News
Labour May Begin Nationwide Strike Monday, If…
Published
1 year agoon
By
Editor
There are strong indications that Organised Labour may begin a nationwide strike from Monday, June 3, over a new minimum wage.
This is as the tripartite committee on a new national minimum wage, NNMW, reconvenes today, following abrupt adjournment due to labour’s walkout of last Tuesday’s meeting, where it accused government negotiators of unseriousness in the negotiation process.
Meanwhile, accusing fingers are pointing to the state governors of ganging up against the Federal Government to stall the ongoing negotiation.
Labour’s negotiating team had on Tuesday, for the second time in two weeks, walked out of the committee meeting after the Federal Government increased its offer marginally to N60,000 from the N57,000 it offered on Wednesday, May 22.
Labour, represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and its Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart, had on May 15, walked out of the tripartite committee meeting after the government offered N48,000 and Organised Private Sector, OPS, offered N54,000, against its N615,000 demand.
However, in a letter reconvening the meeting, Ekpo Nta, member/Secretary of the committee on behalf of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, NSIWC, dated May 29, said: “You are respectfully invited to attend the 7th meeting of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage which is scheduled as follows: Date: Friday, 31, May 2024.”
READ ALSO: Navy Hands Over Smuggled Rice To Customs In Lagos
Venue: Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall, Nicon Luxury Hotel Plot 903, Tafawa Balewa Way Area 11, Garki, Abuja, Time: 10:00 am Prompt
“The minutes of the 6′ meeting and the draft agenda for the 7” meeting wil be circulated in due course.
“Please note that the following ‘Zoom link’ has been provided for any member who indicates inability to be physically present to participate in the meeting.”
Organised labour sources, nonetheless, told Vanguard that a nationwide strike might start on Monday, depending on the outcome of today’s meeting.
According to the sources, organised labour is already mobilizing for a strike from Monday, June 3.
A labour leader, who spoke anonymously, said: “The outcome of tomorrow’s (today) will determine our next line of action. If the meeting comes out fruitful, better for everyone.
“But should government’s team continue with its carefree attitude and disdain for workers’ welfare, nothing will stop us from going on strike from Monday. We are already mobilizing for the strike.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Tinubu Urges Young Girls To Dress Responsibly, Shun Nakedness
“Everyone knows that the one-month ultimatum we gave to the government to conclude negotiations on the new national minimum wage ends tomorrow (today). We have been patient amid the hardship and mass suffering inflicted on us by the government’s anti-poor policies.
“Besides that, the issue of the minimum wage is statutory. The old Minimum Wage Act ceased to exist since April 18. We had more than six months, at least, to work on a new minimum wage.
“But the government has not been serious with issues affecting workers. Well, Nigerians can bear us witness that we have been patient with this government. If the government knows what is good for it, let its negotiators come up with something reasonable to meet workers’ expectations, otherwise, strike will be inevitable from Monday.”
On alleged gang-up by governors, organised labour which appears not to be unaware of the gang-up, is already working on a series of industrial actions, including a total shutdown of nation’s economy to speed up the process.
According to a Presidency source, “the unwillingness of most of the state governors to commit to a reasonable new national minimum wage is putting pressure on the federal government to do the needful.
READ ALSO: Police Drop Charges Against World Number One Golfer, Scheffler
“Even though what labour is demanding is on the high side, the Federal Government is under pressure from the state governors not to give in to labour’s demand. They have been insisting that they do not have the resources to pay a high wage.
“You can see that they have been shunning the ongoing negotiations because they are afraid to come to the open to put forward their arguments. They cannot continue to shy away. We know there are challenges, we have to face it one way or the other. We must come up with a new national minimum wage. It is a law that we have to abide with.”
Reacting, one of the labour leaders in the negotiating team, told Vanguard that Labour was not ignorant of the antics of the state governors, but said the federal government had a fair share in whatever the governors were doing.
READ ALSO: Gas Explosion Rocks Lagos Community
He said: “From the onset, the federal government created this problem by choosing governors that have breached the 2019 Minimum Wage Act as members of the tripartite committee, representing the governors.
“Check, none of the six governors in the committee is labour-friendly. They never fully implemented the N30,000 minimum wage. I remember that the NLC president raised the issue when their names were announced as members representing the governors in the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage.
“As we speak, many of them have refused to pay the wage award to their workers as a temporary measure to cushion the effects of the removal of petrol subsidy. Even some of them that agreed to pay have not paid more than two or three months. In fact, some of them are paying a meagre N10,000 or N15,000.
“They cannot run away from the reality. Whatever economic challenge we face today, they created it. They are all receiving more money from the federation account as a result of the removal of fuel subsidies and the excessive taxation of the people, among other sources of funds, such as IGR. They have no excuse or reason not to pay.
“We have lined up a series of industrial actions, including shutting down the economy, to speed up the process. We are just waiting for the May 31 deadline we gave on May Day to take the next line of action.”
VANGUARD
You may like
FG Partners Traditional Rulers To Curb Proliferation Of Small Arms, Light Weapons In Nigeria
FG Captures Two Ansaru Terrorist Leaders
FG To Disburse Interest-free Loans To Farmers, Small Businesses – GEEP
FEC Approves N142bn For Construction Of Bus Terminals Six Zones
FG Bans Creation Of New Tertiary Institutions For Seven Years
Man Jailed For Cybercrime, Forfeits Cars, Land, $42,000 To FG
News
Peter Obi’s Son, Oseloka, Speaks On Gay Allegations
Published
4 hours agoon
August 23, 2025By
Editor
Oseloka Obi, son of the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, has responded to viral allegations linking him to homosexuality after photographs of him with London-based British-Nigerian Kent Okwesa, circulated online this week.
The pictures, which emerged on Wednesday, showed Oseloka and Okwesa sitting closely at a restaurant in the United Kingdom, sparking a wave of online speculation and gossip.
In a detailed statement, Oseloka dismissed the rumours as malicious falsehoods driven by his father’s involvement in Nigerian politics.
He noted that while he rarely responds to such narratives, the persistence of gossip and unfounded claims made it necessary to address the matter.
READ ALSO:Jonathan, Obi Can’t Match APC’s Strength For 2027 – Mustapha Salihu
“Because of my father’s involvement in Nigerian politics, there has been a persistent curiosity and, at times, malicious obsession with me.
“I have no social media presence and no interest in maintaining one, so I rarely correct these falsehoods. But perhaps it is time I address them,” he wrote.
Oseloka stressed that the photos of him in circulation were being misrepresented, insisting they were ordinary snapshots with friends and colleagues.
“The truth is simple: Peter Obi’s son appears in photos with his friends and colleagues, nothing more. If people wish to invent otherwise, I hope they sleep soundly knowing they are spreading lies,” he added.
READ ALSO:Ex-Chadian PM Masra Jailed For Hate Speech, Xenophobia
He further emphasised that neither he nor his father is perfect, but attested to his father’s integrity and commitment to Nigeria’s future.
“My father has my vote, not because he is my father, but because he is the right man for the job. If others wish to go low, invent scandals, or attack me to wound him, they are free to do so. But we will go high, and we will continue to focus on the future of Nigeria.”
Concluding, Oseloka urged Nigerians to redirect their attention from idle gossip to the pressing socio-economic challenges facing the country.
Read the full statement below:
News
FULL LIST: PenCom Bars Seven Mortgage Banks From Processing Housing Loans
Published
4 hours agoon
August 23, 2025By
Editor
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has barred seven Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs) from processing applications under the pension-backed equity contribution scheme for residential mortgages, citing their non-compliance with housing loan guidelines.
In a letter published on PenCom’s website, addressed to Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) and Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs), the organisation instructed them to immediately stop accepting or processing equity contribution applications submitted through the affected institutions.
The blacklisted mortgage banks are:
READ ALSO:Varsity Bars Edo IDPs From Exams Over Non-payment Of Fees
• Jigawa Savings & Loans Limited
• FHA Mortgage Bank Limited
• Delta Trust Mortgage Bank Limited
• AG Mortgage Bank Limited
• Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank Pic
• First Trust Mortgage Bank Limited
• Mutual Alliance Mortgage Bank Limited
“Following the cited letter, the commission instructs that PFAs, including Closed Pension Fund Administrators and Pension Fund Custodians, immediately stop accepting or processing equity contribution applications submitted by the following Primary Mortgage Banks… Please be guided,” the circular read in part.
READ ALSO:Indian Refiners Abandon Russia For Nigerian Crude, As Dangote Refinery Relies On US
Explaining the decision, PenCom’s spokesman, Ibrahim Buwai, told The PUNCH that the sanction was imposed because the affected institutions failed to generate the mortgages for which funds had been approved.
“The whole purpose of giving access to RSA holders is to enable them to own houses through mortgages,” he said. “It was discovered that some of the primary mortgage institutions were not generating mortgages. If that is the case, it means they are not complying with the regulations. That is the reason for their blacklisting.”
PenCom introduced the equity contribution for residential mortgages in September 2022, allowing Retirement Savings Account (RSA) holders to withdraw up to 25 per cent of their balances to fund equity contributions for home ownership.
According to the commission, 24,582 RSA holders had accessed the scheme as of the first quarter of 2025, with disbursements totalling ₦149.84bn.
RSA holders who submitted applications through the barred mortgage banks are now advised to reapply with other eligible PMBs. Those who have made upfront payments were urged to contact the affected institutions for the next line of action.
News
VIDEO: How ‘Close Friend’ Leaked Cat Secret To Security During My House Invasion — Sunday Igboho
Published
5 hours agoon
August 23, 2025By
Editor
Yoruba Nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has opened up again on the July 1, 2021 midnight invasion of his Ibadan residence by security operatives, including the Department of State Services (DSS).
Speaking during a visit to the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III, at his palace in Ondo State, Igboho alleged that the attack was carried out with the intent to take his life.
“When my house was invaded, they wanted to kill me but failed. Some said my intestines were shattered, others said my leg was broken, but there was nothing of such. They fired guns at me very well, but the prayers of you my fathers on me were answered.”
According to him, the DSS operatives forcefully gained entrance into his residence and pointed a gun at his Personal Assistant so he could lead them to his room.
READ ALSO:
Death of cat after friend’s betrayal
While recalling the invasion, Igboho said one of his trusted friends betrayed him by leaking sensitive information about his cat to the operatives.
He disclosed that the so-called ‘trusted’ friend had told the agents not to let the cat escape, which led to the security operatives killing the animal.
“When I opened the door of my room for them, they saw my cat on the bed. One of my friends that I entrusted with secret had told them not to let the cat go. So they killed the cat and wrapped it with clothes like a corpse. They destroyed everywhere in the house and killed one of my brothers alongside one other person and they left,” he narrated.
Appeal to the Olowo
Speaking at the palace of the Olowo, Igboho said his absence from the country had lasted about five years and that he was eager to return to contribute to tackling insecurity in the South-West.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: Sunday Igboho Returns To Nigeria
“But why I came to meet you Kabiesi is that till when will I be doing that. Nigeria is my motherland. This is about five years since I’ve been chased from here. Tinubu is your son, you can convince him to free me. If not for the wanted tag on me, I would have come to Nigeria to face the insecurity facing the South-West region. I would have entered the bush and faced them,” Igboho pleaded with the monarch.
Monarch’s response
In his response, Oba Ogunoye described Igboho as a beacon of hope for his generation and future ones, urging him not to be discouraged by the challenges he has faced.
The monarch enjoined Igboho and his supporters to remain law-abiding amid ongoing challenges.
He assured him of continued support and called for peace and cooperation across South-West communities, noting that no region can achieve sustainable development without security.
(TRIBUNE)
- Peter Obi’s Son, Oseloka, Speaks On Gay Allegations
- US Suspends Work Visas For Nigerian, Foreign Truck Drivers
- My Husband Fought, Abandoned Me Cos’ I’m Barren, Woman Tells Court
- FULL LIST: PenCom Bars Seven Mortgage Banks From Processing Housing Loans
- Our First Child Beat Me Blue And Black After My Wife Turned Them Against Me —Man
- My Wife Harasses, Slaps Me All The Time —Husband
- My Husband Travelled For 2 Yrs To Work, Returned With Only Plantain, Yam, Woman Tells Court
- US Desperate To Remove You, Cleric Warns Tinubu
- Stop My Father From Forcing Me To Marry Someone I Don’t Love, Woman Begs Court
- How Toke Makinwa’s Pregnancy Unveiling Sparked Social Media Frenzy
Trending
- News4 days ago
Edo Issues New Guideline On Education, Says Siblings’ Textbooks Transferable, Bans Graduation For KGs, Others, [A MUST READ]
- Metro4 days ago
Vigilantes Beat, Strip Female Corps Member In Anambra
- News5 days ago
Ex-US President Al Gore Loses Nigerian In-law
- News4 days ago
Circuits Launchpad Targets 1M Jobs for Youths in the Digital Creative Sector
- Headline3 days ago
UK Bans Sanex Advert For Calling Black Skin ‘Problematic’, White Skin ‘Superior’
- News4 days ago
Chieftaincy Title: Why Ooni Of Ife Won’t React To Alaafin’s 48-hour Threat — Palace Aide
- News3 days ago
Nigerians Call For Mandatory DNA Tests At Birth
- News5 days ago
Lagos Declares Holiday For Isese Festival
- News3 days ago
Yoruba Elders Wade In As Alaafin, Ooni Feud Escalates
- Sports5 days ago
Enabulele Congratulates Bendel Insurance For Pre-Season Tournament Performance