Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Festus Osifo said labour and the Federal Government were in talks before the bill on a new national minimum wage was forwarded to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu. Osifo confirmed that labour has had meetings with the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and other government officials to ensure that the new minimum wage would “cater to the needs of the poorest of the poor.” He spoke at the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) Women Commission maiden Annual…

The Senate has said that the N22.4bn allocated to the Securities and Exchange Commission in the 2024 budget was inadequate given the importance of the commission to the nation’s prosperity. It also called for improved budgetary provision for the Commission. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Capital Market, Osita Izunaso made this known on Tuesday when the Director-General of SEC, Dr Emomotimi Agama, appeared before the committee to defend the commission’s 2024 budget. He expressed sadness that the budget was too small to enable the commission to carry out its statutory functions. Senator Izunaso said, “The SEC is regulating…

The House of Representatives’ Joint Committee on the arbitrary increase in the price of cement, on Tuesday, threatened to arrest the management of Dangote Cement if it fails to appear at its next hearing. Recall that the legislative chamber had on May 7, 2024, issued a 14-day ultimatum to cement manufacturers to appear before its joint committee and make their submissions on the arbitrary increment of cement prices in Nigeria. The Chairman, House Committee on Solid Minerals, Jonathan Gbefwi, gave the summon at a public hearing to investigate the arbitrary increase in the price of cement in Nigeria by cement…

Gov. Ademola Adeleke of Osun has urged the management of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to avoid debt traps for students in the operation of the scheme. Adeleke said this when the NELFUND management, led by its Managing Director, Mr Akintunde Sawyer, paid a courtesy visit to his office, on Tuesday, in Osogbo. The governor said that the management of the loans board should take a cue from other countries operating it to avoid a pitfall. “I must, however, call our attention to a lesson we must learn as a nation from the operation of the loans board. “As…

The House Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters has asked the FCT minister of state and the Six area councils Chairmen to appear before the Committee on Tuesday 16th July. The Committee also threatened to withhold appropriation to the Ministry and the six area councils. The resolution followed the refusal of the Chairmen of Area Councils to appear before the House Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters. Members of the committee were furious about the absence and called on the government to withhold state allocations by running a Transition Implementation Committee (TIC). The House also urged…

The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu has said that the Kudenda Power Project in Kaduna would be completed before the first quarter of next year, and an additional 215 megawatts of power would be added to the national grid. He said the Kaduna power plant project at Kudenda was awarded in 2010- that is 13 years ago, but the project was stalled due to legal issues. The Minister spoke to journalists in Kaduna on Tuesday at the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KedCo) after an inspection tour of the Kudenda project. Adelabu who assured of the government’s determination to finally…

Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Lagos Federal High Court, Ikoyi has ordered the final forfeiture of $16.5 million and N127 million which were fraudulently diverted from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to the federal government of Nigeria. Justice Ogundare finally forfeited the monies, while granting an application for such orders, which was filed and moved by an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) lawyer, Sulaiman I. Sulaiman, today. The monies, according to the EFCC, were said to be proceeds of unlawful activities. The judge had on May 23, 2024, ordered the interim forfeiture of the monies, while…

A bill that seeks to eliminate violence in private and public life, prohibit all forms of violence against persons and provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment of offenders; and for related matters, 2024 (SB. 368) has scaled second reading. A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015, and Enact the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Bill, 2024 to eliminate violence in private and public life, prohibit all forms of violence against persons and to provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment of offenders; and for related matters, 2024…

A hyena in Plateau State which escaped at the Jos Wildlife Park has been found alive and returned to its cage. In a statement issued on Tuesday by the management of the Plateau State Tourism Cooperation led by Chuwang Pwajok, the hyena was discovered after a relentless search and immediately tranquillized and captured. The statement read in part, “The Management of Plateau State Tourism Corporation would like to inform the general public that after relentless search and rescue efforts, the missing hyena has finally been found, tranquilised, captured and safely returned to its enclosure. “We deeply appreciate the general public…

Super Eagles striker, Kayode Olarenwaju, has urged a Federal Capital Territory High Court to dissolve his marriage to his estranged wife, Ezinne, because it has broken down irretrievably. The Turkey-based footballer who is also seeking custody of their children, urged the court to order a UK-based pastor, Tobi Adegboyega, to pay him N1bn in damages for the emotional trauma, financial loss, and loss of goodwill caused by his “adulterous affair” with Ezinne. Olarenwaju and Ezinne have been engaged in a marital battle following allegations of infidelity, among other issues. The matter took another twist when Ezinne instituted legal action against…