Former Super Eagles coach, Finidi George, on Sunday, reacted to the viral video of Victor Osimhen on social media, where he denied accusations of faking an injury to avoid participation in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Naija News had earlier reported that Osimhen, on Saturday, in an Instagram Live, disclosed that the claims about him staging an injury to skip national team duties were false.

In the video, Osimhen addressed some rumours linked to Finidi George, claiming that the former Enyimba gaffer said that he won’t beg him [Osimhen] to play for the Super Eagles.

Osimhen attacked the former Super Eagles coach, stating that he has lost respect for him.

The controversy prompted Nigerian sports journalist, Colin Udoh to seek clarification from both the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and Finidi George.

Udoh reached out to senior NFF officials, who confirmed that Finidi never accused Osimhen of feigning an injury.

Udoh also revealed that he reached out to Finidi, who refuted ever making such a statement and expected Osimhen to have handled the situation differently.

Udoh said on Instagram, “So I called a couple of people who were at that meeting between Finidi, the NFF, and the minister to find out if what is alleged to have been said was actually said, and so these people are usually very, very senior and reliable people and I was told categorically that Finidi did not say the things he’s alleged to have said.

“He did not say he wasn’t going to beg Osimhen. He did not say that Osimhem was not committed. in fact, he did confirm when he was asked about Osimhen’s absence that he called him from Germany, and that’s why he was excused.

“It was when the issue of player’s commitment was raised; that’s why he said he would not beg anybody to play for the Super Eagles, but he did not mention any player by name, specifically.

“And so, I also called Finidi himself to ask him if that was the case and he also confirmed to me that he never said any of those things.

“In fact, he corroborated what the other gentleman had told me and that he would have no reason to call out any player, whether in public or in private, and that he would address issues with the players themselves if there were any issues.

“And then, as soon as the video was brought to his attention, he said he reached out to Osimhen and let him know that one, he never said those things, and two, even if he had, Osimhen should have reached out to him first to find out if he did say, what he was alleged to have said, rather than going, public with such disrespect.”

The Presidency has reacted to a report published in the New York Times criticising the Nigerian economy as facing the worst trajectory in a generation.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, responded on Sunday to the report by Ruth Maclean and Ismail Auwal.

According to the Presidency, the feature story, titled ‘Nigeria Confronts Its Worst Economic Crisis in a Generation’ and published on June 11, reflected the typical predetermined, reductionist, derogatory, and denigrating way foreign media establishments have reported on African countries for decades.

Onanuga stated that due to the ‘misleading’ slant of the report, the government needed to clear up some misconceptions conveyed by the reporters regarding the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, which took office at the end of May 2023.

He noted that the report painted a dire picture of some Nigerians’ experiences amid the inflationary spiral of the last year and unfairly blamed it all on the new administration’s policies.

He argued that the report, based on several interviews, is at best jaundiced, portraying all gloom and doom without mentioning the positive aspects of the economy or the amelioration policies being implemented by the central and state governments.

Onanuga emphasized that Tinubu did not create the economic problems Nigeria faces today but inherited them.

“As a respected economist in our country once put it, Tinubu inherited a dead economy.

“The economy was bleeding and needed quick surgery to avoid being plunged into the abyss, as happened in Zimbabwe and Venezuela,” he noted.

He explained that this context led to the policy direction taken by the government in May/June 2023, including the abrogation of the fuel subsidy regime and the unification of the multiple exchange rates.

Onanuga highlighted that Nigeria had maintained a fuel subsidy regime for decades, which consumed $84.39 billion between 2005 and 2022 from the public treasury, in a country with significant infrastructural deficits and a high need for better social services.

He also alleged that the state oil firm, NNPCL, had accumulated trillions of Naira in debts due to unsustainable subsidy payments.

He noted that when Tinubu took office, no provision was made for fuel subsidy payments in the national budget beyond June 2023.

“The budget itself had a striking feature: it planned to spend 97 per cent of revenue servicing debt, with little left for recurrent or capital expenditure. The previous government had resorted to massive borrowing to cover such costs.”

Onanuga further explained that like oil, the exchange rate was also subsidized by the government, with an estimated $1.5 billion spent monthly by the CBN to defend the currency against the unquenchable demand for the dollar.

“This low rate led to arbitrage and failures to fulfil remittance obligations to airlines and other foreign businesses, drying up foreign direct investment and investments in the oil sector.

“To address these issues, Tinubu rolled back the subsidy regime and floated the naira on his first day”, Onanuga said.

Despite initial challenges, Onanuga noted that some stability is being restored, with the exchange rate now below N1500 to the dollar and prospects for further appreciation.

He cited a trade surplus of N6.52 trillion in Q1, as opposed to a deficit of N1.4 trillion in Q4 of 2023, and renewed interest from portfolio investors as indicators of improving economic confidence. Loans from the World Bank, AfDB, and Afreximbank are also contributing to Nigeria’s renewed bankability.

Onanuga highlighted efforts to control inflation, especially food inflation, through increased agricultural production and state-led initiatives to sell food at lower prices.

“The Tinubu administration has invested heavily in dry-season farming and provided incentives to farmers.”

He concluded by comparing Nigeria’s economic challenges with those faced by the USA and Europe, emphasizing that the Tinubu administration is working hard to overcome these difficulties.

“Our country faced economic difficulties in the past, an experience captured in folk songs. Just like we overcame then, we shall overcome our present difficulties very soon.”

The tripartite committee established by the federal government to review the minimum wage has urged labour unions to reassess their wage demands. 

Speaking with NAN on Sunday, Bukar Aji, the committee’s chairman, asked labour to reconsider their position based on economic factors and the non-monetary incentives provided by the government.

Aji highlighted several incentives of the government, including the N35,000 wage award for all treasury-paid federal workers, N100 billion for gas-fuelled buses and gas kit conversions, a N125 billion conditional grant, financial inclusion for small and medium enterprises, and a N25,000 monthly stipend for 15 million households over three months.

He also listed the N185 billion in palliative loans to states to mitigate the effects of petrol subsidy removal, N200 billion to boost agricultural production, N75 billion to strengthen the manufacturing sector, and N1 trillion for student loans, among other interventions.

Aji called on the labour unions to consider accepting the N62,000 minimum wage offered by the federal government.

He said the committee is trying to avert a situation where the minimum wage would lead to further job losses, especially as many businesses are already struggling.

BACKGROUND

In January 2024, the federal government inaugurated a 37-member tripartite committee on the national minimum wage.

The committee was tasked with the responsibility of recommending a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Over the past few months, the federal and state governments, organised labour and representatives of the private sector have been deliberating on a mutually acceptable sum.

However, the demand by organised labour is yet to be met.

On June 3, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) embarked on a nationwide strike to protest the federal government’s inability to meet their demand.

Twenty-four hours later, the labour unions “relaxed” the strike by one week.

Both unions had earlier proposed N615,500 and N494,000, respectively, as the new minimum wage, which the federal government said was unrealistic.

On June 7, the federal government increased its offer from N60,000 to N62,000, while the labour unions insisted on N250,000.

In a recent interview with Vangurd Newspaper, Chief Iyiola Ajani Omisore, the immediate past National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), revealed that the party spent approximately N9 billion on legal fees for 10,000 cases arising from its congresses.

Omisore, who served as a senator between 2003 and 2011 and was the Deputy Governor of Osun State from 1999 to 2003, discussed various issues concerning the party and the nation, including the 2022 APC presidential primary and the challenges faced by the party during its congresses.

Addressing the controversies surrounding the 2022 APC presidential primary, where then-National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu allegedly opposed the emergence of President Bola Tinubu as the candidate, Omisore stated that his mandate was to deliver the South-West for the presidency, which he successfully achieved. He emphasized that politics is about upholding one’s interest and delivering on objectives.

Omisore also shed light on the legal challenges faced by the APC during its congresses, stating that the party secretariat had a deficit of about N9 billion and was dealing with 10,000 court cases related to the congresses alone. He stressed the importance of conducting transparent primaries to minimize legal disputes and ensure the party’s success in the general elections.

Despite the numerous court cases, Omisore said the party had to move forward with its presidential convention, focusing on conducting a democratic process within the limited timeframe available. He noted that the APC’s transparency in its primaries contributed to its victory in the governorship elections.

Regarding the ongoing minimum wage negotiations, Omisore advised the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the government to find a resolution through engagement and negotiation. He emphasized that the government must consider the available resources and inflation trends while striving to provide a reasonable wage for workers.

As the nation grapples with various challenges, Omisore expressed optimism about Nigeria’s progress under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership. He highlighted the president’s efforts to engage with stakeholders, make bold decisions, and address issues such as poverty alleviation and power supply.

The 5,937 soldiers that recently passed out from the Nigerian Army Depot in Zaria, Kaduna State, will be deployed to fight banditry, cattle rustling and related crimes, Chief of Army of Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has said.

Lagbaja disclosed this during the passing-out parade for the 86 regular recruit intake of the Depot Nigeria Army, in Zaria, yesterday.

The COAS, who was the Special Guest of Honour and Reviewing Officer, for the passing out parade, added that the new men would form part of the solution to numerous security challenges bedevilling the country.

“The fresh products passing out today will form part of the solution to the challenge of insurgency in the North-east, banditry and cattle rustling in the North-west.

“They will fight the farmers/herders’ clashes in the North-central, secessionist agitation and cultism in the South-east, militancy, and vandalism of critical national assets and infrastructure in the South-south and south-west.”

The COAS noted that the training was a continuous process in the military, adding that the Nigerian Army has put in place post-depot training packages to help the soldiers master the array of weapons and equipment.

This, according to him, will enable the soldiers to become more efficient in the art of war.

He said that the army was improving on the existing welfare packages to enable the soldiers to cater for their medical, recreational, and educational needs to ease career fulfillment.

While congratulating the 5,937 recruits, the COAS said that the life of a soldier was a life of sacrifice to his country, allegiance to defend, and, if need be, sacrifice his life for the people.

“Sacrifice to go wherever you are ordered to, by land, sea or air; sacrifice to relegate personal comfort and assume a duty to the country as a primary concern,’’ he said.

He said that by becoming a soldier, one had accepted the highest call to duty any Nigerian could take up.

He added that as soldiers, they had joined the unique league of exceptional Nigerians who had elected to abide by the requirements of exceptional discipline, loyalty, integrity, and dedication to duty.

Lagbaja, therefore, charged them not to disappoint the Nigerian Army and the country’s expectations of them.

He commended and congratulated the commandant and instructors of Depot NA for the successful training and graduation of the recruits.

The Army boss assured the commandant of the Army headquarters’ support towards realising the training objectives of the institution.

The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development on Saturday vowed to revoke the titles of owners of licensed land that are being used for illegal mining operations.

The government said this in response to development at a mining site located in Shirley Niger State which had swallowed over 50 miners during the collapse.

Weeks after the Shiroro incident was reported, another site Bazakwoi, Adunu Community, in the Paikoro Local Government Area in Niger state was reported to have collapsed on Thursday, June 13, 2024, resulting in the death of three men.

Responding to the frequent occurrences in the state, the Minister of Solid Minerals Dele Alake in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, said preliminary investigations showed that the collapsed mine was in the area under Exploration Licence 43113 of Jurassic Mines Limited in Adunu Village, Paikoro Local Government Area, Niger State.

He said, “At the time of the visit, work had stopped at the site, and only onlookers were seen. The coordinates of the site were taken, and officials returned to Minna at about 8.30 pm.

“The owners of the company were contacted by phone, but they claimed ignorance of happenings on the site. They were then summoned to the office in the state capital.

“Owners of licenced units of land mined by illegal miners will lose their titles”.

The statement noted that the men killed in the accident had since been buried.

The minister further warned land title owners with mining licenses to desist from illegal operations, as those caught or found guilty would face the law.

The Nigeria Labour Congress said the government must accede to its demands on minimum wage based on practical realities in the country.

The NLC also faulted a statement by President Bola Tinubu during a meeting with some governors and members of the National Assembly on the occasion of the nation’s 25th Democracy Day anniversary.

Tinubu had said that the government would only be able to pay its workers what the country can afford.

“Senate president, deputy senate president, you will get a notice from me if I have changed my mind on minimum wage. We are going to do it — what Nigeria can afford, what you can afford, what I can afford. They ask you to cut your coat according to your size if you have size at all,” Tinubu had said.

But in his reaction, the spokesperson of the NLC, Benson Upah, in an interview with our correspondent, described the president’s statement as a contradiction of his promise to pay a living wage.

“This will be in breach of his promise to pay a living wage which is superior to a minimum wage. Moreover, there is unanimity of opinion that government accede to the demand of Labour based on practical realities,” he stated.

Disagreements between the government, Labour, and the Organised Private Sector have continued to brew over the new minimum wage.

During his nationwide broadcast to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Nigeria’s democracy on Wednesday, June 12, Tinubu announced that a consensus had been reached on the long-debated new minimum wage between the Federal Government and the Organised Labour.

In the national broadcast, the President revealed that an executive bill would soon be sent to the National Assembly to formalise the new minimum wage agreement.

He stated, “In this spirit, we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with Organised Labour on a new national minimum wage. We shall soon send an executive bill to the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law for the next five years or less.”

However, in a swift reaction, the Organised Labour stated that it had not reached any agreement with the Federal Government Tripartite Committee on the new minimum wage as claimed by the President.

In a statement on Wednesday, the acting President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Adewale Adeyanju, said there was no agreement reached by the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage when negotiations ended on Friday, June 7, 2024.

Adeyanju stated that at the last meetings, the demand remained N250,000 from the Organised Labour and that anything to the contrary won’t be accepted. He said, “Our demand remains N250,000 only, and we have not been given any compelling reasons to change this position which we consider a great concession by Nigerian workers during the tripartite negotiation process.

“We are, therefore, surprised at the submission of Mr President over a supposed agreement. We believe that he may have been misled into believing that there was an agreement with the NLC and TUC. There was none and we must let the President, Nigerians, and other national stakeholders understand this immediately to avoid a mix-up in the ongoing conversation around the national minimum wage.”

However, the state governors have vehemently opposed the offers and demands so far made by the Federal Government, OPS, and Organised Labour on the new minimum wage.

Speaking under their umbrella forum, the governors had maintained that compelling them to pay the minimum wage proposed by both the Federal Government and Labour would have adverse consequences on their delivery of critical infrastructural projects for their states.

Rwanda head coach, Thorsten Frannk Splitter, says he will be relying on Gernot Rohr for essential information to claim the scalp of the Super Eagles in their 2026 World Cup CAF Qualifying Group C match day 5 fixture on March 17, 2025, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

After four rounds of matches, Rwanda are surprisingly topping the group with seven points, the same as South Africa in second place due to an inferior goal difference, and the East Africans can now fancy their chances at maiden World Cup qualification by adding Nigeria to their conquest list.

Rohr led Benin to a historic 2-1 win over Nigeria at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, on June 10, and Splitter feels the Franco-German, who coached Nigeria for almost six years before being appointed by Benin, is the right man to advise him on how to beat Nigeria.

“I am very sure we (me and Gernot Rohr) will have a phone call before; it may be two or three, and if he can tell me something, I will be stupid not to take it. For that, we will try to be in contact; if possible, we can help each other; for sure, we will do it,” the Belgian tactician told Brila FM on Saturday.

Rohr was carried shoulder-high by Cheetahs players after Jodel Dossou scored on 37 minutes to cancel out Raphael Onyedika’s 27th-minute opener for Nigeria, and Steve Mounié scored the decider three minutes into added time of the first half to give Benin their first victory against their illustrious neighbours in Ivory Coast.

Nigeria are stuck in fifth spot on the log with miserly three points in for matches, and the three-time African champions will look to revive qualification hopes when the series resumes early next year, which will see them host Zimbabwe on March 24 on the back of the Rwanda trip.

This will be under a new coach following the resignation of Finidi George on Saturday, June 15, shortly after the Nigeria Football Federation announced its decision to hire an expatriate technical adviser to boss him.

Nigeria's inflation rate increased to 33.95% in May, driven primarily by surging prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Saturday. This marks a slight rise from April's inflation rate of 33.69%.

"Comparing month-over-month data, the headline inflation rate in May 2024 increased by 0.26 percentage points from April 2024," stated the NBS. "Year-over-year, the headline inflation rate was 11.54 percentage points higher than the 22.41% recorded in May 2023."

The report further highlighted that on a month-to-month basis, May's headline inflation rate was 2.14%, a slight decrease from April's 2.29%. This indicates that while prices are still rising, the pace of increase slowed compared to the previous month.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages were the top contributors to headline inflation, accounting for 17.59%. Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels followed with 5.68%, while clothing and footwear (2.60%), transport (2.21%), and furnishings, household equipment, and maintenance (1.71%) rounded out the top five contributors.

The NBS reported that urban inflation rose to 36.34% in May, up 12.61 percentage points from 23.74% in May 2023. Month-to-month, urban inflation was 2.35% in May, down 0.32 percentage points from April’s 2.67%.

Rural inflation was reported at 31.82% year-over-year in May, an increase of 10.63 percentage points from the 21.19% recorded in May 2023.

Food inflation specifically soared to 40.66% in May, up from 24.82% in the same month last year—a rise of 15.84 percentage points. The NBS attributed this increase to higher prices of staple foods such as semovita, oatflake, yam flour, garri, beans, Irish potatoes, yam, water yam, palm oil, vegetable oil, stockfish, mudfish, crayfish, beef head, live chicken, pork head, and bush meat.

On a month-to-month basis, food inflation was 2.28% in May, down from 2.50% in April.

The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio-cultural Association and the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, have disagreed on the bill on ranching, which just passed the second reading in the National Assembly.

The Senate, on Thursday, passed for a Second Reading ‘A Bill for an Act to Establish National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission for the Regulation, Management, Preservation, and Control of Ranches throughout Nigeria; and for Connected Purposes, 2024’.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Titus Zam, generated contentious debates among the lawmakers.

Zam argued that the bill when passed, would help resolve the farmer-herder crisis across the country. Some lawmakers also argued that the farmer-herder crisis was responsible for food scarcity across the nation.

Some northern senators, including the Deputy Senate President, argued that the bill would infringe on the rights of certain individuals, making it unconstitutional.

Responding to the survival of the bill, the Senate spokesperson said that no single senator or group of senators could unilaterally ensure that a bill was passed or not.

He said, “Every bill in the Senate is passed through a vote after it has been thoroughly considered and debated based on its merits and demerits.

“The ‘Bill for an Act to Establish the National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission for the Regulation, Management, Preservation, and Control of Ranches throughout Nigeria; and for Connected Purposes, 2024’ is no exception to this legislative process.

“The passage of a bill involves multiple stages and the participation of various individuals and bodies, ensuring a democratic and thorough evaluation. No single senator can unilaterally decide the success of a bill due to the structured and collaborative nature of this process.”

Adaramodu added, “This particular bill has already passed through the second reading and has been referred to the committees on agriculture, trade and investment, and judiciary and legal matters.

“These committees will examine its details thoroughly, potentially holding public hearings and inviting experts, stakeholders, and the public to provide input. All those interest groups will come and make their presentations. The committee will, thereafter, adopt all the contributions.”

The Senate spokesperson explained further that the committee could propose amendments to the bill, considering each clause and making necessary modifications.

He stated, “After its examination, the committee reports to the Senate with its findings and recommendations. The Senate will then consider the committee’s report. If there are proposed amendments, they will be debated, and members may accept, reject, or further amend them.

“During the third reading, the bill will be debated for the last time. This discussion is usually brief and focuses on the final content of the bill. A vote is then taken on the bill in its entirety. If it passes, it moves to concurrence, and is transmitted for the President’s assent, after which it becomes law.”

“As you can see, no aspect of this process is left in the hands of a few individuals. The passage of law involves the collaborative effort of all 109 senators,” Adaramodu noted.

‘Herders will resist bill’

Miyetti Allah said its members would resist the bill to abolish open grazing and promote ranching.

Its National Secretary-General, Saleh Alhassan, speaking to our correspondent, said the bill, if passed into law, may lead to rebellion from herders.

He said, “Laws are meant to promote love, peace, harmony and development. The law will not work. No one will respect such a law because you can’t come overnight and destroy our economy through a pronouncement.

“How many laws have they enacted, and how many are working in this country? They want to create a crisis. They want to push us, herders, into rebellion, and we are saying they will fail.”

NEF backs Miyetti Allah

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Meanwhile, the Northern Elders Forum has asked the Federal Government to initiate policies and programmes that will successfully transition open grazing into ranching in a way that will safeguard the interests of the herdsmen and address security challenges associated with their activities.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, NEF spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said the forum wants the Federal Government to identify suitable lands across the country and create grazing reserves and cattle routes for pastoral activities.

He said, “NEF had declared an earlier position on the ongoing debate in the National Assembly over the proposed law to end open grazing in the country and establish ranching agencies, which has brought to light differing views among legislators.

“NEF recognises the importance of addressing the challenges posed by open grazing and the need for a more sustainable and modern approach to livestock management. However, the forum is aware of the concerns raised by some northern senators regarding the potential impact of the proposed law on the livelihoods of pastoralists in the region.”

Afenifere supports bill

The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, said Afenifere strongly advocates modernising cattle rearing practices across the country, noting the obsolescence of open grazing.

He said, “Afenifere’s position is that in the modern-day, livestock do not graze in the open, roam on the streets, or go to people’s farms to destroy crops.

“Today, open grazing has become anachronistic and obsolete. Ranching is the vehicle whereby whoever wants to go into cattle rearing, just like a person who wants to rear fowls would build a poultry.

“The same thing should be done for those who want to rear cattle. There must be ranching, which will be maintained in a manner that will not be detrimental or create problems for other people. That’s how we feel.”