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Ghana opposition to ECOWAS: What’s democracy with Tinubu as your leader?

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From Ghana, one of Nigeria’s neighbours, came a very instructive question over the moral grounds on which leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would stand to order a military intervention to restore democracy in Niger Republic, with the legitimate crises trailing President Bola Tinubu, its leader.

The declaration of the former Governor of Lagos State, who contested the February 25 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is currently facing an intense challenge from Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi, of the Labour Party (LP), at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).

Questioning the haste with which the Authority of the ECOWAS Heads of Government, elevated him to lead them, Kwesi Pratt jnr, General Secretary of the Socialist Movement of Ghana, one of its main opposition parties, said the move alone underscored the hypocrisy of the leaders, who themselves, had failed to demonstrate any iota of democratic credentials.

Hear him: “One of the things which they have done that is completely crazy, was Tinubu, who had won a disputed election. The matter is in court and has not finished, West African leaders met and made him their chairman. And they say they’re committed to democracy? These crazy leaders we have in West Africa. They’re not even patient enough to wait for the outcome of the petition before the court, but went ahead to make him their chairman and then, they turn round and tell us that they love democracy. What kind of democracy do they love?”

Further lampooning them over their decision after a meeting in Abuja last Sunday, to make military intervention one of the options in their list of actions to force the military junta now in place in the country to return power to the ousted President, Mohamed Bazoum, he described their hasty action as coming from threats that they might be the next, due to their poor leadership that had impoverished their people.

His words: “These leaders who are threatening to stage military intervention are responsible for what is happening. They’re talking about going to restore democracy in Niger, was there democracy before in Niger? Was there anything that looked like democracy in Niger before the coup? These are frightened leaders – leaders who have failed in their countries, who are afraid that what has happened would engulf them and are trying to smother the flames. And they’ll not succeed. They’re only trying to create more problems for the region.

“Now, are they not the same leaders who went to Cote D’Ivoire when the French forces overthrew Laurent Gbabo and installed Alhassan Watara to go and congratulate him? Where is their commitment to democracy? These West African leaders have been changing their constitution, allowing themselves to go for third terms in spite of the massive protests taking place. When they succeed in changing their constitutions and going for third term, is it not the same leaders that go to congratulate them? What’s their commitment to democracy?

The Ghanaian politician, argued that the main beneficiary of the proposed intervention would be the Western countries, that had continued to supervise the poor leadership of the ECOWAS leaders as they had done in the entire African continent, adding that in this case, France, which had remained the major leach sucking the country dry, would continue what they had done for decades – mine the uranium deposits in Niger, while not only pauperising the country but leaving the populace with diseases associated with their mining activities.

“One out of every light bulbs in France is powered by uranium from Niger. Yet, Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world. But our leaders are not thinking about this paradox. What they care about is going to reinstall one of their colleagues, who messed up so much. All the French-speaking African states, keep their money in the French Central Bank. The consequence is that all these French-speaking African countries, borrow this money and pay interest for their own money. Yet, West African leaders are not sensible enough to realize that the way out of this is to have a common currency for West Africa to enable these French-speaking West African countries to break away from this neo-colonialism.

“They don’t even realize that that is the key to solving many of the problems that confront us in the sub-region. They can’t see that. We’ve been talking about West African currencies for how long? What have they done in other to promote that? Then, they go and sit down somewhere in Abuja and they decide to send soldiers. Whose soldier should go and die to install a useless President?”

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BREAKING: Mother of all strikes! D-Day, October 3! *Stockpile food, essentials – NLC, TUC   

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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Tuesday, announced midnight Tuesday, October 3 as the date for the commencement of total strike by their workers to get the Federal Government accede to their demands to end the current sufferings of their members and Nigerians at large.

The two labour centres representing the organised labour in Nigeria, which arrived at the decision after they had met separately at their local levels directed their affiliates to mobilise for protests from October 3, saying they took the decisions were approved at the meeting of the joint National Executive Council of the two unions on Tuesday, September 26, in Abuja.

Joe Ajaero, President of the NLC, speaking on behalf of his group, while urging Nigerians to stock their homes ahead the total strike, bemoaned the situation where the government had ignored the demands of the workers, saying it “substantially failed to meet its demands after the removal of fuel subsidy,” added that adding that the grace period given by the two labour centres had expired.

The organised labour, is demanding wage awards for public workers and a new minimum wage, apart from the removal of tax exemptions and allowances to public sector workers, provision of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, the release of modalities for the N70billion for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the Federal Government.

The union, which on September 5th and 6th, the NLC embarked on a two-day warning strike which led to the partial crippling of economic activities in some states and gave the government a 21-day ultimatum to meet its demands, is also demanding a stop to the increase in public school fees, the release of the eight months withheld salaries of university teachers and workers as well as the increase in Value Added Tax (VAT).

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BREAKING: Total strike looms! *NLC, TUC, finally meet, agree on action

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The Federal Government, may have finally lost the move to stop the impending strike by organised labour, or at least mitigate it by dividing its membership, following a meeting of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), hitherto in disagreement over the issue.

In fact, the two bodies representing the junior and senior workers in Nigeria are reportedly meeting currently to announce a statewide indefinite strike, a move coming about three weeks after the NLC held a warning strike on Tuesday, September 5, and Wednesday 6, 2023, without the TUC, which it explained was to call attention of the FG to the painful suffering of Nigerians, particularly workers.

However, indications, suggests that having agreed to come to an understanding in the interest of the working masses of Nigeria, both camps, having also met separately in their different local organs, decided to hold a joint press conference at 3 p.m. on Tuesday to announce an indefinite nationwide strike in response to the FG’s failure to address the suffering and other socioeconomic hardships caused by the removal of subsidies on Premium Motor, PMS, commonly known as petrol.

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Tinubu will shock Atiku and his gang – APC *Why meeting with Biden didn’t hold

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Having met with Joe Biden, at a parley of the G20 group in India, it was unnecessary for President Bola Tinubu to hold another session with his US counterpart at the recent United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, the All Progressives Congress (APC), explained on Monday.

Felix Morka, spokesman of the party, in a statement, also explain other issues in a quick riposte to the attacks of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who claimed that the POTUS avoided Tinubu at UNGA because he did not want to be associated with the putrid stains trailing his Nigerian counterpart.

Morka, National Publicity Secretary of the party, also dismissed Atiku’s claims through his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu that fuel subsidy, which the Tinubu administration said it has jettisoned having dismissed it as a drain on the nation’s resources, had returned through the backdoor, saying the payment of the mark up in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), in August, was to ensure stability.

Hear him: ”Shaibu’s claim that fuel subsidy is back is not correct. The government’s intervention to ensure some measure of price stability and predictability does not amount to the return of the ruinous fuel subsidy of the recent past.

“Lifting the Visa ban on Nigerians by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities should ordinarily make any well-meaning Nigerian happy. Diplomatic rapprochement between Nigeria and UAE authorities is ongoing and details of outcomes will soon be made public.

“The matter of the proposed meeting with United States of America President Joe Biden does not even require elaboration. Having met with President Tinubu on the sidelines of the G-20 Nations summit in India, another meeting with President Biden during the United Nation’s General Assembly (UNGA) had become unnecessary and was not even on President Tinubu’s schedule, contrary to preliminary indications on the matter.

“Nigeria is facing pressing challenges that require focused efforts and undivided attention. Issues such as economic recovery, security of lives and property, infrastructure development, and social welfare demand continuous, sustained and innovative efforts.

“President Tinubu is committed to ensuring an inclusive, honest, transparent and accountable governance system. We encourage citizens to actively participate in democratic processes, ventilate their views, and contribute constructively to national conversations. As the discerning people that we are, we remain confident that Nigerians will continue to differentiate between genuine, constructive and development-oriented criticisms and those driven by self-interest, mercenary considerations and disruptive political agenda.

“While we urge Nigerians to ignore purveyors of fake news and other inanities, it is obvious that Shaibu and his likes will stop at nothing in their desperation to distort facts and give oxygen to their politically knocked-out principal. But that can only worsen his infamy in the light of the President’s determined commitment and strides to improving the social and economic conditions for all Nigerians.

“The PDP and all its agents of misinformation should know by now that no amount of sleazy propaganda, muckraking, lies, half-truths, misrepresentations, misinformation or disinformation will confer the presidency of Nigeria on their candidate.

“Nigerians have freely chosen our party, the APC, and President Bola Tinubu, to continue to steer the ship of state. And the President is making good his campaign promises to deliver purposeful leadership to remake Nigeria, open the economy to rewarding investments, promote inclusive growth, create jobs, secure lives and property and renew hope for a vibrant future.”

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