TheNewsGuru

Tag: Protest

  • Fuel scarcity looms as NUPENG declares 3-day nationwide strike

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has declared a nationwide strike beginning from today.

    The strike which will affect the flow of petrol to filling stations, has shut down seven crude flow stations in the Niger Delta, a union official said on Wednesday.

    The strike is in protest over pay and job losses. NUPENG is one of several labour unions that have criticised oil companies for sacking workers in the last few months.

    “Filling stations, petrol tankers and all NUPENG members are involved,” Cogent Ojobo, NUPENG’s Warri zonal chairman, said.

    The union said the strike would last for three days and involve around 10,000 workers.

    Ojobo said union officials would hold talks with the labour minister in the capital, Abuja, later on Wednesday. “If the issues at stake are resolved and a communiqué signed, the strike would be called off,” he said.

    He also said workers had gone on strike at seven crude oil flow stations in and around Oleh, a town in Delta state, which is in the Niger Delta.

    “Seven flow stations belonging to NPDC were shut by the workers and they are still shut now,” Ojobo said. He also said the workers, who are employed by contractors, say they have not been paid. The flow stations were shut on Tuesday.

    The Labour ministry spokesman was not immediately available to comment.

    Nigeria has been hit hard by a slump in crude oil prices in the past two years, which helped to push the country into recession. A wave of militant attacks in the southern Niger Delta oil hub throughout 2016 has hampered production.

    Ndu Ughamadu, a spokesman for Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), a subsidiary of the state-run oil company NNPC, said checks were being made to establish whether the Niger Delta flow stations had been affected.

    Last week, NUPENG held a strike at Total’s fuel depots in a protest over sackings, but it was suspended after one day after an agreement was reached. No details have emerged about the deal.

  • At last, NFF pays Super Falcons allowances as FG releases fund

    Nigerian Football Federation has paid players and officials of the Super Falcons their outstanding allowances after receiving the money from the Federal Government on Friday.

    NFF’s spokesman Ademola Olajire, made the disclosure yesterday in Abuja.

    The statement quoted NFF’s Head of Women’s Football, Ruth David as saying, “the bank accounts of the players and officials are being credited as we speak.

    “They will all receive credit alerts of the monies due to them, as released by the government, before the end of the day.”

    The payments were for the Super Falcons’ participation at the 10th Women Africa Cup of Nations finals, which the team won after defeating hosts Cameroon 1-0 in the final in Yaounde on 3rd December.

    Olajire said the money released by the Federal Government included allowances due to players and officials of the Super Eagles for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Algeria, played in Uyo in November.

    “A breakdown of the Super Falcons’ monies showed that each player got the sum of N5,494,500, less the sum of N600,000 that was earlier paid to each of the players at various times by the NFF.

    “The amount is at the rate of $17,900 (converted to naira at the official rate of N305 to $1), plus the sum of N15,000 camp allowance and N20,000 transport allowance.

    “All the monies were converted at the official rate of N305 to $1.

    “Head Coach Florence Omagbemi got a total of N11,014,000 less the sum of N800,000 paid to her earlier.

    “Assistant coaches Ann Chiejine, Perpetua Nkwocha and Bala Mohammed, as well as the backroom staff were N8,274,250 richer, less the N500,000 earlier paid to each of them.

    “The equipment manager got a total of N4,114,625, less the N500,000 earlier paid to her,” the statement said.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the players protested following the failure of the NFF to pay their outstanding allowances.

    On Wednesday they took their protest to the National Assembly where they were addressed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, who promised them that they would be paid in 48 hours.

    NAN correspondent who visited the Agura Hotel, where the players were lodged,,discovered that they had left the hotel. (

  • #RiversRerun: Wike leads protest against police, accuses them of corruption, partisanship

    Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers on Thursday led thousands of supporters to stage a protest over alleged police high handedness in the just concluded legislative re-run election.

    The protesters also accused the police of killing PDP members and demanded the transfer of two policemen alleged to be masterminds of the police attacks.

    The protest which was peaceful started from Government House to Azikiwe street and Bank Road before terminating at the Police command headquarters on Moscow road in the city centre.

    Addressing the police, Wike told the state Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Cyril Okoro that people of the state were fed up with alleged killings by some policemen and other security operatives.

    “On behalf of the Rivers Government and good people of the state, we have to let the police know that enough is enough.

    “We demand that Assistant Commissioner of Police in-charge of Operations, Mr Steven Hasso and the Commander of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Akin Fakorede be posted out of the state.

    “We have come here peacefully to communicate this demand and urge that this request is communicated to Police headquarters in Abuja because I (Wike) have written repeatedly (to IGP).

    “Please, I don’t want people to die anymore and definitely do not want corrupt senior police officers posted to Rivers state,” he said.

    Wike said the police had refused to sanction the two policemen in spite alleged video footage which purported the duo and other security operatives attempting to snatch results of the Rivers East Senatorial District.

    The governor described as unfortunate and worrisome a situation where policemen who are supposed to be non-partisan paraded themselves as politicians in uniform.

    According to him, the bias security operatives must be posted out of the state.

    “If they don’t leave the state, then we will do all we can to ensure that they leave this state because they have killed innocent people,” the governor claimed.

    In his response, Mr Cyril Okoro, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Rivers assured Wike that the command will deliver the message to the Inspector General Police for possible action.

    Some senior government officials who participated in the protest included Rivers Deputy Gov. Ipalibo Banigo; House Speaker, Dabo Adams, ex-Minister of Transport, Dr Abiye Sekibo and former Deputy Gov. Tele Ikuru.

    Others include PDP state Chairman, Felix Obuah, former United Bank of Africa Chairman, Chief Ferdinand Alabrabra and commissioners and state legislators.

  • In photos: Super falcons storm NASS, protest non-payment of allowances

    Members of the female football national team, the Super Falcons, Wednesday, stormed the National Assembly to protest non-payment of their allowances.