Tinubu proposes two or three years interval to adjust minimum wages for Nigerian workers.

 

President Bola Tinubu recently proposed the idea of adjusting wages at shorter intervals of two or three years, instead of every five years.

 

He said this while expressing his concern for the welfare of Nigerian workers, whilst calling for realistic expectations regarding the minimum wage.

 

This was shared at a meeting with Members of organized labour on the new minimum wage at the State House, which had in attendance, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, some ministers, heads of agencies, and aides to the president.

 

The meeting followed the president’s decision to engage more with stakeholders before making a definite decision on the matter.

 

According to President Tinubu,

 

” I

pay attention to everything around me. A happy worker is a productive worker, and society depends on the productivity of the happy worker. You have to cut your clothes according to the available clothes. 

“Before we can finalize the minimum wage process, we have to look at the structure. Why must we adjust wages every 5 years? Why not two? Why not three years? What is a problem today can be eased up tomorrow. We can take a surgical approach that is based on pragmatism and a deep understanding of all factors”. 

 

What they said 

The various stakeholders engaged in the discussion addressing the minimum wage affecting Nigeria’s economic challenges had this to say:

The President of the Trade Union Congress, Festus Osifo, said,

 

“As has been said in the meeting, we try to put issues on the table, issues that are biting Nigerians, the economic difficulties, and how the value of the Naira has also eroded.

 

“How this has affected the prices of commodities and goods in the market”.

 

The Nigeria Labour Congress Leader, Joe Ajaero, explained that in real terms, it was not a negotiation but a discussion which had reached an agreement. He noted that the status quo in terms of the amounts, N250,000 and N62,000, would remain until the conversation was finished.

The Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha emphasized the positive outcome of the meeting saying, “When father and children talk, you know what it is. That’s just exactly what has happened, and it took us almost like an hour. I believe that it’s all for good”.

 

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris in a similar vein, indicated that the president was keeping to his promise to consult.

 

He emphasized, “He doesn’t just want to take any decision. It’s a decision that affects all of us, so he is consulting with the sub-nationals. Consultation with the organized private sector is ongoing. You have also seen that this consultation with organized labour has also happened today. They’ve asked for a week. Like I said earlier, we’re going to meet with them again. Hopefully, we’ll have something that all of us will agree on.

 

Albeit, Nigerians will be looking forward to next week when these engagements will be concluded, and a decision taken.

 

 

 

Rwanda Govt Says It Won’t Refund £270million Paid By UK In Asylum Programme Despite Cancellation

 

Dr. Doris Uwicyeza Picard, a representative from the Rwandan Ministry of Justice, affirmed that Rwanda had fulfilled its obligations under the agreement, which aimed to assist the UK in addressing its own asylum seeker issues.

Rwanda has stated that it will not refund the £270million paid by Britain for the controversial asylum seeker programme, despite the new UK government cancelling the initiative.

 

Dr. Doris Uwicyeza Picard, a representative from the Rwandan Ministry of Justice, affirmed that Rwanda had fulfilled its obligations under the agreement, which aimed to assist the UK in addressing its own asylum seeker issues.

 

 

Dr. Doris Uwicyeza Picard, a representative from the Rwandan Ministry of Justice, affirmed that Rwanda had fulfilled its obligations under the agreement, which aimed to assist the UK in addressing its own asylum seeker issues.

 

 

 

Kigali considers the matter a “UK problem” and expects no reimbursement.

 

She told the BBC World Service: “We are under no obligation to provide any refund. We will remain in constant discussions. However, it is understood that there is no obligation on either side to request or receive a refund.”

Although British ministers have not officially notified Rwanda of their intention to terminate the five-year agreement, Dr. Uwicyeza Picard acknowledged that Rwanda is aware of Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to cancel the deal, which was announced shortly after his election victory.

 

 

According to the agreement’s break clause, the UK can withdraw from two scheduled payments of £50 million in 2025 and 2026 without incurring penalties.

 

According to the agreement’s break clause, the UK can withdraw from two scheduled payments of £50 million in 2025 and 2026 without incurring penalties.

 

However, it is likely that the UK government will still be responsible for funding the asylum seekers already sent to Rwanda, numbering four individuals. Formal notification is pending, requiring a three-month notice period.

 

Dr Uwicyeza Picard said: “We were informed of the UK’s decision. We take note of the UK’s decision to terminate the agreement.

 

“We just want to reiterate that this was a partnership initiated by the UK to solve a UK problem and Rwanda stepped up as we have always stepped up in the past to provide safety, refuge and opportunities to migrants.”

 

 

 

She added: “Rwanda has maintained its side of the agreement and we have ramped up capacity to accommodate thousands of migrants and asylum seekers. We have upheld our end of the deal.

 

We have put in a lot of effort and resources to accommodate those migrants. We understand that changes in government happen and incoming governments have different priorities and different policies. However, this was a state to state agreement and we believe this good faith will remain.”

 

 

 

‘Misconception of Rwanda deal’

 

Dr Uwicyeza Picard expressed concern at the criticism that Rwanda had faced as a result of entering into the deal with the UK. “It was because of this misconception that it was a Rwanda deal. Rwanda is not a deal, it is a country full of people whose policies are informed by the country’s recent history.”

 

She implicitly attacked the UNHCR, a major critic of the Rwanda scheme as being “unsafe” for migrants but which uses Rwanda to accommodate asylum seekers. “We work with organisations to take people from countries like Libya and provide them with opportunities in Rwanda,” she said.

 

 

 

“It beggars belief as to why Rwanda would be safe with these migrants rather than those migrants just because of the country they are coming from.”

 

The ending of the agreement will be complicated by a group of Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers who were transferred to Rwanda from the British territory of Diego Garcia in the Indian ocean.

NBA reacts to alleged $150 billion LGBT clauses in Samoa Agreement.

The NBA president said the association had the opportunity to review the Samoa Agreement on behalf of the Nigerian government before it was signed.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has reacted to the newly signed $150 billion Samoa Agreement, which gained public attention after a media report associated it with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) rights.

 

NBA president, Yakubu Maikyau, described the agreement as a framework of ideas. He said the NBA had the privilege of reviewing the agreement before the Nigerian government signed it.

 

Mr Maikyau said there is no provision in the Samoa Agreement requiring Nigeria to accept or recognise LGBT rights. Nigeria has a law that criminalises same-sex relationships.

 

The NBA president said the agreement respects the local laws and sovereignty of the contracting nations. For instance, it acknowledges Nigeria’s Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2023, and the supremacy of the Nigerian constitution.

 

He said the NBA would have Nigeria against signing the agreement if its provisions conflicted with local laws.

 

“If the claims made in some newspaper publications were accurate, the NBA would have advised the federal government against entering any partnership or agreement that could undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty. The Samoa Agreement does not compromise existing legislation or undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty,” Mr Maikyau wrote.

 

Samoa agreement

The Samoa Agreement, named after the South Pacific country where it was signed, is a legal framework between European Union (EU) member states and more than half of the 79 members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS).

 

Mr Maikyau, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the agreement serves as a foundation for future specific agreements between the EU, the federal government, sub-national entities, and the private sector.

 

He said the agreement covers six main areas – democracy and human rights, sustainable economic growth and development, climate change, human and social development, peace and security, and migration and mobility.

 

On Thursday, Daily Trust reported concerns over clauses that mandate LGBT rights in the $150 billion Samoa Agreement signed by the Nigerian government on 28 June.

 

The newspaper’s report, premised on an opinion article by Sonnie Ekwowusi, a Lagos-based lawyer, was amplified by other news platforms such as BusinessDay, Vanguard and TheCable.

 

The reports attracted a backlash against the federal government as critics criticised the government for downgrading the country’s moral values in exchange for Western loans.

 

However, the Nigerian government denied the claim in a statement issued by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.

 

NBA input

NBA president spoke about how his association reviewed the agreement on behalf of the Nigerian government before it was signed.

 

“Prior to the signing of the Samoa Agreement, the Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning requested the NBA, as a significant stakeholder, to scrutinise the agreement. Consequently, I formed a committee chaired by Mr Olawale Fapohunda, SAN, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Ekiti State and Chairman of the NBA Law Reform Committee, to vet, evaluate, and advise on the agreement,” Mr Maikyau stated.

 

He condemned the negative narratives about the agreement and called for more public enlightenment.

 

The Federal Government on Tuesday performed the ground-breaking of the construction of 250 housing units, tagged: Renewed Hope Estate, in Ibadan.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the estate was situated at the defunct Inland Container Dry Port, Erunmu, Ibadan.

Speaking at the occasion, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Armed Dangiwa, warned contractors handling the projects against shoddy and substandard job.

Dangiwa also urged the contractors to do the construction of the houses according to specifications, saying the government would explore all necessary legal means to ensure that they delivered by the terms of the contract.

 

He equally called on them to adhere to the three-month completion timeline so that the process of arranging for the purchase of the houses by residents of the state could begin.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the estate comprises 50 one-bedroom semi-detached

bungalows, 150 two-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, and 50 three-bedroom semi-detached bungalows.

The minister stated that the housing units were designed in a way that would make them affordable for people to acquire by using organic designs to allow for future expansion as the income of beneficiaries increased.

“This means that a one-bedroom unit can be expanded to two bedrooms and a two-bedroom unit can also be expanded to three bedrooms as the owner’s financial situation improves or their family grows,” he said.

 

On the affordability of the housing units when completed, the minister said that the government had created different options to enable everyone with a source of income and livelihood to own the homes.

 

“These include single-digit mortgage loans that beneficiaries can repay over 30 years, rent-to-own schemes provided by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and outright purchase options for those who can afford to pay upfront,” he said.

 

Emefiele’s Wife Ordered Funds Transfer From Nigerian Central Bank To Family-Linked Companies, Witness Reveals

Emefiele is currently on trial for alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of funds totalling $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion during his tenure as CBN governor

 

Mrs. Ifeoma Ogbonnaya, Business Relationship Manager at Zenith Bank plc, testified in the Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos, on Tuesday, revealing how Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), utilised his companies to secure various contracts from the apex bank.

 

Emefiele is currently on trial for alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of funds totalling $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion during his tenure as CBN governor.

 

Emefiele is facing a 26-count charge alongside his co-defendant, Henry Isioma Omoile, in a trial presided over by Justice Rahman Oshodi.

 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought the charges against them.

 

Ifeoma Ogbonnaya, the fifth prosecution witness, testified in court that she had no direct dealings with Emefiele but received instructions from his wife, Margaret Emefiele, to transfer funds from the CBN into their private companies’ Zenith Bank account, revealing a potential conflict of interest and abuse of power.

 

Ifeoma Ogbonnaya, the witness, testified that she received instructions not only from Mrs. Margaret Emefiele but also from two other individuals, John Ogah and the late Opeyemi Oludimu, who was an aide to Emefiele.

 

Under questioning by EFCC prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), Ogbonnaya revealed that she received these instructions through various channels, including her official email, phone calls, and WhatsApp messages, detailing how she carried out transactions based on these instructions.

 

Ogbonnaya testified before Justice Oshodi that the companies that received funds from the CBN were Limelight Multidimensional Ltd, Come Support Services Ltd, Ambswin Resources Ltd, and Magofarm. She revealed that Emmanuel initially opened the accounts for Emefiele’s companies, but new signatories took over in 2021, specifically Stephen and Patrici¤a.

BREAKING: Tinubu Government Removes Tariffs On Rice Importation, Set To Import 500,000 Metric Tonnes Of Maize, Wheat To Tackle Food Inflation

 

The commodities the government is prioritising to benefit from this include: Maize, Husked Brown Rice, Wheat and Cowpeas.

The President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government has announced measures to tackle the skyrocketing food prices nationwide.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said the measures would be implemented over the next 180 days.

 

A 150-Day Duty-Free Import Window for food commodities which includes; suspension of duties, tariffs and taxes for the importation of certain food commodities through land and sea borders.”

 

The commodities the government is prioritising to benefit from this include: Maize, Husked Brown Rice, Wheat and Cowpeas.

 

The statement from the minister further noted that “Under this arrangement, imported food commodities will be subjected to a Recommended Retail Price (RRP).”

 

The government further promised to ensure importation of only quality produce.

 

“In addition to the importation by private sector, Federal Government will import 250,000MT of Wheat and 250,000MT of Maize.”

 

“The imported food commodities in their semi processed state will target supplies to the small-scale processors and millers across the country.”

 

According to the government, “it would engage relevant stakeholders to set a Guaranteed Minimum Price (GMP) and mop up surplus assorted food commodities to restock the National Strategic Food Reserve.”

 

The Tinubu-led administration also noted that it plans to scale up support for Homs Green Initiative by the office of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

 

 

“The success of the measures aforementioned is contingent on cooperation and collaboration of all relevant MDAs and stakeholders.” the government noted in its press statement .

 

Nigerians have continued to suffer from issues of rise in prices of food, with food inflation reaching highest in many years.