The Federal Government said it has fulfilled about 90% of the agreement it had with the organized labour last year.

Minister of Labour, Nkiruka Onyejeocha disclosed this in an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday.

Onyejeocha said, “We’ve done virtually everything in agreement. 90% of everything.”

According to the minister, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (TUC), Joe Ajaero, told government representatives at a meeting on Sunday that the protest was not about the government’s commitment to the October agreement but food inflation.

She said food security and economic prosperity were two of the priorities of the Bola Tinubu administration.

Onyejeocha appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the new government as the administration is in its planting season with harvests on the horizon.

She said the Federal Government had ticked about 90% of the 15-point memorandum of understanding it signed with the organized labour in 2023.

On the provision of high-capacity CNG buses for mass transit in Nigeria, the minister said funds had been released for the purpose, but “there are certain things you cannot control; you cannot control the number of days a shipment or a container will stay in the port.”

Recall that some of the agreements include granting a wage award of N35,000 to workers, the inauguration of a minimum wage committee, and the suspension of the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on diesel for six.

The Federal High Court in Lagos, through Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, has restrained telecommunication operators in Nigeria from deactivating or barring any line or SIM that has not been linked to the NIN by their subscribers.

Justice Lewis-Allagoa ruled on a suit filed by lawyer Olukoya Ogungbeje, who sought to stop the move to disconnect subscribers over NIN–SIM linkage, stating that it infringed on his fundamental rights.

Ogungbeje, in a suit numbered FHC/L/CS/667/23, named the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, and Airtel Networks Nigeria Limited as respondents.

“That the respondents are aware of the appellant/applicant’s appeal to the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, as the respondents have since been duly served with the appellant/applicant’s Notice of Appeal.

“That despite the pendency of the appellant/applicant’s appeal, efforts are underway by the respondents, specifically on the 28th of February 2024, to ensure further and outright barring, deactivating, and restricting of SIM cards and phone lines of the applicant and that of Nigerian citizens.

“That the appellant/applicant’s appeal to the Court of Appeal of Nigeria has a high degree of success against the respondents.

“There is a need to preserve the rest of the subject matter of the appeal pending the hearing and determination of the appellant/applicant’s appeal at the Court of Appeal of Nigeria.

“That the appellant/applicant is desirously interested in diligently pursuing the instant appeal that has raised a novel and recondite issue substantially jurisprudential, constituting an exceptional circumstance in which this Honourable Court can grant an application of this nature.

“That the court has the power and jurisdiction to grant an application of this nature in the interest of justice,” he stated.

The naira gained against the dollar as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) took more measures including delivering a massive hike in its benchmark interest rate on Tuesday in a bid to rein in rising inflation so as to stabilise the economy.

Following the conclusion of the two-day Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday, the CBN hiked the monetary policy rate (MPR) to 22.75 percent from 18.75 percent.

The central bank also raised the cash reserve ratio (CRR) to 45 percent from 32.5 percent. The asymmetric corridor was widened to +100-700 basis points around the MPR from +100/-300 basis points set in July 2023. However, the liquidity ratio remained unchanged at 30 percent.

The naira strengthened to 1,420 per dollar at the Bureau De Change segment of the foreign exchange market from over 1,800/$. In the parallel market, commonly known as the black market, the dollar closed at N1,550 as against N1,900 on Friday.

However, at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market, naira depreciated to 1,615.94/$ on Tuesday from 1,582.94/$ on Monday, data from the FMDQ indicated.

Bismarck Rewane, managing director/CEO of Financial Derivatives Company Limited, said the CBN was aggressive in its tightening and that this shows that the country is now in a high interest rate environment.

He said this development will strengthen the currency, deflate the stock market in the next few days, and bring some level of sanity in the markets. He expects to see massive appreciation of the naira in the FX market.

A former top official at the CBN said quick execution and steady nerves should bring inflows to stabilise currency and moderate inflation.

He said: “Now deputy governor in charge of financial system stability needs to keep a close eye on bank balance sheets. Higher lending rates may lead to higher loan defaults at a time of reduced real disposable incomes. Higher market rates may lead to losses due to market risk in the event of sell offs to shore up liquidity by marginal banks.

“But priority is to stabilise the macro and this decision is excellent. We just need to keep an eye on risks to bank balance sheets as we move from excessively loose monetary conditions to a more responsible stance.”

According to Abiola Rasaq, former economist and head investor relations at United Bank for Africa Plc, these transitory monetary policy measures reflect the inflation-targeting orientation of the new leadership at the CBN and overall monetary policy committee.

He said this would increase the cost of funds of banks and shrink net interest margin, albeit the MPC’s overarching interest is to stem the pressure on exchange rate and consumer prices.

He said the MPC sought to gradually narrow the negative real interest rate to attract foreign portfolio investors while also incentivising domestic investors as a way of stimulating appetite for naira-denominated assets.

Rasaq said: “It’s a double-edged sword that will hurt money supply and consequently undermine employment creation, but the MPC may have limited options at this time, hence I consider this measure as transitory douses to stem the current crisis.

“Banks profitability will be challenged, and indeed, the policy measure increases the probability of loan default in the banking sector, nonetheless, it’s a short term measure that hopefully will help to cool-off pressures and allow the monetary and fiscal policy authorities some time to reset the system and implement sustainable long term measures relevant for economic growth and development.”

Razia Khan, managing director and chief economist for Africa and the Middle East Global Research at Standard Chartered Bank, emphasised the critical need to stabilise Nigeria’s FX market as an immediate priority.

She highlighted the importance of fostering a better-functioning official FX market before considering the adoption of a formal inflation target.

Analysing the policy response, Khan questioned the adequacy of the tightening measures implemented.

She said the increase in the CRR to 45 percent, acknowledging it as a meaningful tightening move, particularly with the central bank shifting away from ad-hoc CRR debits.

However, Khan raised concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding the previous CRR regime and its effectiveness, making it challenging to assess the true impact of the tightening.

“The Monetary Policy Rate itself was raised 400 bps. The signal on the tightening intent that this sends is important, and we expect that markets will not dismiss it,” she said in an email to BusinessDay.

Reacting to the MPC’s decision, Kingsley Moghalu, former deputy governor of the CBN, said on X: “Correct move by the Monetary Policy Committee to dramatically hike the Monetary Policy Rate by 400 basis point to 22.5 percent. The situation calls for nothing less if we are to check inflation over 12-18 months. We did the same a decade ago to bring inflation from 14 percent to 8 percent.”

Muda Yusuf, CEO of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, said the outcome of the MPC meeting would hurt the real sector of the economy that is already contending with numerous macroeconomic challenges.

He said the increase of MPR and CRR posed a major risk to the financial intermediation role of banks in the economy.

“The increase would constrain the capacity of banks to support economic growth and investment, especially in the real sector of the economy because the increases are quite significant,” he said.

At least 20 students of some boarding public schools in Potiskum, Fika, and Fune local government areas of Yobe State have died from a suspected Meningitis outbreak.

It was learnt that the deaths were recorded in Government Science Technical College, Government Girls Science Technical College, and Federal Government Girls College, all in Potiskum LG.

A source in the town told our correspondent that at least 20 students died, adding that most of the affected students had been admitted to the Specialist Hospital in Potiskum and were responding to treatment.

When contacted, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Muhammad Sani Idris, confirmed the outbreak, saying 20 students were killed by the disease suspected to be meningitis.

He said Governor Mai Mala Buni had directed the state Ministry of Education to temporarily relocate to Potiskum in response to the outbreak.

The commissioner also confirmed that several students had been admitted to Potiskum Specialist Hospital.

Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, yesterday, rejected an allegation of negligence in the death of Mr. Olaleye Adenibuyan, who died at the facility while receiving care from a critical fall.

While commiserating with the family of the deceased, LUTH management explained that the late Adenibuyan, who was admitted unconscious into the facility on January 15, 2024, was attended to at the Emergency Department and stabilised by a team of neurologists and neurosurgeons.

In a statement, the Chairman, of the Medical Advisory Committee, Dr Ayodeji Oluwole said: “In the ICU, his care was coordinated by a team of neurosurgeons, intensivists, and ICU nurses. Throughout his stay in the hospital, the managing team was in direct and constant contact with Mr Adenibuyan’s immediate family, including his wife and son.

“Our records reveal that he was given prompt, appropriate, and professional care for his condition by senior medical professionals.

“In situations when hospital equipment experiences downtime, the hospital policy is for an ambulance and appropriate healthcare professionals to be made available to take the patient to a sister facility for the required procedure to be carried out.

“This was communicated to Mr Adenibuyan’s family when he needed a repeat CT scan. For the records, LUTH has functional imaging facilities including MRI, X-ray, ultrasonography, fluoroscopy, and mammography machines.

“Deployment of equipment such as the intracranial pressure, ICP, and monitors requires consumables such as probes. Such consumables are supplied by private vendors, and the costs are borne by the patient for which they are used. It is these consumables that were required to be made available in this case. The decision on the timing of deployment of the ICP monitor was taken by the Neurosurgeons, with due consideration given to the potential benefits of ICP monitoring versus the potential risks that may arise from placing a foreign body within the brain.”

[Vanguard]

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has suspended its two-day nationwide protest.

The NLC had declared a two-day nationwide mass protest for February 27 and 28, over the economic hardship confronting millions of Nigerians since the removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023.

The NLC and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), had on February 8, given a 14-day ultimatum to the federal government over the rising cost of living in the country.

A late night meeting on Monday between the federal government and NLC was not enough to convince the latter to shelve the nationwide protests.

On Tuesday morning, the protesters began their marches from the Labour House in Abuja and the Ikeja under-bridge in Lagos, while chanting solidarity songs and slogans.

Joe Ajaero, NLC president, and Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 election, led the Abuja rally.

But in a communique at the end of its national executive council meeting on Tuesday, the NLC said the objectives of the protest were achieved on the first day of the demonstration.

“Consequently, NEC-in-session resolved as follows: to suspend street action for the second day of the Protest having achieved overwhelming success thus attained the key objectives of the 2-day protest on the first day,” the communique reads.

“However, Nationwide action continues tomorrow with simultaneous Press Conferences across all the states of the federation by the state Councils of the Congress including the National Headquarters.”

The NLC NEC also resolved in its meeting, to “reaffirm and extend the 7-days ultimatum by another 7 days which now expires on the 13th day of March, 2024 within which the Government is expected to implement all the earlier agreement of the 2nd day of October, 2023 and other demands presented in our letter during today’s nationwide protest”.

“To meet and decide on further lines of action if on the expiration of the 14 days Government refuses to comply with the demands as contained in the ultimatum,” the communique reads.

[TheCable]

I wish to know today which type of life my readers will prefer to live: Abraham’s or Lazarus’s? Biblical Abraham was wealthy, was richly blessed and lived life to the hilt here on earth. He died and went to paradise or heaven. Conversely, Lazarus was poverty-stricken and lived a life of penury on earth but when he died, he, too, went to heaven or paradise.

Now, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus as told by Jesus Christ Himself in Luke 16: 19 – 31 was that there was a rich man who, while he lived, did nothing to help Lazarus, a desperately and multi-dimensionally poor beggar, such as we have in tens of millions today in Nigeria, the widely acclaimed poverty capital of the world. The poor man died and went to heaven, where he was seen resting at the bosom of Abraham but the rich man who had neglected to help Lazarus died and went to Hell.

As he suffered torture in Hell, the earthly-rich man looked up and saw Lazarus enjoying in paradise and beseeched Father Abraham to send help unto him (the rich man) through the same Lazarus but his request was rebuffed. You can read the entire story in the bible passage quoted above.

I came across a post on social media days back that got me thinking about life, death, heaven (paradise) and hell. I also remembered RCCG's Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye once saying that whether you land in heaven like Abraham or you elect to take the route followed by Lazarus is a matter of personal choice - but he warned that poverty is not a good thing! Now, to the post, which was about the Jamaican reggae king, Robert (Bob) Nesta Marley; when I return, I will draw some conclusions.

Titled “The Biblical Story Behind ‘Three Little Birds’ by Bob Marley & The Wailers”, it reads: Peace, love, and social justice were at the heart of the messages Bob Marley spread through his music. His lyrics could have profound political connotations yet be about the mystical beauty of his surroundings. His celebration of the human condition resonated with people from all backgrounds. The consciousness and profundity of his place in the universe make us still interested in his songs today.

Marley’s spirituality is evident in each one of his albums. In 1999, Time magazine called Exodus the best album of the 20th century. Let’s look at the story behind a song from that album, “Three Little Birds,” by Bob Marley & The Wailers.

Don’t worry about a thing/Cause every little thing gonna be alright/Singing Don’t worry about a thing/Cause every little thing gonna be alright

A simple observation of nature, or Is It? The idea of birds singing in the morning is nothing unusual. But Marley brings the moment’s beauty alive in the verse of the song. His friend Tony Gilbert told author Vivien Goldman in The Book of Exodus: The Making and Meaning of Bob Marley and the Wailers’ Album of the Century, “Bob got inspired by many things around him. He observed life. I remember the three little birds. They were pretty birds, canaries, who would come by the windowsill at Hope Road.”

Marley himself told Sounds magazine in 1980, “That really happened. That’s where I get my inspiration.”

Rise up this mornin’/Smiled with the risin’ sun/Three little birds/Pitch by my doorstep/Singin’ sweet songs/Of melodies pure and true/Saying, (This is my message to you).

Another account of the inspiration comes from the trio of background singers, the I Threes. Marcia Griffiths claimed, “After the song was written, Bob would always refer to us as the Three Little Birds. After a show, there would be an encore. Sometimes, people even wanted us to go back onstage four times. Bob would still want to go back, and he would say, ‘What is my Three Little Birds saying?'”

Singin’ Don’t worry ’bout a thing/Cause every little thing gonna be alright/Singin’ Don’t worry (don’t worry) ’bout a thing/Cause every little thing gonna be alright

Griffiths continued: “Three Little Birds’ was our song, officially for I Threes. It was more or less expressing how we all came together when he said, ‘Rise up this morning, smile with the rising sun.’ We loved it. Even when we were recording it, we knew that it was our song.”

Rise up this mornin’/Smiled with the risin’ sun/Three little birds/Pitch by my doorstep/Singin’ sweet songs/Of melodies pure and true/Sayin’, This is my message to you.

Marley’s awe and wonder of his surroundings tap into the mysticism of nature. In a bigger sense, his message praises God’s creation and conveys his thoughts of truth and hope. He would strike out around the world, sharing his songs with different cultures and people from different backgrounds.

Singin’ Don’t worry about a thing, worry about a thing, oh/Every little thing gonna be alright. Don’t/worry/Singin’ Don’t worry about a thing I won’t worry/Cause every little thing gonna be alright

The song has nothing specific about theology, yet it touches on the theory of God being all around us. Whatever God you believe in, it’s all around us in everything we interact with. The beauty within a moment of a trio of birds singing their song. On one hand, it’s just what they do. Birds sing. On the other hand, it’s a powerful, beautiful moment to be treasured and studied. The wonder of nature humbles us all.

Singin’ Don’t worry about a thing/Cause every little thing gonna be alright, I won’t worry/Singin’ Don’t worry about a thing/Cause every little thing gonna be alright/Singin’ Don’t worry about a thing, oh no/Cause every little thing gonna be alright

Although the lyrics are clearly not stolen, there is a vivid parallel between the lyrics of “Three Little Birds” and Matthew 6:25-27 from the American Standard Version of the Bible: Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they? And which of you, by being anxious, can add one cubit unto the measure of his life?

When Marley was asked about the Bible and how many of his listeners didn’t believe in it, he responded, “Because the way they have been taught about the Bible, that is not the way of the Bible. You know? I mean, because if I was living in that world where the everyday interpretation of the Bible goes on, then I would adhere to the Bible, too. But know that we have found the right way of the Bible. The Bible is to be loved because the Bible is a record of man’s creation. It is the only book (that) can make, (that) can show you how mankind began without any prejudice, or anything like that or any boastfulness, pride, or anything like that. Just our God and that’s it.

“Well, all Christian people, not only Christians, all the people who go to church interpret the Bible as the preachers tell (them). That is not the right way,” he continued. “Because the greatest thing is life…and the preachers read the Bible and tell you, you have to die to go to heaven. That means he’s not really reading the Bible. Because the Bible tells you, you have to live in a heaven. You don’t die and go to heaven; you have to live in a heaven. A lot of places on Earth could be, but Africa is our heaven. Because that’s where we come from. Maybe you’re a Swiss. Maybe you come from Switzerland, and the people know God then, maybe you could live in peace, unity, harmony. But people are stubborn on this Earth because of material vanity.”

Imagine how revolutionary Marley’s interpretation of the Bible is; especially dying and going to heaven! We do not have to die before we go to or live in heaven; we can, and should, as we live here on earth also live in heaven or in a heavenly-like place! That is really impactful! Don’t postpone heaven; bring it down here right now! Don’t wait until you die before having the chance to live in a heavenly-like place.

Many of those who preach that we need to die first before having the chance to live in heaven themselves live in heavenly-like places right now here on earth. We have also seen the efforts of different parts of the world who, apparently, believe in this Bob Marley philosophy as they make their country look like heaven on earth; whereas our own place looks more and more like hell. We “japa” as we try to escape hell on earth in our own country to live in paradise on earth in other people’s countries! Otherwise, for many, maybe two Hell; and not a single Paradise!

Contrary to the belief in official circles, the 12-year old Steve Oronsaye Report will not substantialy reduce the enormous costs of governance in the country as it does not reflect the current situation in the public service. No doubt, the implementation of some of the recommendations of the Panel will take appreciable time as the merger of certain bodies require constitutional amendments or repeal of a number of statutes.

The 800-page report of the Steve Oronsaye Panel recommended the reduction of statutory agencies from 263 to 161, scrapping 38 agencies, merging 52, and reverting 14 to departments in different ministries, 

Since the Goodluck Jonathan administration produced a White Paper on the Steve Oronsaye Report in 2014, the Federal Government has created more ministries, departments and agencies. Whereas the Report recommended the reduction of 263 agencies to 151, the number of ministries, departments and agencies has increased to 1316. Even the current administration has increased the number of ministries and created new agencies. To that extent, the Steve Oronsaye Report is completely outdated.

However, in implementing the Oronsaye Report the Federal Government should ensure that the crisis of insecurity is not compounded through the retrenchment of hundreds of thousands of workers. Instead of downsizing the public service the Federal Government should ensure that the two houses of the National Assembly are merged while the number of Ministers, Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants and Special Assistants is significantly reduced. 

Femi Falana SAN 

(Solidarity speech at the NLC Rally

 held in Lagos on February 27, 2024)

Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress has called out President Bola Tinubu.

According to Punch, he rejected what he described as the excuses and blame game dished out by the presidency as the cause of the deepening economic woes.

Eze says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his team seem entrapped in a quagmire as hope is nowhere in sight to get the country out of the pickle.

The APC chieftain claims that the Nigerian economy has progressively continued in a free fall while the value of the Naira to other convertible currencies is steadily on a downward trend and is nearing a state of worthlessness in the international money market.

He noted that the effect of the uninterrupted journey of the Naira to its place of final rest is the hike in the price of food and other basic commodities.

Eze noted that the attendant reality is the hunger and starvation that is feasible on the faces of angry Nigerians, who, according to him, are unsure of a square meal for each passing day and most of whom go to bed each night hungry.

Despite the overwhelming challenges of the time which has sealed Nigeria’s place as the poverty capital of the world, Eze wondered why some analysts still hold the view that Tinubu is right in his policies.

Countering the assertions of pro-Tinubu commentators, Chief Eze said: “Assuming the policies were good, with very little or no thought towards the complex chains of reciprocal interactions and variables required in the translation of policies into actions, there is bound to be a widening gap between intentions and results as is the case in the present.”

In a statement made available to the media, the politician expressed shock over a recent comment credited to Vice President Kashim Shittima, who had inferred that politicians who lost in the 2023 general election were orchestrating a plot to destabilize Nigeria.

Describing Shetima’s claims as inconsequential, Eze said Tinubu was never prepared to make any meaningful impact in Nigeria, adding that his only concern was to be President and nothing more.

“The pernicious effects of perpetual poverty have become real under his administration and these are his chief legacies,” he said

“There seems to be no efforts by the present administration in tackling the economic concerns of the country and if there are, he said, it means such efforts are not good enough and shifting blame to patriots who are in their private capacities thinking out ways to help the country is to say the least myopic.

“I laugh at the reasons expounded by some of our leaders and Scholars as the factors behind our present food Crisis. They failed to highlight insecurity as the main bane of the present economic woes facing Nigeria.

“Where do we get the food to eat when most of the farmers both in the North and Southern sections of this country particularly those in the North Central are now in the IDP Camps leaving their farms in the hands of herders?

“And we are busy fooling ourselves that we don’t have enough food to feed the populace. What part of Nigeria is safe or secure for normal farming activities to take place?

“This is the reality. Our problem is human-induced yet we are expecting God to send us manna from Heaven as he did to the people of Israel who had no means of farming at the period God sent manna to them."

Eze highlighted that apart from insecurity another major cause of Nigeria’s present woes was the inability of the President who in 2012 highlighted the consequences of the removal of subsidy but was carried away by his election victory and announced without a proper study and provision to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians, the removal of oil subsidy.

Most Superior Evangelist Olagbaju Moris Gbade Fadehan, the Shepherd In-Charge of CCC Grace of Comfort Parish, Obaloran Quarters, in Ile-Ife Osun state, was reportedly killed in the church premises on Monday evening, February 26, by his serving assistant, Evangelist Olalekan Ogundipe.

According to reports, Fadehan had a conflict with the suspect and this degenerated into a fight after the close of their service on Monday evening.

The suspect allegedly stabbed Fadehan, causing him to die on the spot. The suspect thereafter allegedly set the deceased ablaze with his sutana on him.

The suspect was immediately apprehended and handed over to the police.

The spokesperson of the command said investigation into the incident has commenced.