No fewer than 386 people, mostly women and children, have been rescued by the Nigerian Army in Sambisa forest 10 years after their abduction.

The acting GOC 7 Division, Brig. Gen. AGL Haruna, made this known while speaking to newsmen at the outskirts of Sambisa forest in Konduga LGA after welcoming the troops that conducted the 10-day operation.

Haruna said that the operation tagged “Operation Desert Sanity 111” was to clear Sambisa forest of the remnants of all categories of terrorists, as well as provide some of them, eager to surrender as observed, the opportunity to do so.

“Our effort is to ensure that we clear remnants of terrorists in the Sambisa and give those willing to surrender the opportunity to surrender.

“With this operation, we envisage many of them will surrender as they have started.

“We also rescued some civilians; as of yesterday, we rescued 386 and I am sure the number will increase by today,” Haruna said.

The GOC, who addressed the troops on the message of the Chief of Army Staff, lauded their performance and professionalism exhibited during the operation and urged them to sustain the tempo.

Some of those rescued, who spoke, said they have been in captivity for the past 10 years.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that troops from 21 Special Armoured Brigade, 26 Task Force Brigade, and 199 Special Forces participated in the operation.

British heavyweight fighter, Tyson Fury has expressed his frustration over his split decision loss to Ukrainian fighter Oleksandr Usyk, implying that sympathy for Usyk’s war-torn country influenced the judges’ verdict.

The undefeated Ukrainian became the first undisputed world champion of the century after a closely contested fight against Fury in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.

Usyk, donning his national colours, dedicated his historic win to the people of Ukraine in the aftermath of the judges’ announcement in Riyadh. 

He had temporarily returned to Ukraine following the Russian invasion in February 2022 before resuming his boxing career.

Fury, visibly disappointed, suggested that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine may have swayed the judges.

“I believe I won that fight. He won a few rounds, but I won the majority of them,” Fury stated in the ring after the fight.

“We both put on a good fight. His country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war. Make no mistake, I won that fight in my opinion.”

Former Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, has criticized the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) for regretting supporting President Bola Tinubu during the last general election.

Recalls that the NEF spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, in a statement last month, said the North made a mistake in voting Tinubu to the presidency in 2023.

Suleiman said it is unlikely that they will repeat the same error in the future.

However, Masari, in an interview with Daily Trust, said the Northern elders endorsed Tinubu based on expectations rather than principles.

The former governor said it was too early in the administration’s first year for most of the criticisms it has suffered.

He said, “Those who say they are regretting supporting him (Tinubu) are saying it because they did not support on principles. They supported him on expectations, and when those expectations were not met for them, then they could say they regretted it.

“The problem is that some of us stood for principles (in supporting Tinubu), and a government that has come to serve for four years has served for six months, nine months, and you are passing judgments on it; that is absolutely wrong.”

Reacting to the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Peter Obi, who have been very critical of the APC-led government’s policies, Masari said there was no magic the opposition could have performed to alleviate the pains Nigerians are going through within the period Tinubu has been in power.

He added that the other leading contestants in the 2023 presidential election equally promised to remove the fuel subsidy that has plunged the country into untold hardship during the campaign.

He said, “Some of the people who are talking now, their own would have been worse. Since during the campaign, all the political parties, including those who are talking now, didn’t they promise that they would remove subsidy?

“Is there any political party that did not campaign on subsidy removal? Let us not go there. Because we are Nigerians, we are bad losers. And sometimes, the winners are supposed to be more accommodating and patient. That’s the price of leadership.”

The National President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Shettima Yerima, has praised the credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He stated this while reacting to a recent comment by former Anambra governor, Peter Obi.

Naija News recalls that Obi had stated that justice in Nigeria is “commodified” and “goes to the highest bidder”.

He opined that the biggest problem in Nigeria’s democracy is the Judiciary, not the INEC.

Sharing his thoughts on Obi’s submission, Yerima, in a statement on Saturday, expressed his firm belief that INEC is a reputable institution that consistently upholds the principles of fairness, impartiality, and transparency in conducting elections in the country.

According to him, Obi’s acknowledgement that the Judiciary, rather than INEC, posed the greatest challenge to Nigeria’s democracy further strengthened his conviction in the integrity of the apex electoral umpire in the land.

The AYCF has long maintained that INEC is a credible, impartial, and unbiased institution that consistently conducts credible elections.

He said, “Peter Obi’s remarks have vindicated our stance and affirmed that INEC is not the primary obstacle to democratic electoral practices in Nigeria.

“We emphasized the importance of strong institutions like INEC in ensuring the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.”

An unidentified middle-aged man has reportedly died while watching a football match in Lagos State.

Naija News understands that the unfortunate incident occurred on Thursday, May 16.

According to Punch, the deceased, who is said to be a regular customer of the open bar, walked in, sat down, and started to watch a football match until he fell asleep.

However, all efforts to wake the deceased when the match ended were abortive, as he was found motionless.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident, saying it was reported to the Elere Police Division.

According to him, “The owner of a bar located along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway reported at Elere Division that at about 6:15 pm on Thursday, one of his male customers in his 50s, whose name and address are yet unknown, came into the open bar to sit and watch television.

“He was later observed to be sleeping on the chair and in an attempt to wake him up, it was discovered that he was lifeless. The scene was visited by detectives of the division, and the deceased was seen lifeless on the chair without any mark of violence.

The body has been removed to the Mainland General Hospital mortuary, Yaba, Lagos State for autopsy. Efforts to trace his family are in progress.”

Nigerian striker, Victor Boniface has flew his childhood coach who discovered his potential while starting his career as a juvenile in Akugre, Nigeria, to watch the Bundesliga champions' coronation, Newspremises reports.

Boniface finished an outstanding first season with the BayArena outfit with his 14th goal of the Bundesliga campaign as Leverkusen defeated Augsburg on the final day.

Despite winning the league in April, Bayer Leverkusen were presented with their medals and the trophy in a fully packed BayArena on Saturday, May 18, 2024.

In pictures shared on social media, Boniface who was encouraging his fans not to give up on their dreams posted photos of when he started football with his ex-coach and his crowning moment with the man known as Coach Perez holding the Bundesliga title.

Boniface has been a key figure at Leverkusen since joining the club from Belgian side, Union Saint-Gilloise, last summer, scoring 21 goals and delivering 10 assists across all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

The 23-year-old could end the season with an unprecedented treble as Leverkusen prepare to face Kaiserslautern in the DFB Pokal final and Atalanta in the Europa League.

Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso's men are now 51 games without a defeat.

Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team has defeated their counterparts from Burkina Faso to advance to the fourth and final qualifying round for the 2024 FIFA U17 Women World Cup in the Dominican Republic.

The Flamingos powered to a well-deserved 6-0 win over their fellow West African side inside the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja to secure a 7-1 aggregate victory.

Harmony Chidi was Nigeria’s outstanding performer as the young forward netted an excellent hat-trick while Peace Effiong claimed a brace to inspire the Flamingos to another huge win.

It would be recalled that the two teams earlier played out a 1-1 draw at the Stade 26 Mars in Bamako, Mali, last week.

However, the Flamingos were in no mood for niceties in Abuja for the return leg match on Saturday as the Coach Bankole Olowookere-led side took a two-goal lead into the halftime break.

Chidi gave Nigeria the lead in the 11th minute before Peace Effiong doubled the advantage just past the half-hour mark.

Nigeria extended the superiority after the interval with Chidi heading home her second of the match and the Flamingos’ third and Ramota Kareem’s brilliant effort compounded the woes for the visitors.

Chidi completed her hat-trick four minutes from time before Peace Effiong bagged her second of the encounter as the rampant Flamingos made light work of Burkina Faso.

The Flamingos’ 6-0 win equals Nigeria’s biggest win during the qualifiers and the country’s best result since beating Azerbaijan 11-0 at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in 2012.

Nigeria have now advanced to the final qualifying round of the 2024 Women’s World Cup, where Flamingos will face either Senegal or Liberia.

The Flamingos won a bronze medal at the 2022 edition of the U17 Women’s World Cup in India after beating Germany in the third-place match.

The Federal Government has explained the importance of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to economic development, saying every 1,000,000 vehicles converted to CNG will save the country about $2.5bn.

The Programme Director, Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas, Pi-CNG, Michael Oluwagbemi, said the push for CNG by the Federal Government would end the era of pollution, environmental degradation and economic hardship.

Oluwagbemi spoke during a one-day South South and Southeast stakeholders engagement meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He said the natural gas was in abundance in the nation but people lacked the foresight to utilise it insisting that CNG is cleaner, cheaper and will reduce the cost of transportation.

He said: “The initiative of the government is critical to our national development and to the well-being of the people. Rivers State is the heart of the oil and gas region. Over the last five to six decades these resources have continued to waste. Nigeria is the second largest waster of oil and gas. We exploit it and waste it then continue to suffer poverty.

“The President has set us on natural gas feature and set up on the nation on the path of growth. The use of gas ensures we have energy savings, mind you the price of Natural gas is controlled by government.

“What the President is asking is to do more with the blessings God has given us. If we are able to move three million vehicles in the next three years we are going to end the era of environmental degradation.”

Oluwagbemi said that the nation stood to benefit with the energy transition, adding that CNG remained more reliable for the transportation sector of the country.

He said CNG had the capacity to reduce the current inflation troubling the nation’s economy.

He said: “Nigeria stands to gain a lot from the energy transition in the transportation sector. First and foremost, CNG is our own resource. Natural gas is everywhere in Nigeria. It is a much more reliable source of fuel the transportation sector. No longer will there be crises out of Nigeria impact the economic livelihood of the country.

“It has the capacity of reducing inflation. It is cheaper. You can realise between 40% to 50% savings from patrol. This is good for Nigeria and it is safer. It is 18 time safer than our petrol and diesel. IT is cleaner and safer for the environment.

“We will stop subsidizing poverty importing unemployment and exporting jobs. We will be using our own natural gas to drive our transportation sector. To a common man this translates to reduction in the cost of transportation. Our jobs is to give incentivise the CNG vehicle. To ensure we close the financing gap that exists.

“There is enough demand for natural gas all we need to do now is to open stations, pipelines and conversations centres. When we convert our vehicles, 1,000,000 vehicles they will convert it save the country about $2.5 billion a year. This will also save us 6,000,000 litres a day. These are monies that we can spend on hospitals on roads.”

In his remarks, Fola Akinola, the Chief Executive Officer of FEMADEC Energy Limited, said plans had been concluded to open two CNG refueling stations, and two vehicle conversion parks in Port Harcourt.

He said: “CNG is an old technology. We want to tell you that you have the opportunity to convert your vehicle from fuel to CNG. The stations will be launched in Port Harcourt and we are launching a refueling unit alongside. Rivers State is going to have a micro refueling unit at Stadium Road and in GRA.

“Those that wants to invest in CNG refueling units it is available. Even those who have fuel State facilities can as well invest in this.”

The Abia State Government said it had already diverted its N2bn subsidy palliative from the federal government for investment in CNG.

The Commissioner for Energy and Environment, Abia State, Prof. Joel Ogbonna, told the Pi-CNG committee that his state had set all grounds ready to key into the presidential directive, adding that the state was ready to kick off.

He said: “When Governor Alex Otti came, he declared State of emergency on environment. The governor has set aside N2 billion for the fuel subsidy for CNG. Abia State has set aside the Abia State Poly for trainings in CGN.

“We have also development an industrial park to be able to produce gas. We want to also pass a bill so that people will be told what to do to ensure safety so that there will not be hazards. We are ready to take off with the CNG.”

Organised Labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, has said it will not accept the N48,000 minimum wage offer proposed by the Federal Government.

The organised private sector had proposed an initial offer of N54,000 as a monthly living wage.

The unions had on Wednesday dumped the minimum wage negotiation after the Federal Government offered to pay N48,000, a figure far below the N615,00 the unions were demanding as the new national minimum wage.

After abandoning the session, the furious labour leaders in an emergency press conference vented their displeasure with the offer, stating that it was “an insult to the sensibilities of Nigerian workers”.

This was the second time in two weeks that the negotiation had run into trouble.

The last session, held on April 29, was deadlocked after organised labour insisted on N615,000 minimum wage.

The Federal Government disagreed with labour’s demand, stating that it was unreasonable.

The National President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, stressed that the amount was arrived at after analysing the current economic situation and the needs of an average Nigerian family of six.

He blamed the government and the OPS for the breakdown in negotiation, saying, “Despite earnest efforts to reach an equitable agreement, the less than reasonable action of the government and the organised private sector has led to a breakdown in negotiations”.

Ajaero had, in an earlier interview on the matter, said, “Living wage is such that it will, at least, keep you alive. It is not a wage that will make you poorer and poorer. It is not a wage that will make you borrow to go to work. It is not a wage that will lead you to be in the hospital every day because of malnutrition. For that living wage, we have tried to look at N615,000.

“Let me give you a breakdown of how we arrived at that figure. We have housing and accommodation of N40,000. We asked for electricity of N20,000 — of course, that was before the current tariff increase. Nobody can spend this amount currently. We have a utility that is about N10,000. We looked at kerosene and gas, that is about N25,000 to N35,000.”

Explaining further, the NLC president said, “We looked at food for a family of six. That is about N9,000 in a day. For 30 days, that is about N270,000. Look at health. With the N50,000 provided, there will be no surgery or whatever. For clothing, we looked at N20,000. For education, N50,000. I don’t know about those who tried to put their children in private schools, they will not be able to cope with this amount. We also have sanitation of N10,000.

“I think where we have another bulk of the money is transportation. This is because the workers stay on the fringes and because of the cost of petrol, which amounted to N110,000. That brought the whole living wage to N615,000, and I want anyone to subject this to further investigation and find out whether there will be any savings when you pay somebody at this rate.”

Explaining why the unions would not accept the proposals by the FG and OPS, NLC’s National Treasurer, Mr Hakeem Ambali, said the expectation of labour was cut short with the Federal Government’s N48,000 offer.


He stressed that labour would only come back to the negotiation table when the FG shifts ground and consider paying workers a ‘worthy’ wage.

He said the government must consider food inflation, electricity tariff hikes and the removal of fuel subsidy before coming up with any amount as the minimum wage.

“Our government and employers of labour must show seriousness towards prioritising workers’ welfare and better remuneration. This is because this hardship that is meted out on Nigerians was caused by the policies of the government. All other employers are already benefitting from the increase in allocation in the state and local government.

“Retailers have also increased the price of their goods. Transporters have also increased their rate. Electricity tariff has also been increased. It is only the salary that is static and something urgent must be done. Labour is of the opinion that the right thing must be done. Government must show seriousness towards resolving this issue because it is no longer easy to live in Nigeria as a worker.

“That is why Labour condemned the N48,000 suggestion. Is it meant for feeding alone? If we have a family of six and they are fed with N500 per meal, that will give us N90,000 in a month. This is not adding transport, medical bills and rent. So, the government must also come up with a reasonable minimum wage regime that will address the economic crisis in the country,” he added.

The national treasurer also said FG had refused to engage the main issues on why the N30,000 was no longer sustainable.

He said, “It is not that someone will just tell us, ‘We will give you N100,000 or we will give you N150,0000.’ We will not accept it. There must be empirical data to support it. That is seriousness and collective bargaining.

“We are all living in Nigeria; we are not strangers. How much does it take to go to work for an average worker? How much is rent today? How much is feeding? Our conclusions must be logical.”

Reacting to the position of some experts who proposed N100,000 as a reasonable wage considering the current economic realities, Ambali said anyone who said that was not an expert.

“Those experts must be among the bourgeoisie because how can N100,000 be enough for the worker? Even treating malaria now is a problem for a Nigerian worker. By the calculation of labour, it means no one would be able to live or afford to take care of his family.

“That is why the government was unable to produce something substantial at that meeting because the issues backed by labour are backed by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics. The World Bank said the poverty index is about $2 per person.

“If we have six persons in a family, that is $12 per day. If we multiply $12 by 30 days, using the current exchange rate, we know what we are talking about.

“The government must address both the issue of minimum wage and the galloping inflation rate in the country and put up social policies that would take care of the vulnerable in the society, and not look for a way to pilfer and deep their hands into contributory pension funds, which so many employers are not even paying anyway.

“We believe that the new minimum wage must be a total rework of the workers’ welfare package,” he added.

When asked what organised labour would do if its demands on minimum wage were not met by the government, Ambali said workers might withdraw their services as they would not be able to cope.

He said, “It may not be a strike but it could be withdrawal of services. This is because if workers can no longer go to work, then they will stay at home. If workers trek to work today and trek for one week, they all will relax at home the next week because they may not be able to trek. Workers can’t continue going to work on an empty stomach. Those are the indices that will guide our engagements”.

‘Govt can pay workers’

The NLC treasurer also insisted that the government now had more money with the savings from fuel subsidy removal and could afford to pay workers a decent living wage.

He said,” The Federal Government has said the removal of the subsidy has earned the government over N1trn every month. If 50 per cent of that is reinvested in addressing poverty and the suffering of workers, it will be good.

“This is because the government is about the collective good of the people. We also know that the rate of the tax being imposed on workers is heavy. The poor are being overtaxed in Nigeria while the rich are enjoying tax holidays and exemptions.”

Ambali also called for a reduction in the cost of governance and wasteful government spending, noting that when citizens are going through economic hardship, the most reasonable thing to do is cut the cost of governance where possible.

He lamented that this was not happening in Nigeria with the government at all levels acting as if nothing had changed.

He added, “We have a large retinue of government appointees in Nigeria following elected officers up and down. There are too many. There are too many international trips. These are wastages in the system. There are some appointments that are not adding value to governance. All this should be looked at. Even the size of the cabinet is too much. Let the government reduce all these costs to address the needs of labour.”

The NLC official , however, urged workers to keep faith in the leadership of labour in the battle to get a living wage.

He said, “There is bound to be a lot of propaganda surrounding this matter. Labour leaders would be called names by politicians who will try to divide us and shift focus from the real subject matter. Workers must have confidence in their leaders. Once we are convinced that what is being offered can take an average worker home, we can sign an agreement with the government.”

Similarly, the Deputy National President of the Trade Union Congress, Dr Tommy Etim, said while labour was ready for the Tuesday meeting with the government, it was not ready to compromise on its position that Nigerian workers deserve a decent living wage.

He said, “Labour has already met and our position is very clear on this issue. When we pulled out, we wrote to the two centres (FG and organised private sector), appealing to us to come back for negotiation. They have agreed to shift their grounds and invited us for the continuation of the negotiation.

“We have given our submission. It is up for negotiations. It is based on variables which are known to them. Let them shift ground based on the variables. They have to take cognisance of the cost of accommodation, food, and other important things.

“According to the NBS, a meal is N900. That is official. When we look at what we submitted to them, we put N500 per meal. That is without meat. Let them tell us how they will arrive at whatever they will put on the table for us to consider.”

Labour’s next line of action

He also noted that labour expects the government to take definite action on the minimum wage before its May 31 deadline.

“We gave them May 31 as the deadline for this thing to be concluded. I think they are also working towards making sure the deadline is met. There are several grounds to cover. They know that we have what it takes.

“We believe they will be reasonable this time around to know that they are not playing with children. We want to see their level of seriousness before we discuss the next line of action. They should see the way labour picketed the electricity centres over the tariff. It tells you labour is united for this course. So, there is no cause for going back to the past. Labour is united and there is no going back to our unity,” he added.

Strike an option – TUC

When asked whether labour would consider going on strike over minimum wage, the TUC leader said the strike option was on the table.

He said, “That is one of the options and it is legal. No sane judge or court can give that kind of order to stop workers from exercising their constitutional rights. We are not deterred.”

Oleksandr Usyk beats Tyson Fury to win historic undisputed heavyweight championship fight
Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury by split decision to unify the WBA, WBO, WBC and IBF world titles; Fury and Usyk were fighting at the Kingdom Arena in Riyad to decide the first undisputed world heavyweight champion in 25 years, the first of the four-belt era
By John Dennen in Riyadh
Sunday 19 May 2024 00:52, UK

Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, the first since Lennox Lewis.

Momentum switched in an astonishing ninth round when Usyk seemingly had Fury out on his feet. The Ukrainian smashed a left hook into Fury's jaw. It shook him all the way through his 6ft 9in tall frame and had him rocking across the ring.

Usyk harried him with further crunching shots, smacking Fury into one set of ropes then another. Fury listed into the strands. He could barely stand and leaned into the rigging.

Tyson Fury made his way to the ring through a tunnel of flames to face Oleksandr Usyk

Referee Mark Nelson darted in then and administered a 10 count, apparently convinced that the ropes had kept Fury up. It could have been a fateful decision. The bell rang to end the round and save Fury from another onslaught.

At the start of the fight Fury had appeared dialled into the best form we've seen from him for some time.

Despite the importance of this fight, the historic nature of the occasion, Fury was showboating, early in the fight too. He shimmied his body when stood in a corner in the first round, slipping his head from side to side.

For a moment in the second round he hid his hands behind his back. But it was his long, flickering jab that was connecting, just directing Usyk's attention away from that right that Fury dug occasionally to the body.

He ended the second round with a cracking right uppercut through the middle that prompted a smile from Fury.

Usyk had shown no sign of being intimidated by his vast opponent. He'd sent a thumping left cross arching over to catch Fury's head in the opening rounds. Solid straight shots hit Fury's long body too.

Usyk tracked forward in the third round, as chants of his name rang out.

Fury stayed elusive in the fourth round, sliding along the ropes. But when Usyk had him in a corner, the Ukrainian unleashed his punches forcing Fury to weave away from them.

When Fury found space to work he could direct his attentions at the Ukrainian's body. But in the sixth round Fury truly sensed blood. A long right to the head hurt Usyk. He had to back away from Fury to recover himself and the crowd warmed to the Briton's efforts.

The undisputed heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk attracted stars from around the world including Cristiano Ronaldo and Anthony Joshua

Fury was in the ascendancy in the seventh round, going about his work with an expression of glee. Only right at the end of the round, when Usyk tagged him with his left cross did he sound a note of defiance to remind Fury he was up against no ordinary foe.

That prompted Fury to start the eighth round battering hooks round either side of Usyk's head. The Ukrainian gallantly pushed himself forward, but it was getting harder for him to find a way round Fury's long punches.

But when Usyk hurt Fury in the ninth it changed the complexion of the fight.

The Ukrainian sought to press home his advantage in the final round, his lead hook strafing Fury's jaw. But the Briton slugged back at him to keep Usyk off and take the fight the distance.

The decision was split,114-113 to Fury on one card but in Usyk's favour 115-112 and 114-113 on the other two.