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NASS To Get New Minimum Wage Bill Soon, Tinubu Assures Nigerians

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President Bola Tinubu has assured the Organised Labour that a an executive bill on the new national minimum wage for workers will soon be sent to the National Assembly for passage.

Tinubu made this known on Wednesday in his second Democracy Day speech on June 12, 2024.

“In this spirit, we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with Organised Labour on a new national minimum wage. We shall soon send an executive bill to the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law for the next five years or less,” the President said.

He said in the face of Labour’s national strike on June 3, 2024, none of the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) were arrested or threatened.

“Instead, the labour leadership was invited to break bread and negotiate toward a good-faith resolution,” he said, adding that “reasoned discussion and principled compromise are hallmarks of democracy”.

‘Reforms Will Fix Hardship’

Tinubu also acknowledged the economic difficulties in the nation and empathised with Nigerians. He promised “necessary repairs required to fix the economy”.

“The reforms we have initiated are intended to create a stronger, better foundation for future growth. There is no doubt the reforms have occasioned hardship. Yet, they are necessary repairs required to fix the economy over the long run so that everyone has access to economic opportunity, fair pay and compensation for his endeavour and labour,” he said.

Long Walk To New Wage

Talks for a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers have been on for a while. The Minimum Wage Act of 2019, which made ₦30,000 the minimum wage, expired in April 2024. The Act should be reviewed every five years to meet up with contemporary economic demands of workers.

President Tinubu in January set up a Tripartite Committee to negotiate a new minimum wage for workers. The committee comprise the Organised Labour, representatives of federal and state governments as well as the Organised Private Sector.

However, the committee members failed to reach an agreement on a new realistic minimum wage for workers, forcing labour to declare an indefinite industrial action on Monday, June 3, 2024. Businesses were paralysed as labour shut down airports, hospitals, national grid, banks, National Assembly and state assemblies’ complexes.

The labour unions said the current minimum wage of ₦30,000 can no longer cater to the wellbeing of an average Nigerian worker, saying government should offer workers something economically realistic in tandem with current inflationary pressures, attendant effects of the twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of the forex windows of the current administration.

Labour “relaxed” its strike on June 4, 2024 following assurances from the President that he was committed to a wage above ₦60,000.

Both TUC and NLC leadership subsequently resumed talks with the representatives of the Federal Government, states, and the Organised Private Sector.

On Friday, June 7, 2024, the two sides (labour and the government) still failed to reach an agreement. While labour dropped again its demand from ₦494,000 to ₦250,000, the government added ₦2,000 to its initial ₦60,000 and offered workers ₦62,000.

Both sides submitted their reports to the President who is expected to make a decision and send an executive bill to the National Assembly to pass a new minimum wage bill to be signed into law by the President.

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Eko Electricity blames Lekki-Ajah power outages on feeders disruption

The following feeders are currently out of supply: Ibeju, Ajah Local 1, Medallion Data, Urban Prime, Main One, Maroko, Chevron, Oke-Ira, Ikate Express, Ilasan, NTDA 1, Eleko,” the company said.

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Eko Electricity Distribution Plc (EKEDP) has announced a power outage across parts of Lagos, including Lekki, Ajah and Ibeju-Lekki, following a loss of supply affecting 12 feeders.

The affected feeders are Ibeju, Ajah Local 1, Medallion Data, Urban Prime, Main One, Maroko, Chevron, Oke-Ira, Ikate Express, Ilasan, NTDA 1 and Eleko.

In a notice to customers, EKEDP said the VGC, Oke-Ira and Agungi injection substations were also affected by the disruption.

The distribution company attributed the outage to a fault affecting electricity supply within the Lekki, Ajah and Ibeju-Lekki axis.

The following feeders are currently out of supply: Ibeju, Ajah Local 1, Medallion Data, Urban Prime, Main One, Maroko, Chevron, Oke-Ira, Ikate Express, Ilasan, NTDA 1, Eleko,” the company said.

EKEDP said it was working with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to restore the affected transformer and reconnect all the impacted feeders.

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IGP Disu Launches Nigeria Police Force Vigilant App, for Tracking Crimes

” The police cannot be everywhere at the same time, but through technology and partnership with the citizens, we can significantly expand our capability to prevent and respond to crimes,” he noted.

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The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has launched the Nigeria Police Force Vigilant App as part of efforts to strengthen public engagement, internal communication and the fight against increasingly sophisticated crimes.

Disu also unveiled MTN Closed User Group (CUG) Network for strengthening communication among police commands, formations, divisions and specialised units nationwide.

Speaking during the launch ceremony in Abuja, IGP Disu said that the changing nature of crime and the speed at which information travels have made it necessary for the police to embrace technology.

The policing environment is changing rapidly. Crime is becoming more sophisticated. Information moves faster, and citizens increasingly expect public institutions to be accessible and respond to technology,”said Disu.

He explained that the Vigilant App was designed to improve communication between the police and members of the public by enhancing information sharing and citizen engagement.

The IGP urged Nigerians to use the platform responsibly to report suspicious activities, provide useful information and seek assistance when necessary .

Disu also charged officers managing the platform to operate with professionalism and integrity, stressing that information received through the system must be handled responsibly, investigated diligently and protected appropriately.

The police cannot be everywhere at the same time, but through technology and partnership with the citizens, we can significantly expand our capability to prevent and respond to crimes,” he noted.

Disu observed that effective communication often determines the success of operations, emergency responses and investigations.

“In policing, information delayed can be information lost,” the IGP declared.

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Edo Influential Politician, Daniel Orbih, dies at 64 •Obaseki mourns

Obaseki said Orbih’s contributions to Nigerian politics and the PDP remained significant, particularly during his years of service in Edo.

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•Chief Daniel Osi Orbih

Chief Daniel Osi Orbih, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is dead, aged 64.

Orbih, known by his traditional title, the Kulukulu 1 of Ogoni Land and Oduma of Uzairue, reportedly died on Monday, 31st August 2026.

His death was confirmed in a statement issued by his family and signed by Francis Udukhomoi Orbih, Esq., on behalf of the Orbih family.

Orbih was born on the 27th of October, 1961, to Chief and Mrs M.C.K. Orbih of Ogbona in Etsako Central Local Government.

He ventured into politics in 1999, and was the deputy governorship candidate of the All Peoples Party (APP) in Edo State, describing Orbih as a prominent figure and influential voice in Edo politics.

Condolences

Former governor of Edo, Godwin Obaseki, lamented that Orbih ‘s death represents a significant loss to Edo.

Obaseki said Orbih’s contributions to Nigerian politics and the PDP remained significant, particularly during his years of service in Edo.

“For many years, he provided leadership to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State as its State Chairman and subsequently served as the PDP National Vice Chairman, South-South.

“Through these roles, he contributed significantly to the development of the party in the Edo State and Nigeria, ” he said.

He emphasised that the former PDP chairman’s death represented a significant loss to Edo State and Nigeria, while commiserating with his family, friends and political associates.

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