A former Director-General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Doyin Okupe, says he is not a member of the ruling APC but appreciates the bold reforms being implemented by President Bola Tinubu.

Okupe, a former presidential spokesperson, disclosed this on his X handle (formerly Twitter) while reacting to criticisms over his appreciation of Tinubu’s initiatives.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Okupe has been criticised for always supporting, advising, and praising every government in power since 1999.

Okupe had served as an aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and then Goodluck Jonathan as a PDP member.

He later joined Labour Party to support the presidential bid of Peter Obi for the 2023 elections.

Okupe said, “I am neither a member of the APC nor an adviser of the administration.

“I appreciate the bold initiatives President Bola Tinubu took to remove fuel subsidy, which was assented to by all candidates during the campaign.

“I also fully support the sectoral equalisation of our forex market.

“Both reforms are responsible for the hardship our people are currently experiencing, but which I believe will be temporary judging by the strenuous efforts the government is making towards ameliorating them.

“This is not praise singing. I do not count myself as a member of the opposition; hence, I am able to be objective and understandingly supportive.

“I may not have had a hand in installing this govt but it is my country, and I am a stakeholder in it. I do not pray for it to crash or go down. This cannot be an offence.”

He urged his critics, especially a PDP chieftain, Mr Dele Momodu, to stop being  personal in their criticisms.

“We are all practitioners, players, and known actors in this amphitheater, no need to go personal. Let’s keep criticism rational, mature, and professional,” he added.

Okupe said that it was not true that he had been praising every government since 1999.

He said that he only acted as adviser in Obasanjo’s administration, which he described as one of the most successful since the advent of the fourth republic.

Okupe said that he did not play any significant role in the succeeding administration of late President Umaru Yar Adua.

The former presidential spokesman said that he, however, became an adviser for the second time in the Jonathan administration, which was defeated by the former President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC.

According to Okupe, his association with former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Peter Obi is in no way different from Momodu’s current association with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. (NAN) 

rejects new Senate position

The ousted Senate Chief Whip, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has rejected the chairmanship of the Committee on Tourism offered him, saying he is not a tourist.

Ndume also said only his constituents, who elected him, can ask him to leave the All Progressives Congress, APC, for another party.

Furthermore, he lauded President Bola Tinubu on the N70,000 new minimum wage but said it was little compared to a 50kg bag of rice.

Recall that the National Working Committee, NWC, of APC had removed Senator Ndume (APC, Borno South) as Chip Whip over his comments on President Buhari.

However, reacting on Friday, the politician said he stood by his comments but had accepted his removal.

Tourism Committee chair

Ndume spoke to journalists at his residence in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, on Friday. He was home for the third day prayers for his late sister-in-law.

He said: “As for the Chairman Senate Committee on Tourism offered to me, I want to say that I am not a tourist and not good in tourism.

“As it is, I have spent over 10 years without going to any foreign countries. I have never been to the United Kingdom, UK. Even the United States of America which I went was when I was schooling there.

“I am happy; yesterday the President approved the minimum wage to N70,000 only. It is a good move. But the minimum wage is still minimal compared to a 50kg bag of rice which costs over N70,000.”

On his removal, he said: “I had wanted to react. But I was mourning. I now deem it feet to do so.
“I am a democrat and a realist, and someone who always says the truth no matter whose ox is gored.

“According to former US President, Mr. Theodore Roosevelt, and I quote ‘Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else’.

‘I stand by my words’

Ndume continued: “Therefore, I have not regretted what I said during my interview with Arise TV. I thank all Nigerians who took to their social media platforms and groups who issued a press statement aligning with my statement regarding excruciating hunger and insecurity under President Bola Tinubu.

“Secondly, the NWC of our great party, APC recommended to the Senate that I should be removed, which they did, I took that as an act of God. Because it is God that gave me that mandate as Chief Whip.
“So I bear no grudges about what transpired. After all, I did not contest to be the Chief Whip or to be the Vice Chairman of the Appropriation Committee. Rather, I contested to be a senator representing southern Borno and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“So it is not that am desperate. I am over 64 years old now, and I thank God.

… on joining PDP

“On the advice(s) that I am free to join the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or any political party of my choice, I want to reiterate that, I am one of the Founding members of the APC.
“It is my people, my constituency and teaming supporters, that will decide for me whether to stay in APC, join another party or quit politics. Whatever their advice, is what I will work with.

“On whether I will take the matter to court, I want to say that, I will not go to court. I surrendered my case to Almighty Allah (God),” Ndume stated.

However, Ndume called on his supporters and teaming Nigerians to continue to pray for God to have mercy on the masses, restore peace in the land, and to remain calm and law-abiding always as things unfold.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has imposed a fine of $220 million on Meta, parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, for multiple data privacy violations.

According to a statement on Friday signed by Adamu Abdullahi, FCCPC’s acting chief executive officer, the penalty is in accordance with the FCCPA 2018, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection (administrative penalties) Regulations 2020 (APR).

More to follow…

Philip Shaibu, reinstated deputy governor of Edo, says he is now “an unofficial member” of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Shaibu spoke in a chat with Arise TV’s Good Morning Show on Friday.

On Wednesday, a federal high court in Abuja ordered Shaibu’s reinstatement as deputy governor of Edo following his impeachment in April.

In his first public appearance after the judgment, Shaibu’s convoy was attacked in Benin City by suspected gunmen, with one police officer killed.

Shaibu, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was with Monday Okpebholo, the APC candidate for the September 21 governorship election in Edo, when the incident occurred.

Asked about his relationship with the APC governorship candidate, Shaibu said his “spirit” has left the PDP.

He added that he is “as good as being a member of APC” and “the only thing is that I have not officially left PDP”.

“For now, I am PDP. But going forward, if I declare for APC, it means that I have declared full support for Okpebholo,” Shaibu said.

“I am as good as being a member of APC, I can tell you that. I have two legs in APC. The only thing is that I have not officially left PDP. I am an unofficial member of APC. My spirit has left PDP.”

Shaibu was impeached after falling out with Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo state.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says President Bola Tinubu agreed to a N250,000 minimum wage proposal on the condition that the pump price of petrol would be increased.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said labour leaders rejected the president’s condition because it would exacerbate the current hardship.

On Thursday, Tinubu approved N70,000 as the new minimum wage for workers.

The approval was announced after Tinubu met with Ajaero and Festus Osifo, president of the TUC, at the presidential villa in Abuja.

The federal government will send a minimum wage bill to the national assembly next week.

Speaking on the development, Ajaero said labour leaders accepted the N70,000 offer because of the other benefits attached, and the three-year review period.

“Accepting N70,000 was the best way to make sure that we save Nigerians from further hardship,” Ajaero said.

“At the last meeting, the president brought a proposal that ‘I will give you guys N250,000, if you allow me to equally increase the pump price of petroleum products’ and we said no that we need to go and consult.

“Today, we went there to tell him ‘no’ and that the labour movement can make sacrifices without allowing Nigerians to suffer further on the increase of pump price of petroleum products.”

The NLC president said the current minimum wage regime became invalid on April 18, 2024, and that government will pay the arrears when a new wage regime kicks in.

BACKGROUND

Over the past few months, federal and state governments, organised labour, and the private sector have been negotiating a new minimum wage.

Initially, organised labour proposed N615,500 and N494,000 as the new national minimum wage, citing inflation and the prevailing economic hardship.

The federal government proposed N62,000, which was rejected.

The labour unions had insisted on N250,000 as the living wage.

The federal government asked the labour unions to demand a more realistic and sustainable minimum wage.

On Thursday, the tripartite committee agreed on N70,000 as the new minimum wage.

Temi Otedola, the Nigerian actress, has celebrated Mr Eazi, her partner, on his 33rd birthday.

In an Instagram post, Temi referred to Mr Eazi as her “forever favorite person” and “soon-to-be husband”.

“Celebrating you today + every day!!! Happy birthday to my forever person, my favorite person, my soon-to-be oko,” she wrote.

In another post on her Instagram story, Temi reflected on how her life changed since meeting the singer.

She also expressed gratitude for his positive influence over the past eight years and shared her excitement for their future together.

“My entire life changed when I met you! Over the last eight years, you’ve inspired, supported, and continually shown that you’re the kindest soul I’ve ever come across. I’m so excited to spend the rest of your birthdays by your side,” she added.

Temi and Mr Eazi began their relationship in 2017 and engaged in April 2023.

Last year, the actress called Mr Eazi her “husband” in social media posts and said she had moved in with him.

In November 2023, Mr Eazi clarified that their wedding was not a secret.

He added that their wedding details were subtly revealed in the music video for his song ‘Legalize.’

Temi made her acting debut in Kunle Afolayan’s film ‘Citation’.

The film earned her the ‘Best Actress’ award at the Ghana Movie Awards and a nomination for ‘Revelation of the Year’ at the 2020 Best of Nollywood Awards.

Born on July 19, 1991, Mr Eazi gained fame in the Nigerian music industry with his hit song ‘Skin Tight’ and has since received numerous accolades for his musical talent.

Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has charged Nigerian youths in the North East region to shelve any plan of embarking on another round of protests, saying such a move would be dangerous and counterproductive.

The governor, through his Senior Special Assistant, Digital and Strategic Communications, Yusuf Ali, also charged the youths with the responsible use of social media in shaping positive narratives about the state and the country.

Buni gave the charge during the launch of the Ethical and Re-Orientation Campaign (Operation Gyaran Hali), organised by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Ethical Re-Orientation in Damaturu.

He said no Nigerian youth, especially from the North East part of the country, in his right senses will stage a protest that will disturb the hard-earned peace that people are enjoying in the North East after years of Boko Haram insurgency.

He added that the North East part of the country was yet to recover from the impact of the deadly Boko Haram insurgency, which has left the region in ruins with millions of people’s lives and property worth billions destroyed.

“We all have not forgotten what we have gone through during the dark days of the insurgency. Only those who have no senses will pray to go back to those years when people were running for their dear lives not to talk of what to eat,” Buni said.

According to him, another round of protests will worsen the already precarious security situation and economic hardship currently bedevilling the North East region and country.

The governor said his administration has taken bold steps in training youths on the responsible use of social media and providing tools for them to key into the digital economy.

He noted that the Yobe State Information Technology Development Agency, YITDA, is also working to engage more youths in its drive to provide digital skills to the people.

The governor called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, and parents to rise to the responsibility, of rebuilding the eroding culture of discipline, decency, and righteousness in the youth for a better future.

The Organised Private Sector, OPS, has reacted to the new N70,000 minimum wage adopted by the Federal Government.

DAILY POST had reported that President Bola Tinubu on Thursday approved N70,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers, with a promise to review the national minimum wage law every three years.

Reacting, the spokesperson of OPS, and Director General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, warned that members cannot pay the N70,000 national minimum wage announced by the Federal Government without support. 

He was quoted as saying: “While we commend the President for putting to rest the immediate issue of the National Minimum Wage, we also note, most importantly, his commitment to support the sub-nationals and the organised private sector to pay the new wage.”

The Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, (NAHCON) Malam Jalal Arabi, has said that the N90 billion subsidy provided by the Federal Government for the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage was largely used as intervention to bridge gaps in pilgrims’ flight fares.

A total of 65,000 Nigerian pilgrims performed this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia, while 40 of them died during the pilgrimage.

The House of Representatives had constituted a committee, chaired by Sada Soli (APC Katsina), to probe NAHCON’s performance during the pilgrimage after some state governors expressed dissatisfaction with the Commission, especially over alleged inadequate provision of accommodation in Muna, Saudi Arabia, and insufficient Basic Travel Allowance, BTA, for pilgrims from their states.

Making clarification on the utilization of the fund, Arabi explained that the subsidy was utilized to address the increase in the 2024 Hajj costs.

“The Federal Government granted us a N90 billion subsidy, which we carefully utilised to address the unprecedented increase in Hajj costs.

“The high dollar exchange rate caused the cost per seat to surge above N9 million, necessitating our intervention to mitigate the burden on pilgrims.

“To address the issue, we convened a meeting with representatives from all states to discuss the matter. We then compiled a list of intending pilgrims who had already paid the approved N8 million.

“Subsequently, we supplemented the remaining N1.6 million for each of the over 50,000 pilgrims to complete the payment, ensuring that their Hajj journey was not disrupted,” he said.

“The N1.6 million used to supplement the Hajj fares of 50,000 pilgrims would amount to N80 billion, leaving about N10 billion from the money provided by the government. In the interview, Arabi said the remaining funds were prudently used for other logistics but did not provide the breakdown,” he stressed.

Arabi added that, unlike other commissions in Nigeria, NAHCON does not receive regular subventions from the Federal Government, either monthly or annually, to fund its operations.

On the achievements of NAHCON under his leadership, he said: “In our first year in the helms of affairs, we made concerted efforts to deliver optimal results, acknowledging that we faced some obstacles.

“Nevertheless, we have drawn valuable insights from our experiences and are committed to building upon our progress.

“The Commission has already commenced preparations for next year’s Hajj, and we are confident that our services will be even more efficient and effective, surpassing the expectations of our esteemed pilgrims.”

It would be recalled that NAHCON concluded the airlift of Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with the arrival of 312 pilgrims from Kwara State.

The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, has accepted 16 years as the admission age into tertiary institutions for the 2024/2025 academic session.

Mamman who had earlier pegged the admission age of undergraduates to 18, however made a u-turn after protests from stakeholders at the 2024 policy meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The minister succumbed following the argument that students under the age of 18 had already registered, sat and passed the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and were awaiting admission.

The meeting held on Thursday in Abuja and had in attendance the JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, vice chancellers, registrars and other stakeholders.

Leading the motion against the minister’s pronouncement, Professor Kayode Ijiadunola, who got massive support from other heads, registrars and admission officers participating in the policy meeting, proposed 16 as the minimum age requirement for admission into tertiary institutions.

“What happens to those who have written this year’s exams and passed their exams? We reject 18 years as the minimum age requirement and are proposing 16 years,” he said.

While the hall erupted in support of 16 years as a minimum requirement, the Registrar of JAMB asked where parents and candidates were rushing to.

“The only point is they have taken examinations and at that time they were not told or aware and therefore if we want to enforce it, it should be from subsequent years,” Professor Oloyede said.

The minister in response says, “I can work with that but I want to remind you of one thing, even that argument cannot stand if we want to go by the law which states 6-3-3-4 as our system of education, it won’t stand but for practical reasons, for this year, I will allow it to stand.”

Reiterating the minister’s decision amidst resounding applause, Professor Oloyede added, “We thank the minister for conceding but from next year we will enforce it.”

Professor Mamman, while delivering his address earlier as the chairman of the 2024 Joint Admissions Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) policy meeting on Education, had called for the enforcement of 18 years as the new minimum admission age for admission into tertiary institutions in the country.