt of such decisions.

“The disturbing news of the increase in PMS pump price all over the country has sent a wave of apprehension and depression across the length and breadth of the nation. This is in the wake of an already existing unprecedented hardship upon citizens.

“In addition, we are deeply troubled by the further hike in electricity tariffs to 250%, a service that is essential for the survival of the poorest in our society. The timing and magnitude of these increases, in the absence of any meaningful social security measures, demonstrate a lack of empathy and understanding of the challenges faced by ordinary Nigerians.

“Why does it have to be the common Nigerians bearing all the pains of the high cost of living while those in power enjoy increased allocation and affluence? The government has not made any concerted efforts to reduce the cost of governance or personal effects, nor have they focused on directing resources or effecting policies that would strengthen the naira and improve the standard of living of our citizens.

“The Congress has long posited several strategies that should be activated towards improving the strength of the Naira and give value to every kobo spent by Nigerians as this is one of the root causes of all the economic woes we face as a country today. Yet much hasn’t been done about these recommendations.

“Congress stands with the working people of Nigeria who are struggling under the weight of rising inflation, a high cost of living, and a deficient work environment that fails to provide the basic standards of decency and dignity. The sudden hike in fuel and electricity costs will only exacerbate these challenges, leading to further hardship and potential social unrest.

“We urge the government to immediately rescind these decisions, promote policies that will strengthen the naira, and take decisive steps to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians. The government must act swiftly to restore confidence and prevent further deterioration in the living conditions of its citizens.

“The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria remains committed to defending the rights and interests of Nigerian workers and will continue to advocate for policies that promote social justice, fair wages, and a decent work environment.”

[TheNation]