News
There will be no strike – FG *I’ll rather be in jail to see workers poorly paid – Ajaero
The proposed strike action by organised labour in the country under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), will not hold as all the vexing issues that could lead to it will be resolved soon, the Federal Government, assured on Tuesday.
Nkiruka Onyeagocha, Minister of State for Labour and George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), both at the Second National Labour Adjudication and Arbitration Forum organised by the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), held in Abuja, gave the assurance that the government was on top of the situation.
has commenced discussions with organised labour to try to forestall a looming industrial action by workers over alleged poor implementation of the fuel subsidy removal palliatives, including payment of N35, 000 wage award.
Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, who confirmed the talks, saying negotiations on the new minimum wage had since commenced, but would be gradual, to enable all the parties address all concerns by the workers, promised to resume the payment of wage awards to workers this week.
It was also the day Diket Plang, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour and Employment, who bemoaned the persistent economic hardship in the country, assured that the National Assembly would support any move to introduce a living wage for Nigerian workers.
Onyejeocha said, “We have commenced negotiation with labour on the minimum wage on Monday. In fact, I will say that we started the engagement with organised labour immediately after the Christmas holiday, when I visited the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and that of Trade Union Congress in Abuja. The committee will adopt the principle of social dialogue and tripartite engagement to resolve most of the issues that might arise during the negotiation.”
Echoing the position, Akume, represented by Richard Pheelangwa, the Permanent Secretary in the SGF Office, also said the Federal Government was desirous of a minimum wage that was fair, sustainable, and beneficial to all stakeholders, said the government was pushing for a new minimum wage.
Stressing embracing alternative dispute resolution mechanism might sometimes provide a quicker way of resolving labour disputes, rather than the traditional conflict resolution method as a way of resolving disagreements, the SGF said: “This forum coincides with the commencement of deliberations by the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage. This critical juncture underscores the immense significance of our gathering.
“It provides a crucial platform for open dialogue, constructive engagement, and the exploration of innovative solutions as we navigate the delicate process of determining a minimum wage that is fair, sustainable, and beneficial for all stakeholders.”
He stressed the need to embrace tripartism and social dialogue by recognising the fact that collaboration and mutual understanding between government, employers, and labour unions were paramount, he said each party must actively listen to the concerns and perspectives of the others, and foster the spirit of compromise and cooperation.
Even though he agreed that organized labour should push for payment of living wage, he argued that the workers, the committee must acknowledge the country’s economic challenges, urging the panel to take into consideration issues such as finding a sustainable equilibrium that protects worker well-being without jeopardising business viability and overall economic health is crucial.
In seeking to resolve labour disputes, traditional negotiation methods might not always yield the desired outcomes, he said, adding that embracing alternative mechanisms, like mediation and arbitration, could expedite resolutions, minimise disruptions, and foster trust among stakeholders.
Akume urged the leadership of the labour unions to also recognise measures undertaken by government for public good as well as wider public serving obligations discharged by the government to cushion economic hardships, beyond the minimum wage.
On her part, President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, said she was of the opinion that alternative dispute resolution mechanisms should be used in settling conflicts in the labour sector since it encompassed all the tenets of social dialogue.
But Joe Ajaero, NLC President, who informed that organised labour was not satisfied with the manner government was proceeding with the talks on new minimum wage, expressed fear over possible stalemate in the talks, adding that any governor or ex-governor that could not pay their workers the N30, 000 minimum wage had no business being on the new minimum wage committee.
“Of what essence is social dialogue or tripartite negotiation if the outcome will not be implemented? The agreement labour has with the Federal Government since October 16 last year is yet to be implemented. No matter what amount you negotiate in present Nigerian economy, in the next five years, it can’t buy a bag of rice. Instead of the for five years renegotiation of the national minimum wage the law must be adjusted to allow for yearly adjustment of wages based on the level of inflation and value of the naira.
“This is important because people have been coming up to say that if we increase salaries it will affect inflation, but should we leave salary to be constant while variables continue to grow? Workers are displeased with the poor implementation of the wage award by the government.
“It took you 24 hours to say fuel subsidy is gone and it is taking you more than eight months to decide what to do with it and you are telling us to give you more time. It took 24 hours to remove fuel subsidy but more than eight months no single CNG bus is on the road. It is better for me to be in jail than see workers earn poor wages that are less than what prison dogs consume.
Lateef Fagbemi,Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF-MoJ), who said dialogue and peaceful relationship between government and labour promoted development, assured that the government was going to implement all key recommendations from the NECA forum.
Taiwo Adeniyi, NECA President, who stated that the organisation would ensure that priority was given to the welfare of employers, maintained that employers and employees, along with the government, were encouraged to engage in social dialogue to improve industrial harmony in the country.
Fuel marketers across Abuja on Wednesday continued to sell Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, at old prices more than 24 hours after Dangote Petroleum Refinery announced a reduction in its ex-depot price, Vanguard is reporting.
The paper reported that its investigation, showed that major retail outlets were yet to adjust their pump prices despite the N75 per litre reduction announced by the refinery on Monday.
At the retail stations visited in Abuja, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Retail and TotalEnergies dispensed petrol at N1,335 per litre, while AA Rano sold at N1,350 per litre. AYM Shafa and Conoil outlets sold the product at N1,330 per litre.
The development comes amid growing public expectations that the reduction in Dangote Refinery’s gantry price would quickly translate into lower pump prices nationwide.
Explaining the delay, the President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Dr. Billy Gillis-Harry, said retail prices are influenced by several factors beyond refinery gate prices.
Speaking to Channels TV, Gillis-Harry said: “Prices reflecting at the pump are dependent on availability of the product, the other is the cost. The cost of purchasing the product and cost in terms of logistics, and preparing the particular petroleum to be delivered to the people”.
According to him, downward price adjustments often take longer to reach consumers because marketers need to recover the cost of existing stock purchased at higher prices before restocking at lower rates.
When asked why increases in fuel prices are usually reflected immediately while reductions are delayed, Gillis-Harry said the dynamics of supply management play a significant role.
He explained: “It is mainly affected by whether the producer has additional resources or not at the time. Increases in prices are mainly caused by the need to restock. There must be that advantage pushing the price upward to be able to pay for new supplies.”
He further acknowledged that marketers generally seek to exhaust existing inventory before implementing lower prices.
“That’s the basic idea. But in petroleum, a mixture is involved, and loss is taken, though not in a way that affects the capital needed to restock,” he added.
Also speaking on the issue, energy analyst Olabode Sowunmi said fuel pricing in Nigeria is influenced by a combination of domestic supply arrangements and logistics costs, rather than crude oil prices alone.
He noted that although international crude oil prices remain an important factor globally, their impact on local petrol pricing is not always direct.
“Global price of crude oil is a factor internationally and not necessarily in Nigeria,” Sowunmi said.
Explaining that Dangote Refinery operates under arrangements that allow a portion of crude supply to be priced in naira, reducing the direct impact of international market fluctuations on local fuel prices, he said: “So basically the issue will have to be from the point of refinery to where it touches the final person. Logistics costs within the domestic supply chain remain a major determinant of the final pump price paid by consumers.”
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has given assignment to Nigerians to put all those aspiring to take up political positions in the country through the grill to ascertain their level of integrity, saying it was required as a sine qua non for the job they seek.
Obi, who has been a subject of discussion in the polity since the allegation of corruption was levied against him by Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of his campaign in 2023, over the conduct of the party’s primaries to choose candidates for the 2027 general elections, said the grilling must start with his own person.
A guest in an interview on a podcast with Rufai Oseni, a popular television anchor, the former Governor of Anambra State, stated that it was actually for this reason that he had now sworn to see the litigation he instituted against Okonkwo through.
His take is that the Nollywood actor should use the courtrooms to give all the details of bad behaviour, following his threat to expose him fully, after alleging that he was collecting money from aspirants in the said election for electoral favours.
Hear him: “The issue of taking Kenneth Okonkwo to court wouldn’t have arisen if he had stopped at those allegations. But he claimed he still has more he would expose about me in the future. So, I am very happy to take him to court so that he can expose me publicly, alongside other Nigerians. If any of them has any criminal allegations against me, they should bring them to court.
“Not just Kenneth, everybody should now say those things they know that is bad about me or I did that is wrong because it’s good for the system, it’s good for the society,” Obi said.
“So, if you know that when we were in primary school, this man was cheating or didn’t go to the primary school, didn’t go to secondary school, didn’t do, if you know this man has done something criminal somewhere, this is time to bring it up.”
For the umpteenth time, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned about the dangerous implication of using state institutions, particularly the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy, saying it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaking on the heels of Tuesday’s verdict of the Court of Appeal, halting the de-registration order by the Federal High Court, insisted that judicial officers must not lend themselves to any act capable of undermining the nation’s democratic process.
The appellate court had ordered a stay of execution on the order made on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties).
A totally scandalised Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had taken umbrage, sparing no hard words in upbraiding the lower court judge, stating that his likes were unfit to sit on the bench.
In a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, the court held that Lifu’s action was “the highest form of judicial impertinence”, stressing that the Supreme Court previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner.
Describing his conduct as the height of judicial rascality, the upper court, stated: “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This Court has supervisory authority over the trial court.
“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.
This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for a stay of execution is here yet granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed.”
Atiku, who hailed the position of the higher court, which restored his hope to be on the ballot as presidential candidate in the 2027 election, also noted the role of INEC as “significant.”
He said: “I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgement seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
“The development reflects growing public concern over judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings within the judiciary. “Any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. If our democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Outside ADC, Lifu’s order, also included: Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), similarly slammed for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in elections.
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