Turning your pain into gain

  Your pain is becoming your testimony. You are being healed now! You are being located, rescued and restored. I said that you will not nurse those wounds again. You will no more pine away in that pain, hopelessness and regret. Our God specializes in turning wounds and pains into sweetness and greatness. Yes, pains, wounds and scars mark out generals. True. Show me a general and I will show you a man with scars and near-death experiences from battles.  Do you want to be great? Then you must be ready to accumulate scars, wounds, enemies, deprivations, betrayals and battle stars. Even Jesus went through them all. God gave him a name that is above all names in heaven, on earth and under the earth (the waters), but that was not without scars. He went through robbing, wounding, abandoning and ultimately was killed.  But he came back, rose again to become the sovereign, the indestructible, the immortal King of Kings and the Lord of lords. And today when you mention his name all things - principalities, powers, dominions, thrones, Satan, demons, situations, diseases, occult masters, and satanic agents bow. No scars no authority! In fact, the bible said that his wounds brought us healing - spiritually, emotionally and physically. And by his death, we have received life and victory! If he was not robbed, disgraced, bruised, betrayed and abandoned to die we would not have been saved and empowered today.

   Now, there are many in the bible that went through this experience, but we will just pick one or two because of time and space. Look at the hopelessness of the paralyzed man that was abandoned at the Pool of Bethesda. His good health was taken away. He could not walk or help himself and he did not have anybody to help. Even when he lay near the solution, there was nobody to rush him into the water when it was stirred by the visiting angel. And he was in this situation for 38 years. He was virtually left there to die. So he also had no friends or relations?  My God! Yes, friends and relations have a limit to what they can do for you at the time of trial. Don’t put your hope on people, trust God. Don’t trust things, rely on the creator. He is the one that will stay with you when everything has failed. He will stand with you when everyone is gone. The main problem of this man was that he had nobody to help him. As his situation got worse and complicated, everybody deserted him. Nobody, unless a God-sent will stand with you in such condition for 38 years. Nobody! Just few weeks every sympathizer is gone. And few more months, your relations and best friends will gradually start distancing from you. Only your children and a godly spouse, I repeat, a godly spouse will hang on with you when it gets too tough and too long. But I doubt if our friend here had kids and wife. Or they also abandoned him and vamoosed because it happens. It’s possible. Haven’t you seen such before? Human beings are unreliable and unpredictable. May you not over stay in that trial in the name of Jesus!

On the special occasion of World Environment Day marked every June 5, President Bola Tinubu calls for earnest effort and action by citizens, stakeholders, institutions, and development partners to safeguard the environment and ensure a win-win transition to a prosperous and clean economy future for all.

The World Environment Day, established by the United Nations during the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment in 1972, is an important moment for raising awareness on environmental matters.

The theme of this year's occasion, 'Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience', is very significant, particularly for Nigeria, where the scourge of drought threatens parts of the country.

According to the projections of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, about 40 percent of our planet’s land is degraded, which directly impacts half of the world’s population. 

The UN Convention to Combat Desertification also says the number and duration of droughts have increased by 29 percent since 2000 and that without urgent action, droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world's population by 2050.

In his determined march towards Nigeria's aspiration to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, President Tinubu established the Presidential Committee on Climate Action and Green Economic Solutions, which he chairs, to oversee the nation's climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, as well as green economy initiatives.

The President also approved the establishment of Nigeria's first Green Industrial Zone, Evergreen City, which is poised to be the leading manufacturing hub in Africa for renewable energy technologies, green solutions, and climate-adaptation technologies.

The President restates his commitment to ensuring the planting of 25 million trees by 2030, not only to protect the environment but also to provide opportunities for Nigeria's youths within the green-economy value chain.

While calling for a more proactive approach to protect the land and ecosystem through afforestation, water conservation, and the cessation of indiscriminate felling of trees, President Tinubu emphasizes that to heal our world, we must begin by healing the land and its people.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

As a proud and unyielding advocate of the rights of all in our beloved realm, I find myself utterly perplexed and deeply saddened by the mere suggestion that our esteemed National Assembly would seek to stifle the hallowed right of workers to engage in lawful strike action. This notion, I must adamantly declare, is one that I simply cannot bring myself to believe.

The fundamental entitlement to strike, bestowed upon the noble laborers of our land, has been affirmed by our courts, local and international and it is a sacred cornerstone of our social fabric – a cornerstone that must be safeguarded with the utmost vigilance. To even contemplate the subversion of this legitimate process would constitute a most worrisome development, one that would grievously infringe upon the basic rights of our hardworking citizens.

Strikes, I must emphatically state, are a rightful and crucial tool for our valiant workforce to negotiate for improved working conditions, fair wages, and the social protections they so rightly deserve. These actions are not merely a privilege, but a fundamental human right, enshrined in the very ethos of social justice and the principles of collective bargaining. Any attempt to criminalize this time-honored practice would undoubtedly undermine the very foundations upon which the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has championed – the bedrocks of social dialogue, collective bargaining, and tripartism.

Should the National Assembly, in a moment of unthinkable transgression, pursue such an egregious course of action, it would undoubtedly exacerbate the already strained industrial relations in our beloved Nigeria. Such a move would inevitably lead to further unrest and social upheaval, shattering the fragile bonds of trust between workers and their elected representatives. Nay, they must instead focus their efforts on addressing the underlying issues driving the justifiable demands of our workers, including the provision of fair compensation, decent working environments, and adequate social safeguards.

Constructive dialogue with labor organizations and all relevant stakeholders is the only path forward. Only through such earnest and compassionate engagement can we hope to find solutions that promote true social justice, fair labor practices, and the sustainable development of our nation. For it is only through the harmonious collaboration of all stakeholders that we can forge a future of economic prosperity and social harmony, where the unalienable rights of the worker are safeguarded with unwavering commitment.

However, I must also express my grave concern over the reported instances of criminality that have at times accompanied strike actions. The tampering with our national grid, for example, is a most disturbing development that cannot be tolerated, for there are certain essential services that must remain uninterrupted, even in the face of legitimate worker protests. While I staunchly defend the right to strike, I cannot condone actions that jeopardize the well-being of the broader populace.

It is my fervent hope that our esteemed lawmakers will approach this delicate matter with the utmost wisdom, empathy, and an unwavering commitment to the well-being of all Nigerians. For only through such steadfast dedication can we forge a future where the rights of the worker are not merely enshrined in law, but honored with the reverence they so rightfully deserve.

-Dr Olukayode Ajulo, OON, SAN

President Bola Tinubu extends his congratulations to Her Excellency, Ms. Claudia Sheinbaum on her historic election as the first female President of the United Mexican States (Mexico).

Ms. Sheinbaum won the Mexican presidential election by a landslide, becoming the first female President in the country since its independence in 1821.

President Tinubu states that the election of President-elect Sheinbaum accents the voices of women in government, shatters political glass ceiling, and sends a reverberating message across the world that women must not only be participants but principal architects in shaping and implementing decisions affecting the lives of many.

On behalf of the government and people of Nigeria, the President congratulates the people of Mexico and calls for the strengthening of bilateral ties between both nations across areas of mutual interest.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

It was Freedom Day again in South Africa on April 27, a few weeks to the general elections held last week.

This year,  South Africans actually  celebrated a milestone: 30 years ago the first post-apartheid election was held and the  heroic symbol  of struggle for multi-racial democracy  in the country, Nelson Mandela, was elected president. A new constitution was also introduced on that day.

It also happened that on that day of the first election in 1994, a child was born in the household of Mr. Ernesto Ubisi and Mrs. Mariama Ubisi, both Mozambicans immigrants in a  poor  village called Lillyade in the Mpumalanga province of   South Africa.

The family of Ubisi elected  to name the new arrival Vote. At 30, Vote now works as a waiter in the South African tourist industry.

Mr. Vote Ubisi spoke  in a television interview on the Freedom Day  as  the campaigns were in full swing for the last week election. Vote  was excited that he would vote in the election. Remarkably, Vote was hopeful about the future of South Africa. On the one hand,  Vote  cherished the fact of being born into freedom. As he put it, he had no memory of the odious past of apartheid. On the hand he commented  that 30 years after apartheid  potable water was not still available in the village. That was Vote’s graphic  way of making the point that  the dream of an equitable society was  yet to be fully realised. For joblessness, inequality, violent crimes  and official corruption are still the defining features  of the South African society.

To be fair to  the country’s leadership in a statement to the nation on the Freedom Day, President Cyril Ramaphosa honestly  put the problems mentioned in the foregoing into a sharp focus.  

In many respects, Vote’s  views were representative of the electoral mood in the country. It was a mixture of a deep sense disappointment  in many constituencies and flickers of optimism  in several others.

Little surprise then that  this trend  was amply reflected in the results of the elections  announced  at the weekend. The African National Congress (ANC), the party of Mandela, lost the electoral majority for the first time in 30 years. The party that was once clearly dominant will now be compelled to go into a coalition to govern. Although the ANC still has the highest percentage of the votes, it is now in  its weakest position politically  in three decades.

The party needs 50% of the votes to form a government alone. Unfortunately, it scored only 40.2% as against   21.8% of the Democratic Alliance (DA); 14.9% of the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party and the 9.5% of the youthful Economic Freedom Front (EFF). Both MK and EFF are breakaway political forces from the ANC. The MK is a political platform  hurriedly put together for former President Jacob Zuma to return to power while the EFF is more ideologically opposed to the socio-economic  policies of the ANC government.  The DA has been a long-standing opposition with a liberal agenda. It has its  provenance in the  old National Party of the apartheid era.

Critics of ANC had long  predicted this electoral decline of the great organisation which transformed most admirably  from a liberation  movement into a robust political party.

The failure of  the ANC  to tackle poverty decisively  despite the party’s past electoral fortunes is, perhaps, the major factor for the downward trend in its popularity. The issues of the elections were the surging crime rates, poor power supply, official corruption and widening inequality. All these problems have persisted despite South Africa being rated as the economy with the  largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Africa for years. For some time,  South Africa was the toast of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. As its economic managers embraced neo-liberal reforms, South Africa became a model of how to  get things right in economic terms. Now, the lesson is that the application of market forces alone cannot solve the problems of poverty and inequality. If anything, neo-liberal excesses  can only deepen poverty.  The allies of ANC in the days of th struggle for freedom – the South African Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)  – warned against  this trend, which came to a  climax under Ramaphosa. Party leaders such as the  late Winnie Mandela pointed to the huge numbers of black people still in poverty and the increasing alienation of the ANC from a segment of its base. 

All told, the good news is that democracy has triumphed again  in South Africa despite Zuma’s criticisms of the results. The people’s will has prevailed and the election was conclusive.

As the ANC ponders its coalition options, it may need to also look ahead to correct the errors that produced the electoral mood of which Mr. Vote Ubisi ‘s commentary was a metaphor.

No fewer than 30 state governments of the federation have spent ₦986.64bn on recurrent expenditures, including refreshments, sitting allowances, travelling, utilities amongst others in the first three months of 2024.

The states’ budget implementation reports, which were obtained from Open Nigerian States, a website supported by BudgIT that acts as a repository for public budget data, were analysed for the first three quarters of the year.

Punch examined budget implementation data from thirty states. Data for six states were not available.

Benue, Imo, Niger, Rivers, Sokoto and Yobe States were the ones without Q 1, 2024 data.

According to the report, 30 states spent ₦5.1bn on refreshments for guests, ₦4.67bn on sitting allowances to government officials, ₦34.63bn on local and foreign travel expenses, and ₦5.64bn on utility bills, amounting to ₦50.02bn in the first three months of 2024.

The general utilities include electricity, internet, telephone charges, water rates, and sewerage charges, among others.

The sub-nationals also paid ₦405.77bn as salaries to their workers.

Other recurrent spending items covered in the report included the amount spent on foreign and domestic travel, internet access fees, entertainment, foodstuff, honorarium/sitting allowance, wardrobe allowances, telephone bills, electricity charges, stationery, anniversaries/special days, welfare, aircraft maintenance, and more.

In the first three months of 2024, Abia State spent ₦10.92bn on its recurrent expenditures, including ₦165.38m on refreshments and feeding, ₦39.26m on utilities, ₦214.57m on sitting allowances, ₦127.1m on local and foreign travels, among miscellaneous expenses.

During this period, Adamawa State expended ₦23.7bn on recurrent expenditures with ₦287.61m spent on refreshments and feeding, ₦109.62m on utilities, ₦79.57m on sitting allowances, ₦768.77m on local and foreign travels.

For Akwa Ibom State, recurrent expenditure gulped ₦46.85bn, which included N4.46m on refreshments and feeding, ₦223.32m on utilities, ₦6m on sitting allowances, ₦214.61m on local and foreign travel.

Anambra State disbursed N9.91bn for recurring expenses with ₦78.18m on refreshments and feeding, ₦32.52m on utilities, ₦42.09m on sitting allowances, ₦188.39m on local and foreign travel.

Also, recurrent expenditures cost Bauchi State Government ₦35.75bn with ₦397.58m going to utilities, ₦50.8m on refreshments, ₦287.11m on allowances, and ₦413.56m on trips.

Bayelsa State spent ₦35.1bn on recurrent expenditures, comprising ₦28.4m on utilities, ₦156.14m on refreshments and ₦279.99m on trips.

Similarly, Lagos State disbursed ₦189.62bn for recurrent expenditures, including ₦1.21m for refreshments, ₦383.12m for utilities, sitting allowances costing ₦52.79m and ₦633.37m on travels.

Borno spent ₦18.79bn, Cross Rivers (₦17.44bn), Delta (₦68.68bn), Ebonyi (₦14.95bn), Edo (₦32.32bn), Ekiti (₦32.8bn), Enugu (₦7.51bn) and Gombe with ₦20.89bn.

Within the same period, Jigawa State spent N15.52bn on the recurrent expenditures, Kaduna expended ₦34.69bn, Kano (₦34.41bn), Katsina (₦21.87bn), Kebbi (₦11.67bn), Kogi (₦37.4bn), Kwara (₦24.34bn), Nasarawa (₦18.61bn), Ogun (₦47.12bn), Ondo (₦31.12bn), Osun (₦24.39bn), Oyo (₦40.12bn), Plateau (₦24.70bn), Zamfara (₦13.46bn), and Taraba (₦20.93bn).

[NaijaNews]

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has frowned at the recent vandalism of structures on the second Niger bridge. 

 A statement by Orji Uchenna Orji, a lawyer and special adviser (media) to the minister, on Tuesday said the destruction of the joints used to absorb the thermal expansion of the bridge was a ‘cowardly’ act.

 “The minister condemns this ruthless destruction in strongest terms. It is a deliberate act of sabotage on a key national infrastructure that has immense socio-economic benefits to the contiguous states, and indeed, the entire country. It is saddening that a human being with the right senses could destroy such a critical and strategic treasure that catalyses Nigeria’s socio-economic advancement,” he said.

The minister assured the public that a more formidable security architecture was being activated to forestall further havoc on the facilities, while a technical team had been directed to inspect, evaluate  and reinstate the damaged parts of the superstructure. 

“The Federal Ministry of Works shall promptly and handsomely reward any person or group who nabs or gives useful information on the identities of perpetrators of the vandalism of facilities on the bridge or any of our road infrastructures nationwide. We shall ensure that such perpetrators face the full wrath of the law,” he added.

[DailyTrust]

The Nigeria Labour Congress has described the federal government’s silence on the April 3 electricity tariff hike as disappointing.

NLC disclosed this in its communique on Tuesday after its National Executive Council meeting where it suspended its indefinite strike for one week.

The development comes after the federal government in a meeting with organized labour on Monday agreed to pay minimum wage higher than N60,000.

However, the government has yet to say anything about the second part of labour’s demand, which is electricity tariff reversal.

NLC expressed disappointment over the government’s silence and lack of concrete action regarding the reversal of the electricity tariff hike and the abolition of the apartheid classification of electricity consumers into Bands.

“The NEC reaffirms that these issues are critical to alleviating the financial burden on Nigerian workers and the general populace. The electricity tariff hike and discriminatory Band classification remain unacceptable and must be addressed alongside the wage increase,” it stated.

Recall that on April 3, the NERC approved tariff increment of over N200 per kwh for customers getting 20-24 hours power supply.

The hike generated reactions among Nigerians.

In reaction, the government earlier announced a minor reduction of N18, bringing it down to N208.80kwh for band A customers.

However, unsatisfied with the reduction, the NLC, the Trade Union Congress and other organizations called for the complete reversal of the electricity tariff hike.

It was part of the demand presented to the federal government, alongside the issue of minimum wage.

[DailyPost]

The Federal Government will today present figures to Labour to back its minimum wage offer.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, to calculate the cost implications.

The President gave the directive when he met with members of the Federal Government’s negotiation team.

The two labour centres – Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) – announced a suspension of the strike for a week after the President intervened.

The Tripartite Committee met to adopt an agenda mandating its members to continue an all-week-long negotiation as part of the pact.

The Senate promised to fast-track passage of a new Minimum Wage Bill when agreed upon.

Labour on Monday embarked on strike to register its displeasure over the outcome of last Thursday’s meeting by the wage committee.

The Federal Government and the private sector proposed N60,000, but labour demanded N494,000.

The strike led to the shutting down of the national grid and disruption of flights.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said President Tinubu asked Edun to provide the figures, which will guide the government’s negotiation with Labour.

At the meeting were Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Atiku Bagudu; Minister of State for Labour and Employment Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; and Group Managing Director of the NNPCL, Mele Kyari.

Idris said: “It’s been quite challenging, but we thank God that we’re at this point.

“We thank Labour that true to their words, they have suspended the strike.

“The President summoned a meeting of all those who negotiated on behalf of the Federal Government, led by the SGF.

“The President directed the Minister of Finance to do the numbers and get back to him between today (yesterday) and tomorrow (today) so that we can have some figures ready for negotiation with Labour.”

Idris stressed that the President was committed to a realistic and acceptable new minimum wage.

He said: “The government is not opposed to discussions or wage increase, but is desirous of ensuring that there is a balance.

“Therefore, we’ll work assiduously to ensure that whatever we do, whatever promises the government makes, will be kept. That’s the idea of this meeting.

“A wage award is not just that of the Federal Government. The sub-nationals are involved. The organised private sector is involved. Labour is involved.

“It was Labour that staged a walkout during those proceedings.

“Now that we’ve come back to the negotiating table, all of us will work together again, assiduously, within the next one week to ensure that we have a new wage for Nigeria that is acceptable, sustainable and also realistic for all Nigerians.”

The NLC and TUC decided to suspend the strike after an emergency National Executive Council meeting yesterday.

In a communique signed by NLC President Joe Ajaero and his TUC counterpart Festus Osifo, labour said it suspended the strike to create the right ambience for negotiation to continue unhindered.

The communique reads: “The NEC in session resolved that there is a greater need to create the right ambience for negotiation to continue unhindered.

“The indefinite nationwide strike action is, therefore, relaxed for one week from today (yesterday) to allow the Federal Government to commit to a concrete and acceptable National Minimum Wage; take definitive steps to reverse the electricity tariff hike back to N66/kWh and abolish the discriminatory classification of electricity consumers into bands.

“The NLC and TUC national leadership are mandated to continue to maintain open channels of communication with the Federal Government to negotiate and secure favourable outcomes for Nigerian workers and people.

“All affiliate unions and state councils are, therefore, directed to relax the indefinite nationwide strike and return to their respective workplaces immediately.

 “The NEC-in-Session expresses profound gratitude to Nigerian workers and the general public for their unwavering support and solidarity in this critical struggle for improved living and working conditions.

 “The NLC and TUC remain committed to pursuing all necessary actions to protect the rights and welfare of all Nigerian people and workers as we urge all to await further directives while the negotiation continues.”

Osifo said Labour was not fixated on N494,000.

Speaking on Channels last night, he said: “At the tripartite meeting last Friday, they told us they could not do more than N60,000.  All pleas and reasoning fell on deaf ears.

“When that happened, we had no choice but to call the strike. On Monday, we met with the SGF where they committed to do more than N60,000.

“The government knows very well that we are not fixated on the N494,000 we proposed.

“We also know that not all stakeholders, I mean employers of labour, can afford that sum.

“What should determine where we will end is the principles. We want the government to apply common principles to her proposal.

“When you’re going for negotiations, you go with your best-case scenario.

“So, we have gone with our best case; it is now left for the government to come up with theirs.

“But what we will use for the national minimum wage borders on the principle of the value of whatever is being offered and we have a system of calculating it.

“Whatever the Federal Government will be offering us must not be less than the worth value of the minimum wage of 2011 and 2019 can take.”

We will consider capacity of states, OPS to pay

Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the lawmakers would speed up the legislative process on the new wage law when it comes.

He spoke during plenary following a motion calling on the NLC and TUC to suspend the strike.

It was sponsored by Senator Diket Plang (PDP – Plateau Central), who chairs the Senate Committee on Labour and Employment.

During the debate, information got to the chamber that the strike had been suspended, and the motion was stepped down.

Akpabio said: “Taking it (motion) will mean that we are jumping the gun and we are trying to settle the issues for them.

“There are many variables that they will look at – the capacity of states, local governments and the private sector to pay.

“The last minimum wage which was fixed at N30,000.00 by this parliament, but how many states were able to pay?

“How many local governments were able to pay? How many employers were able to pay?

“We’ll be looking at those things holistically. We should not rest until we arrive at an amicable resolution of the issue.

“I want to thank Labour for listening to the voice of Nigerians and the international community by calling off the strike to enable negotiations to continue and we wish them well in the negotiations.

“We will continue to do our best by making contributions and at the same time awaiting the incoming Bill on Minimum Wage for us to enact for the benefit of all Nigerians.”

[TheNation]