The National Industrial Court has halted the planned industrial action by the Nigerian Labour Congress NLC slated for Wednesday over withdrawal of fuel subsidy.
The verdict was given on Monday by Justice O.Y.Anuwe and next hearing fixed for June 19.
Details shortly…
The former governor of Edo state, Adams Oshiomhole, has said that President Bola Tinubu was aware of the effect the removal of the fuel subsidy is having on Nigerians.
Oshiomhole expressed optimism that disagreements between the federal government and organised labour over the removal of fuel subsidies would soon be resolved.
Oshiomhole disclosed this in an interview with Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, yesterday.
He said “This president recognizes that the effect of the withdrawal is already here, people are already going through some level of discomfort and therefore there has to be an immediate solution to it.
“Now that immediate solution is what we discussed and the fact that we are meeting on Tuesday again shows that clearly, we realize that this is not one of those things you want to buy time because it has a real negative impact, on particularly, the most vulnerable group.
“But we have a solution to it because you are going to make savings, so take from that savings or even if it is borrowing. So, whatever it is, you can leverage some revenue and improve wages to cushion the cost of living, I think it is legitimate, I think it is doable, it is not something that you want to spend two to three months negotiating,” Oshiomhole said.
The Federal Government and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) met on Sunday, and the former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NUC), claimed the meeting was fruitful. He said that the government would take all of the TUC’s demands into consideration and respond on Tuesday.
Oshiomhole added that if Nigeria can save about N7 trillion by eliminating subsidies, the federal government can use some of that money to increase wages “because those savings will go into the federation account which will be distributed among the three tiers of government and so every tier of government will have more money and should be able to meet the consequential increase in wages”.
As the increment of pump price bites harder, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has advised Nigerians to readopt the use of bicycle as means of transportation.
The sector commander of FRSC in Bayelsa state , Mr Usman Ibrahim, gave the advice during the awareness ride to commemorate this year’s World Bicycle Day, said it is cheaper and healthy to human benefit.
Ibrahim who was represented by the FRSC Deputy Corps Commander in the state, Oiwoja Alagoa, said it was time to re-adopt the transportation system that assisted human civilisation for ages.
He explained that countries like Denmark, China, Poland and others use bicycle mostly, as the parts of the body are put to use during bicycle ride and burn energy that would have been stored in the body.
The sector commander added that bicycle, apart from being cheaper than vehicles to acquire, it is also cheap to maintain and healthier for physical wellbeing of man and his environment.
“Use of bicycle help in preserving atmosphere, it does not emit or pollute the atmosphere, it’s ensure less congestion on the road. Advanced countries have readopted bicycle transportation system as a matter of public health wellbeing and control of greenhouse effects of carbon emissions.
“We want our people to come back to the basics, cycling is good for the body, environment and it is economical to maintain.
“That is why we are raising the awareness again and calling on the Bayelsa State Government to join us in this campaign to revive the culture of using bicycle as a means of transportation,” he said.
The Nigerian Labour Congress NLC has declared a nationwide strike starting from next week Wednesday.
This is coming amid fuel shortages across the country occasioned by President Bola Tinubu’s inaugural speech in which he declared that “fuel subsidy is gone”.
NLC President Joe Ajaero made the announcement after an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja.
He said the government, particularly the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited had up until Wednesday next week to revert to the old price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise referred to as petrol.
Ajaero added that failure of the Federal Government to meet the ultimatum would attract an indefinite protest across the country.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) recalls on Monday during his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square in Abuja, Tinubu said the era of subsidy payment on fuel has ended, adding that with the 2023 budget making no provision for fuel subsidy, further payment was no longer justifiable.
“The fuel subsidy is gone,” Tinubu said. His government would instead channel funds into infrastructure and other areas to strengthen the economy, he added.
The presidential pronouncement led to an almost instant resurgence of fuel queues across the country with Nigerians foraging for the premium product.
Following the subsidy removal which has brought about an increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, the Nigeria Labour Congress has commenced an emergency National Executive Council meeting in Abuja.
The meeting which started a few minutes past 12 noon has in attendance executive members of the affiliate unions of the congress.
The NLC is expected to inform the public of its final decision following the meeting with the representatives of the Federal Government which ended in deadlock.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) recalls that President Bola Tinubu, while delivering his inaugural speech on Monday, May 29, 2023, stated that “subsidy is gone”.
The President’s declaration on Monday led to increase in panic buying with some filling stations across the country changing the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit to as high as N550 per litre.
On Wednesday, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited adjusted the fuel price with states having different templates.
The organised labour comprising Trade Union Congress and the Nigeria Labour Congress described the move by Tinubu and the NNPCL as a “joke taken too far”.
Even as President Tinubu said on Monday that the subsidy on fuel, when removed, will be channelled into the development of other key sectors.
The outcome of today’s NEC meeting will go a long way in determining whether the threat by organized labour to embark on a nationwide industrial action would be cemented.
The Maritime union on Thursday gave a notice that it would down tools by next week Monday.
War looms in aviation sector as the Civic Situation Room (CSR), a coalition of 100 pro-democracy groups has kicked against the last-minute appointments by former President Muhammadu Buhari in the aviation sector.
This was contained in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Vincent Unazi, the group described the timing and rationale as horrendous and unwarranted, adding that it will protest until the appointments are reversed.
Recall that Kabir Yusuf Mohammed was named as the new Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Engineer Tayib Odunowo was also appointed the substantive Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
Similarly, a total of 28 directors and general managers were appointed across the five aviation agencies.
And Unazi said the appropriate action would have been to extend the tenures of the MDs, CEOs, and directors for 30 days while nominating new candidates for the incoming administration.
He alleged that ‘if not that the former minister, Hadi Sirika had wrong intent, he would have constituted governing boards long ago and not the show of shame he hurriedly did before exiting the office.
“For the entire duration of Sirika’s administration, he failed to appoint boards into the different agencies, thereby usurping their powers.
“But less than two days to the end of the administration, the boards were hurriedly inaugurated, and that was after new directors were appointed.
“There is nothing wrong in extending the tenures of the MD/CEOs for a further 30 days while the term of the existing directors would have been on a transitional basis.
Following the adjustment in pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), several people in Edo state have barricaded the Benin-Lagos highway and other portions of the city of Benin.
The protesters who are mainly members of the Edo State Civil Society Organisation (EDOCSO), called for urgent reversal of the fuel pump price.
Displaying placards with inscriptions such as “Nigerians can’t buy petrol at N520”; “We can’t buy petrol at N520 but N210”; “Petrol must be N210 till July end”, the protesters said Nigerians awere already confronted with numerous challenges..
The development, however, caused gridlock, forcing commuters to trek to their destinations
Addressing journalists, former coordinator general, EDOCSO, Omobude Agho, said the protest was to get the attention of President Bola Tinubu so that he could look into the fuel pump price.
“We are protesting because of the increase in fuel price which started yesterday, marketers moved the price from N210 to over N500.
“We were shocked to see that even the NNPC Limited fixed over N500 as the pump price. So, we feel this is a plan to kill Nigerians or send us to our graves.
“The strategy is called local protest, we are localizing the protest. It is currently ongoing in places such as Uselu shell, Ologbo, Siluko and Agbor park.”
He added that if by Friday the government fails to address the situation, the protest will spread to other areas.
![Senators, Reps to get N30bn as severance package [SEE breakdown]](https://thenewsguru.ng/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/senate.jpg)
The National Assembly management has started clearance of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives for payment and collection of severance packages, as the 9th Assembly comes to an end.
The Clerk of the House, Yahaya Danzaria, made this known in a notice to members at the plenary on Wednesday.
The 9th Assembly, which was inaugurated on June 11, 2019, is expected to wind down by the first week of June, while the 10th Assembly is billed for inauguration on June 13, 2023.
The Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, read out the Clerk’s notice to members on the floor.
Danzaria informed “all honourable members to collect their clearance forms for the payment of severance gratuity from the Office of the Clerk to the House and submit same after completion in Annex Room 2.154 or 2.031, Finance and Accounts Directorate on or before Friday, June 9, 2023.”
For the outgoing 9th Assembly, over N30bn has been budgeted for severance and welcome package for outgoing and incoming members and aides in the 2023 Appropriation Act.
Under statutory transfers, the National Assembly and its affiliate bodies will spend a total of N194,839,144,401 this financial year.
The sum of N169bn was proposed for the federal bi-cameral legislature in the original bill.
Details of the National Assembly budget are as follows: Severance/inauguration of outgoing and incoming 9th and 10th Assembly (legislators and legislative aides) – N30,173,520,592;
National Assembly Office = N30,492,518,529;
Senate = N33,267,001,807;
House of Representatives = N51,994,511,954;
National Assembly Service Commission = N10,555,809,322;
Legislatives Aides = N16,520,653,763;
PAC_Senate = N118,970,215; and
PAC_House of Representatives = N142,764,258.
…the advocate of Africapitalism explains meaning of coinage
Multi-billionaire, Tony Elumelu bares it all in an interview with BBC espousing that as an African he believes
that there is so much we can do to uplift humanity.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports Tony Elumelu in a highly revealing interview with BBC spoke extensively on the potentials of Africa and Africans, painting a true picture of what beholds in Africa.
Hear him:
As a person and as an African, I believe that there is so much we can do to uplift humanity, I believe that Africa is not well understood and every day I want to see my living as an opportunity to showcase what Africa is made of and to tell the world that in Africa, we have entrepreneurs, we have economists, we have philanthropist, we have business people, we have people work a living in a very straight way.
A lot of people associate your name, your brand with the phrase Africapitalism, you coined that phrase, tell us a bit about that because it is something you are quite enthusiastic about and you have been driving this message for quite a while. What does it really mean in the real sense of it?
“So across Africa, I got to see and appreciate for the commitment of all of us towards the development of Africa. The success of the private sector is not out of line with what government and public sector wants to achieve and what you see is that there is need for intersection, business are doing good and that form people’s basis and inspiration for Africapitalism.
“Africapitalism is about the private sector accord and the private sector stepping forward, investing because that is what we know how to do in the private sector, investing in critical sectors of the African economy that will help us ultimately to drive economic prosperity and human improvement.
For instance investment in power, when you invest in power in Africa, it is not just about profitability but it is about creating prosperity and uplifting Africa because without access to electricity we don’t develop as a continent.
“The people we support at the Tony Elumelu Foundation, the young entrepreneur, I say to them, tell me how your business can help create prosperity for you and prosperity for society, it is one of the eligibility criteria that we use in choosing who benefit from the programme because we just want to build, to inculcate it into the subconscious of upcoming Africa entrepreneurs and private leaders to know, it is not just about you succeeding in business, it is about you succeeding in business uplifts everyone, you, your business, your communities are involving and everyone because that is how we can help develop Africa.
Source: BBC
… insists dialogue is in danger
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected the new pump price of petrol fixed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), describing as a vexatious template.
Daily Trust reports that the oil firm has directed its outlets nationwide to sell fuel between N480 and N570 per litre.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) recalls the newly elected president, Bola Tinubu had announced an to fuel subsidy on Monday during his Inauguration as Nigeria’s 16th president on Monday.
Subsequently, the apex oil company in Nigeria, NNPCL on Wednesday adjusted fuel pump prices with varying price template from state to state.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, who briefed journalists at Labour House, Abuja, on Wednesday, described the development as an “ambush” insisting that any subsequent dialogue is in danger.
He argued that the Congress would not accept that because government cannot be talking about deregulation and at the same time fixing the prices of Petroleum products, noting that removal of subsidy or fixing of price is not what government could do unilaterally.
“We are worried that the government through the NNPC despite the ongoing meeting of stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to manage the unilateral but unfortunate announcement by the President to withdraw subsidy on petroleum products, went ahead this morning to announce a new regime of prices under a new pricing template.
“This is an ambush and runs against the spirit and principles of social dialogue which remains the best platform available for the resolution of all the issues arising out of the petroleum Down-stream sector.
“Government cannot in one breathe be talking about deregulation and at the same time fixing the prices of Petroleum products. This negates the spirit of allowing the operation of the free market unless the government has as usual usurped, captured or become Market forces,” the labour leader said.
Comrade Ajaero, however, called on the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government to immediately instruct the NNPCL to withdraw what he described as its “vexatious pricing template” to allow free flow of discussions by the parties.
He said the meeting scheduled to be held among stakeholders by 2pm today as announced in the morning, has been put on hold, accusing the government of trying to scuttle the dialogue.
The labour leader added, “It is, therefore, unacceptable and we seriously condemn it. Good faith negotiation is key to reaching agreement. What the government has done is like holding a gun to the head of Nigerian people and bring undue pressure on the leaders thus undermine the dialogue.
“We call on the federal government to immediately instruct the NNPC to withdraw this vexatious pricing template to allow free flow of discussions by the parties.
“Nigerians would not accept any manipulations of any kind from any of the parties especially from the representatives of the Government.
“Our commitment to this process is buoyed on the fact that all the parties would be committed to ensuring that it is carried out within the ambits of liberty without undue pressure.
The release of that template may not allow us to continue if nothing is done to withdraw it so that the dialogue can continue unhindered. It is clear that Government is actually trying to scuttle the process.
“As it stands, the federal government has become fixated on their chosen course of action. Would this help this dialogue? It clearly will not.
“There must be flexibility to allow concessions and reasonable accommodation that will produce the best result for Nigerian people. This is what we all seek at this time.”
