Catholic priest Ejike Mbaka said governors and members of the national assembly should also earn the N62,000 minimum wage proposed by the federal government.

Mbaka stated this while speaking in an interview with AIT on Saturday, reacting to the new minimum wage demand by the organised labour.

Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had embarked on an indefinite strike over the federal government’s failure to meet their demand for a new minimum wage, disrupting essential services.

May 29 Tinubu Special: One year of teetering on edge of hope0:00 / 1:00

But, the organized labour “relaxed” the industrial action for one week to allow negotiations with the federal government on a new minimum wage.

The federal government and the organised labour subsequently resumed negotiations on June 6 — where the new wage was proposed.

Speaking on the development, Mbaka said Salaries of members of the national assembly have been shrouded in secrecy, eliciting speculation and debate from Nigerians.

Mbaka said, “We can push these poor Nigerians to the point of rebellion. That is my fear. All of us were in Lagos that day, we couldn’t come back.

“Just like a joke the labour people entered into the airport and stopped every operation and if this happen again it might tantamount to what nobody dreams or what we dream but out of fear we cannot release to the public.

“If we decide to give labour N60,000 or N62,000, why not generalise it to the house of assembly members, senatorial members, house of representative members, and governors?

”All of them are civil servants. So, are the others slaves? I cannot imagine why somebody can be amassing billions and billions as sitting allowance, wardrobe allowance, newspaper allowance, vehicle allowance and what they call suffering allowance.

“The people that should have such allowances should be the poor masses in the villages.

“As teachers, how much are they being paid? Our nurses and doctors, how much are they being paid? Let us be realistic, our civil servants that wake from Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

“They wake up early and return late. How much are they being paid. And look at the level of inflation in the country.”

Mbaka asked the government to “speedily” address the minimum wage issue with the organised labour to avoid another strike.

The cleric said it is a matter of handling the bull by the horn tactfully but very speedily because “if they are not careful, this crisis of a thing can be hijacked and nobody knows the ripples effect.”

More expenses await African nationals seeking visas to enter the European Union as the EU plans to increase visa fees starting Tuesday, according to Schengen visa statistics released on Saturday.

The report stated that starting from Tuesday; African nationals would pay €90 instead of €80 for a Schengen visa application

The report stated that the EU had earned €3.4m from rejected Schengen visa applications submitted by Nigerian citizens.

According to the data, in 2023, African nationals received 704,000 negative responses for their visa requests.

“This means that €56.3m went up in smoke, considering that visa application fees are not refundable,” it stated.

The report noted that a high number of rejected visa applications had caused African nationals to spend millions every year, with the fees known as ‘reverse remittances’ benefitting no one but the EU countries.

“African nationals spent €56.3m in visa application fees in 2023, representing 43 per cent of all expenses; rejection rates in 2023 were especially high for African and Asian countries, which bear 90 per cent of all expenses. Expenditures are to increase by 12.5 per cent starting next week as the EU raises visa fees for adults from €80 to €90 on 11 June, following a recent decision by the EU Commission,” it added. 

Algeria was the country of origin for most rejected applications in 2023, representing 23.5 per cent of all amount spent on rejected applications.

The country also had the second-highest number of rejected applications compared to all – 289,000 out of 704,000, representing 42.3 per cent of all requests.

“This nationality group is especially impacted by visa rejections because it has high application rates and they are affected economically when placing visa applications” the report added.

It further explained that Moroccans, top visa applicants from Africa for the year, had the highest number of visas rejected.

 “A total of 437,000 visa requests filed by this nationality group were rejected in 2023, representing 62 per cent of the total. As per expenses, Moroccans spent €10.9m on rejected visa applications in 2023,” the report indicated.

It added that Africans were heavily impacted by those expenses, considering that the majority of African countries have some of the lowest wages in the world.

According to the report, the amount of Africans rejected visas is 43.1 per cent of all the amount generated by rejected applications in 2023.

A recent study by EU Observer revealed that the Schengen visa rejections generated an amount of €130m in 2023.

“In the previous year, this amount stood at €105m, showing an upward trend of Schengen visa expenses as well as rejection rates,” the report stated.

The founder of LAGO Collective, Marta Foresti, said, “Visa inequality has very tangible consequences and the world’s poorest pay the price. You can think of the costs of rejected visas as ‘reverse remittances’, money flowing from poor to rich countries. We never hear about these costs when discussing aid or migration, it is time to change that.”

A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, has called on governors across Nigeria to reduce their own salaries as a gesture of solidarity with the common worker.

This call comes in response to state governors’ collective rejection of the federal government’s proposed ₦60,000 new monthly minimum wage.

Halima Ahmed, the Acting Director of Media Affairs and Public Relations of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), communicated the rejection under the banner of the NGF.

The Forum argued that adopting such a wage would financially cripple many states, which would end up using their entire monthly allocations from the Federation Account solely on salaries.

Speaking from Ibadan, Oyo State, Ajadi criticized the governors’ stance as “insensitive” and “wicked,” pointing out the disparity between their salaries and the proposed wage for workers.

He highlighted that the labour unions themselves had not yet accepted the government’s proposal, implying that the governors’ rejection was premature.

In his statement, Ajadi commended Edo State Governor Dr. Godwin Obaseki for independently initiating a ₦70,000 monthly minimum wage in his state. 

He suggested that other governors follow his lead not just in wage adjustment but also in personal salary reductions.

The statement reads, “I am totally shocked that the governors could come out to say that they cannot pay the proposed ₦60,000 minimum Wage. That pronouncement by the governors showed that they are insensitive to the plight workers and the masses. I see it as a wicked pronouncement.

“In the first instance, they were too hasty in their reactions, as the Labour Unions have not even agreed to the proposal. If the governors are serving the people as they usually claim, they should cut their own salaries to ₦60,000 too. I will also suggest that the governors should be paid according to their qualifications. They should realise that the workers attend the same market their wives and children attended.

“Since the removal of subsidy, the Federal Government has jacked up the monthly allocation to the states. What are the governors doing with the money. Part of the money should be used to pay the new minimum wage when agreed by the tripartite committee. President Bola Tinubu has severally warned the governors to make use of the increase in the monthly allocations to better the lots of their citizens. So one is shocked that the governors have the effrontery to reject a merely N60,000 proposal.

“The question we need to even ask is, what can ₦60,000 buy in the present state of economy. It can’t feed a worker for two weeks, talk less of their dependants. When finally there is an agreement on the new minimum wage, I urge the governors to be sincere and ensure the prompt payment in their states.”

The pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, should drop to about N300/litre upon the commencement of massive production by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and other indigenous producers, operators of modular refineries stated on Sunday.

However, they pointed out that this would be achieve when the government ensures the provision of adequate crude oil to local refiners, stressing that refineries abroad were ripping off Nigeria.

Speaking under the aegis of the Crude Oil Refinery Owners Association of Nigeria, they explained that what happened to the cost of diesel after Dangote started producing it, would happen to petrol price once it is being produced massively in Nigeria.

CORAN is a registered association of modular and conventional refinery companies in Nigeria.

“A lot of companies today benefit from the importation of petroleum products at the expense of Nigerians,” the Publicity Secretary, CORAN, Eche Idoko, stated.

He told our correspondent that “if we begin to produce PMS today in large volumes, provided there is adequate crude oil supply, I can assure that we should be able to buy PMS at N300/litre as the pump price.

“Why make Nigerians buy it at almost N700/litre when you know that if you allow refineries work the price will come down? Is it because you want to satisfy the global refiners abroad that are making so much from us?”

When told that there are arguments that it is not possible to have such a drop in price because crude oil, the raw material for PMS, is price in dollars, the CORAN official insisted that petrol price would crash once it is being produced massively by indigenous refiners.

He said, “We were selling diesel for N1,700 to N1,800/litre, but as soon as Dangote refinery started production he brought down the price to N1,200/litre. What other proofs do you need?

As I speak to you now there is every tendency that before December diesel price will drop further. The only reason reason why diesel is not doing below N1,000/litre is because of our exchange rate.

“If the exchange rate drops, diesel will drop below the N1,000/litre price. Now the exchange rate concern is because Dangote imports crude. If he is not importing, the exchange rate may not have so much effect, though he is still buying crude in dollars (in Nigeria) anyway.”

On May 18, 2024, The PUNCH reported that Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, stated that following the laid-down plans of the Dangote refinery, Nigeria would no longer need to import petrol starting June this year.

Dangote had also stated that his refinery could meet West Africa’s petrol and diesel needs, as well as the continent’s aviation fuel demand. He spoke at the Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali, expressing optimism about transforming Africa’s energy landscape.

“Right now, Nigeria has no cause to import anything apart from gasoline (petrol) and by sometime in June, within the next four or five weeks, Nigeria shouldn’t import anything like gasoline; not one drop of a litre,” the billionaire had declared.

Also, Dangote had earlier in the year crashed the pump price of diesel to N1,200/litre when the commodity was selling at between N1,700 and N1,800/litre at the time.

He further dropped the price to below N1,000/litre, but could not sustain this price due to the rise in exchange rate. The refinery eventually returned the price to the initial rate of N1,200/litre.

Speaking on Sunday, the CORAN spokesperson stated that this was why the modular refiners had been calling for the sale of crude oil at the naira equivalent of the dollar rate.

“We have told them (government) that even the dollars that you are asking us to use and buy this product, it is detrimental to the country. Strengthen the naira. We will buy at the international market rate, but at a naira equivalent.

“These are the issues and they know these things but we can’t explain why they really can’t take decisions to change these concerns.

“Get crude to local refineries, allow crude purchase in naira equivalent, make the environment business-friendly and watch locally produced petroleum product prices crash,” Idoko stated.

Nigeria currently has 25 licensed modular refineries. Five of them are operating and producing diesel, kerosene, black oil and naphtha. About 10 are under various stages of completion, while the others have received licences to establish.

Operators of modular refineries earlier stated that aside from the five that are in operation currently, the remaining plants are embattled due to the major challenge of crude oil unavailability, a development that has stalled funding from financiers.

“Only about five of our members have completed their refineries. The others are having a major challenge.

“This challenge is that the people who are supposed to finance them have not disbursed financing for construction because they want some level of guarantee.

“A guarantee that if they finish the refinery, they are going to get feedstock, which, of course, is crude oil,” Idoko had explained.

Oil marketers also believe that the cost of petrol should be lower than its current price once its production begins in Nigeria.

They welcomed the comment of Dangote that his refinery should start pumping out petrol this month, and expressed hope that the cost would be less than the price which the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited currently sells.

“We expect a reduced price for locally produced PMS, as I’ve earlier told you,” the National President, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Maigandi, stated.

Maigandi, while speaking from Saudi Arabia with our correspondent on Sunday, also stated no date has been communicated to marketers on when Dangote would release petrol to the market. Officials of Dangote refinery have remained mute on this.

“It is a welcome development if the refinery can start releasing PMS this month because as marketers we are currently set to start buying the product from the plant,” Maigandi stated.

The IPMAN president earlier stated that marketers were discussing with the managers of the plant, but not specifically on petrol pricing.

“We have been discussing, but not about the price of petrol yet, rather on other matters such as the registration of members for the purchase of petrol and diesel from the refinery.

“It is true that we have started buying diesel from them, but you have to register with the company first. So a general registration is ongoing,” he explained.

Maigandi, however, stated that though marketers had yet to receive the projected price for petrol from the plant, dealers would want to see a PMS price of about N500/litre from the Dangote refinery.

“We are looking at having it (PMS) at any price below the NNPC rate. The price which NNPC sells petrol is N565.50/litre, so we are expecting something below that price, maybe around N500/litre,” Maigandi stated.

The oil dealers also joined in the call for the provision of crude oil to local refiners, stressing that this would impact positively on the prices of refined petroleum products.

“Of course, it is important for crude to be made available to local refineries because this will surely affect petroleum products’ prices positively,” the IPMAN president stated.

Regulators speak

The spokesperson of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, George Ene-Ita, said he was sure that the government has guidelines for the provision of feedstock (crude) to indigenous refiners.

Ene-Ita promised to provide additional information on the matter, as he stated that he could not give further details at the time he was contacted by our correspondent.

Recall that the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe, had earlier promised that the government would ensure that crude oil was supplied to domestic refiners.

He stated that in compliance with the provisions of Section 109(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, the NUPRC in a landmark move, had developed a template guiding the activities for Domestic Crude Oil Supply Obligation.

“The commission in conjunction with relevant stakeholders from NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services, representatives of Crude Oil/Condensate Producers, Crude Oil Refinery-Owners Association of Nigeria, and Dangote Petroleum Refinery came up with the template for the buy-in of all.

“This is in a bid to foster a seamless implementation of the DCSO and ensure consistent supply of crude oil to domestic refineries,” Komolafe had stated.

The federal government has unveiled a lineup of activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Democracy Day, marking twenty-five years of continuous democratic governance in Nigeria.

The announcement was made in a notice issued by Abdulhakeem Adeoye, acting on behalf of the Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

The notice outlines that the celebration will start on Tuesday, June 11, with a symposium held at the State House Conference Centre, Presidential Villa, Abuja, commencing at 9:00 am.

Following the symposium, a youth conference is scheduled to take place at Ladi Kwali Hall, Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, starting at 6:00 pm.

The agenda for Wednesday, June 12, includes a grand parade at Eagle Square, Abuja, at 8:00 AM, followed by a dinner at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, at 6:00 PM.

“The programmes lined up for the celebration include a symposium on Tuesday, June 11, at 9:00 AM at the State House Conference Centre, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“Later that day, a youth conference will hold at Ladi Kwali Hall, Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, at 6:00 PM.

“A grand parade will take place on Wednesday, June 12, at 8:00 AM at Eagle Square, Abuja,” followed by “a dinner at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, at 6:00 PM,” the noice read.

Furthermore, the notice assured to provide additional updates as the celebration comes closer.

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has urged his daughter, Nike Adeleke, to find a partner and get married.

Adeleke gave the urge during a Q&A session on Nike’s Instagram page on Saturday.

Nike, who is approaching her 29th birthday, asked her father how he felt about her not being married yet.

“I am now 28 and I am about to be 29. How do you feel about me not being married yet?” she inquired.

In response, Governor Adeleke expressed his expectation for her to settle down soon, emphasizing that she is not getting any younger.

He then gave her a one-year ultimatum to get married.

“Better start getting ready to get married. That is the next thing. You think you are young? I am expecting all those your toasters, better bring one so you can come and tell me, ‘Dad, this is the one I am going to marry,'” he said.

He further highlighted that he had married and had Nike’s brother, Adesina, by the age of 28.

“Do you know that at the age of 27, 28 I got married and I had your brother Adesina? You are now 28, I am giving you one more year.”

The Nigerian U-17 women’s national football team, the Flamingos, secured a comfortable 4-1 victory against Liberia in the first leg of the final qualifying round for the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. 

The match took place on Sunday evening at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium. 

The Flamingos, under the leadership of coach Bankole Olowookere, dominated the game from the outset.

Abidemi Moshood opened the scoring in the 19th minute, setting the tone for a deluge of goals. 

Just ten minutes later, Peace Effiong extended the lead with a well-placed shot.

Harmony Chidi added to Liberia’s woes, netting Nigeria’s third goal nine minutes before halftime.

Substitute Blessing Ifitezue sealed the victory with a fourth goal 16 minutes from full time.

Liberia managed to score a consolation goal from the penalty spot in the 87th minute, but it was too little, too late to challenge Nigeria’s dominance.

The reverse fixture is scheduled for next weekend at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.

Premier League giants Arsenal have reportedly dropped their interest in Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen, due to his €130m price tag amid player swap rumours, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

After four successful seasons at Napoli, Osimhen is expected to call time on his career with the 2022/23 Serie A champions this summer, as confirmed by club president Aurelio de Laurentiis.

The Partenopei have fought hard to keep hold of the Nigeria international and agreed a new contract with their star striker last December, but his terms only run until the summer of 2026.

With Osimhen’s contract also including a release clause worth around €130m (£110.6m), De Laurentiis has resigned himself to losing the former Lille man to one of Europe’s financial powerhouses ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Arsenal have been one of a handful of clubs tipped to move for Osimhen, alongside Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, although the latter will not make an approach due to the recent capture of Kylian Mbappe.

It has also been reported that new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is against the signing of the 25-year-old as well, as he does not believe that Osimhen is a striker who can link play and drop deep, which is one of his principal requirements.

As a result, a two-way fight could have materialised between PSG and Arsenal, the latter of whom were apparently informed that a part-exchange deal involving Emile Smith Rowe and Takehiro Tomiyasu could have been their ticket to an agreement. 

However, according to Sky Italia, Arsenal have informed Napoli that they are not bowing to their £110.6m demands, especially after breaking their own transfer record with the £105m capture of Declan Rice last year.

Arsenal still rate the striker highly but cannot justify forking out a nine-figure fee, which is also the case with most of Osimhen’s other suitors, so De Laurentiis may be forced to relent on demanding that the Nigerian’s release clause is paid in full.

The Napoli president is now under added pressure to accept a lower fee for the Nigerian due to the arrival of Antonio Conte, who wants to reunite with Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku in one of his first acts as head coach.

PSG are now considered the favourites for Osimhen’s signature, as the ex-Lille man is not keen on moving to Saudi Arabia, and the French champions will save €200m (£170.1m) in yearly wages now that Mbappe has departed.

Osimhen topped the Serie A scoring charts in the 2022/23 season with 26 strikes and netted 15 times in 2023/24 missing a large part of the season due to injuries and the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

About 30 travellers, including some students of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa were reportedly abducted by suspected kidnappers along the Abuja-Nasarawa Highway on Friday.

PUNCH Metro gathered from a source who pleaded anonymity due to the nature of the incident on Sunday that the kidnappers laid siege to the vehicles conveying the travellers and abducted them into a nearby bush in the Uke area of Nasarawa State.

The source stated further that a student of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa was travelling to her family in Abuja.

Our correspondent further gathered that a driver of one of the buses who escaped the attack called the attention of the police in the area to the incident.

The source said, “Thirty persons were kidnapped between Nasarawa and Abuja on Friday. The passengers were abducted from two buses and taken into the bush around a place called Uke in Nasarawa State.

“One of the passengers abducted in the incidents is an HND student of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, in Nasarawa State, who was returning to Abuja to meet her family.

“One of the bus drivers escaped from the incident. When he returned to the vehicle, he picked up some items, including the phone of one of the kidnapped victims, and reported the incident to the police station in Uke.” 

When contacted by PUNCH Metro for a reaction on Sunday, the Nasarawa Police Public Relations Officer, Rahman Nansel, confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, stressing that three victims had been rescued while a search and rescue operation was ongoing.

He, however, said the abducted persons were not up to 30 as claimed but did not confirm the number of the victims.

“The number (30) was exaggerated. An 18-seater bus was recovered at the scene and three people were rescued. A search and rescue operation is still ongoing,” Nansel told our correspondent.

PUNCH Metro reported in October 2023 that there was an invasion of a community in the Keffi Local Government Area by gunmen where four students of the state’s university were kidnapped and taken to an unknown destination.

Confirming the incident, Nansel explained that the abduction of the students occurred in the early hours at Angwan Ka’are area of the LGA.

The Kwara State Muslim Pilgrims Board has disclosed the tragic death of two pilgrims from the state during the ongoing Hajj in Madina, Saudi Arabia.

One of the deaths has been confirmed as a suicide, following investigations by Saudi authorities.

In a press release signed by the Executive Secretary of the board, Abdulsalam Abdulkabir, it was revealed that one of the deceased, Hajia Hawawu, died after falling from the rooftop of her apartment in what was determined to be a suicide.

The incident has cast a sombre shadow over the pilgrimage for the Kwara contingent.

The board’s release also mentioned the death of another pilgrim, Saliu Mohammed, who passed away in an intensive care unit of a public hospital in Madina after he suddenly fell ill. The specific details of his illness were not disclosed in the statement.

Expressing deep regret over these unfortunate incidents, the board described the events as “sad” and stated that it submits entirely to the decree and ultimate knowledge of Allah in all affairs.

The board extended its profound condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for Allah’s comfort and forgiveness for the deceased.

The statement reads, “Kwara State Muslim Pilgrims Board sends heartfelt commiserations to the families of two of our pilgrims who returned to their Lord in Madina, Saudi Arabia.

“Saliu Mohammed, who arrived with Batch 3 of the state contingent, died in an intensive care unit of a public hospital in Madina after suddenly falling ill; while Hajia Hawawu Mohammed (Batch 9) also died following what Saudi authorities have investigated and found to be an unfortunate suicidal episode from the rooftop of her apartment in Madina.

“The pilgrims’ board deeply regrets these sad events but submits totally to the decree and ultimate knowledge of Allaah in all affairs.

“The board sends profound condolences to their families and asks Allaah to grant them comfort and forgive the deceased.”