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Photos: Fani-Kayode’s Wife, Precious Involved In Ghastly Accident, Loses Aide
Former beauty queen, Precious Chikwendu has survived a ghastly car accident in Abuja.
Naija News reports that Precious, the wife of the former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, made this known in a lengthy Instagram post, stating that she lost an aide in the accident.
Recounting the incident, Precious said a reckless driver at the traffic light at Kur Mohammed Avenue ran into their vehicle, and she lost her aide.
She wrote, “I’ve been dealing with survivor guilt for weeks now, I am just able to begin proper communication with “humans” because I’ve been mute and going through the phase of trying to understand why I survived with minimal injuries and the person who was next to me didn’t. Feb 29th, 2024, remains a day I never got clarity about anything, but I am positive it will all make sense in no time.
My driver, aide, and I were run into by a reckless driver at the traffic light at Kur Mohammed Avenu, right in front of Taj Bank. I won’t talk about this person who hit me and all he has done since then because it is already a manslaughter case, but I would talk about God’s mercy on me and the pain of losing my best aide ever.
“God came through for me and sent me a special gift ahead of time for this season and beyond. I’ve grieved for Sanusi, I’ve looked at my cameras every day, hoping he would be out there cleaning his boots as usual. That fateful morning he was with my kids and me at the national stadium for their inter-house sports, he followed Aiden and Ragnar around like he knew he might never see them again, and the last I remember was seeing him argue the routes to take with my driver, as if he knew there was danger ahead but surrendered to fate by letting using go the opposite way. Will I continuously miss my ‘Sule’? Yes !! Everyday.
“He was one little brother that was too protective of me. Meeting his whole family coincidentally at Sahad stores in January made me see him as a family from that moment, aside from him being the most peaceful, loyal, and easy-to-learn aide I’ve ever had. I virtually camped at the hospital and prayed for the brain injuries to heal with high hopes of having him laugh again at my silly jokes whenever I’m in excellent spirits. God alone will heal us all from this pain. I’ve cried my heart out, but most importantly, I’ve learned a lot from this incident. I am grateful to be alive even though I questioned it all for many reasons, I am alive and grateful. Ekwensu ntooooor!.”
Mohbad’s Mother Opens Up On Identities Of Those Who Frustrated Late Singer To Death
Abosede, the mother of the late Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has alleged that singer, Azeez Fashola, also known as Naira Marley, alongside Lagos socialite, Sam Larry, frustrated her son to death.
Naija News reports that Abosede made this known in an interview with PUNCH, stating that Mohbad did not experience peace throughout his lifetime because the duo of Naira Marley and Sam Larry always got him into one problem or another.
Abosede noted that she had always been involved in Mohbad’s life and warned him over his association with Naira Marley.
She said, “Mohbad did not know peace throughout his lifetime. He was always going from one problem to another in the hands of Naira Marley and Sam Larry. His manager was Naira Marley’s brother, and I did not like him.
“Every time I went there, I always told Mohbad to stay away from him, yet he was always sleeping on Mohbad’s bed. I told Mohbad to keep away from everyone associated with Naira Marley and should not work with them anymore. I had always been involved in my son’s life. Every curse that Naira Marley rains on me will return to him.”
Speaking further, Abosede debunked the claims of Mohbad owing Sam Larry money, revealing that Naira Marley had one time beat up the late singer, and he ended up in the hospital.
She added, “Sam Larry beat Mohbad, complaining that he owed him money, but that is not true. My son confided in me.
“Naira Marley beat him up one time, and he ended up in the hospital. We had to use hot water to massage his body, and he could not talk for two days because he was seriously beaten. He even developed hypertension.
“When Mohbad recovered from the sickness, Naira did not want him back in Marlian Music. He said he was spoiling their name; and Mohbad also did not want to go back. I went with the father to plead with Naira. That was the first time I went to the house. It was Joseph that was always going there. I want justice for my son.”
Meanwhile, both Naira Marley and Sam Larry have denied involvement in Mohbad’s death.
Pilot, co-pilot both fall asleep for 28 minutes on flight to Indonesia
Batik Air plane in Indonesia went off track on it’s flight path after both the pilot and the co-pilot fell asleep for nearly half an hour.
The incident, which happened in January, saw the pair in the cockpit getting some shuteye, as the aircraft drifted off it’s planned path – something that could have led to a fatal disaster for all 153 passengers on board.
It is vital for pilots to keep an aircraft on the right flight path as it is carefully mapped out by air traffic controllers to ensure the plane doesn’t cross any other aircraft’s paths.
The plane was flying from South East Sulawesi to the capital Jakarta.
It has been reported that one of the pilots had not rested adequately the night before the flight.
About half an hour after the plane took off, the captain asked permission from his second-in-command to rest for a while and he said yes.
The co-pilot took over command of the aircraft but then fell asleep himself.
A few minutes after the last recorded transmission by the co-pilot, the area control centre in Jakarta tried to contact the aircraft.
It received no answer.
Twenty-eight minutes after the last recorded transmission, the pilot woke up and realised his co-pilot was asleep and that the aircraft was not on the correct flight path.
He immediately woke his colleague up, responded to the calls from Jakarta and corrected the flight path, the report said.
The incident resulted in a series of navigation errors, but the Airbus A320’s 153 passengers and four flight attendants were unharmed during the two-hour-and-35-minute flight.
The transport ministry ‘strongly reprimands’ Batik Air over the incident, air transport director-general M. Kristi Endah Murni said, calling on airlines to pay more attention to their air crew’s rest time.
‘We will carry out an investigation and review of the night flight operation in Indonesia related with Fatigue Risk Management for Batik Air and all flight operators,’ Kristi said in a statement.
Batik Air said in a statement on Saturday that it ‘operates with adequate rest policy’ and that it was ‘committed to implement all safety recommendation’.
The pilots involved in the January 25 incident had been temporarily suspended, the statement added.
The plane landed safely after the incident.
Investigators did not identify the pilots, but said they were both Indonesians and were aged 32 and 28.
Indonesia’s transport ministry said Saturday it would open a probe into the airline.
Woman dies after surgery to remove dead foetus she carried for 56 years
An 81-year-old Brazilian woman died after undergoing surgery to remove a 56-year-old foetus from her abdomen.
Daniela Vera unknowingly had an ectopic pregnancy when she was younger, and complaints of stomach pain were ignored by doctors for years.
Daniela, from Aral Moreira, Brazil, went to a local health centre on March 10, where she was treated for a water infection, before being sent to another hospital where she received 3D scans.
The scans revealed lithopedion – from the Greek words meaning ‘stone’ and ‘child’ – a condition where an abdominal ectopic pregnancy calcifies around the foetus.
Despite having seven children, the condition went unnoticed until Daniela received the scans.
She went into surgery, after which she was moved into intensive care, where she died on March 15 after suffering an infection.
Dr Patrick Dezir, the head of the Ponta Pora Hospital health department, said: ‘When pregnancy occurs, it must be inside the uterus, but in some situations, pregnancy can occur outside.
‘That baby was not clinical, the patient did not have acute pain and did not have major bleeding and this diagnosis goes unnoticed and time will take care of that foreign body that was left inside the woman’s abdomen.’
Daniela’s child, Rosely Almedia, said: ‘She was old and we are indigenous, she didn’t like going to the doctor, she was afraid of the equipment to take exams.’
Daniela had complained of abdominal pain since her first pregnancy when she was a teenager, her daughter said.
Rosely added: ‘She said so it looked like a baby was moving inside her belly and sometimes she felt sick, but we never suspected that it was that.’
In 2013, a similar incident happened to an 82-year-old woman in Colombia, who had been carrying a 40 year-old stone baby in her belly.
The four-pound fetus remained in her abdomen for decades before she underwent surgery to remove it.
Lithopedion is extremely rare, occurring in only 0.0054% of all pregnancies.
Killing Fields: 6,931 people killed under Tinubu in 10 months
Death toll higher than 8,356 wasted under Buhari, worse than Jonathan’s 2,059 all in 10 months
On March 14, 17 officers and men of the 181 Amphibious Battalion, Bomadi, were killed at Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State on account of the land dispute between Okuama and Okoloba communities.
The 17 soldiers including one lieutenant Colonel, two majors and a captain met their Waterloo during alleged botched peace talks in the community. The murder of the military men has led to a military siege to Okuama in which houses had been razed and no fewer than 50 people reportedly killed.
The 67 reported souls lost to the Okuama crisis are among the 6,931 people killed across the country in 10 months since President Bola Tinubu assumed power, last May.
In immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari’s first 10 months in office, May 2015 to March 2016, Nigeria lost 8,356 people to insecurity.
In former President Goodluck Jonathan’s first 10 months as elected head of state, May 2011 to March 2012, insecurity claimed 2,059 lives.
The figures under Jonathan and Buhari were got from the records of the Nigeria Security Tracker, NST, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Africa programme, which documented and mapped violence in Nigeria motivated by political, economic or social grievances.
However, the death toll under Tinubu is based on media reports.
In all, the figures are conservative because some killings are under-reported or not reported.
In January 2024, troops killed 266 terrorists and bandits in operations across the country. In February 2024, troops neutralised 974 terrorists.
In the last two months, the Chairman of Benue Ethnic Leaders and President General of Mzough U Tiv, MUT, worldwide, Chief lorbee Ihagh, claimed that herdsmen militia had killed no fewer than 147 persons in various attacks on Benue communities.
As of March 21, no fewer than 432 lives had been lost to insecurity in the third month of the year Recurring bandits’ attacks in Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Kebbi and many North-East and North-Central states have led the deaths and kidnap of thousands of people.
The South-East states where unknown gunmen are wreaking are not spared. So also states of South-South and parts of South-West where criminal gangs and armed herdsmen operate.
How 2,059 were killed in Jonathan’s first 10 months
May 2011 – 29
June 2011 – 59
July 2011 – 94
Aug 2011 – 131
Sept 2011 – 109
Oct 2011 -72
Nov 2011 – 254
Dec 2011 – 348
Jan 2012 – 418
Feb 2012 – 226
Mar 2012 – 319
Total———2,059
Death toll in Buhari’s first 10 months
May 2015 -767
June 2015 -808
July 2015 -1,299
Aug 2015 – 790
Sept 2015 – 514
Oct 2015 – 826
Nov 2015 – 510
Dec 2015 – 809
Jan 2016 – 484
Feb 2016 – 1,076
Mar 2016 – 468
Total ———8,356
How 6,931 persons were killed under Tinubu in 10 months
May 2023 – 587
June 2023 – 690
July 2023 – 620
Aug 2023 – 682
Sept 2023 – 527
Oct 2023- 621
Nov 2023 – 869
Dec 2023 – 837
Jan 2024 – 666
Feb 2024 – 1,374
Mar 2024- 432
Total————6,931@~£
Northern Senators kick
Senators from the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja under the aegis of Northern Senators Forum, NSF, on Wednesday decried the raging wave of killings and kidnapping in the North and urged decisive action to stop the trend.
In a statement by their Chairman, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, APC, Katsina Central, the Northern senators said they would not rest until the security situation was brought under control and the perpetrators brought to justice
The statement read in part:
“The distressing state of affairs concerning the recent wave of violence and kidnappings in the North is a major concern to the Northern Senators Forum. The series of events that have unfolded in Kaduna State, beginning with the kidnapping of 286 students and staff from a school on March 7th, the despicable attack on worshippers in a mosque on March 8th, the abduction of 61 more persons on March 12th, followed by 14 individuals on March 17th, and a staggering total of 87 individuals in Kajuru on March 18th, among others, are not only reprehensible but demand urgent and resolute action.”
Disturbed by the killings, the National Assembly has held many meetings with the security chiefs and President Tinubu had repeatedly ordered the security chiefs to halt the trend.
It is to be seen if these moves would yield desired results in terms of security of lives and property of Nigerians.
IPOB Factional Leader, Simon Ekpa, 96 Others Declared Wanted For Terrorism By DHQ
The Defence Headquarters on Friday said it has declared 97 persons wanted for terrorism, violent extremism and secessionist threats against the state.
Prominent among the wanted persons is the factional leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Simon Ekpa.
Major Gen Edwaed Buba, Director, Defence Media Operations, confirmed the names and pictures of the people declared wanted in Abuja on Friday night.
The wanted persons, terrorists/ bandits and insurgents commanders are from the North East, North West, North Central and South-East zones.
The military authorities did not place any bounty on the wanted persons.
A breakdown of the wanted persons shows that 43 were declared wanted in North West Zone plagued by banditry, and kidnapping among others.
Some bandits/terrorists leaders include: Alhaji Shingi; Malindi Yakubu; Boka ; Dogo Gide; Halilu Sububu; Ado Aliero ; Bello Turji; Dan Bokkolo; Labi Yadi ; Nagala; Saidu Idris; Kachalla Rugga and Sani Gurgu.
In the North East plagued by Boko Haram and Islamic State for West Africa Province terrorists, 33 persons were declared wanted.
Among them are terrorists commanders, Abu Zaida; Modu Sulum; Baba Data; Ahmad; Sani Teacher; Baa Sadiq; Abdul Saad; Kaka Abi; Mohammad Khalifa; Umar Tella; Abu Mutahid; Mallam Mohammad; Mallam Tahiru Baga; Uzaiya and Ali Ngule.
In the North Central and South East 21 Insurgents/militants and violent criminals were declared wanted.
They include factional IPOB leader Simon Ekpa; Chika Edoziem; Egede; Zuma, ThankGod Gentle; Flavour ; Mathew; David Ndubuisi ; High Chief Williams Agbor; Ebuka Nwaka; Friday Ojimka.
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Others in the South East include Obiemesi Chukwudi aka Dan Chuk ; David Ezekwem Chidiebube and Amobi Chinonso Okafor aka Temple .
Delta Killings: Nigerian Army Recovers The Decomposing Hearts Of Killed Soldiers
In a sobering update provided yesterday, the Defence Headquarters confirmed the recovery of decomposing hearts belonging to some of the victims among the 18 Army officers and men tragically killed in Okuama, Delta State.
It said the hunt for the perpetrators was intensifying but no significant arrest had been made.
Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar called the killing of the soldiers a national tragedy while Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike branded it barbaric.
Niger Delta Development Minister, Abubakar Momoh, vowed that the killers would not go unpunished.
Residents of the community who have fled their homes for fear of reprisal are lamenting the horror of starvation and denial they have been going through since the incident.
An ex-Niger Delta militant leader, ‘General’ Endurance Amagbein, who was accused in some quarters as the brains behind the killings, yesterday vehemently denied the allegation.
He said he knew nothing whatsoever about the incident.
The Director Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, told reporters in Abuja that troops were currently conducting clearance operations and cordon and search to recover, among other things, the weapons of the deceased soldiers.
He said their efforts have yielded the recovery of the “decomposing hearts of some of the murdered soldiers.”
Earlier reports had indicated that the people responsible for the soldiers’ death also harvested their hearts and other body parts.
On the list of communities in which troops have already conducted operations are Akugbene, Ukuama and Okoloba in Ugheli and Ugheli South of Delta State as well as Ukuama Amusamo, Akwagbe, Arhavwarien, Pirigbene and Igbomatoro communities also in Delta State.
He said although no significant arrest had been made yet, the DHQ was not unaware of a viral video of a person “admitting to have perpetrated the killing of the soldiers in Delta State.”
He said one of the advantages of the video is that it “helps to narrow investigations to persons of interest and their cohorts.”
He said: “Accordingly, the state governments and host communities of these personalities are required to assist investigation in flushing them out.
“There can be no hiding place for perpetrators of such dastardly act against our nation. This is a clarion call to duty by members of those communities and the state governments.”
Besides the development in Okuama, Buba said troops across other theaters of operation during the week neutralised 106 alleged terrorists and arrested 103 other suspected criminals.
He said troops also arrested 22 oil thieves and rescued 96 kidnap victims.
Buba said troops recovered 171 assorted weapons comprising 47 AK47 rifles, one PKT gun, 18 pump action rifles, 17 locally fabricated guns, 14 Dane guns, 12 locally fabricated pistols, one fabricated revolver, one hand grenade, 81mm mortar bomb, one mortar tube and four bandoliers
He said troops also recovered 2,452 assorted ammunition, comprising 995 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 468 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 317 live cartridges, 125 rounds of 9mm ammo, 313 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm ammo, 13 rounds of 7.62 x 51mm, 19 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm, 167 empty shells of 7.62mm special ammo, 45 empty shells of 7.62mm NATO, 72 empty cases of cartridges, 14 magazines.
Other items recovered, according to defence spokesperson, are 10 vehicles, 23 motorcycles, 19 mobile phones, one bicycle, four baofeng radios, and the sum of N112,920.00 amongst other items.
He said: “Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 51 dugout pits, 17 boats, 15 storage tanks and 4 vehicles. Other items recovered include 21 cooking ovens, 3 pumping machines and 40 illegal refining sites.
“Troops recovered 772,350 litres of stolen crude oil, 80,530 litres of illegally refined AGO and 1,500 litres of DPK.”
Buba said the troops would continue to put themselves in harm’s way in order to protect and secure the citizens of this country.
Reactions As Pastor Chris Oyakhilome Claims to Have Raised 50 People From the Dead in the Last One Year (Video)
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, the General overseer leader of Christ Embassy has been challenged to raise legendary actor, Mr Ibu and singer Mohbad.
This comes after he claimed to have raised over 50 people from the dead in the past year.
During a recent Healing Steam Festival, Pastor Oyakhilome made the controversial statement.
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome asserted that his ministry has raised more than 50 people from the dead in the past year.
He said;
“In the last one year, we have had more than 50 people raised from the dead. How do you explain such things? Both old and young, in various countries. How do you explain? What will you use to explain them? Including the ones that happened in the hospitals to the amazement of doctors and nurses. How do you explain? Maybe we bribed them in heaven or hell to come back. You know sometimes they say we bribe people, maybe we bribe the dead to come back to live. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”.
“In the last one year, we have had more than 50 people raised from the dead. How do you explain such things? Both old and young, in various countries. How do you explain? What will you use to explain them? Including the ones that happened in the hospitals to the amazement of doctors and nurses. How do you explain? Maybe we bribed them in heaven or hell to come back. You know sometimes they say we bribe people, maybe we bribe the dead to come back to live. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”.
Reacting, Nigerians took to social media to challenge him.
They asked him to raise Ibu and Mohbad if he has such power.
See comments below:
One I Am Avincii wrote, “Show workings with Mr Ibu and Mohbad.No be all this Cho cho cho
This statement has generated a mixed response.
Some social media users pointed to the recent deaths of celebrities like Mr Ibu and Mohbad, suggesting Pastor Oyakhilome attempt to resurrect them as a sign of good faith.
Others expressed skepticism, believing the pastor may have misinterpreted situations of unconsciousness.
One Bezo Yello Salon wrote, “Them they were unconscious, no dead person can raise again. Stop the deceit at this time and age
One Taiwo Junzi wrote, “And Freeze was begging you people to raise Mohbad the other day but you went into your koro and turned deaf ears
One It’s Kunle Real wrote, “Raise Mohbad and Mr Ibu. No be cho cho cho, show workings
One Tolzy Paul wrote, “If you don’t want to believe nobody cares. If Jesus Chris was in this generation. You people will still doubt his miracles”.
Nigeria Has Become A Killing Field Under Tinubu – Atiku Blows Hot
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has denounced the recent assault that resulted in the death of a village leader and additional residents of Rafi Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State.
Daily Trust had reported how at least 21 people including the village head lost their lives on Thursday afternoon when bandits in their numbers reportedly invaded a market in Madaka, an agrarian community in Rafi LGA.
According to residents, the attackers raided the market around 3pm when the commercial activities were in full swing and started shooting at the crowd.
Among those killed was a butcher who recently got married. He had gone to the market to purchase some items needed for business when the bandits struck.
Reacting to the development, Abubakar, in a post via X on Friday, said Nigeria had become a “killing field” under President Bola Tinubu.
He called for the need to speed up the introduction of state police.
He wrote: “It is saddening that Nigeria has become a killing field. Thursday’s killing of scores of persons, including the village head and abduction of an unspecified number of people by suspected bandits in Madaka, in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, is yet another confirmation that contrary to assurances, insecurity continues to be rife in our country.
“We have to prioritise security and speed up the process of a constitutional amendment that will introduce State Police so that states and local authorities can deploy mechanisms that best suit their environment in tackling this hydra-headed insecurity in our land.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the bereaved and the government and people of Niger State.”
FX Crisis: Tinubu Begs Nigerians To Buy Local Goods, Approves N75bn For Manufacturers
President Bola Tinubu attributed the gradual strengthening of the Naira against the Dollar to ongoing efforts to stabilize forex fluctuations in the country.
The President called on Nigerians to support the initiative by patronising locally produced goods to further strengthen the value of the Naira and reduce hardship in the country.
Tinubu spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, who addressed journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.
According to the Presidency, there is already a noticeable measure being taken by the regulatory body to firm up the nation’s currency, which has started to yield results.
Speaking further on the Federal Government’s resolve to put the suffering of the masses to an end, Ngelale said the Tinubu administration wants to ensure that those industries and sectors that are massively employing people would be prioritized with respect to government intervention.
Ngelale said the plan has culminated in the approval of over N75 billion to be disbursed to 75 large-scale manufacturers across all states of the federation.
He said a larger chunk of the interventions would go to manufacturers who employ over 1,000 Nigerians in each of their facilities and industries.
According to him, the objective is to see that large-scale industries do not just refuse to fire people but actively increase and expand their hiring.
Ngelale said, “I’m certain that everyone seated here and indeed Nigerians at large have witnessed the seismic shifts that have taken place within the nation’s foreign exchange market over the last several days and the strengthening of the Nigerian naira against the United States dollar.
“This is clearly the direction all of us have wanted to head. And we are very sober to the fact that this is no time to rest or to clap. This is a time to deepen our efforts to dig in and to work harder, which is why His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved a series of interventions to ensure that we see a mass strengthening of the Nigerian Naira against all other global currencies.
“One, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wants to communicate very clearly to our people, that there has never been a more important time in our history to actively agree together that we will patronize and purchase made-in-Nigeria products across all value chains across all sectors.
“There is an intentionality that we must have on this issue that we want a strong currency, we want the spending power of our people to go up. We want every naira and kobo we earn to be more valuable not just here. But when we travel abroad, the way to achieve that is by doing just this.
“In addition to that, His Excellency Mr President beyond the appeal to Nigerians to actively and intentionally make that decision every day to patronize made-in-Nigeria products and services across the board, he is also wanting to ensure that Nigerians fully understand that the momentum that we are now seeing with respect to the strengthening of our currency is not going to slow down.
“The efforts that Mr President has put in place with collaboration with other agencies of government, as well as the Central Bank of Nigeria, in dealing decisively with sharp practices on certain cryptocurrency trading platforms, dealing decisively with sharp practices within the parallel market of the foreign exchange ecosystem that these things are now yielding fruit.”
The presidential spokesman equally assured that Tinubu is intent on increasing the spending power of the people and dealing with the issue of minimum wage.
He said Nigerians should expect the momentum of the Nigerian Naira and its strengthening to continue.
“We understand that there’s still going to be volatility to some extent, but we are seeing a lessening impact of that volatility, and as we move forward with the interventions Mr President is making in the foreign exchange market and will continue to make we will see increasing stability.
“The last point we want to emphasize is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is dealing decisively with the issue of the spending power of every naira and kobo that Nigerians are earning today.
“He is also ensuring that we bring a sustainable strength to the currency so that when we talk about a new minimum wage, because many of our people have asked when the new minimum wage is coming in, those negotiations are ongoing.
“But what we do not want is a situation in which the minimum wage continues to be what it has always been in the history of our country, which is a moving goalpost.
“If we do not get a firm grip on the value of our currency and it continues to be a volatile, devaluing asset, then whatever we do with the national minimum wage is going to essentially become a moot point, nullity. And so we are focused on ensuring that yes, we arrive at a new minimum wage that states can afford, and that will deal with all of the needs of Nigerian families across the country.
“But we also want to ensure that what we peg it at is sustainable over a number of years based on the long-term, you know, stability that we want to bring to the Nigerian Naira with the interventions we’re presently making.
“And this is the point that His Excellency Mr. President wants to emphatically make today.
“There is stability coming to the currency, we’re getting closer to it, and when the new minimum wage comes into effect, it is going to be one that will be sustained over a long period of time by a stable Nigerian Naira based on the interventions being made under his leadership.”
Ngelale noted that the Tinubu administration will prioritize manufacturers who employ higher number of people for government intervention.
He said this is important so that Nigerians who rely on large-scale manufacturers are protected.
He added: “We want to ensure that those industries and sectors that are massively employing our people are prioritized with respect to government intervention, which is why the President has approved over N75 billion to be dispersed to 75 large-scale manufacturers across all states of the federation.
“These are going to be manufacturers who employ over 1000 Nigerians in each of their facilities and industries. We are going to ensure that they have the support that they need at the large scale so that Nigerian families who rely on these large-scale businesses are protected.
“We want to see our large-scale industries, not just refuse to fire people but actively increase and expand their hiring at this difficult time.
“So the President is doing everything he can to ensure that he steps in to ease the burden on families while also ensuring that he holds the public sector and the Federal Government of Nigeria accountable to prudent spending, ensuring that we cut down drastically on travel expenditures, ensuring that with the temporary ban that is being put in place from April 1 on all but necessary foreign travel, we’re expecting to save over N5 billion per quarter.
“This is going to be one out of several initiatives the President is taking to ensure that we reduce waste in the public sector in such a way that we can actually steer these very needed recurrent resources into the hands of those who are doing important work on behalf of the Nigerian people”