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Subsidy Removal: Organised Labour Angrily Storms Out Of Villa Meeting With FG

Published

3 years ago

July 28, 2023

The organised labour on Friday stormed out of the meeting of the Presidential Steering Committee on subsidy palliatives that was scheduled to take place at the presidential villa, Abuja.

The President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, had led his delegation to the Chief of Staff’s office, venue of the meeting at about 5pm but were soon on their way out of the villa.

Recall that the Steering Committee meeting had met with the government delegation on Wednesday where the two parties agreed to reconvene on Friday to get brief from the three subcommittees set up to look into various demands.

The Steering Committee was set up by the government to come up with palliatives that would cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal on the workers.

But the meeting could not proceed because according to some members of the Steering Committee, there was no quorum.

The labour union accused the federal government of using the meetings as a pretext to deceive Nigerians.

A source at the meeting confirmed that three subcommittees, the Mass Transit, the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Cash transfer subcommittees, were supposed to be present to brief the Steering Committee on the measures put in place to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on the workers.

But labour claimed that government officials,who are members the subcommittees were nowhere to be found.

A visibly infuriated member of the Steering Committee from labour who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, “They are not prepared for the meeting. That’s the truth,” maintaining that the government representatives had insisted that the meeting should proceed even though no quorum was formed.”

He further said, “They are using cover to deceive Nigerians. There are supposed to be three subcommittees, mass transit subcommittee, the CNG, and the cash transfer, to brief us, the steering committee but government was not prepared for the meeting.

“In their introductory remarks they made excuses and they wanted the meeting to continue, the meeting did not form a quorum. We are a people that operate on the basis of process. So, if there’s no quorum in a meeting what do you do? You will adjourn for lack of quorum.

“There was nobody to meet with. The Chief of Staff was not there, they are taking us like small children.”

However, it was gathered that the Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila had earlier waited for the labour delegation with other members of the team at his Conference Hall.

He latter stepped out to attend to other official matters within the Villa while other members of the government team were waiting for the organised labour to arrive.

It was gathered that the organised labour delegation from the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, was delayed at the State House entrance gate otherwise known as Mopol gate for clearance.

Information has it that the names of the labour delegation were not sent to the gate for clearance which led to their delay for the meeting.

In fact, one of the leaders of the labour delegation had told journalists, “We were detained at the gate.”

The botched meeting would have been the fourth on the series of meetings they have held since the implementation of the petroleum subsidy removal.

It was ta continuation of the previous meetings over the initial increase of the pump price of petroleum to N520 per litre.

The organized labour has already scheduled a nationwide protest for August 2 to press home their demands over the petroleum subsidy removal.

The last meeting of the steering committee held last Wednesday but government representatives were
unable to convince the labour leaders to shelve their plan for the action.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero had insisted: “We are going ahead with the protest because we have to be emphatic on what we put in our communique, to say we’re commencing protests from the 2nd.”

On his part, the TUC President, Festus Osifo, said that both sides listened to the presentations from the Steering Committee secretariat and Labour made its input into it.

“Some of the things they presented we did not agree with them. So, the areas we did not agree, we also made our impute known because when you come to such meeting it is for government or its representatives to do a presentation.

“But it’s left for us to either agree or disagree. So, during the meeting, we gave them sufficient feedback. And they also agreed to go and look at those feedbacks and get back to us on Friday,” Osifo stated.

However, the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Ms. Olu Verheijen, who spoke on the government side progress had been made in the discussion.

She explained: “We’ve agreed to continue to make progress. It was a very productive meeting. The focus was really around how we fasttrack a lot of the interventions that will bring relief, particularly around CNG, mass transportation, cleaner energy, transportation, and reduce the impact of the cost of transportation, the increased cost of transportation.

“So we’ve made good progress. And we’re going to continue to do so and so that we can start rolling out these opportunities and this relief and measures as quickly as possible.”

On why government is dragging its feet in rolling out palliatives, she said: “We have to get it right. It’s important that we do this well, and we keep our promises. So, it’s important that whatever is announced actually gets done. Because we don’t want to make big announcements that will continue to lose people’s trust.

“It’s important that we build trust, and that most of the announcements and the plans that we roll out are credible and impactful.”

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is working assiduously to address all of these issues. And as quickly as he can. He’s very empathetic, he is concerned about it, as you’ve seen all of us working round the clock here to make sure that we are able to announce these measures as quickly as possible. It’s a whole package of issues that we’re rolling out as quickly as possible,” the presidential aide had assured.

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Strait Of Hormuz: Pakistan Thanks Trump For Pausing ‘Project Freedom’

Published

2 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Editor

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed gratitude to United States President Donald Trump for temporarily pausing ‘Project Freedom’, an initiative to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement posted on X, Sharif thanked Trump for pausing the “Project Freedom” mission, praising him for his courageous leadership and timely announcement.

According to him, Trump’s decision was made in response to requests from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other brotherly countries.

He added that the pause would go a long way towards advancing regional peace, stability and reconciliation during the sensitive period.

“Pakistan remains firmly committed to supporting all efforts that promote restraint and a peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy.

“We are very hopeful that the current momentum will lead to a lasting agreement that secures durable peace and stability for the region and beyond,” Sharif said.

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FG Summons S. African Envoy Over Rising Xenophobic Attacks On Nigerians

Published

3 days ago

May 3, 2026

Editor

The Federal Government has summoned the Acting High Commissioner of South Africa in Abuja over renewed concerns about xenophobic attacks and protests targeting foreign nationals, including Nigerians, living in that country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the envoy is expected at its headquarters on Monday, May 4, 2026, for a high-level engagement aimed at addressing the growing tension and safeguarding bilateral relations between both countries.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Ministry, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said Nigeria would formally express its “profound concern” over recent developments in South Africa, particularly reports of harassment, violence, and destruction of property belonging to foreign nationals.

According to the ministry, the meeting will focus on ongoing demonstrations by various groups in South Africa and documented cases of attacks on Nigerians and their businesses in parts of the country.

“The objective of this engagement is to formally convey the Nigerian Government’s profound concern regarding recent events that have the potential to impact the established cordial relations between Nigeria and South Africa,” the statement read.

It added that discussions would also address ongoing demonstrations by various groups within South Africa and documented instances of mistreatment of Nigerian citizens and attacks on their businesses.

The ministry acknowledged growing anger among Nigerians over reports of xenophobic violence but urged restraint, stressing that diplomatic engagement remained the preferred channel for resolution.

It assured Nigerians that the Federal Government was actively engaging South African authorities to ensure the protection of its citizens abroad.

“The Ministry is aware of the growing discontent among Nigerians concerning the treatment of their nationals in South Africa. Nevertheless, it implores the Nigerian public to remain calm and reiterates the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting the rights and well-being of Nigerian citizens residing in South Africa,” the statement added.

The latest diplomatic move comes amid renewed reports of xenophobic tensions in parts of South Africa, where foreign-owned businesses have occasionally been targeted during protests linked to unemployment and economic hardship.

South Africa has a history of xenophobic violence dating back to 2008, with subsequent flare-ups in 2015 and 2019, when mobs attacked migrants, looted shops, and displaced thousands of foreign nationals across several provinces.

In past incidents, Nigerians and other African nationals were among those affected, prompting strong diplomatic reactions from Abuja and calls for stronger protection of foreign communities.

While South African authorities have repeatedly condemned such attacks and deployed security forces to restore order during outbreaks of violence, concerns have persisted over recurring hostility in some communities.

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Mississippi Man ‘Kills Mother, Flushes Her Remains Down Toilet’

Published

4 days ago

May 2, 2026

Editor

A 29-year-old Mississippi man, Zachary Lavel Jackson Jr., has been charged with multiple offences, including first-degree murder, over the death of his mother, Lana Brown Bradley, after deputies responded to her Natchez home on April 4 following a missing person report from relatives.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to Bradley’s residence after her oldest son was unable to reach her the previous day.

Jackson was initially identified as a family member before investigators confirmed he was her son.

Sheriff Travis Patten described the case as deeply disturbing.“This is by far the most heinous crime that I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life. We weren’t out there that day; this was one of those things when we walked up.

“This was one of those cases that you will never, ever forget in your life. This is the type of case that follows you home,” Patten told WJTV.

According to the sheriff, deputies noticed signs of a recent cleanup when they arrived at the home.

“As soon as they walked in the house, they could just see where somebody had been cleaning up, and they could smell chemicals all throughout the house.

“Floor was extremely slippery. And the older son said that this is just unusual for the youngest son to be cleaning up the house like that,” Patten explained.

Jackson, the youngest son, was found in a bathroom, where deputies allegedly made a discovery that became central to the investigation.

“I can say what was in the toilet, and it was her flesh. He chopped her up in pieces and dismembered her in a way that whoever came looking for her would have to do their due diligence to find her, and that’s just what we did,” the sheriff said.

Authorities said Jackson allegedly placed parts of his mother’s body in a suitcase and attempted to dispose of other remains.

Jackson faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, mayhem and tampering with evidence.

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