The spokesman of the Obi-Datti organisation, Yunusa Tanko, on Friday, clarified that the Obidient Movement is bigger than the Labour Party.

Tanko, while speaking on Channels TV, stated this despite the movement being supporters of the LP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi.

He said, “It’s bigger than the Labour Party. It is so because it is a move of its own that has a life of its own. What they are interested in is good governance

“Even if the Labour Party is doing something that is wrong, they are able to challenge it. Let me go further. Even His Excellency [Peter Obi], if he does something that is not aligned with good governance, we would challenge it.”

According to Tanko, the Obidient Movement is all about good governance, which Obi preaches.

He said, “They are loyal to the messages that connect to good governance and Peter Obi is championing that particular good governance.”

Recall that the Labour Party, after a backlash, recently renamed a directorate of the party named the Directorate of Obidient Affairs.

According to the National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, the Obidient Directorate is now renamed as the Directorate of Mobilisation and Integration.

Obiorah said, “Following the controversies arising from the creation of the Directorate of OBIDIENT Affairs, in the party, the Directorate is hereby renamed the Directorate of Mobilisation and Integration.

“The inauguration will take place on Saturday, June 8, 2024, at the party’s National Secretariat, Utako, Abuja, by 10 a.m. Party members and the general public should take note.”

In the wake of the move, Obi said the movement is beyond the LP and cuts across party, gender, and ethnic divides.

Obi said, “There may be a youth mobilization directorate in political parties, but the Obidient Movement is far beyond a particular political party. The Obidient Movement is a diverse and inclusive collective that transcends traditional political, religious, and ethnic affiliations

“It is not domiciled within any particular party or headquartered in any particular part of the country.”

A former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Deputy National Chairman, Bode George, has maintained that President Bola Tinubu’s lack of prior experience in the presidency warrants a grace period.

The PDP chieftain stressed that President Bola Tinubu might not have been able to achieve much in one year because he was studying the failures of his predecessors.

The elder statesman, therefore, called on Nigerians to give President Tinubu an additional year to deliver on his promises and fix the country’s challenges.

George highlighted in an interview with AriseTV on Friday, June 7, that Tinubu, being a first-time president, requires additional time to enact his policies and gain Nigerians’ trust in his vision.

The elder statesman said, “He (Tinubu) had never served at that level (presidency). Well… you will say he was part of the party (APC) that formed the government (of Muhammadu Buhari), but it’s a hell of a different thing taking over and now leading the team.

“To be fair to my conscience, he has had that one-year holiday of trying to study the failures of the past administration. I have given him that one year of grace because now he has seen it and lived there.

“I expect his ministers to have come back in one year with those areas of lapses. Even when Baba (Olusegun Obasanjo became president in 1999, he was still trying to figure out what happened there or vise-versa in his first year. Let’s give him more time.”

The Nigerian government said it is releasing N20 billion to provide electricity meters for Band A customers before the end of September 2024.

Adebayo Adelabu, the minister of power, disclosed this on Friday at the BusinessDay Conference in Lagos.

“We are releasing N20 billion for the electricity distribution companies to procure meters for the unmetered Band A customers before the end of September,” he stated.

“The government has put in place the required framework to enable an injection of 1.5 million meters into the power sector through the World Bank Distribution Support Recovery Program.

“The Presidential Metering Initiative will ensure an additional 2 million meters will be procured annually for 5 years. This will ensure accurate billing, reducing revenue loss and improving cash flow for a more liquid power sector.”

According to latest data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, electricity customers in Nigeria without meters stood at 7,319,846 million which is 55.61 per cent of a total of 13,162,572 power consumers.

Consequently, only 5,842,726 electricity customers are metered of 13,162,572 registered consumers who get supply from the national grid, according to NERC.

The development comes as NERC announced a 245 per cent electricity tariff hike for Band A customers, getting 20-24 power supply in April.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress embarked on strike on Monday, calling for the reversal of the electricity tariff hike.

Leicester City have announced the departure of Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho.

Iheanacho is leaving the Foxes after seven years.

The 27-year-old’s contract will expire at the end of this month.

The Nigerian joined Leicester City from Manchester City in 2017.

Iheanacho scored 61 goals in Leicester’s colours, including the winner against his former club in the FA Community Shield final at Wembley in August 2021.

The Foxes also announced they are in talks with his compatriot, Wilfred Ndidi, over a new contract.

Ndidi’s current contract will end at the end of the month.

Super Eagles of Nigeria mount more pressure on themselves in the race to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by failing to defeat South Africa in Uyo.

Ahead of the World Cup qualification match which went down at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium earlier today, June 7, it was clear that the South African side had the aim of beating or drawing with the Super Eagles in Uyo.

Unfortunately for the Nigerian side, the Super Eagles played into their hands as they failed to stamp their authority in the game during the first half.

The Nigerian side looked completely uncoordinated in the first 45 minutes as they struggled to put passes together, especially in the final third.

As for the Bafana Bafana, they maintained their game plan which was to wait and launch counter-attacks. The tactics paid off for them in the 29th minute when Themba Zwane opened the scoring for the visitors.

The Bafana Bafana side ended the first half with the slim lead which didn’t last up to one minute in the second half of the encounter. Turkish-based Nigerian midfielder, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru of Hatayspor scored the equalizer for Nigeria in the 46th minute.

After that, the Super Eagles continued with their uncoordinated display, especially in the opposition’s penalty box as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

The draw leaves the Super Eagles in the 5th spot in Group C, a point below 4th placed South Africa and two points below first-placed Lesotho.

As it stands, every game in the qualification series matters for the Super Eagles starting with their next game which is against third-placed Benin Republic in Abidjan on June 10.

The Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government has increased its offer of a new national minimum wage to N62,000.

Organized labour has reduced its demand from N494,000 to N250,000.

Already the Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage has adjourned as there was no consensus at the meeting.

The organized private sector also backed the government offer of N62,000, Vanguard reports.

The Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage, NNMW, adjourned following their inability to reach an agreement.

According to the source, “there was disagreement on the amount. The government offered N62,000 and Labour offered N250,000.

“The report is to be communicated to the President for further deliberation on the next line of action. Let us wait for the President to receive the report.”

Recalls that organised labour’s negotiating team walked out of the committee meeting on Tuesday, May 22, for the second time in two weeks after the Federal Government increased its offer to N60,000 from the N57,000 it offered on Wednesday, May 22.

Labour, represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and its Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart, walked out of the tripartite committee meeting on May 15 after the government offered N48,000 and Organised Private Sector, OPS, offered N54,000, against the N615,000.

The 2023 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Friday, said the voice of Bauchi Central Senator, Abdul Ningi can’t be suspended from the people’s hearts.

Atiku said those who bear true conscience are welcome to his house.

Posting on X, Atiku wrote: “The voice of truth which Senator Ningi represents cannot be suspended from the hearts of the people. Every bearer of true conscience is welcome in my house. -AA”

In March, DAILY POST reported that the Senate suspended Ningi for three months over his allegation of budget padding.

His suspension followed an interview with BBC Hausa where he claimed that the Federal Government was operating two versions of the 2024 budget.

Ningi claimed that the N28.7 trillion budget passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Bola Tinubu was skewed against the North.

Following his suspension, he was recalled on May 28 after the Deputy Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro initiated a process, expressing regret on his behalf.

The Bauchi Central senator resumed at the National Assembly on Tuesday after he was recalled.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will take on South Africa in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier clash at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday night.

As at the time of filing this report, the team has concluded preparations for the encounter with only tactical finishing touches remaining before the team takes to the magnificent edifice in the center of Uyo.

The man who has been saddled with the responsibility of getting the team’s World Cup dreams on track, Finidi George is confident that his players will give their all to grab the maximum points against South Africa.

Finidi said, “We have trained well, the players understand the task. I trust my players and their quality. It’s a must win game.

“We’re prepared for the game. The players are focused, they have really worked hard to expect victory on Friday.

“The AFCON win against South Africa is gone, this is a new game. We have our plans.

“We’ve put behind the AFCON clash in Ivory Coast. The AFCON and World Cup qualifiers are two different things. But overall, we will win”.

The former Enyimba coach said he is not scared ahead of the match, and reiterated once again that the team is all out to win tonight.

“I don’t have anything to prove. I am relaxed, it is football. I want to win, I understand the tasks. I am not scared, I played at the highest and we are going for a win.”

Three Super Eagles players were affected by the Nationwide strike on Monday, and some players arrived at the team’s camp on Tuesday and Thursday respectively, which means Finidi only had one training session with the full 23-man squad.

The 53-year-old insisted that the strike did not disrupt the team’s preparation for the match.

“The strike affected just three players, I had enough sessions with the squad,”

Meanwhile, The Super Eagles are now fourth in Group C after Benin Republic defeated Rwanda 1-0 on Thursday night.

The win propelled the Gernot Rohr-led team to second on the table on four points alongside table-toppers Rwanda.

South Africa are in the third position, while the Super Eagles occupy the fourth position. A win for Nigeria will take them to the top of the table with five points.

The match is slated for 8pm Nigerian time at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.

Chelsea have announced the signing of Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Tosin joins Chelsea as a free agent after his contract at Fulham ran out this month, and he has become the first signing of the Enzo Maresca’s era at Stamford Bridge.

The 26-year-old has signed a four-year deal to become Chelsea’s first signing of the summer.

The Blues saw off a late challenge from Manchester United for his signature after hijacking his signing from Newcastle United.

Tosin is delighted to join Chelsea and expressed his desire to help return the club to its desired heights.

He said, “Chelsea is a huge club and this is a full-circle moment for me. I was born three miles away from Stamford Bridge and made my professional debut there.

“I’m very excited and looking forward to helping push the club in the direction we want to go.”

Tosin was born in London but raised in Manchester. He began his career with Man City at the age of five. He moved through the club’s youth ranks and regularly captained the Under-18s when he was 16 years old.

He is eligible to play for Nigeria despite representing England at youth level.

It is understood that Tosin is a replacement for Thiago Silva, who left the club at the end of the season to join Fluminese in Brazil.

Tosin will team up with Nigeria-eligible stars like Carney Chukwuemeka, Noni Madueke and Lesley Ugochukwu at Stamford Bridge.

As Labour, FG Continues Negotiation

Report has indicated that state governors are not considering a new national minimum wage that is higher than ₦70,000.

According to The Nation, the state helmsmen, after a meeting in Abuja reviewed the situation and concluded that any amount above ₦70,000 is not feasible.

They ruled out the ₦100,000 option being dangled by some people.

Sources at the meeting said the governors, who met under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), considered options between ₦60,000 offered to Labour by the Federal Government before the strike, and ₦70,000, which is what the Edo State Government has started paying.

The source said, “After deliberation on the minimum wage, we decided to consider options between N60,000 and N70,000 a month. We could not reach a concrete decision on the wage rate for states.

“Eventually, a committee, to be led by Governor Uzodimma, was mandated to look at all presentations and make recommendations.

“The NGF will soon reconvene to consider the Uzodimma Committee report.

“No state can afford to pay a N100,000 minimum wage and we have ruled out this benchmark.

“Records available to us indicated that some states are still paying N18,000 because they are unable to afford N30,000 (which came into effect in 2019). Only a state has adopted a N70, 000 wage.”

Naija News reports that this development is in line with a previous statement by Chairman of NGF and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq that states will only agree to a minimum wage that is “affordable and sustainable”.