Author: Vincent Osuwo

Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo stated on Wednesday that governors and other elected officials should be paid the minimum wage to reflect Nigeria’s actual realities. He stated that, despite the flashy lives depicted by governors and elected officials, the country was experiencing a severe financial crisis. The governor spoke during a special edition of The Platform, which is hosted by The Covenant Nation, to encourage national development. According to him, Nigeria’s economic troubles are aggravated by government officials’ expensive lives, which are funded at the expense of the country’s resources. “Let’s come clean and straight with Nigerians. Nigeria is very…

The United States has expanded its sanctions against Russia, including a new crackdown on banks working with sanctioned entities.  It expands on a December initiative to target foreign banks believed to be supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. The United States also imposed sanctions on the Moscow stock exchange, forcing it to cease trade in dollars and euros. It also attempted to restrict Russia’s use of technology, such as chips and software. In December, US President Joe Biden issued an executive order imposing sanctions on banks that do business with over 1,200 individuals and organisations suspected of aiding Russia’s war…

Ambassador Ibrahim Lamuwa, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been suspended by the Office of the Head of Service following a sexual harassment complaint.  The Head of Service, Folashade Yemi-Esan, stated that the permanent secretary would be suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into the allegations against him. “The permanent secretary has been suspended pending the outcome of the probe by the committee set up,“ a senior director in the OHCSF told our correspondent in Abuja. Following a petition presented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar against Lamuwa, the HoS formed a committee to investigate…

The federal government has urged organised labour to take into account the wider economic consequences of their demands for an unjustifiably higher national minimum wage.  The admonition was delivered by Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation. Idris warned that the N250,000 minimum salary proposed by labour may damage the economy, cause a mass layoff of workers, and endanger the wellbeing of Nigerians. The labour unions, on the other hand, denied President Bola Tinubu’s assertions that a deal had been reached on the new national minimum wage during his Democracy Day speech on Wednesday. The Tripartite Committee on the…

Organised labour, made up of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC), and the Trade Union Congress(TUC), has refuted President Bola Tinubu’s assertion that an agreement had been reached on a new national minimum wage. In his nationwide broadcast to mark Democracy Day, Tinubu asserted that the Federal Government and organised labour had come to an agreement on the much-discussed new minimum wage. Tinubu disclosed that the new minimum wage accord will shortly be formalised through the submission of an executive bill to the National Assembly. The president highlighted that, in response to workers union demands, his administration opted for democracy over dictatorship.…

Nigerians have applauded Sen. Shehu Sani for his “non-partisan” and “patriotic” Democracy Day speech to President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday. While speaking at the Democracy Day dinner held in Abuja on Wednesday, Sani mentioned that “a national anthem, pledge, or constitution cannot unite a nation.” Speaking on the need to unite the country, the senator who represented Kaduna Central at the Senate mentioned that “a national anthem will not unite a nation, a national pledge will not unite a nation, and a constitution cannot unite a nation.” Sani went on to say, “a nation is united by the ideals of…

“A national anthem, pledge, or constitution cannot unite a nations.” These were the words of Sen. Shehu Sani to President Bola Tinubu during the Democracy Day dinner held in Abuja on Wednesday. Speaking on the need to unite the country, the senator who represented Kaduna Central at the Senate mentioned that “a national anthem will not unite a nation, a national pledge will not unite a nation, and a constitution cannot unite a nation.” Sani went on to say, “a nation is united by the ideals of freedom; a nation is united by equity and by justice.” Speaking on the…

No fewer than nine people have been killed and 29 injured in a Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s southern city of Kryvyi Rih, local officials say. Five children are among the injured after a residential block was struck on Wednesday, according to the prosecutor general’s office in Ukraine. Four people had been reported missing earlier. Police, volunteers, and emergency personnel are currently going through the wreckage. There are search dogs on the site. Russia’s defence ministry has not made any statements in public regarding the alleged attack on the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky has expressed his condolences…

Operatives in Ghana have arrested two British citizens attempting to smuggle $6.48 million (£5 million) worth of cocaine to London. The drug was found on Monday at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, the capital of Ghana, weighing about 166 kg (366 lbs). The suspects were supposed to arrive at London Gatwick Airport aboard a British Airways flight. The Cocaine was divided into 72 slabs, and the Ghanaian Narcotic Control Commission claims the two concealed it within six luggage. The sting operation was carried out in collaboration with the UK Crime Agency and the commission. Ghana is a major hub for…

No fewer than 80 people have died after a boat sank in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the country’s president has said. The catastrophe occurred on the Kwa River, 70 kilometres (44 miles) from the town of Mushie in the Maï-Ndombe region, close to the border with neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville, on Wednesday. President Félix Tshisekedi expressed his “devastation” on social media. The president issued an order for an investigation into what caused it, in addition to promising assistance to anyone impacted. “The President of the Republic is calling for an investigation into the true causes of this unfortunate incident to…