Why New Minimum Wage May Be N1 Million – NLC President Ajaero

The National Labour Congress (NLC) has indicated that its minimum wage demands might increase to N1 million per month if economic challenges persist.  NLC President Joe Ajaero mentioned during an interview on Arise TV that worsening inflation and currency depreciation are significant factors contributing to this potential escalation. He emphasized that the demand for a higher wage is closely tied to economic conditions, citing the impact of rising exchange rates and the cost of living, including the soaring prices of essential items like rice.  He said: “This N1 million may be relevant if the value of the Naira continues to depreciate; if the inflation continues to depreciate. The demand of Labour is equally dependent on what is happening in the society. “You will remember that by the time we were contemplating N200,000, the exchange rate was about N900. As we talk today, the exchange rate is about N1,400 or even more. “Those are the issues that determine the demand and it is equally affecting the cost of living and we have always said it that our demand will be based on the cost of living index. Ajaero’s remarks come amid looming strike threats as organized labour are engaging in discussions with the federal government regarding previous agreements and wage issues.

Gen Arogboda, Chief Of Staff To President Jonathan is Dead

Brigadier General Jones Oladeinde Arogbofa, a former Chief of Staff to former President Goodluck Jonathan, has died at the age of 72.  Born on November 10, 1952, in Oka-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria, he passed away on Saturday morning, and the circumstances surrounding his death are currently unclear. Arogbofa, commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1973, had a distinguished military career, serving as Chief of Staff to President Goodluck Jonathan from February 10, 2014, to May 29, 2015.  After retirement, he remained active and, at the time of his passing, served as the Chairman of the Center for Research, Information Management, and Media Development (CRIMMD). He is survived by his wife and children.

Court dismisses suspended Adamawa REC’s suit against IGP, others

Justice James Omotoso of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the suit filed by the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner of Adamawa state, Hudu Yunusa-Ari for lacking in merit. Yunasa-Ari is before the court, seeking protection from media trial, arrest and harassment by security agencies following his controversial announcement of the All Progressives Congress(APC) governorship candidate, Senator Aisha Binani Dahiru, as winner of the last Adamawa governorship poll. Mentioned as Defendants in the suit are the Inspector General of Police(IGP) Nigeria Police Force,(NPF) the Attorney-General of Federation(AGF)and Minister of Justice, the Director of the State Security Service (SSS) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st to 5th respondents respectively. Yunasa-Ari,had announced Binani winner of the governorship poll against the due process but the declaration was annulled by the INEC leadership which eventually returned the incumbent governor, Umar Fintiri. In his argument, his counsel, Jibrin Okutepa said his decision to announce Binani was due to a tight security breach in Adamawa. He submitted that since the incident, the respondents kept issuing press statements against him when he had not been convicted by a law court. Justice James Omotosho while delivering Judgement on held that the only issue to determine in the case is whether the fundamental rights of Hudu were breached by any of the respondents. The trial judge noted that as fundamental as human rights are, there are exceptions. Justice Omotosho noted that the applicant filed this suit to hide himself from prosecution for the role he played in the Adamawa guber poll. The court therefore dismissed the suit for lacking in merit.

Tinubu Launches Renewed Hope Housing Project In Abuja 

President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, launched the Renewed Hope Cities and Estate project at Karsana, area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Tinubu flaged off the construction of 3,112 pilot housing project, which marks the commencement of a nationwide project aimed at delivering 100,000 housing units through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiated in December 2023. The partnership, forged between the Federal Ministry of Housing & Urban Development (FMHUD) and a consortium of companies—Continental Civil and General Construction Limited, along with Ceezali Limited—embarks on the ambitious first phase to construct 20,000 housing units across the FCT, with Karsana hosting 3,112 of these units. This groundbreaking event, led by President Tinubu, heralds the official start of the “Renewed Hope Cities and Estates” programme, conceived by the FMHUD, to significantly boost the national housing stock and mitigate the pervasive housing shortfall. The programme envisions the establishment of Cities and Estates across all six geo-political zones of the country and the FCT, promising a minimum of 1,000 housing units per City site and at least 500 housing units per Estate site in the 30 states. Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, highlighted that the project is designed to cater to various income brackets, offering a range of residential options. These include bedroom blocks of flats for low to medium income earners and more luxurious two to five-bedroom terraces and duplexes aimed at higher income earners, thereby promoting integrated living communities. The Karsana project, significantly financed by the developers who also procured the land, illustrates a novel approach to housing development in Nigeria.

INEC Receives Primaries Schedule from Political Parties for Edo State Governorship Election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been notified by sixteen political parties of their intention to participate in the upcoming off-cycle governorship election in Edo State. With the primaries scheduled for conduct between 1st and 24th February 2024, parties are gearing up for a crucial phase in the electoral process. The schedule (dates and modes) of primaries proposed by the political parties has been uploaded to the Commission’s website and social media platforms for public information. In line with the provisions of Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, political parties are required to inform INEC at least 21 days prior to their planned primary dates. The recent deadline for notification expired on 4th February 2024, prompting INEC to assess the parties’ readiness. It is stipulated under Sections 84(4) and 5(b) of the Electoral Act 2022 that the primaries must be conducted within the boundaries of Edo State. This geographical specificity aims to ensure transparency and inclusivity in the electoral process. In anticipation of the primaries, INEC is set to deploy monitoring teams to oversee the proceedings. The Commission emphasizes the importance of strict adherence to electoral guidelines, cautioning against any disruptions or irregularities. Political parties are urged to avoid last-minute changes, including postponements, venue alterations, or manipulation of delegate lists. Additionally, INEC warns against the submission of candidate names that did not emerge from valid primary elections, as well as the occurrence of contentious primary processes that may lead to legal challenges. To enhance transparency, the schedule outlining the dates and modes of primaries proposed by the political parties has been made publicly available through INEC’s official website and social media channels.

Suit seeking to compel PDP to hold NEC meeting adjourned till March 4…Grants order of substituted service

By Vivian Michael Abuja The Federal High Court, Abuja on Thursday, adjourned till March 4, the case seeking an order directing the Ogun State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leadership to hold the meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) for the purpose of presenting the activities of the party from the date of the last NEC meeting held on September 8, 2022. The suit filed by a former governorship candidate of the party, Otumba Segun Sowunmi, has the PDP, its National Chairman, Umar Illiya Damagun, National Secretary, Sen Samuel Anyanwu, National Organizing Secretary, Capt Umar Nature, National Auditor, Okechukwu Daniel, National treasurer, Hon. Ahmed Mohammed Yayari, Youth leader, Mohammed Suleimane Kadade and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st to 8th defendants. At the resumed trial, Thursday, counsel to the plaintiff, Anderson Asemota told the court that he could not serve the 2nd to 7th defendants in the matter with the processes of the court because all efforts to serve them proved abortive, but had served the 1st and 8th defendants (the PDP and INEC) with the court processes. He said, he has filed a motion seeking to serve the court processes on the 2nd to 7th defendants through substituted means. The trial judge, Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon granted the plaintiff’s request for an order of substituted service of court processes on the 2nd to 7th defendants and adjourned the matter till March 21 for hearing. Sowunmi is praying the court for an order, directing the 1st to 7th defendants to call a NEC meeting of the PDP for the purpose of presenting the proposed guidelines and regulations governing the conduct of elections to the party offices at all levels and procedures for selecting party candidates for elective offices to the members of the NEC. He is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 2nd to 8th defendants by themselves or their servants, agents or privies from functioning or continue to function or discharge the functions of their offices until they call for or cause to be called and held meeting of the PDP’s NEC in total fidelity and obeisance of the party’s constitution. The plaintiff wants the court to declare that by virtue of the provisions of Article 31(2)(d), 4 and 5 of the PDP constitution (as amended in 2017), he, as spokesman of the party during the last election is obligated and/or entitled to file the suit to give effect to the aims and objectives of the PDP and to ensure that the provisions of Article 7 of the PDP constitution are observed and respected by members and national officers. “A declaration that under and by virtue of the provisions of Article 31 (2)(4) and (5) of the PDP constitution and Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the 1st to 7th defendants are obligated to call or cause to be called and held quarterly or at the request of one-third of members of NEC of the PDP, the meeting of the NEC of the PDP at which the 1st to 7th defendants shall be present quarterly financial reports or income and expenditure of the party to the members of the NEC. “A declaration that, under and by virtue and the provisions of Article 31 (2)(4) and (5) of the PDP constitution and Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the 1st to 7th defendants are obligated to call for or cause to be called and held quarterly or at the request of the one-third of members of the NEC of the PDP at which the defendants shall present quarterly reports containing the activities of the PDP to the members of the NEC”. He also wants the court to declare that the defendants are under obligation to call for PDP NEC meeting to present proposed guidelines and regulations governing the conduct of elections to the party offices at all levels and procedures of selecting party candidates for elective offices to the NEC members. “A declaration that, having failed, refused and/or neglected to call for meeting and held quarterly or at the request of one-third of members of the NEC of PDP in which the 8th defendant (INEC) ought to have been invited, the 1st to 7th defendants are in the breach and/or violation of the constitution of the party and the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022”. In an affidavit in support of the suit, the plaintiff averred that the last NEC meeting of the party was last convened by the sacked National Chairman of the party, Sen. Iyorcha Ayu on September 8, 2022. The NEC, he said is saddled with the responsibility of fixing and approving the date of the party’s national convention, which is the highest decision making organ of the party and that all efforts to get the defendants to call for NEC meeting proved abortive as the, “defendants have woefully failed, refused and/or neglected to response to my entreaties viva voce and repeated demand for a NEC meeting as well as the letter written by my solicitors in that regard. “That, it is in the interest of justice to grant the claims or reliefs sought by the plaintiff in the originating summons as the defendants will not be prejudiced”, he said

Police Arrests Woman Over Protests In Niger

The Niger State Police Command has arrested three women and 22 youths for leading the protest in Minna, claiming that the women-led other people to disrupt the peace of the state capital. According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, the leader of the women, Aisha Jibrin mobilized other women and miscreants to block the Minna-Bida road and Kpakungun roundabout leading to disruption of law and order. Abiodun said that the protesters had deliberately refused to clear the road for public use despite the presence of Police patrol teams led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, DCP Shehu Umar Didango, and the presence of the Deputy Governor of Niger State, Comrade Yakubu Garba. The PPRO further said that despite these personalities, the protesters turned deaf ears and chose to be violent leading the police to adopt minimum force to disperse the protesters. He said: “The Police adopted minimum force to disperse the protesters who turned violent by attacking the Police with dangerous weapons such as stones, bottles, sticks, cutlasses and damaged Police patrol vehicles and parts of the Kpakungu Division roof. “In the course of this, the Police arrested the initiator of the protest, one Aisha Jibrin aged 30 years, Fatima Aliyu aged 57 years, Fatima Isyaku aged 43 years all of Soje ‘A’ of Kpakungu area of Minna, and twenty-two other miscreants with the following dangerous weapons; a bench and a stick used as a barricade, three knives, one scissors, one cutlass, one saw blade, one iron pipe, four other sticks, two wraps of Indian hemp and charms.” The Initiator of the protest, Aisha Jibrin while defending herself said that her actions were not illegal as she believed that the plight of the hardship they are going through should be heard. She said that she never intended it to be a violent protest as she informed one youth leader whom she called Hassan in the community who was given the task to inform the Police about their plan to protest adding that she did not know that he did not inform the police. Jibrin defended herself saying that there is too much hunger in the land for the people to keep quiet about. However, the Police have declared Aisha’s mobilization of over 100 women and youths whom they called miscreants to block the highway for the protest was illegal The PPRO said that all suspects were taken to the State CID for investigation after which they will be charged to court for prosecution adding that effort is ongoing to arrest other identified members of the violent protest. In a related development, the Niger State House of Assembly directed the state government to provide palliatives to the most vulnerable members of society to forestall future protests which may be hijacked. The legislators noted that the women protested against the high cost of living in the society and inadequate response from the government compelled them to block the main roads to draw the attention of the government.

Reps To Probe MDA Involvement In Alleged Certificate Racketeering

The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate some officials of Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies involved in alleged certificate racketeering with Nigerian students. The resolution followed the adoption of a motion on the floor of the House, on Wednesday, moved by the member representing Birniwa/Guri/Kiri-Kasamma Federal Constituency of Jigawa State, Abubakar Fulata Recall that a Nigerian reporter, Umar Audu had, in December 2022, bagged a degree from a university in Cotonou, Benin Republic, in six weeks and subsequently participated in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme. Audu subsequently accused unnamed officials of the Ministry of Education as members of the racketeering syndicate; a development that elicited widespread criticisms by well-meaning Nigerians. Leading the debate on the motion, Fulata called on the House to “identify officials of MDAs and students who benefited from such institutions and their campuses in the last ten years.”

Retract bribery allegation against appeal court justices, lawyers tell Sen. Abbo

Some senior lawyers have called on Senator Elisha Abbo to retract the unsubstantiated allegations of bribery and corruption made against the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem. According to the lawyers, Senator Abbo in his reckless and unconscionable Press Briefing described the President of the Court of Appeal as a cash-and-carry Judge, adding that Judges now send their children and agents to go around asking for bribes. The lawyers led by Uwemedimo Nwoko, stated that Abbo has not produced any iota of evidence to substantiate his weighty allegations. Senator Abbo, a former senator representing Adamawa north, in the press conference said Nwosu-Iheme and members of the panel made up of Muhammad Ibrahim and Olabode Adegbehingbe erred when they declared Amos Yohanna of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the duly elected senator of the district. Also, Senator Abbo, accused Justice Chioma Nwosu, elevated from the court of appeal to the supreme court, some Justices of the Court of Appeal and Judges of the various Tribunals. The former senator said he had written the NJC and Tinubu to stop the elevation of Nwosu-Iheme into the supreme court until an investigation is conducted. Reacting to the allegation, the Lawyers therefore called on the senator to retracted the allegations publicly or face the consequences of his actions in court. He maintained that this brand of nonsense and unprovoked attacks against Judicial Officers and the Judiciary must stop. “We take very strong exceptions to the criminal blackmail deliberately fabricated and calculated to impugn on the integrity and reputation of our revered and hardworking Judges and Justices by characters like Senator Abbo. “May I remind Senator Abbo that when he lost the case that removed him from the Senate, he openly accused the Senate President, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON of being the architect of his misfortune. When he was confronted with the task to prove the allegation he promptly went on his knees and apologised profusely to Senator Akpabio and retracted the allegations. “It is sad and most unfortunate that this Senator who shot into the limelight on account of his misconduct in a Sex Toy Shop in Abuja would have the criminal courage and effrontery to malign, denigrade and make such invidious imputations against our Justices and judiciary simply because he lost a case. “I wish to state most categorically that it is totally unacceptable, morally reprehensible and legally culpable for a person with Senator Abbo’s moral credentials and profound deficits in character content to embark on such character assassination against our Justices who have sacrificially built their good reputations over the years,” he said.

Electoral Bill Passes Second Reading, Paving Way for Electronic Transmission of Election Results

The Nigerian House of Representatives achieved a significant milestone on Wednesday as it passed the Electoral Act 2022 Amendment Bill for Second Reading, brightening the prospect for electronic transmission of election results to minimise fraud in the nation’s electoral process. The Bill sponsored by Hon. Francis Waive, representing the Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu federal constituency of Delta State, aims to amend the existing Electoral Act to facilitate the electronic transmission of election results. During the debate on the general principles of the bill, Hon. Waive underscored the inadequacies of the current Electoral Act 2022 and emphasized the importance of modernizing it to accommodate electronic transmission of election results. He argued that such an amendment is essential for strengthening Nigeria’s democracy and combating electoral fraud. In addition to advocating for electronic transmission, Hon. Waive proposed a regular review of the voter register every ten years. This measure, he argued, would contribute to the overall transparency and fairness of the electoral system by ensuring accuracy and integrity in voter data. The advancement of the Electoral Act 2022 Amendment Bill to its Second Reading marks a significant step forward in Nigeria’s electoral reform efforts. If passed into law, it has the potential to usher in a new era of transparency and accountability in the country’s electoral processes.