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The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria has condemned the comparison between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia made by the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ) , in his Independence Day address .

The President , TUC, Quadri Olaleye, in a statement , said the comparison was unnecessary as Nigeria was not at par in all ramifications with Saudi Arabia and other countries mentioned .

He said the country had achieved nothing despite six decades of oil exploration, adding that the government was paying lip service to infrastructure development.

He said successive governments had looted , laundered and wasted the country’ s resources while patronising hospitals outside the country.

Olaleye said , “ It is like comparing black and white . It is that bad !

“ It is ridiculous to compare Nigeria with Saudi , Dubai , or any other country, not even in Africa . With the natural resources that we have , we could rule the world , but government is not interested. There is no need for this comparison because it looks like the president is defending fraud and the impoverishment of Nigerians .

“ Come to think of it, what has Nigeria achieved with all the money made from oil since over six decades of oil exploration in commercial quality? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. All successive leaderships have done is loot, launder and buy properties in foreign land .

“ So , if the president is defending the hike (in pump price), what does he want to do with the surplus they will make from the hike ? The same old story of providing infrastructure! Our roads are nothing but death traps . Our leaders are not patriotic at all. ”

He argued that in Saudi Arabia, roads , water , and to some extent, jobs were not big issues .

“ On the other hand, Nigerians contend with estimated bills because power firms had refused to provide meters , ” Olaleye added .

The Ogun State Government has announced a two – day ban on public gatherings of more than 20 persons and outlawed procession as the nation marks its 60 th Independence Day.

Governor Dapo Abiodun , also imposed a two – day curfew between 10 pm and 6 am from Thursday to Friday which would take effect from Wednesday night .

Abiodun , in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary , Kunle Somorin , said the ban was part the efforts in curtailing the spread of COVID – 19 .

He said , “ All forms of gathering in the state , except the state announced Independence Day Anniversary programme, are restricted to a maximum of 20 persons . ”

The governor also said the state had opted for a low – key celebration of Nigeria ’ s 60 th Independence Anniversary .

He relocated the Diamond Independence Anniversary activities earlier scheduled to hold at the June 12 Cultural Centre , Kuto , Abeokuta to the Arcade Ground of the state secretariat , Oke- Mosan , Abeokuta.

The statement reads partly , “In line with COVID- 19 protocols, admission to the venue will be strictly by invitation . Security and other aides of invited guests will not be allowed into the premises. ”

In the same vein , the Lagos State Government has opted for a low – key celebration of the 60 th Independence Anniversary due to COVID- 19 pandemic .

A statement by the Commissioner for Information and strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said Governor Babajide Sanwo- Olu had directed that the planned parade and other activities that involve the gathering of more than 50 people should be cancelled .

“ He congratulates Lagosians on this auspicious occasion and strongly advises that they should celebrate quietly at home and pray for the country. They should also observe the COVID- 19 protocols , including wearing of face masks to protect themselves and their loved ones , ” the statement added .

Meanwhile , the state Commissioner of Police , Hakeem Odumosu , has instructed officers and men of the command to disallow any unlawful societies , under whatever disguise , from staging rallies or protests within the state on Thursday ( today ) .

A statement by the state police command ’ s spokesman , SP Muyiwa Adejobi , said , “ CP Hakeem Odumosu similarly warned parents and guardians to warn their children and wards to desist from any rallies , protests or being mobilised to wage war against the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria , or else they (parents or guardians) of any youths arrested for such act will be prosecuted . ”

Similarly, public celebration of 60 th Independence Day in Cross River State has been cancelled by Governor Ben Ayade.

Punch

The President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd . ) , says it makes no sense for Nigeria to sell petroleum products at prices lower than those sold in neighbouring countries .

He made this known while delivering a speech on the occasion of Nigeria ’ s 60 th Independence Anniversary at Aso Villa , Abuja.

Buhari said , “ Fellow Nigerians , in addition to public health challenges of working to contain the spread of the Coronavirus , we have suffered a significant drop in our foreign exchange earnings and internal revenues due to 40 per cent drop in oil prices and steep drop in economic activities, leading to a 60 per cent drop in government revenue.

“ Our government is grappling with the dual challenge of saving lives and livelihoods in face of drastically reduced resources .

“ In this regard, sustaining the level of petroleum prices is no longer possible . The government , since coming into office has recognized the economic argument for adjusting the price of petroleum . But the social argument about the knock – on effect of any adjustment weighed heavily with the government . ”

Continuing , the President added , “ Petroleum prices in Nigeria are to be adjusted . We sell now at N 161 per litre. A comparison with our neighbours will illustrate the point .

“ Chad, which is an oil- producing country, charges N362 per litre. Niger , also an oil- producing country, sells oil at N 346 per litre. Ghana , another oil-producing country, petroleum pump price is N326 per litre. Further afield , Egypt charges N211 per litre. Saudi Arabia charges N168 per litre.

“ It makes no sense for oil to be cheaper in Nigeria than in Saudi Arabia. ”

Punch

US President Donald Trump renewed his attacks on an expansion of postal voting ahead of the November election.

The president appeared to be alluding to nationwide mass protests against racial injustice and police brutality during the summer, which saw people crowding together despite health risks amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump has argued that mail-in ballots are vulnerable to voter fraud, though there is no clear evidence to support the idea.

It has become a point of contention in the run-up to November, with many US voters expected to cast their ballots by mail instead of going to a polling station due to concerns about coronavirus contagion.

Critics see the Republican president’s efforts to hamper the expansion of mail-in voting as a means of voter suppression, as he trails Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in the polls.

Democrats have demanded increased support for postal voting and have expressed increasing concerns about delay-causing operational changes at the US Postal Service (USPS).

Following the outcry, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump mega-donor, on Tuesday said he was suspending the initiatives until after the election.

DPA

The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olukayode Popoola, says the ongoing emergency rehabilitation of the Eko Bridge linking Alaka is almost completed and will be ready for use in October.

Popoola told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while inspecting the bridge in Lagos that the new bearings had arrived from overseas and had been replaced along with the expansion joints.

“We have removed the damaged expansion joint on Eko Bridge; we have also removed the bearings and replaced the damaged bearings with new ones.

“It was the bearings that failed initially and that is why we have the piers that are being worked on. Now, we have put the new bearings and we want to complete the concrete works on the piers.

“Then we will go on top of the bridge and replace the expansion joint before we open it to traffic.

“Before the end of October, we are going to open this section of Eko Bridge (linking Alaka) to traffic.

“At this point, we removed one expansion joint. We have fixed two. The construction materials we were expecting from Europe have arrived, that is why we are fixing them.

“The bearing has already been fixed there (pointing); what is on top this iron is the jack that we used in lifting the deck of the bridge up, then we now put the bearings on top of the piers.

“That bearing is like the pad that is carrying the load,” he said.

He said that the new bearings would be covered with concrete, assuring that the bridge would be completed and reopened to traffic before the end of October.

Vanguard

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has projected a N13.08 trillion budget for 2021.

Disclosing this to State House Correspondents after the weekly virtual FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, also said the oil benchmark has been pegged at $40 per barrel.

The Minister, who was accompanied by the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning Clement Agba; the Minister for Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed; and Director-General of the Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, also said the projected capital expenditure for the year is projected at N2.083 trillion.

Other indices projected to tune the 2021 budget include oil production at 1.86 million barrels per day, including 400,000 barrels of condensate; Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth target at 3%; inflation target at 11.95%; and foreign exchange set at N379 to one dollar.

The Minister further informed the 2021 budget has a N7.89 trillion revenue projection with a N4.489 trillion fiscal deficit on the proposed N13.08 trillion budget.

She said her Ministry also reported the performance of the 2020 Budget from the beginning to July, to the Council, stating that the revenue performance was at 68% while expenditure stood at 92.3%, as at July of this year.

Speaking about targets of the 2021 proposed budget, Ahmed said the administration hoped to use the projections to stimulate the economy, create jobs and infrastructure, among other economic goals.

“We have total aggregate revenue of N7.89 trillion and also an aggregate expenditure of N13.08 trillion for 2021.

“There’s a fiscal deficit of N4.489 trillion, this represents 3.64%, slightly above what is required by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 3% and also to report that the total capital expenditure that is projected in the Budget is 29% of the aggregate expenditure.

“This is an improvement over the 24% that we had in the 2020 Budget, but slightly below the 30% that we targeted in the economic recovery.

“Just to clarify that the 1.86 million barrels per day crude oil production includes 400,000 condensate, so we have complied with the OPEC quota, which is placed at about 1.5 million barrels per day. So the 1.46 is in meeting with the OPEC quota.

“This is important to us because as you report, if you just report the 1.86, some members of the OPEC appear to think that we are exceeding OPEC quota, whereas we are reporting oil and condensate,” she said.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has projected a N13.08 trillion budget for 2021.

Disclosing this to State House Correspondents after the weekly virtual FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, also said the oil benchmark has been pegged at $40 per barrel.

The Minister, who was accompanied by the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning Clement Agba; the Minister for Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed; and Director-General of the Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, also said the projected capital expenditure for the year is projected at N2.083 trillion.

Other indices projected to tune the 2021 budget include oil production at 1.86 million barrels per day, including 400,000 barrels of condensate; Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth target at 3%; inflation target at 11.95%; and foreign exchange set at N379 to one dollar.

The Minister further informed the 2021 budget has a N7.89 trillion revenue projection with a N4.489 trillion fiscal deficit on the proposed N13.08 trillion budget.

She said her Ministry also reported the performance of the 2020 Budget from the beginning to July, to the Council, stating that the revenue performance was at 68% while expenditure stood at 92.3%, as at July of this year.

Speaking about targets of the 2021 proposed budget, Ahmed said the administration hoped to use the projections to stimulate the economy, create jobs and infrastructure, among other economic goals.

“We have total aggregate revenue of N7.89 trillion and also an aggregate expenditure of N13.08 trillion for 2021.

“There’s a fiscal deficit of N4.489 trillion, this represents 3.64%, slightly above what is required by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 3% and also to report that the total capital expenditure that is projected in the Budget is 29% of the aggregate expenditure.

“This is an improvement over the 24% that we had in the 2020 Budget, but slightly below the 30% that we targeted in the economic recovery.

“Just to clarify that the 1.86 million barrels per day crude oil production includes 400,000 condensate, so we have complied with the OPEC quota, which is placed at about 1.5 million barrels per day. So the 1.46 is in meeting with the OPEC quota.

“This is important to us because as you report, if you just report the 1.86, some members of the OPEC appear to think that we are exceeding OPEC quota, whereas we are reporting oil and condensate,” she said.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige , says the Academic Staff Union of Universities would soon suspend its strike .

Ngige gave the hint during an interview on Channels Television ’ s Politics aired and monitored by our correspondent .

He explained that the Ministries of Finance, Education, Labour and Employment and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation will meet with ASUU to resolve the disagreement on the controversial Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System .

But Ngige said the FG was ready for an integrity test of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution developed as an alternative to IPPIS by the varsity lecturers .

He noted that FG would consider the UTAS if it addresses the shortcomings identified in IPPIS .

He said , “ The issue of ASUU will soon come to an end. Two reasons – ASUU have called the Federal Government, represented by Finance and the Accountant- General Office and their direct employers , the Ministry of Education to come for the test .

“ We are ready to do that . After the independence day celebration, the four ministries and agencies involved will gather together with ASUU . We will look at the UTAS . If there are shortcomings with IPPIS as complained which UTAS have corrected . What ’ s wrong about it? It is software , we will look at it .

“ Secondly, ASUU members have been collecting their money since COVID- 19 came and I wrote a memo to Mr president that ASUU members are still Nigerians . Even the members , have families that they care for . By upper week, we are going to arrange for this demonstration . ”

Punch

Organised Labour represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress has given reasons for shelving its planned nationwide strike and protests.

It made this known in a joint communique obtained by news correspondent .

The Communique was titled , ‘ Text of the joint communique on the resolution of trade dispute between the Federal and the organised Labour represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) at the State House Banquet Hall on September 27 ’ .

On behalf of organised labour , the communique was signed by NLC President Ayuba Wabba ; TUC President Quadri Olaleye; Secretary -General NLC , Emmanuel Ugboaja ; Secretary – General TUC Musa Lawal Ozigi ; NUPENG President Williams Akporeha ; PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo; President NUEE Martin Uzoegwu and President , SSAEAC Chris N. Okonkwo .

According to the labour leaders , they considered the impact of COVID- 19 before agreeing to shelve the industrial action .

They also noted that the Federal Government explained to them the state of the economy and the drive behind the recent cost- reflective Electricity Tariff adjustments and deregulation of the downstream sector of the Petroleum Industry .

Part of the communique read , “ Recognising the public outcry and protest over the recent Federal Government twin policies on Electricity Tariff Reform and full implementation of deregulation of the downstream sector of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry resulting in the planned nationwide industrial action by Organised Labour ;

“ Bearing in mind the spiral and negative impact of COVID- 19 pandemic on world economy ,

“ Further bearing in mind that due to impact of COVID- 19 pandemic the world is undergoing socio- economic transition which has affected price stability, sustainability of enterprises , employment , and other socio-economic indices ;

“ Acknowledging that the spiral and negative impact of COVID- 19 pandemic on the global economy has given rise to the need for a new socio-economic order ;

“ Recognising the need to sustain enterprises for retention and creation of jobs as well as sustainable growth and development;

“ Acknowledging the need for social concertation between the Federal Government and workers ’ representatives , namely the two Labour Centres – The NLC and TUC;

“ To aid in the dialogue and communication , the Federal Government side made presentations to show the state of economy and the drive behind the recent cost– reflective Electricity Tariff adjustments and deregulation of the downstream sector of the Petroleum Industry ;

Punch

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has finally issued an order suspending the September 1, 2020 hike in electricity tariff for two weeks

This is in line with the agreement reached with the organised Labour on the suspension of strike over the hike in electricity tariff and increase in pump price of petrol Sunday night.

NERC handed the order to the 11 electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, in the country to suspend the recent hike in tariff.

The suspension of the hike in tariff for 14 days in the first instance is to enable wider consultations between the Government and labour with a view to reaching a compromise and resolution of the contending issues involved.

According to the NERC, the tariff suspension will be from September 28, 2020 to October 2, 2020.

The Order, No. NERC/209/2020, with the title: “NERC Order on suspension of the Multi Year Tariff Order 2020 for the electricity distribution licensees, addressed to DISCOs was signed by the NERC Chairman, James Momoh; and the Commissioner, Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye.

Vanguard