Author: Supers Staff

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum, on Thursday, emphasised the need for the government and organised labour to come up with a sustainable minimum wage in the ongoing negotiations.

The NGF, which made the call in a communique issued at the end of its virtual meeting and signed by its Chairman and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, assured labour of governors’ commitment to pay the workers an improved wage.

In response, the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress warned the state governors against defaulting on the new minimum wage that would be approved during the ongoing negotiations.

In January, President Bola Tinubu constituted a tripartite committee comprising government, labour, and private sector representatives to assess the N30,000 minimum wage implemented during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.

Recently, the two primary labour organisations, the NLC and the TUC presented a proposal of N615,000 minimum wage to the committee.

During the May Day celebrations on Wednesday, the government refrained from announcing a new minimum wage, citing its reluctance to accept labour’s proposal.

However, the NGF, in its statement, said it was assessing each state government’s fiscal capacity and the potential effects of different proposals to determine an enhanced minimum wage that could be sustained by the states.

NGF advises committee

The communique read in part “The forum celebrates with workers across the country for their dedication to service and patience as we work with the Federal Government, labour, organised private sector and relevant stakeholders in arriving at an implementable national minimum wage.

“While we acknowledge various initiatives adopted of recently by way of wage awards and partial wage adjustments, it is imperative to state that the 37-member tripartite committee inaugurated on the National Minimum Wage, is still in consultation and yet to conclude its work.

“As members of the committee, we are reviewing our individual fiscal space as state governments and the consequential impact of various recommendations, to arrive at an improved minimum wage we can pay sustainably. We remain committed to the process and promise that better wages will be the invariable outcome of ongoing negotiations.”

Speaking on the governors’ pledge, the TUC Vice President, Tommy Etim, argued that the new minimum wage would be binding on the governors.

“Governors increasing wages are taking individual decisions as the new minimum wage hasn’t been drafted. What will be binding on governors is what is agreed upon at the federal level and that is why governors are on the committee,’’ he said.

On when the committee would meet following its inability to reach a consensus last Monday, a top official of the NLC, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, said, “There is no fixed date yet for the meeting between the minimum wage committee and the Federal Government.”

According to him, the labour unions have placed their demand of N615,000 as the new minimum wage and are expecting an offer from the Federal Government.

The source added,  “The unions have also demanded that the new Act should have a two-year life with an agreement for automatic adjustment in wages any time inflation exceeds 7.5 per cent.

“We have also demanded that every employer with up to five workers in his employ shall pay the new minimum wage and have asked for the strengthening of monitoring and compliance mechanisms to penalise non-complying state governments and organisations.”

Also, the Adamawa State Chairman of the NLC, Chief Emmanuel Fashe, said the state governor had promised to pay the new minimum wage to workers of the state without subjecting it to any further negotiations or review with labour in the state.

Speaking on the plight of workers and the need for state governors to act in the interim to alleviate their suffering, he said the standard of living of Nigeria workers had nosedived following the fuel subsidy withdrawal and floating of the naira.

He berated the governors for being”too self-centred even though the same cannot be said of all the governors as some have been very considerate in implementing the new minimum wage.’’

He however added that Governor Ahmadu Fintiri had shown himself as a workers-friendly governor hence the robust relations he enjoys with labour in his state.

Fashe, who also doubles as the National Vice President General National Union of Local Government Employees, North-East zone, said, ‘’We are glad that Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has assured us that his government will pay whatever new minimum wage is declared by the Federal Government without subjecting it to any negotiations.

“The government has implemented the minimum wage for local government workers and there’s no need for any confrontation with the executive on these matters.”

Kwara workers

On his part, the NLC Chairman in Kwara State, Muritala Olayinka, disclosed that the state government paid its workers N30,000 minimum wage and an additional N10,000 award monthly.

He explained that the unions had made efforts to prevail on the Governor AbdulRazaq to increase the monthly award but their efforts had yet to yield results.

“We have made several efforts to our governor Mallam AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq who is the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to increase the palliative award to the state workers to N35,000 as approved for the federal workers by the Federal government but we have not succeeded,” he lamented.

The labour leader appealed to AbdulRazaq to set an example as the NGF chairman by implementing the new minimum wage when passed into law.

The governor in his May Day address promised to implement the new minimum wage as soon as all processes were concluded.

“We will continue to review our responses within current realities, including the implementation of another minimum wage as soon as all processes have been concluded,” he said.

Commenting on the NGF pledge, Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said the state would wait for the National Minimum Wage Committee to conclude its assignment before it would open negotiations with Osun workers.

Alimi, who said the Adeleke administration would not want to pre-empt the outcome of the national negotiation on a new wage, noted that the state would soon inaugurate a negotiation committee on the issue.

Kwara workers

On his part, the NLC Chairman in Kwara State, Muritala Olayinka, disclosed that the state government paid its workers N30,000 minimum wage and an additional N10,000 award monthly.

He explained that the unions had made efforts to prevail on the Governor AbdulRazaq to increase the monthly award but their efforts had yet to yield results.

“We have made several efforts to our governor Mallam AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq who is the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to increase the palliative award to the state workers to N35,000 as approved for the federal workers by the Federal government but we have not succeeded,” he lamented.

The labour leader appealed to AbdulRazaq to set an example as the NGF chairman by implementing the new minimum wage when passed into law.

The governor in his May Day address promised to implement the new minimum wage as soon as all processes were concluded.

“We will continue to review our responses within current realities, including the implementation of another minimum wage as soon as all processes have been concluded,” he said.

Commenting on the NGF pledge, Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said the state would wait for the National Minimum Wage Committee to conclude its assignment before it would open negotiations with Osun workers.

Alimi, who said the Adeleke administration would not want to pre-empt the outcome of the national negotiation on a new wage, noted that the state would soon inaugurate a negotiation committee on the issue.

“We don’t want to be pre-emptive. All states you mentioned are free to act, but in Osun, we will wait for the National Minimum Wage Committee to conclude its assignment. We will soon set up a negotiation committee here too,” Alimi said.

Meanwhile, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero on Thursday night explained how the Congress arrived at the N615,000 minimum wage proposal which it submitted to the Tripartite Committee on minimum wage.

Recent reforms in Nigeria including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market have pushed the cost of living to newer levels. Inflation figures hit 33.2 per cent in March, further compounding a troubled economy.

Labour unions and the Federal Government have since been locked in negotiations over measures including a new minimum wage to cushion the impacts of the harsh economy.

The NLC is proposing a N615,000 monthly salary for workers, a jump from the current N30,000. Although many believe it is unrealistic, the labour union believes many states can pay it if they get their priorities right.

Ajaero in the statement said the figure was a product of a painstaking effort through which we captured the cost of living of Nigerian workers and masses in all parts of the country. It was essentially an outcome of an independent researchconducted by the NLC and TUC on the cost of meeting the primary needs of an average family around the country. Our research was based on a family with both parents alive and four children without the burden of having other dependents with them.

“A questionnaire was designed and sent to all the State Councils of NLC and TUC from where these questionnaires were sent to our members in all the Local government areas in the country to gather the monthly cost of living for the average family as described above. Below is a summary of our findings and we hope that this will enable Nigerians understand what propels our demand so that better clarity is made to create better engagement around the ongoing National Minimum Wage Negotiation process,” the labour leader explained.

Ajaero further noted that the union arrived at the figure before the increase in electricity tariff and the recent scarcity of Petrol across the nation leading to the appearance of long queues with attendant increased transport fares.

He said Any figure below this amount becomes a starvation wage and condemns Nigerian workers and their families to perpetual poverty.

“We have to remember that the old one having expired on the 18th day of April, 2024, a new one is expected to have come into effect on the 19th day of April, 2024. However, because of government’s inability to comply with the Law that demanded for negotiations for a new national minimum wage to have begun six months before the expiration of the existing one, concluding the new one has become unfortunately delayed,” he added.

 

 

As Nigerians battle fuel scarcity, over 9,000 oil marketers are on the verge of losing their operating licences.

As a result, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria is urging the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to extend its final deadline for licensing renewal to July.

It also appealed to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority to release 9,000 already processed licences to its members.

The association made the request known in a release signed by the National Public Relations Officer, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, on Thursday in Abuja.

Recall that IPMAN in a statement on Sunday lamented the slow pace of marketers’ licence renewal by the NMDPRA.

The NNPCL had placed a deadline of April 15, 2024, for marketers to renew their licences or risk closure to access their customer express portals for the purchase of petroleum products from NNPC Retail Limited.

But IPMAN requested an extension, saying the extension would enable marketers to reconcile their licenses and reduce panic buying by members of the public aggravating the present scarcity of petroleum products.

The statement read, “The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria are abreast with current developments in the downstream sector of our petroleum industry and wish to state that the latest information reaching us from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority states that they have already processed more than 9,000 out of the 15,000 licenses they are expected to process for our members within this period.

“Marketers are fast-tracking the processing of their licenses to avoid the impending closure of their customer express portals for purchase of petroleum products from NNPC Retail Limited.

“We, therefore, use this opportunity to appeal to the management of the NMDPRA and NNPC Retail Limited to respectively release the processed licenses and extend the deadline for delisting of marketers from their express portals. If our request is granted, it will ease the tension of panic buying by members of the public in order not to aggravate the present scarcity of petroleum products.”

Giving further clarity in a telephone interview, Ukadike said, “The release is to appeal to the NNPCL and NMPDRA to please extend the final deadline to July so that it would enable them to reconcile the licences so that they will not be unduly shut out off the portal and that is IPMAN appeal.”

Our correspondent contacted the NMDPRA South-West Regional Coordinator, Ayo Cardoso, over the plea of the marketers.

Responding, Cardoso told The PUNCH that the NMDPRA would take a look at the request and act accordingly.

“We will look into their request,” he responded during a chat with our correspondent.

The PUNCH recalled that amid the ongoing fuel crisis, IPMAN had on Tuesday declared that it would shut down the 30,000 stations operated by IPMAN members across the country if the Federal Government failed to pay the N200bn that was being owed marketers.

IPMAN specifically said the NMDPRA had refused to clear the debt, which had continued to accrue since September 2022.

It disclosed this in a communique issued in Abuja by the Chairman of IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum, Yahaya Alhassan, over the non-payment of marketers’ bridging claims.

Fuel scarcity lingers

In their quest to buy the currently scarce Premium Motor Spirit, commercial drivers in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State have started keeping vigil at fuel stations.

The Federal Government on Wednesday said it had begun a 15-day emergency fuel supply to ensure the commodity circulates across the length and breadth of the country to immediately cushion the scarcity.

The government also disclosed that vessels importing Premium Motor Spirit would continue to berth at the shore to discharge petrol to different depots, from where the product would be distributed to different filling stations.

But despite these promises, the product is yet to be available to residents as commercial drivers now keep vigil at filling stations in Abeokuta, Lagos, Oyo and others.

Commercial drivers have raised transport fares as the majority of them now patronise black marketers who sell a litre of petrol at N1,200 per litre or more.

A commercial driver, Adio Adegoke, at Slaab filling station in Abeokuta, told our correspondent that he had slept in his taxi in an attempt to buy fuel.

“I had to park my car here since 7:30 pm yesterday when my tank went empty. I slept at Divine Pax Oil and Gas filling station,” he said.

Also, a mechanic, Lekan Ade, corroborated the claims of the taxi driver stating, “I just bought it there this afternoon for one of my customers, they are still selling it as we speak at the rate of N950 per litre.”

When our correspondent visited the fuel station, aside from being written on their metre, an attendant was also seen warning motorists to go if they could not buy the product at that rate.

Another driver, Adeoluwa Onasanya, told one of our correspondents that many slept at the filling station before they could get the product.

The PUNCH observed that the persistent fuel scarcity seems to be a huge source of income for black marketers, as young boys and girls were sighted by the roadside in Lekki, Ajah and other parts of Lagos advertising fuel in jerry cans.

One of our correspondents observed that along the Egbeda-Idimu-Ikotun axis of Lagos, the black marketers sold five litres of the product for N6,000.

A young man who gave his name as Mr John said, “How many litres do you want? We sell 5 litres here for N6,000. At the fuel station, they sell a litre for N1,200, we have to bribe the fuel station to be able to get the product, I can give you any amount of litre that you want,” he boasted.

The PUNCH observed a long queue of vehicles at the NNPC filling station along the Cele Expressway which was selling at N568/litre, while the AP filling station at Barracks Bustop was selling fuel at N700/litre with a long queue of motorists scrambling to buy fuel.

As the queues refuse to ease off at the filling stations despite the promises from the government, Nigerians are worried that the fuel crisis might degenerate into loss of sources of income.

Well-known prophetess, BrightTheSeer has given a new prophesy about Afrobeat artists Davido and Wizkid amidst their online brawl.

The woman of God who is known for telling the public the revelations she receives from God has asked artists’ fans to anticipate a new project from Davido and Wizkid.

According to her, Wizkid is going through depressing times due to the death of his mother. She emphasized that Wizkid goes haywire anytime he misses his mother.

BrightTheSeer further disclosed that amidst the online brawl between Davido and Wizkid, the two artists will work on a project together within the next 19 months and would shake the entire world.

Benue man surprises many as he shares the photos of the oldest man in his village whom he claims is over 130 years old and has no child.

The Facebook user known as Fabian Terseer took to the platform to share photos of the Baba Asongo, the oldest man in his community of Turan, Jato Aka in the Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.

In his post, Fabian Terseer told the story of the man and his equally elderly wife and noted that the man has no child so far.

His words read …

“BABA ASONGO; The Oldest Man alive in Turan (Jato Aka)
I have written about this man and his wife. For those who’d followed his life stories on my timeline,you will be surprised as I do. That this man is over 130yrs and has no child so far.
I always spend quality time with Baba Asongo. Every after two months,I create time to visit Baba Asongo. And anytime I visit him,he will tell me stories that would educate me about my lineage and the Tiv Race. I have never been confused about our traditions because of this man.
This man was about 58 yrs when KING JATO AKA died. Baba told me how Jato Aka died and all that led to his death. Baba Told me how he was in Taraba but rush back home when the new broke that Jato Aka was sick. Well,these are stories for another day.
Last week ago,Baba Asongo sent for me through SHAGBA TYOKASE. So,Uncle SHAGBA called to relate his message to me. Just few days ago,I went to see Baba and his wife. This time,it was his health issues. Baba told me he is not feeling fine and his wife is equally sick.
I felt very bad to see how weak he was. Age is telling on Baba but I also see that Baba deserves some medical attention. I was able to get some money for their medications. I hope to see Baba Recuperate and back to his strength.
People like this should stay some more time. Especially now that the society is in lack of such people.
Baba Asongo doesn’t have a child in his name. There is actually no specific person looking after Baba and his wife. It was my Dad Chief Ikyumior Terseer Yaga who provided him with a shelter many years ago. If you are in Turan,look for this man and visit him. Keep praying for him,he is a very honest man.
Chief Fabian
(Son of Jato Aka)”

Billionaire businessman, Linus Williams, popularly known as BLord updates his followers on the Catholic Church building project he is currently handling worth over N300 million in his hometown.

He shared a video of himself standing in the uncompleted building on his Instagram page, revealing that the Ebenebe Tansi church’s roofing is currently seventy percent completed as promised.

In order to finish the project, which will cost him more than N300 million, he requested his followers to pray for him.

Furthermore, BLord disclosed that the church has been without a roof for more than 20 years, having been abandoned when he was just 6 years old.

In his words: “Roofing of Ebenebe Tansi Church 70 percent completed As Promised, Plastering and Tiling Next By Gods Grace, This Project Was Contracted to @m.dagash911 Director Of Tonimas, Pray For Blord , I need Gods Strength to finish this project, this is not 100m naira project, We are looking at 300m and above and ill single-handedly do it. Do you know that the church has remained Unroofed For the past 20 years ???? I was just 6 when they stopped working on the church, Grace”

Netizens applauded his efforts and offered him prayers in the comment section as he had requested.

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