₦airaland Forum

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed N70,000 transport palliative, insisting that workers need an immediate salary increase and full implementation of the outstanding agreement with health workers to address the worsening cost of living.

The congress said temporary wage awards were neither sustainable nor far-reaching, citing the failure to fully implement the 2023 wage award agreed upon by the government and labour.

But the National Secretary of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Gbenga Olowoyo, accepted the N70,000 wage award, while reaffirming labour’s demand for a N500,000 minimum wage.

Meanwhile, ActionAid Nigeria and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have decried poor implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage in some states, with a recent assessment putting compliance at 67 per cent at the state level and 48 per cent at the local council level.

In a statement signed by its President, Festus Osifo, and Secretary General, Nuhu Toro, TUC urged the Federal Government to increase workers’ salaries without waiting for another negotiation.

TUC argued that the government faced no legal impediment in increasing salaries beyond the minimum wage, noting that some states had already raised their minimum wages above N100,000.

It maintained that the government could immediately raise the pay of its lowest-paid workers to N300,000, with appropriate consequential adjustments for other salary levels.

According to the TUC, the statutory minimum wage sets a wage floor, not a ceiling, allowing the government to improve workers’ earnings without waiting for a new minimum wage agreement.

TUC said it communicated its position to the Federal Government in a demand letter dated October 8, 2026, following a meeting of its National Administrative Council in Abuja.

“How can workers be expected to trust fresh promises when previous obligations remain outstanding?” the congress asked.

They called on governments at the federal, state and local council levels to introduce measurable interventions to reduce the cost of essential goods and services, ensure prompt payment of salaries and pensions, protect existing jobs and curb exploitative labour practices.

ON the new wage, Olowoyo said labour remained committed to the proposed wage, but was open to reasonable negotiations with the Federal Government to reach an agreement that would improve workers’ welfare.

He spoke during an interview on Arise News yesterday, following a meeting between organised labour and the Federal Government that lasted more than six hours to discuss workers’ welfare and measures to cushion the impact of rising petrol prices.

The labour leader, who welcomed the Federal Government’s agreement to provide workers with N70,000 transport support monthly for six months, beginning next month, described the intervention as a positive outcome of negotiations.

According to him, the agreement demonstrated the government’s willingness to address workers’ concerns, adding that labour expected the government to honour its commitment and implement the intervention as agreed.

“I think with what happened today – the negotiation that lasted over six hours – and with the outcome of the meeting, I think, it is a good omen,” Olowoyo said.

He explained that the transport support was designed to benefit workers at all levels, including those at the grassroots, following concerns over the increasing cost of transportation and the pressure of higher fuel prices on household budgets.

“The template of N500,000 is still subsisting. At the same time, if government is able to dance around N500,000, we would be alright to support the President. So, we are not going to be rigid, but reasonable,” he said.

ACTIONAID and NLC also called for immediate negotiations for a new minimum wage and a minimum pension, warning that rising inflation, fuel prices and the declining value of the naira have continued to erode workers’ purchasing power.

The findings were contained in a study on minimum wage and pension payment compliance in Nigeria, presented by the organisations in Abuja. The report indicated that although many states fully implemented or exceeded the N70,000 minimum wage, Zamfara and Yobe had yet to achieve full compliance at the local council level, particularly in schools.

It also identified evidence of partial compliance in Ondo, Imo, Edo, Bauchi and Kano, noting that discrepancies persisted in some local councils and private sector establishments, even in states where implementation had been recorded.

On pension payments, the assessment found that compliance with the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) remained inadequate, particularly in the organised private sector (OPS) and private schools.

It stated that compliance with the Pension Reform Act 2014 was fully operational in the public sector but fell below 20 per cent in the OPS and stood at about 70 per cent in private schools.

The report further revealed that although the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) received N5.36 trillion in 2024, many were unable to offset their pension and gratuity liabilities, estimated at N626.8 billion.

Speaking at the presentation of the report, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said negotiations for a new minimum wage should begin immediately to allow sufficient time for discussions before the next review becomes due in April.

He noted that the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act increased the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000 and reduced the review cycle from five years to three years without changing the implementation date.

Earlier, ActionAid Nigeria Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, said poor implementation remained one of the major challenges associated with minimum wage adjustments in the country.

Mamedu said the organisation collaborated with the NLC to assess compliance across states and [quote]local councils and examine lessons from the 2024 wage adjustment ahead of the next negotiations.

He insisted that the N70,000 minimum wage applied to workers on Grade Level One, Step One, while consequential adjustments were expected to maintain appropriate salary differences across other grades and steps.

MONEY247:
Forget sentiment.
Most northern girls are very beautiful. Rating them with girls from the southern part is just due to lack modern school balance. They are beautiful. They're loyal and very sincere when it comes to relationship.

Talk of those shua Arab skin tone. ....

Northern girls are worth looking at

AsomughaChuks02:
And BEDC is owned by Fidelity Bank, which is in turn owned by Peter Obi. Peter Obi is notorious for poor workers' welfare. He sees workers as slaves as a result of his upbringing as a trader.

Stephen0mozzy:
"Backed a bill" una say passed a bill.

As the werey pepper body reach, them no give am Prime Minister 😝

President Bola Tinubu has defended the removal of the petrol subsidy, saying Nigeria will not return to the days of subsidising petrol.

The president spoke on Monday at an event organised by the City Boy Movement, a pro-Tinubu group led by his son Seyi, which is mobilising young voters for his re-election.

Drawing a parallel with the Biblical story of Moses leading Israelites out of Egypt, Tinubu said Israelites faced a challenge at the Red Sea but were made to pass after the sea parted.

He argued that Moses could not be asked to return to Egypt.

“I came and I removed subsidy the first day. I knew Nigeria would go bankrupt. There was nothing left to pay subsidy. I could listen to my political opponents promising a return to subsidy,” he said.

“I remember my scripture studies, both in the Bible and in the Holy Quran.

“When Moses and Musa left Egypt, they faced a challenge, and the Red Sea parted and gave way. You cannot ask Moses to go back to Egypt.”

The president urged young voters to obtain their permanent voter cards (PVCs) and use them in the 2027 presidential election.

“Make sure every young person you know has a PVC and uses it,” he said.

“Tell them what we have done and tell them what we will do.

“We will campaign with our ideas, original thoughts and deep thinking to move this country forward. With your energy and support, never will we go back to Egypt.”

Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy on May 29, 2023, during his inauguration.

Opposition candidates have criticised the policy, with some promising to restore the subsidy if elected in 2027.

Last week, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), said the party “will do whatever is necessary” to reduce petrol prices, including possibly restoring the subsidy if it wins the 2027 presidential election.

Kwankwaso’s comments came weeks after Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, said his administration would restore the petrol subsidy after tackling corruption.

Donald Duke, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, said earlier this month that he would reduce the price of petrol to about N300 per litre if elected president in 2027.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said in August that he would restore the petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.

‘You cannot ask Moses to go back to Egypt’ — Tinubu rules out return to petrol subsidy

“I came and I removed subsidy the first day. I knew Nigeria would go bankrupt. There was nothing left to pay subsidy. I could listen to my political opponents promising a return to subsidy,”… pic.twitter.com/F1bsZyUGM2

— TheCable (@thecableng) October 19, 2026

The Federal Government has approved plans to build a new Eastern-Western electricity grid as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s recurring power grid collapses.

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this at the recent HBSAN energy conference in Lagos, where he outlined plans to address longstanding weaknesses in the country’s electricity transmission infrastructure.

Tegbe said the government is preparing to begin the procurement process for the projects, adding that Nigerians would begin to see their benefits in two to three years.

He revealed that the government has started a technical audit across the entire country to understand the issues with the power sector and to know what should be prioritised.

“We have clustered Nigeria into three energy zones. The first one is the one that demands 50 per cent. If you fix Lagos and you fix the Abuja corridors, you’ve solved more than half of the problem of Nigeria. Because you can’t do that alone based on operational efficiency, you also have to build out your grid.

The President has approved that we commence the process of building out the grid: East and Western grid. We’re going through the procurement process, but it’s something you’ll see the benefits in two to three years,” the Minister said.

The minister said the technical audit of electricity infrastructure is to identify faults and determine which facilities require urgent repairs or replacement.

He said the exercise was intended to ensure that interventions addressed the actual causes of problems rather than directing funds towards the wrong equipment.

“We have started a technical audit across the entire country to say where do we have issues, and what issues specifically do we have. I don’t want to fix transformer issues where I have conductor and relay problems. I don’t want to fix insulators where the challenges I actually have are towers. So, we will finish that technical audit in the next couple of weeks. When we finish it, we then target our prioritised areas,” he said.

Tegbe attributed some of the challenges facing the transmission network to the age of its infrastructure, saying certain facilities dated back several decades.

He maintained that some transmission towers and lines were inherited from an era when the Electricity Company of Nigeria operated before the National Electric Power Authority.

“This government has inherited a problem of 50 years. Before I became the Minister of Power, honestly, I used to think that everybody in the power sector just didn’t know their left from right. But the reality is, some of the towers have gone down with some of the transmission lines there.

“When I went to the site, I saw some of them carrying the logo of ECN. Many people in this room might not know what ECN is. ECN predated NEPA. So, some of these things were built 50 years ago. That is the reality,” he stated.

SatanIsAllah:
Believe Statisense at your own peril.

How can South East be below 50%?

Anyone who has ever been in any of the best universities in Nigeria, knows that there is preponderance of both students and staff from the South East.

SatanIsAllah:
Wonders will never end. So Tinugbo has now left out the University of Chicago from the list of educational he attended in the list he sent to INEC? O GOSH, O GOOOOOOOSSSSHHHHH!🤣🤣🤣

A former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu is addicted to cigarettes.

Mr Lawal made the allegation on Saturday during in an interview on Symfoni TV.

The ex-SGF alleged that Mr Tinubu particularly liked silk cigarettes and “can’t do without” them.

Mr Lawal said, “The only thing I know he likes much is cigarettes, silk. He smokes. I don’t know whether he does it now. He likes that a lot. He can’t do without it (sic).”

He described Mr Tinubu as “an unhealthy man,” who frequently travelled to France for medical treatment.

He urged Mr Tinubu to devote attention to his health after completing four-year term.

Mr Lawal stated, “I have said it before, even his health conditions are publicly known. He is not a healthy man now. Nigerians are not fooled. He is always in France. I have said it before, he should pursue his health.

“He has become president for four years, that is enough. But he cannot do more. We have ample examples to show that when you have declining health and age, your performance runs down exponentially. If I were him, I will face my problems now.

“Do you know something? Bola is not somebody that likes to enjoy food. Bola would wake up in the morning and there is banana in his living room. He would eat banana and groundnut. That is his food. Sometimes in the morning they bring Ogi (pap) and moimoi.”

The politician added that he could not understand the allegations that Mr Tinubu amassed wealth.

Mr Lawal said, before becoming president, the Mr Tinubu he knew was often unkempt, improperly dressed and not a lover of luxury.

“Why is he accused of amassing such excessive wealth? I don’t understand. He is not going to enjoy it. He doesn’t enjoy it. He doesn’t do proper dressing. Now that he is president, he does it. There were times I criticised him about the way he dresses,” Mr Lawal said.

“And you know when you go to Bola Tinubu’s house in the morning, he comes out and meet you and say let’s take pictures, most of the people that like to take pictures, he will pose for you in this pajamas looking unkempt and they will go and send it on the internet.”

“There was a time I was fighting with his aides, don’t allow him to take pictures until he is properly dressed. So he is not somebody that really revels in luxury or things like that,” he added.

"Bola is not even somebody that likes to enjoy food... He will wake up and eat banana and groundnut. Sometimes in the morning, they bring ogi and moimoi... The only thing I know he likes very much is cigarette - Silk. He smokes. He likes that a lot..."

- Babachir Lawal pic.twitter.com/HMd7YOIEEj

— @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) July 27, 2026

A senior consultant physician based in Kano State died after collapsing barely 15 minutes after arriving at a hospital in Kano State to attend to patients who had been waiting several hours for his evening clinic.

The incident occurred last Saturday at Arewa Surgery Hospital, Hotoro, Kano, where the doctor reportedly responded to a request to replace another consultant who was unavailable for scheduled appointments.

The account was made public by Suleiman Harbo, an aide to the Jigawa State Governor, who said he was among the patients’ relatives present when the tragedy unfolded.

Harbo explained that he had taken his elderly mother to the hospital at about 5 p.m. for an appointment with a consultant physician.

On arrival, hospital staff informed them that the doctor originally scheduled to attend to them would not be available and recommended the deceased simply identified as Dr. Ibrahim.

According to him, about six patients, most of them above 80 years old, waited for the physician, prompting him to contact the hospital reception to enquire about the delay.

He said the receptionist reached the doctor by telephone and informed him that elderly patients, including his mother, were waiting.

Dr. Ibrahim reportedly assured them he would come after observing the Maghrib prayer.

Harbo said the consultant arrived shortly afterwards but suddenly became dizzy immediately after stepping out of his vehicle.

He said fellow medical personnel rushed the physician to the hospital’s emergency unit, where doctors battled to revive him.

“Within 15 minutes, he was confirmed dead,” Harbo wrote, describing the incident as shocking and deeply painful.

He added that the development left both patients and medical personnel devastated.

“The painful irony was this: all the patients waiting to see him were above 80 years of age, while about five senior consultant doctors fought to save him, yet all of them broke down in tears,” he said.

Harbo recalled that his mother was initially unaware of the incident and asked whether the doctor had arrived.

Before he could respond, another patient reportedly informed her that the physician they had all been waiting to see had just died.

On hearing the news, Harbo said his mother immediately offered prayers for the deceased.

“‘Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un. So that was the doctor they rushed inside? May Allah have mercy on him. Let us just go home. I am already healed,’ she said.”

Harbo said he struggled to contain his emotions as he drove his mother home after the incident.

He also disclosed that those present during the doctor’s final moments said his last audible words were, “La ilaha illallah,” the Islamic declaration of faith.

Describing the loss as one that would remain with him for a long time, Harbo prayed for Allah to forgive the late physician’s shortcomings and grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus.

The cause of Dr. Ibrahim’s sudden collapse was not immediately known.

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Justice Ogunmoye commended the diligence and professionalism of the DSS prosecutors for successfully proving the case beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Lekan Ogunmoye of Ekiti High Court on Monday sentenced two men identified as Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar to death after he declared them guilty of kidnapping a staff member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC

The two men arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS following the abduction of the NYSC staff member, Omoboade Adesina, in Ekiti State on 22nd April 2022.

A third defendant, Usman Abubakar, was however discharged after the Court held that there was insufficient evidence linking him to the crime.

The DSS arrested and subsequently prosecuted three suspects over the abduction.

The Court, however, discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Usman Abubakar.

Justice Ogunmoye commended the diligence and professionalism of the DSS prosecutors for successfully proving the case beyond reasonable doubt.

He specifically highlighted the identification parade conducted by the Service, as well as the analysis of Call Data Records during investigation, as critical pieces of evidence that strengthened the prosecution’s case and ultimately secured the conviction.

DSS said the judgment marked another major courtroom success for its sustained efforts to combat violent crimes across the country.

The conviction came on the heels of a death sentence recently handed down by a Sokoto State High Court against three men convicted of terrorism and cross-border arms proliferation.

It also followed the successful conviction of a kidnap suspect in Kogi State earlier secured by the Service, among other prosecutions.

The secret Police noted that the string of successful prosecutions underscores the increasing reliance on intelligence-led investigations in tackling kidnapping, terrorism, and other violent crimes.

It also reinforced the commitment of the DSS to ensuring that perpetrators of kidnapping, terrorism, and related criminal offences are brought to justice and made to face the full weight of the law.

‘They Poured Petrol On Me And Set Me On Fire’: Displaced Katsina Farmer Recounts Bandits’ Brutal Attack

A displaced resident of Katsina State, identified as Aliyu Hassan, has recounted the horrifying moment bandits allegedly doused him with petrol and set him ablaze after attacking him on his farm in Batagarawa Local Government Area.

Hassan, who spoke in Hausa in a video posted on X by security expert Bakatsine, narrated how he narrowly survived the brutal attack after rolling repeatedly on the ground until the fire eventually went out.

“They poured petrol on me and set me on fire, right on my head. They struck a match and lit it, then they just left,” Hassan said.

“I kept screaming for help and rolling on the ground, rolling and rolling in the sand. By God’s mercy, the fire eventually went out.”

The victim, now displaced and living in Katsina town, said he and his family have been unable to return to their village following repeated attacks by bandits.

“Now we are here in Katsina town. Honestly, we have not gone back home. We are staying in Sabon Layi, at a place where displaced people are sheltered. We don’t even have a proper place to stay,” he lamented.

According to Hassan, the incident happened while he was working on his farm during the farming season.

“I was on the farm working when the attackers came. I didn’t even notice they were coming,” he said.

“When I tried to run, they chased me. If I had tried to escape, they would have shot me, so I stopped. They stood there and demanded money and my phone, but I told them I didn’t have any.”

Hassan said the attackers insisted that “my father had money and that I should take them to our house.”

The victim explained that he informed the gunmen that his family had already been displaced from their community due to insecurity and that he only returned to cultivate his farmland because it was farming season.

“We had already been displaced before and driven from our homes. I explained that I had only come to work on the farm because it was farming season,” he said.

According to him, the attackers ignored his pleas and instead subjected him to severe torture.

“They said, ‘Then you are going to bathe.’ They dragged me to a nearby hut and tied me up. They tied my legs and hands, poured petrol on my head, struck a lighter, and set me ablaze before leaving,” he narrated.

Hassan said he screamed in agony while struggling desperately to survive.

“I screamed and rolled on the ground, rolling in the sand until, by God’s mercy, the fire went out,” he added.

He further disclosed that he would likely have died if not for the intervention of a stranger who later found him and rushed him to hospital.

“I was sitting there helpless when a kind man came and helped me. He lifted me up and took me into town to a hospital where they treated me,” he said.

“It was somewhere near Malumfashi. After the treatment there, they referred me to Katsina. We came to Katsina General Hospital, and after they told us to go to Batagarawa. When we got there, they said they could not handle it and referred us again to the medical centre.”

Hassan said after several failed attempts to secure proper treatment, some residents directed him to a traditional burns specialist in Kawari village.

“They said that by God’s will, if we went there, I might recover. So we went, and the man treated me and applied medicine to my body. After that, we returned to town,” he said.

When asked which parts of his body were affected, Hassan said the burns severely damaged multiple areas.

“My face, neck, chest, and also my hands,” he said.

He identified the scene of the attack as Rumu village in Batagarawa Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Asked about his present condition, Hassan said he still suffers severe pain and discomfort from the injuries.

“Sometimes I feel severe pain, and at other times I feel itching and irritation,” he explained.

“When I drink cold water, it cools me a little. Sometimes when the sun is hot, I can’t even move around freely and have to stay indoors away from people.”

He also disclosed that one of the attackers remained behind to watch him burn after setting him on fire.

“There were about five of them on motorcycles,” he said.

“After they set me on fire, four of them left while one stayed behind watching me roll on the ground as the fire kept burning. Eventually he also left me there. By the power of God, while I kept rolling, the fire finally went out.”

Explaining how his hands were also burnt, Hassan said the flames spread across his body as he struggled on the ground.

“The fire spread while I was lying down and rolling on the ground. That is how the burns reached my hands too,” he said.

Despite surviving the attack, Hassan said he remains displaced and unable to return to his community due to fear of further attacks.

“No. We are still here in Katsina town. Honestly, we have not returned home,” he said when asked if he had gone back to his village.

“We are staying at Sabon Layi among displaced people, and we don’t even have a proper place to live.”

On how his family survives daily, Hassan said they depend entirely on humanitarian assistance and donations from kind-hearted individuals.

“As for food, we survive on the food aid distributed by charitable people,” he said.

Asked about the homes they abandoned, he responded, “They are still there, but we are unable to go back.”

Hassan appealed to the government to restore peace and security to affected communities across Katsina State and other parts of northern Nigeria ravaged by banditry.

“We pray that this government will bring peace,” he said.

“May God bring an end to all this suffering and return everyone safely to their homes. May God bless us with prosperity and a peaceful life.”

Aliyu Hassan, a young man from Batsari LGA in Katsina State, had petrol poured over his body and was set on fire by bandits and they left.

Miraculously, the flames went out on their own after the bandits left, and he survived.

He is still suffering from the fire injuries. pic.twitter.com/9GzOwfXp1x

— Babangida (@iambabangida_) June 25, 2026

Obapluto:
are you ok? Asin are you really ok? U deserve real slap not content creators slap o. real one

Nigerians React to Viral Video Showing Alleged Arm£d B@ndits Moving Past Police Officers

pic.twitter.com/w6ZdtZY34O

— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) June 24, 2026

untoldtruth:
"Someone would just steal phone in the middle of the night and that is the end" this sentence was hilarious.
Aside that, I've always found the Christian faith a bit strange, I feel like these Christians have forgotten their true origin ya know? They're now moving like an organised cartel based on the stories I keep seeing on the internet and that documentary from BBC, although I don't trust BBC at all, they're a cartel too.
But when a religion stops being a safe place and instead becomes a place of pressure, bullying and private shaming and abuse, then it isn't a religion anymore, that's just the devil disguising under the umbrella of religion as per usual.
Islam is not without it's drama, as we have our own extremists and people who stubbornly misinterprete sacred teachings and refuse to see otherwise but I hope it treat you better than the place you left.

Ushame:
wetin concern me with wetin u believe


Abeg shift


Ur types are always there shouting kabash and trying to take in the name of miracle

Ushame:
Believe and say anything u like


Do i sound like a pegan worshipper...


Have u been to the place before ? If yes, have u listened to their announcements before ?


Try to verify first before u pretend to be holy online while Ur type are the ones discouraging my faith.

Ushame:
I can ask u some few questions now and u will confirm what i said with a different use of words.

U know what i said is the truth.

Why are u guys always preaching/announcing to Ur rich members to run far away from Ur poor members

Why do u preach against giving alms


Why do u treat poor people with disdain and complete disregard.

If u vex me now, i will go there and make a video evidence of everything by next week and upload it on social media to gain more grounds on this topic.


I have nothing against DK Olukoya, my anger is that he gave the place to freaks and charlatans to run.


Olukoya personally said they should not increase the fee, and he supported a lot of people too. He even helps other religion followers and i believe he is not aware of these activities over there.


If u want hard proof, source me to provide u video evidence of more than 10 fake pastors in a day and every inhumane activities of staffs working there.