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Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has cautioned the federal and state governments against any bid to slash workers’ salaries on the excuse of the economic crisis occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It urged all its affiliate unions and state branches to resist any salary deduction.

As part of measures to restart the economy, NLC advised the federal and state governments to intensify testing, contact tracing, public fumigation and robust public health education.

It also urged the federal government to build at least a test centre in each state.

NLC President, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, cautioned employers against tampering with workers’ salaries, adding that this is not the time to stop or deduct from workers’ salaries.

Wabba, at the commemoration of the 2020 International Workers’ Memorial Day in Abuja, said such an action “would be both illogical and illegal as workers’ salaries are core elements of employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements.”

“This is not the time to stop or deduct from workers’ salaries. Such an action would be both illogical and illegal as workers’ salaries are core elements of employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements.

“We have asked our affiliates and state councils to resist any salary deduction on the account of COVID-19,” he said.

Wabba explained that the current crisis requires employers of labour to show solidarity with the workers.

The Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba , has said that despite the announcement by the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd ) , on a gradual relaxation of the lockdown on Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states , the Federal Ministry of Education could not foresee or give any date when schools will be resuming in the country .

Nwajiuba said this while responding to newsmen during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID- 19 pandemic in Abuja .

The minister said , “ The President actually addressed the issue of the opening of the economy gradually . Until that is done , we can ’ t foresee or immediately tell you when all the schools will be reopened . It will not be proper for us to simply give you a date . It has to be in tandem with these opening terms . We don ’ t want to put our children at risk. None of these schools can function on their own without the society.

“ On the question of children promoting to the next class , those exams will happen when we are satisfied that the children have learnt what is enough for them to move. For those who are in the exit classes of junior basic and senior secondary schools , we are preparing them and will continue to .

“ This will go on until we are sure that they are equipped for the external examinations . The West African Examinations Council has not cancelled their external exams . It was postponed indefinitely . This indefinite nature is so that we can get a definite date . Students will still have to go and take those exams when we are sure that we have taken good care of the pupils . ”

Meanwhile , the Federal Capital Territory Administration Education Secretariat has cautioned schools against re- opening, noting that it had not issued any directive for resumption of academic activities.

The acting Secretary for Education, FCTA, Umaru Marafa , in a statement on Tuesday , affirmed that the directive closing all schools at the outset of the COVID- 19 pandemic explicitly stated that it would be in effect “ until further notice . ”

The President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ), discussed with his US counterpart , Donald Trump , on the telephone .

Reports gathered shows that their discussion was centred on the fight against coronavirus.

The Personal Assistant to the President , Bashir Ahmad , disclosed this on his Twitter handle .

He tweeted , “ President Muhammadu Buhari had a phone conversation with the US President Donald Trump today , the two leaders discussed Nigeria ’ s efforts to defeat the COVID– 19 Pandemic , and President Trump pledged US support and solidarity . # COVID19 Nigeria ”

Also confirming the telephone conversation , the Minister of Information and Culture , Lai Muhammed , said it was on the request of Trump.

He described the conversation between the presidents as cordial .

He said , “ President @ MBuhari today had a phone conversation with President Donald Trump , at the request of the American President . The conversation centred on Nigeria ’ s response to the # COVID19 pandemic ” -HMIC , Alh. Lai Mohammed

“ President Buhari used the opportunity to brief the American President on the steps that Nigeria is taking to contain the spread of the disease .

“ For his part , President Trump assured that the United States stands in solidarity with Nigeria in this difficult time and promised to send ventilators to support the country in its fight against the pandemic . President Trump also extends his best regards to the people of Nigeria . ”

Germany has announced another financial intervention to assist Nigeria in its response to the coronavirus pandemic .

Announcing in a statement via
Twitter  , the country said it is providing € 5 . 5 million this time to support vulnerable people in Nigeria ’ s North – Eastern states of Borno , Adamawa and Yobe .

The statement read , “ Germany provides an additional € 5 . 5 million ( c . 2 . 2 bn Naira ) to the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria to continue life- saving aid in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States in the context of the COVID- 19 crisis .

“ Ongoing activities include drilling of wells , construction of sanitation facilities , rehabilitation of buildings or construction of shelters for internally displaced persons and other victims of insecurity in the North East .

“ This brings Germany ’ s contribution to the NHF to a tota of € 29 million since it became operational in May 2017 , making Germany a major donor to the NHF over the past three years . ”

The country also pledged € 12 million to West Africa Health Organisation and Economic Community of West Africa States for the purchase of vital medical supplies and laboratory equipment , training measures , amongst other response to the pandemic in the region .

It added that it was providing the Nigeria Police Force with € 20 , 000 worth personal protective equipment including hand disinfectant , protective clothing , surface disinfectant , face masks, clinical thermometers and gloves, adding that the materials would be handed over in Abuja shortly .

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, 41 confirmed cases of COVID- 19 has been recorded in Borno , one in Adamawa while Yobe has no reported case yet .

The Federal Government has declared, May 1 , 2020 , as a public holiday to mark this year ’ s International Workers ’ Day Celebration.

The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola , made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government in a statement by signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry , Georgina Ehuriah .

In the statement , Aregbesola commended Nigerian workers “ for their resilience , patience and understanding , particularly in their support at stemming the spread of COVID- 19 ” .

Aregbesola who further thanked Nigerians and the labour force for their “sacrifices in the present period of trial ” , assured that their “ commitment and patience will complement the efforts being made by Government and other stakeholders to ensure the speedy control of the virus ” .

He said , “ With the cooperation of every citizen, as well as strict adherence to the measures being put in place by relevant authorities , the challenges being faced by Nigerians as a result of the disease , would soon be put behind. ”

The Minister added that “ the economy of the country will rebound and be stronger after the COVID- 19 experience , taking cognisance of the various economic stabilisation efforts by the Federal Government” .

THE Senate has gave accelerated approval to President Muhammadu Buhari’s request to raise a fresh loan of 850 billion Naira from the domestic capital market to finance projects in the 2020 budget.

The Senate has mandated its committees on finance, appropriation, Domestic and Foreign Debt and National Planning to liaise with the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed to get more details on the loan request.

The approval was given soon after the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan read a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari, seeking for the approval to go for fresh loan of N850 Billion from the Domestic Capital Market.

President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan read the letter from President Buhari seeking the approval of the Senate to raise a fresh loan of 850 billion Naira from the domestic capital market to ensure adequate funds to finance projects in the 2020 budget.

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Former President , Dr Goodluck Jonathan , has called on stronger economies and international agencies like the World Health Organisation to support the efforts of Nigeria and other African nations towards procuring the necessary equipment and kits to enable them conduct aggressive COVID- 19 testing .

He also said lockdown would fail without effective coronavirus testing .

He also appealed to international financing and donor agencies as well as creditor nations to consider granting economic palliatives including debt relief , to help weaker nations cope with the economic difficulties brought upon them by the COVID- 19 pandemic .

Jonathan made the calls while speaking as a panelist in an international web – based conference organised by the Universal Peace Federation , ’ according to a statement on Monday by Jonathan ’ s media aide , Ikechukwu Eze .

According to the statement , Jonathan said , “ It is true that many African nations are observing lockdown of cities and maintaining isolation centres , but if there is no effective testing , locking down populations as currently obtainable in many African countries may not be very effective .

“ The key thing is that Africa is in dire need of testing kits . The world should come to the aid of Africa by sending more of these kits and other needed equipment to make the fight against COVID- 19 more meaningful . Restrictions without strong and aggressive testing will not be impactful .

“ We plead that WHO needs to come to the aid of African countries to enable them to procure the necessary kits to enable them to conduct aggressive testing now that many cities are locked down. ”

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo- Olu , has advised the working population in the state to take advantage of working from home even as the partial lockdown of the state begins Monday , May 4 , 2020 .

Recalled that the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ), on Monday evening ordered “ gradual easing ” of lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States but imposed an 8 pm to 6 am curfew as part of measures to curb the spread of the pandemic .

Following the presidential directive on Monday night , Sanwo- Olu advised workers in the state to restrict commute time to – and – from work to between 8 am and 6 pm .

He reminded Lagosians that the use of face masks remains mandatory in public places as stated by the President in his address to the nation.

“ Work hours will be pegged between 8 am and 6 pm , with adequate time allocated for commuting .

Lagos is the epicentre of COVID- 19 in Nigeria . For a lot of industries , the lockdown has shown the many potentials of working from home , please take advantage of this , even as we expand testing , contact tracing and continue to stop the spread of the virus , ” he said .

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, over 50 percent of the total COVID- 19 cases in the country were reported in Lagos , the highest by any state.

University lecturers, whose February and March salaries were withheld, were asked to submit their bank verification numbers (BVNs) to avoid double payment, a top federal government official told newsmen.

The federal government had embargoed the salaries of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) members in federal universities for refusing to register on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

However, President Muhammadu Buhari, last week directed that the salaries be paid in view of the economic difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

But one of the conditions given for the payment is that the lecturers should submit their BVNs to their respective vice-chancellors for onward transmission to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

ASUU had since reacted to the president’s gesture, saying it welcomed it as a way of creating room for dialogue but added that its members would not submit their BVNs to the Accountant General’s Office.

The union described the demand as a ploy to enroll them into IPPIS through the “back-door.”

The top official with the Federal Ministry of Finance, however, explained to newsmen that the government’s demand was a revalidation to know those lecturers who had earlier received their February and March salaries under the (IPPIS) and also those on sabbatical leave.

According to him, the government is also seeking ways to temporarily accommodate some of the peculiarities involved in the payment of salaries to the lecturers.

“ASUU’s money has been released for payment of the withheld salaries with presidential approval. So, the only thing is for them to put up a temporary agreement with the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Accountant General’s Office through their vice-chancellors and then the payment will be effected.

Nigerians should be ready to pay high or low prices for petrol following the price liberalisation scheme currently in place , the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency said this .

The PPPRA is also engaging with the Central Bank of Nigeria to determine the applicable foreign exchange rates for the importation of petroleum products by oil marketers .

The agency ’ s Executive Secretary , Abdulkadir Saidu , said these while answering questions on the new PMS price regime in Nigeria .

He said , “ What we have in place is a market reflective pricing system . Petroleum products prices will be adjusted in line with market realities and the result is what we see presently with prices on the downward slide .

“ Accordingly , price will naturally be adjusted to reflect a true picture of market fundamentals at any particular period , high or low . ”

He , however , noted that efforts were being made to develop alternative fuels to the PMS by deepening the utilisation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas /Compressed Natural Gas as auto gas in Nigeria .

Saidu said this would come into fruition in the medium term and would help to cushion the effect in case of a situation of high oil price.

On what the PPPRA was doing to ensure that marketers get forex at the official rate to promote price affordability , he said the agency was working with the CBN on this .

Saidu said , “ The agency is engaging with the CBN to determine the applicable forex rates for the importation of petroleum products and modality for accessing the applicable forex window by marketers .

“ This rate is reflected on the pricing template to determine the Expected Open Market Price of the product .

This means that going forward, the guiding price to be advised will be determined based on the rates quoted by the CBN. ”

The PPPRA boss said the price would guide the sale of the PMS in Nigeria , adding that the agency planned to extend the same pricing mechanism to kerosene , diesel and others.

Saidu noted that the essence of the price band was to ensure price efficiency that would be beneficial to both consumers and oil marketers .

He explained that the market – based pricing regime came into effect on March 19 following government ’ s approval for the adjustment of PMS price from N145 to N125 / litre.