News
Less Than 24 Hours To Strike, Labour Talks Tough, FG Begs

Less than 24 hours after to start of the nationwide strike over a new national minimum wage and hike in electricity tariff, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has directed its state councils across the country to ensure total compliance.
This came to light on a day unions in the oil, electricity, financial and other critical sectors pledged total support for the indefinite strike declared by NLC and its counterpart, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC.
Recall that the two labour centres, last Friday, announced an indefinite nationwide strike from tomorrow (Monday) over the government’s failure to agree on a new national minimum wage and reverse the recent hike in electricity tariff.
NLC and TUC leaders had, on Workers Day, celebrations given the Federal Government a May 31 deadline to conclude the negotiations on a new national minimum wage or risk nationwide industrial unrest.
The tripartite committee on a new National Minimum Wage set up by the government failed to make a decision on a new national minimum wage after about four meetings.
Labour leaders had walked out of the meetings three times after rejecting government and the Organised Private Sector, OPS, offers.
Incidentally, the last walkout on Friday happened on a day the deadline labour gave the government to conclude a new minimum wage lapsed, as the old minimum wage of N30,000 that was signed into law by former President Muhammad Buhari on April 18, 2019, expired on April 18, 2024.
Earlier on May 31, organised labour negotiators had walked out of the meeting for a third time, over the refusal by government to make a new offer beyond the N60,000 it put forward.
It was gathered that the negotiations hit a brick wall when the government and the organised private sector, OPS, remained adamant on the N60,000 offers they made earlier on Tuesday.
Recall that organised labour’s negotiating team had, Tuesday May 28, for the second time in two weeks, walked out of the committee meeting after the Federal Government increased its offer to N60,000 from the N57,000 it offered on May 22.
Labour’s negotiating team 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 the N615,000.
Directive to state councils
NLC, in a circular by its General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, to all its state councils, among others, said “This is to inform you of the commencement of the proposed indefinite nationwide strike beginning on Monday, June 3, 2024, as a result of the failure of the Nigerian state to agree on a new national minimum wage and subsequently pass it into law before the end of this month as they were notified; Reverse the hike in electricity tariff without consulting the stakeholders as required by the law to N225/kwh back to N66/kwh and Stop the apartheid categorisation of Nigerian electricity consumers into Bands.
READ ALSO: FG Rejects N494,000 Wage Demand, Warns of N9.5tn Economic Burden
“We kindly request all State Councils to mobilise all their affiliates and members across the state to stay away from work commencing Midnight, this Sunday to ensure a comprehensive closure of all workplaces.
“Do please, set up joint Action Committees with the Trade Union Congress in your state for effective coordination of the strike action. We would be glad to receive continuous updates of your effort. Do remember that the success of this action is dependent on our collective determination and resolve.”
No agreement, no end
Also speaking on whether organised labour will call off action should government call and offer a higher amount, President of NLC, Joe Ajaero said: “Government can only call for a continuation of the negotiation not by an award. They can’t say come, we are giving you this.
“We have to sit down and negotiate from where we are today. It is like calling us tomorrow to say let us continue with the negotiation. Now we will negotiate from there, but not to call us to say we are giving you N10 or N20, that will be out of the concept of negotiation.
“Calling us does not mean agreement. Until we sign an agreement on what is mutually agreeable by the parties, action will be on. But action is not such that we will not equally negotiate, because the two parties are now going to negotiate under duress. We are under pressure. That is the meaning of this. So the earlier we resolve it, the better for us.”
On mobilisation at the state level, Ajaero said: “When you hear the National Executive Council, NEC, of any labour centre, it comprises all the states and all the unions. That is the situation, and that is where we got this mandate.
“You equally witnessed it on May Day when all workers gathered nationwide, and this pronouncement was made. In fact, it was a public one. it is not like there were two or three people. It was mass based.
“As of today, there is no minimum wage for Nigerian workers. Technically, the minimum wage had expired on the 18th of April. As of now, we are operating without any law backing up the minimum wage. They were talking about a 100 per cent increase.
“That is what they have offered, but the 100 per cent increase amounts to one loaf of bread per day for 30 days .They are not looking at the quality or the value of what they are offering to us.
“Those are the issues that we are looking at and all of us must address it because it is tight. There is nobody that can move on with this arrangement being done with inflation and devaluation. Everything is open.
“If we take even the N600,000 we are proposing today, by next week, it will not make any impact. So, we have to look at them holistically and see what we can do to save the working class in Nigeria. We are not doing a strike that will be one month without a bite.
READ ALSO: Labour May Begin Nationwide Strike Monday, If…
“I’m not sure where you have labour centres in a country embarking on a strike for one month and you don’t listen to them.
“What we will be praying for is for the people who are suffering so much because they are some of our people. That was why we were reluctant. That was why we were virtually telling them to let us find a solution.
“When we were in the meeting today (yesterday) we told them we have to be here and allow you to go and get a mandate.
“We are ready to sleep here to allow you to get a mandate to come back to this meeting. They said no, we should just allow them whenever they get a mandate. That it is difficult to see even the President and that they do not have access and all that. Then they did not come out with anything.
“We found ourselves in a helpless situation. So, that is where we are now. Everybody should be patient with us.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees, NUBIFIE, and other critical sector unions have already written to their members to ensure total compliance.
In a circular to all levels of the union leaders, NUPENG’s General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, said: “We bring you fraternal greetings from the National Secretariat of our great union.
“This is to notify all our members and branches in all oil and gas installations, operations and services including distribution and marketing of petroleum products, that our great union is fully committed to ensuring total compliance with the directive of the Nigerian Labour Congress issued on Friday, May 31, 2024, for an indefinite nationwide strike commencing from Monday, June 3, 2024.
“As a union, we are deeply concerned and disturbed with the insensitive and irresponsive attitude of the federal government to the very critical issue of negotiating a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers in view of the various social economic policies of this administration that have impoverished the working people of this country.
“Leaders of our great union at all levels, from the units, Zones and Branches, should immediately put all processes in place to ensure total compliance with this directive Our solidarity remains constant because the union makes us strong. The struggle continues. And we shall overcome.”
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Strike Looms As NLC, TUC Give May 31 Deadline For Electricity Tariff Hike Reversal
Similarly, NUBIFIE, in a directive by its President and General Secretary, Abakpa Sheikh, said: “This is to inform all NUBIFIE organs that NLC has directed all its affiliates to commence an indefinite strike beginning from Monday, June 3, 2024. The import of the strike is to compel the federal government to agree on a new national minimum wage and subsequently pass it into law before the end of this month as they were notified, reverse the hike in electricity tariff without consulting the stakeholders as required by the law to N225/kwh back to N66/kwh and Stop the apartheid categorization of Nigerian electricity into Bands.
“In total compliance with the directives from the NLC, you are hereby directed to mobilize for effective participation in your respective Zonal Councils/Domestic Committee and ensure total compliance.”
Also, a notice by the President and Acting General of NUEE, Adebiyi Adeyeye and Dominic Igwebike, said “With reference to the circular from NLC dated May 31, 2024, we are to mobilise and embark on an indefinite nationwide strike starting Monday, June 3, 2024, by 0.00hour due to the following failure of the Nigerian government to implement and sign into law the new national minimum wage on or before 31st May 2024, Non-reversal of the electricity tariff which was hiked from N65/kwh to N225/kwh without consulting the stakeholders as required by the law and Apartheid categorization of Nigeria electricity consumers into bands.
“Given the above, all National, State, and Chapter executives are requested to start the mobilization of our members in total compliance with this directive to ensure the Government does the right thing as stated above.
“You are encouraged to work with the leadership of State Executive Councils (SEC) of the Congress in your various states to have a successful action. The withdrawal of services becomes effective Sunday 2nd June by 12.00 midnight.”
In the same vein, the President-General of MWUN, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, in a statement through the union’s head of Media, John Ikemefuna, directed members in the nation’s ports “to comply with the directive of both NLC and TUC to join in the indefinite total lockdown of the country commencing from Monday, June 3, 2024.
“The indefinite nationwide strike has become very imperative, given the failure of the federal government on the logjam and the inconclusive national minimum wage negotiation and refusal to reverse the hard biting hike in electricity tariff.
“Given the foregoing, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria has directed its members in all ports nationwide, jetties, terminals, oil & gas platforms to effectively ensure the total compliance of the strike as directed by the NLC and TUC. This is also to serve as notice to all our concerned stakeholders in the Maritime sector.”
VANGUARD
News
Why We Expanded Presidential Amnesty Scholarship Scheme — Otuaro

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr Dennis Otuaro, has expressed his unwavering commitment to ensuring that more indigent students and communities of the Niger Delta benefit from the PAP scholarship scheme.
He stated this while explaining what informed his decision to expand the scheme and increase formal education opportunities for poor students, and to build a huge manpower base in the region.
A statement issued by Mr Igoniko Oduma, Special Assistant on Media to the PAP boss said Otuaro spoke during an interactive session in London on Saturday with the beneficiaries of the scholarship initiative deployed for undergraduate and post-graduate programmes in universities across the United Kingdom.
The engagement, which was at the instance of the PAP boss, provided an opportunity for the Office and the scholarship students to discuss issues pertaining to their welfare and challenges with a view to addressing them.
READ ALSO:PAP Seeks NCC Partnership On Beneficiaries’ Empowerment
Otuaro said that while in-country scholarship deployment was 3800 in the 2024/2025 academic year, the figure increased to 3900 in the 2025/2026 and foreign scholarships were about 200.
He attributed the increase in deployment to the massive support of President Bola Tinubu and the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Otuaro stressed that he was greatly encouraged by the President and the NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and that he knows how impressed both of them are concerning the PAP initiatives, which align with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He reiterated his call on the students to justify the huge investment in their education by the Federal Government by studying hard to make good grades.
He also urged them to conduct themselves and be responsible ambassadors of Nigeria while in the U.K, stressing that “you will be adding value to your families and communities when you complete your programmes successfully.”
READ ALSO:UK High Commissioner Concludes Anambra Visit, Urges Transparent Election
The PAP helmsman said, “We want the scholarship programme to impact more students and communities in the Niger Delta. That’s why we have expanded it and increased formal education opportunities.
“We want you to take this opportunity very seriously so that the government, too, will be encouraged. I know how much support His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu GCFR, gives to the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“Mr President and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, are very impressed with what we are doing. On your behalf I would like to, once again , thank His Excellency and the NSA for giving you this life-changing opportunity. We are confident that Mr President and the NSA will continue to support us.
“The knowledge you are receiving in your institutions today is to enable you plan yourself and prepare for the future. Whatever knowledge you gain cannot be taken from you.
“So as PAP scholarship students, we expect responsible and good behaviour from you. Government is investing heavily in you and you have the obligation to justify the investment. Be agents of change and avoid acts of mischief while in the U.K.”
News
OPINION: A ‘Crazy’ African Nation, Where Citizens Eat And Drink Football

By Tony Erha
It was in October, a semi-summer-month and twilight of the year that ushers in the chilling and extreme winter. A nonagenarian woman gave me a friendly smile that revealed cheeky dimples. As I bowed respectfully to her ripened age, she offered a leathery hand for a handshake, which I received warmly, returning her infectious smile. For a youth who prays for longevity shouldn’t deprive the elderly of the walking stick. I had helped her, carrying a furred handbag to our seats on a night-long intercity bus, from Istanbul to Ankara, in Turkey, the Balkan nation, where we stopped over, in year 2004.
She spoke Turkish rapidly, whilst I retorted in a passable and incoherent Turkish language that ‘I don’t speak the official language of the only country of the world that is located on two continents; Europe and Asia. “You American?” She asked in English. It was obvious that my jeans, necklace and a fez cap that I upturned, in the manner of the Yankees, might have portrayed me as one. “No. I am a Nigerian”, I said, dragging the words. “You Nee-jay-rian!” she exclaimed, whilst I nodded confidently. Then she was elated; “Okocha Jay-Jay!” She spoke to others in the bus that clapped and hailed. I wondered why a 91 years-old-woman, was so passionate about football and one of its heroes, as if she was a youth.
At her request, an old video of a football match showed the mesmerising display of Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, viewed on a television set affixed to the bus. There were instantaneous excitement and catcalls each time Okocha, the great football ‘talisman’ from Nigeria, did his ball flips and dribble-runs that displaced his opponents, earning him one of the few (if not the greatest) football entertainers in football’s history. It was as if the video tape, recorded in his notable plays in Besiktas, a Turkish club side, was a live match. So great was Okocha’s global fame that the old woman relived again; “Jay Jay Okocha is a dangerous footballer, who’s full of tricks on the field of play. The only trick he didn’t do with the ball from his bag of football artistry was to play on top the swimming pool”. In Mustafa Ataturk’s nation, footballers of Nigeria’s decent had and still make their soccer very eventful.
MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: Oshiomhole In A Fight Between The Elephant And The Pit
Victor Osimhen, the leggy playmaker and striker with a dye-hair like the white mushroom head, who recently renewed his contract with Galatasaray, a Turkish top team, is also a Nigerian, who has received the applause in the peninsula country and across the globe like Jay Jay Okocha. Candidly, Oshimen, the goal mechine, who is a tonic to the Turks and football fans across the world, also does the unimaginative with the round leather, but certainly not with the same fascinating skills of Jay Jay! But the Turkish fans are readily tilted to football fanaticism.

Victor Osimhen
If it’s ‘fanatic-fans’ in Turkish football, it’s certainly ‘supporters hooliganism’ in the United Kingdom (UK), where association soccer (football) was founded in 1863, with similar kicking games played in Greece, China and Rome since 2,000 years. In UK, football is played with fanfares, pool betting and media vuvuzela. English soccer is a gainful entertainment industry raking in huge gate fees from plays, promotions, television and media razzmatazz, which is often imitated in Nigeria, with passions and ‘occult’ following. So worrisome was the ‘social hype and lawlessness’ youths and others attach to English soccer that security operatives have constant migraine fighting soccer addiction and frequent street brawls.
Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Dan Amokachi, Taribo West and other Nigerian stars, that once dominated and currently rule other foreign clubs, opened the floodlight of extremist football following into the country. Once upon a time, the then Prince Charles (now the king of England), was spotted (with young boys) playing the game, inside the Buckingham Palace, all wearing jersey number ’10’ with Jay Jay Okocha’s name inscribed). That the number-one-global-royalty adored soccer by wearing the jersey of a footballer from a third-world African nation, somewhat illustrates that which is often said about soccer being more than a mere sport. ‘Football Tripper’, a British online news porter, describes soccer as “oxygen” to numerous men and women. In Brazil, the South American nation, there is a deity called “Soccer”, as well as it’s a vivacious Reggae, a unique music genre in Jamaica.
MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: ‘Ikhueki’, Benin Market Women Are At War!
Still, it is food and sups in Nigeria. In this Africa’s most populous nation, with plentiful viewing centres and liquor spots, there are live television football tournaments and soccer video games, with consumable food, alcoholics, carbonated drinks and some ‘unlawful substances’ that are at the behest of business owners and ‘intoxicated’ fans.
In what soccer dramatics came to know as ‘the Dammam Miracle’, viewing centres, beer parlours and restaurants were instantly sold out in the country, in 1989, after ‘footbocrazy’ Nigerians, stormed the streets in prolonged wild celebrations. For the Nigerian U-20 football team, at the FIFA World Youth Championship, held in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, came back from a four-goal deficit to level up and defeat the Russian counterpart, making the Nigerian team the first to come back from a semi-final to win a FIFA tournament. Soccer, indeed, is a crazy sport in Nigeria. Once upon a time, a man had shattered the screen of his expensive television, because Austin Jay Jay Okocha, his favourite star, had lost a penalty in a continental match!
It’s said that football, especially when the Nigerian national teams of men and woman play, tends to unite Nigerians than other national blights that turn them apart. Now, the current national fanaticism is for the Victor Osimhen-inspired Super Eagles, to qualify for the 2026 World Cup gala, even though it has to go the extra obstacles of playing more legs, whereas the team had frittered the early opportunities to qualify.
And sensing that most Nigerians care less of the economic woes that plagued them, but for the football fad, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the nation’s President, would cash-in to feed their ago awarding huge cash to high profile football tournaments and wins, like he recently accorded the Super Falcons, the female national team, for achieving a similitude of the Dammam miracle, to bring home a coveted African Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy!
News
Ex-soldiers Fume Over Lifetime Benefits For Sacked Service Chiefs

The sacked Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and two other service chiefs, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, are set to receive generous retirement benefits.
The benefits include bulletproof vehicles, domestic aides, and lifetime medical care.
Their exit follows President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of new service chiefs on Friday.
General Olufemi Oluyede has been named the new Chief of Defence Staff, while Major-General W. Shaibu takes over as Chief of Army Staff.
Air Vice Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke becomes the new Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral I. Abbas the Chief of Naval Staff. The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye, retains his position.
The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, said in a statement on Friday that the removal of the service chiefs was in furtherance of the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture.
According to the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers and Enlisted Personnel in the Nigerian Armed Forces, signed by President Tinubu on December 14, 2024, the service chiefs are entitled to substantial retirement packages upon disengagement.
The document stipulates that each retiring service chief will receive a bulletproof SUV or an equivalent vehicle, to be maintained and replaced every four years by the military.
They are also entitled to a Peugeot 508 or an equivalent backup vehicle.
Beyond the vehicles, the package includes five domestic aides — two service cooks, two stewards, and one civilian gardener — along with an aide-de-camp or security officer, and a personal assistant or special assistant.
They will also retain three service drivers, a service orderly, and a standard guard unit comprising nine soldiers.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: Tinubu Sacks CDS Musa, Names New Army Boss
The benefits extend to free medical treatment both in Nigeria and abroad, as well as the retention of personal firearms to be retrieved upon their demise.
However, while officers of lieutenant-general rank and equivalents are entitled to international and local medical care worth up to $20,000 annually, the benefits for the service chiefs, though not stated in the document, are believed to be considerably higher.
The HTCOS reads, “Retirement benefits for CDS and Service Chiefs: The following benefits shall be applicable: one bulletproof SUV or equivalent vehicle to be maintained by the Service and to be replaced every four years. One Peugeot 508 or equivalent backup vehicle.
‘’Retention of all military uniforms and accoutrement to be worn for appropriate ceremonies; five domestic aides (two service cooks, two stewards, and one civilian gardener); one Aide-de-Camp/security officer; one Special Assistant (Lt/Capt or equivalents) or one Personal Assistant (Warrant Officer or equivalents); standard guard (nine soldiers).
“Three service drivers; one service orderly; escorts (to be provided by appropriate military units/formation as the need arises); retention of personal firearms (on his demise, the personal firearm(s) shall be retrieved by the relevant service); and free medical cover in Nigeria and abroad.”
However, the policy specifies that such entitlements apply only if the retired officers have not accepted any other appointment funded from public resources — except when such an appointment is made by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In such cases, the officers, according to the document, will only receive allowances commensurate with the new role rather than a full salary.
Retired soldiers protest lavish perks
Reacting, some retired soldiers decried what they described as the luxurious benefits and entitlements reserved for service chiefs and senior military officers.
They lamented that junior personnel continued to suffer neglect and unpaid entitlements despite years of service to the nation.
READ ALSO:BREAKING: Tinubu swears In New INEC Chairman, Amupitan
The retired officers expressed frustration over the disparity in welfare and treatment between senior and junior ranks within the military.
One of the leaders of the discharged soldiers demanding their owed entitlements, Sgt. Zaki Williams, expressed frustration over the entitlements reserved for the service chiefs.
Speaking in an emotional tone, Williams, who claimed to be speaking for more than 700 soldiers in his group, said many retired non-commissioned officers had been abandoned despite dedicating their lives to defending the country.
He said, “I don’t really understand how our people in Nigeria do things. The people at the top always do things to favour only themselves. They don’t care about the poor or the junior ones who sacrificed everything.”
The retired sergeant recalled that government officials had made several promises to improve their welfare, but none had been fulfilled.
“Since the day they made those promises to us, we went back home and didn’t hear anything again. Everything just ended there. We’ve been waiting till now, but nothing has happened,” he added.
Williams said the situation had left many of his colleagues demoralised and divided over whether to continue pressing for their entitlements.
“Some of us said we should protest again, but others refused. We told them that day that we were not going for another protest. If the government wants to help us, they should help us. If not, we’re done,” he said.
He also accused senior military officers of frustrating efforts by the defence ministry to address the concerns of retired personnel.
According to Williams, life after service has been extremely difficult for most of them who retired voluntarily or were discharged without compensation.
READ ALSO:Tinubu Approves Tenure Extension For Surveyor-General
“How can someone retire after years of service and still not get their entitlement? Many of us can’t even build a house. The senior officers have houses, cars, and everything good, but the rest of us have nothing,” he said.
He added that the little compensation given to some was not enough to rebuild their lives.
“If they give you N2m today, what can you really start with it in this country? You have children, family, and responsibilities, yet you can’t even afford a plot of land,” he said.
Expressing disappointment, he said most junior officers had lost faith in the system.
“We’ve handed everything over to God,” he said quietly. “We’ve cried and done our best. They promised us, but in the end, it’s still zero. We haven’t seen anything. That’s why many of us are now silent.”
Another retired soldier, Abdul Isiak, lamented that promises made to retired personnel had remained unfulfilled, leaving many struggling to survive.
He said, “All you said they would give to them would be done promptly, and they are more than what we need to sustain our lives. This is very unfair. We have suffered a lot, and they’re yet to give us our entitlements after leaving the service. What is our offence? Is it because we are junior officers?”
The former sergeant said the senior officers continued to enjoy generous retirement packages while lower ranks were denied their due benefits.
“We are preparing for another protest for them to pay us. This is very bad,” he said.
(PUNCH)
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