Change the Status Quo

"NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS ASSERTS UNYIELDING STANCE FOR WORKERS' WELFARE" The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) reaffirms its unwavering pursuit of improved worker welfare amidst calls for a new minimum wage reflective of the country's cost of living. NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, underscores the urgency of addressing economic hardships, warning of looming anarchy if left unattended. With the impending expiration of the current minimum wage, tensions rise as NLC presents its proposal against the backdrop of escalating food scarcity and desperation among Nigerians. Meanwhile, the government pledges commitment to affordable healthcare and enhanced welfare for health workers, amidst growing discontent and calls for action.

"Nigeria's Government Faces Criticism Over Handling of Ongoing Mass Kidnappings" President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria has dispatched troops to rescue over 250 school pupils who were kidnapped by gunmen from a school in Kaduna state. This abduction marks one of the largest mass kidnappings in three years, highlighting the ongoing security challenges in Nigeria. The attack occurred in Kuriga school, with conflicting reports on the exact number of children abducted. Local residents reported that gunmen, referred to as bandits, attacked the school, resulting in one casualty. President Tinubu vowed to ensure the rescue of the abducted pupils and bring the perpetrators to justice. This incident adds to the series of mass abductions targeting educational institutions in Nigeria, prompting calls for better protection of students. Additionally, recent abductions include over 100 female internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Borno state and more than 100 pupils and teachers in Kaduna state. President Tinubu condemned these abductions and directed security agencies to swiftly rescue the victims and apprehend those responsible.

ABOLISH THE NIGERIAN SENATE IT IS NOT A CRIME TO WANT TO HAVE A FUTURE The agitation to scrap the Nigerian Senate due to the high cost of governance is long overdue. The Senate's abolition is rooted in the belief that a more cost-effective governance structure could redirect resources to crucial sectors like education, healthcare, and infrastructure. The movement argues that the current structure is financially burdensome for the country, with the Senate being a major contributor to the overall cost. Critics point to the lack of transparency surrounding senators' salaries as a significant issue, as the details are often shrouded in secrecy. Proponents of scrapping the Senate argue that the funds allocated to maintain the institution could be redirected towards more pressing needs, such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure. They emphasize the need for a leaner government structure that can operate more efficiently and address the socio-economic challenges facing the nation.

BUHARI ANTI CORRUPTION FIGHT A FAILURE Buhari’s fight against corruption is unjust, selective and lacks transparency. Two years into the second term of Buhari’s presidency, corruption remains intractable

NIGERIANS ARE NOW POOER AS THE CENTRAL BANK DEVALUE THE NAIRA AGAIN N410/$1 Nigeria Devalues Naira on Migration to Single Exchange Rate Nigeria’s central bank devalued the naira by 7.6% against the dollar as authorities in Africa’s biggest oil producer migrate toward a single exchange-rate system for the local currency.

NIGERIANS GO HUNGRY AS FOOD PRICES SKYROCKETS Food inflation rose to 22.95% in March, caused by wide-ranging price increases across items such as cereals, yam, meat, fish and fruits. Those soaring costs have been in part blamed on a worsening conflict between farmers and herders in Nigeria’s agriculture belt that Buhari has struggled to quash.

CORRUPT NIGERIA POLITICIANS STASH PROPERTIES ABROAD Nigerian politicians own 800 properties worth $400m in London, Dubai – Chatham House Expert Matthew Page, an associate fellow of Chatham House, London, U.K., says education and real estate sectors provide opportunities for Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) in Nigeria to launder money. Mohammed Abacha, laundered money through Nigerian banks or by Nigerian or foreign businessmen to offshore accounts belonging to Mohammed Abacha, Abba Abacha, Abdulkadir Abacha and Abubakar [Atiku] Bagudu. At least US$1.491 billion and GBP 416 million had thus been found by the [panel] to have been embezzled by the Abacha criminal organization. Several former senior state officials linked to Ibori are tied to properties in Dubai. One is linked to four Dubai properties, purchased for a total of $3.8 million, according to Sandcastles data.

NIGERIA'S INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE ORDERS SHOOT AT SIGHT IN SOUTH EAST OF NIGERIA Meanwhile, A leading socio-cultural association of Igbo professionals under the aegis of Nzuko Umuna, has described as horrifying, frightening, and unutterable in a democracy, the shoot-at-order the Inspector General Police, IGP, Usman Alkali Baba, handed to police officers in the South East. The group, which addressed a world press conference in Abuja on Monday, noted that the IGP gave the directive in Enugu on May 18, when he launched Operation Restore Peace in the Southeast. Insisting that adherence to such directive could lead to human right abuses and total breakdown of law and order in the region, the group, said it has notified the international community, particularly, the International Criminal Court, the United Nation Human Rights Council, as well as various High Commissions and Embassies in Nigeria.

NIGERIA POVERTY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD 40.1% OF NIGERIANS LIVE BELOW 1USD A DAY Forty percent of Nigerians live below the poverty line. More than 82 million Nigerians live on less than $1 a day, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. While Nigeria is known for its oil riches, the reality of the nation is that corruption, unemployment and inequalities have destroyed the nation’s economic framework, causing it to be the poverty capital of the world.

IS BOKO HARAM LEADER ABUBAKAR SHEKAU DEAD THIS TIME? The Nigerian military says its investigating claims that Abubakar Shekau, the Boko Haram leader who orchestrated mass kidnappings of schoolchildren during his decade-long war against Western influence, has died in northeast Nigeria. This time, however, the reports have more credibility. The story is that ISWA fighters tracked down Shekau, killed his fighters, and then demanded that he swear allegiance to Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the head of ISWA. After a fruitless parley, so the story goes, Shekau tried to kill himself—and some within ISWA leadership—using a suicide vest. Another version has it that he shot himself in the chest, and a few of his followers escaped with the badly wounded Shekau, living to fight another day.

NIGERIA IS RANKED 149 IN GLOBAL CORRUPTION PERCEPTION INDEX Corruption is the single greatest obstacle preventing Nigeria from achieving its enormous potential. It drains billions of dollars a year from the country’s economy, stymies development, and weakens the social contract between the government and its people.

JUSTICE FOR #ENDSARS PROTESTERS For nearly two weeks angry young Nigerians took to the streets, blocking major roads across cities in Africa's most populous nation. They marched in tens of thousands chanting "Enough is Enough" against police brutality and violence. The group's initial demands were for a notorious police unit known as the Special Anti Robbery Squad, or SARS, to be shut down, but the marches have since morphed into protests campaigning for police reform and an end to bad governance in the oil-rich country.

Nigeria External Debt reached 33.3 USD billion in Dec 2020, compared with 32.0 USD billion in the previous quarter. The data reached an all-time high of 33.3 USD billion in Dec 2020 and a record low of 3.3 USD billion in Mar 2007. Debt Management Office Nigeria provides quarterly External Debt in USD. External Debt covers General Government Debt only.

We are not waiting till 2023

TRUTH IS TRUTH

GOVERNOR OYETOLA ATTACKED IN OSOGBO

PORTHARCOURT PROTESTS