Tag: Nigeria

Nigerian Electricity Workers to Go on Nationwide Strike Over Fuel Subsidy Removal
Economy, Labour, News, Nigeria, Petroleum, Power

Nigerian Electricity Workers to Go on Nationwide Strike Over Fuel Subsidy Removal

In response to the sudden elimination of fuel subsidy by the Nigerian government, the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has instructed its members to go on a nationwide strike. The NUEE has called upon its members to comply with the directive and halt their work starting from early Wednesday morning. The decision comes after President Bola Tinubu declared the discontinuation of the petroleum subsidy regime, citing its lack of sustainability. Following this announcement, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) directed its outlets across the country to sell fuel at prices ranging from N480 to N570 per litre, a nearly 200 percent increase from the previous price below N200. In reaction to these developments, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared i...
National Assembly: Leadership Tussle Takes an Interesting Turn
Legislature, News, Nigeria

National Assembly: Leadership Tussle Takes an Interesting Turn

The leadership tussle in the National Assembly is about to take an interesting dimension following a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the duo of Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the Presidential Villa on Thursday. The meeting was held to find an amicable solution to the issue of the zoning arrangement of the principal offices in the two chambers of the federal parliament, which was already creating tension among the lawmakers. President Tinubu gave a definite assignment to Lawan and Gbajabiamila to ensure that double nomination was avoided in both chambers on June 13. However, the presiding officers told the President that there was no way a zoning arrangement which excludes the North Central and gave two slots ...
Tinubu Gets the Backing of Ibori, Wike, Makinde on Subsidy Removal
Economy, News, Nigeria, Petroleum

Tinubu Gets the Backing of Ibori, Wike, Makinde on Subsidy Removal

In a surprising move, three members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have thrown their support behind President Bola Tinubu on the removal of petroleum subsidy. The Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, made this known during their visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Friday. During the visit, Makinde stated that they were there to let the president know that he has the support of the generality of the people. On the subsidy issue, Makinde said, “We discussed it. It’s something that is on top of public discussion right now. We know it’s a tough decision for the people and he needs the support of everybody to see this through.” The PDP chieftain, Ibori, and Tinubu served as go...
Subsidy: NNPC Effects New Fuel Prices
Economy, News, Nigeria, Petroleum

Subsidy: NNPC Effects New Fuel Prices

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has finally announced the long-awaited price for petrol following the removal of the controversial subsidy, which cost almost $10bn annually. The move was made on Wednesday morning to provide clarity around prices after the subsidy was removed. According to BusinessDay, NNPC now retail fuel at N488 a litre at its station on Kingsway Ikoyi in Lagos, while the NNPC Mega Station at Lagos Bus Stop in Port Harcourt sells for N511 per litre. NNPC is the sole supplier of petrol in Nigeria, and it is expected that other marketers will take a cue from NNPC's prices and adjust their own pump prices accordingly. NNPC Fuel Prices from May 31 2023 Analysts have noted that since NNPC has implemented different pump prices for different cities, ...
Subsidy wasn’t Removed by Tinubu – Keyamo
Economy, News, Nigeria, Petroleum

Subsidy wasn’t Removed by Tinubu – Keyamo

Festus Keyamo, the Chief Spokesman for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign, has clarified that President Bola Tinubu did not remove fuel subsidy. Keyamo stated that a section of the media is twisting the narrative to read that Tinubu's government has removed subsidy, despite the president proclaiming that subsidy was gone while giving his inaugural speech on May 29. The former Minister of State for Labour explained that Tinubu's administration only inherited a regime where there was no provision for subsidy in the 2023 Appropriation Act beginning June 2023, and the Petroleum Industry Act, which is now extant, has no provision for subsidy. In a series of tweets on his official handle, @fkeyamo, he said, "President Tinubu merely acknowledged this state of affairs in hi...
An Open Letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria on Transparency and Accountability In Court Proceedings – Adebowale Aluko
Elections, Justice, News, Nigeria

An Open Letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria on Transparency and Accountability In Court Proceedings – Adebowale Aluko

An open letter from a frontline legal practitioner to the CJN My Lord, I write, as a concerned member of the Nigerian bar, regarding a subject which has generated controversy among members of the bar and indeed the larger public in the past week. Confidence in the judiciary is at an all-time low.  On 22 May 2023, at the opening ceremony of the annual conference of the National Association of Women Judges, Your Lordship urged judges sitting in election petition matters across the country to do substantive justice and eschew technicalities, in order to restore the confidence of the public in the judiciary. It is against this backdrop that I write in relation to the directive of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT), prohibiting mobile phones and other electronic d...
Opinion: Nigeria’s Election Highlights Anglo-American Missteps – M. Page
Elections, News, Nigeria, United States of America

Opinion: Nigeria’s Election Highlights Anglo-American Missteps – M. Page

Nigeria’s just concluded presidential elections have been focusing minds in London and Washington. Like tens of millions of Nigerian voters, Anglo-American officials realized what was at stake. Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and is on track to be the third most populous country in the world by 2045. The UK and the US have enduring strategic interests in Nigeria, which are threatened by Nigeria’s kleptocratic ruling class’s tolerance of – and complicity in – democratic backsliding, grand corruption and gross human rights violations. The new administration faces a daunting array of challenges, from underdevelopment to insecurity, fiscal pressures and poor governance, which went unaddressed under outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari. But over the last several years, the UK and US h...
Inauguration: FG Restricts Movements Around Eagle Square
Elections, News, Nigeria

Inauguration: FG Restricts Movements Around Eagle Square

The Federal Government has directed the restriction of movements around the Eagle Square, the venue of the inauguration parade, from 2 p.m. on Friday till Tuesday. This move is in preparation for the swearing-in of President-elect, Bola Tinubu and his vice, Kashim Shettima, on May 29. A circular issued by Ngozi Onwudiwe, a permanent secretary at the Head of the Civil Service, stated that the Federal Secretariat Complexes Phases I, II, III, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be cordoned off by security operatives ahead of the ceremony. The government has been conducting military drills in the past few weeks in preparation for the inauguration ceremony. The Inauguration Parade and Swearing-in of President-Elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which is the climax of the Programme, will t...
Supreme Court Rules in Favour of Tinubu’s Eligibility
Breaking News, Nigeria

Supreme Court Rules in Favour of Tinubu’s Eligibility

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has affirmed the eligibility of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the President-elect, to contest the presidential election that held on February 25. In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel, the apex court held that an appeal filed by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lacked merit. PDP had sought Tinubu’s disqualification on the premise that the Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, allowed himself to be nominated for more than one constituency ahead of the 2023 general elections. The party argued that Shettima’s dual nomination was in gross breach of the provisions of Sections 29(1), 33, 35, and 84(1) and (2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, as amended. Aside from praying the court to nullify Tinubu and Shettima’s candidacy, the PDP equally ap...
Femi Gbajabiamila Clashes with Deputy over Control of the House
Elections, Legislature, News, Nigeria

Femi Gbajabiamila Clashes with Deputy over Control of the House

A crisis appears to be brewing in Nigeria's House of Representatives over who presides over the 10th assembly. Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and his deputy, Ahmed Wase, clashed during the plenary session on Wednesday, leading to speculations that the race for the key position is getting messier by the day. The Guardian reported that Wase is eyeing the seat of the Speaker and is a member of the G-7, a group of aspirants who are not comfortable with the zoning arrangement of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Gbajabiamila, on the other hand, had recommended Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu for Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively, leading to their endorsement by the APC. The trouble started when Gbajabiamila asked Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Abubakar Fulat...