By Sabiu Abdullahi 

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has reaffirmed the Nigeria Customs Service’s (NCS) commitment to collaborating with Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) to boost the Nigerian economy. 

During a courtesy visit by an NLNG delegation led by Managing Director Philip Mshelbila to the Customs Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, CGC Adeniyi expressed appreciation for the visit and stated the importance of the longstanding partnership between the two organizations. 

“Your organisation’s contributions to our nation’s energy sector cannot be overemphasised. On behalf of all of us, I wish to let you know that we value the productive partnership between us – and we are committed to sustaining this collaboration to further our shared mandates of fostering national growth and development,” CGC Adeniyi said. 

He commended NLNG’s proactive engagement and dedication to compliance, noting that “such collaboration is essential for the smooth operation of the nation’s trade and economic systems.” 

NLNG Managing Director Philip Mshelbila appreciated the warm reception and reiterated NLNG’s commitment to extending its hands of friendship to NCS for Nigeria’s economic growth. 

The meeting concluded with an exchange of souvenirs, symbolizing the goodwill and mutual respect that defines the relationship between the two organizations.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON has condoled with the government and people of Bauchi State over the demise of Emir of Ningi, Alhaji (Dr.) Yunusa Muhammad Danyaya, OON who passed away in the early hours of today, Sunday at the age of 88 years.

In a message of condolence, the Governor said the demise of the first class traditional ruler, especially at this time, is a great loss not only to Ningi emirate but the country as a whole.

He described the monarch as an iconic ruler and a man of peace who, throughout his 46 years of reign, was known for preaching and promoting unity and harmony among the people of his domain, Bauchi state and the nation at large.

The Gombe Governor, who is also the Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, consoled the bereaved royal family to take solace in the fact that the late emir left behind legacies of honour, dignity and selfless service, urging them to uphold and sustain same.

Governor Inuwa, on behalf of the government and people of Gombe state, extended his heartfelt condolences to his Bauchi state counterpart, Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, Chairman of Bauchi State Council of Emirs and Chiefs and Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Sulaiman Adamu, members of Ningi Emirate Council as well as government and people of the state over the great loss.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

The Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, has announced his intention to pay the ₦70,000 new national minimum wage to workers in the state.

The position of the governor was presented by the Deputy Governor, Manassah Daniel Jatau, PhD, who is also the Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage Negotiation, Gombe State, during a press briefing at the conference hall of the Deputy Governor’s Office, Gombe.

Represented by the State Head of Civil Service, Alh. Ahmed Kasimu Abdullahi, during a Press briefing ,the Deputy Governor explained that the governor is highly committed to ensuring that civil servants in the state enjoy the 70, 000 new national minimum wage so that they can put in their best in serving the state.

He said, the governor has set a machinery in motion and the standing committee has been fine-tuning to see to the implementation of the new minimum wage.

“Government has set the machinery for the implementation of the new national minimum wage in Gombe State. Let me assure you that His Excellency the Governor is fully determined to pay the minimum wage. Unlike what you have been hearing in some quarters that the governor said he won’t pay. No, not at all. His Excellency is one of the governors in the fore front of payment of the new minimum wage”.

He said Governor Inuwa Yahaya has been magnanimous enough to willingly pay a 10,000 palliative in form of a wage award since September last year, across board to all civil servants in the state to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal which, automatically brought the minimum wage to 40,000 naira when other states couldn’t pay the 30,000 minimum wage.”

In the magnanimity of the Governor to alleviate the hardship occasioned by fuel subsidy removal, he approved the payment of 10,000 across board to all civil servants without anyone putting any pressure on him in order to make the civil servants feel better in the discharge of their duties. The additional 10,000 naira was because of his concern, feeling and regard to civil servants and it has made the minimum wage 40,000 instead of 30, 000 even when other states couldn’t pay the 30,000″.

He however pointed out that the negotiation committee has decided to separate the monthly salaries from the 10,000 palliative pending when conclusion is reached in order to prepare the Civil servants on knowing their exact salaries when the minimum wage is finally agreed upon.

“Effective from this month of August, the normal salary will be paid, then after two days the ten thousand naira palliative will be paid to help the worker know his actual salary and this will continue until the new minimum wage is agreed upon. We are now waiting for the salary table from the federal government before we commence the negotiation. Once we reach an agreement the implementation will begin and the 10,000 naira palliative will stop”.

The Nigeria Labour Congress Chairman, Mr. Yusuf Aish confirmed that this was the position reached at the tripartite committee meeting on the new minimum wage.” we had a brief discussion during our negotiation in the last 30,000 naira minimum wage due to some balance of some payment where we have agreed that this committee is a standing committee of minimum wage negotiation in the state. As a result this same committee met to begin negotiation on the new 70,000 naira national minimum wage. However,in our tripartite committee meeting we have agreed to wait for the time the new minimum wage table as approved by the federal government will be released. Whenever it is released we will start full negotiation with a view to reaching an agreement on what is to be paid in Gombe State”.

He also explained that civil servants will receive two alert messages beginning from this month of August, being the normal salary and that of 10,000 naira palliative urging the civil servants to be patient pending when the negotiations will be concluded.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

President Bola Tinubu warmly congratulates the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, CON, MNI, as he marks his 55th birthday.

Governor Zulum is an academic, visionary, reformist, and statesman.

President Tinubu joins the family, friends, and people of Borno State in celebrating the young and dynamic leader who embodies the pragmatism and energy of youth, as well as the sobriety, prudence, and wisdom of the elderly.

The President commends Governor Zulum’s hands-on approach to leadership, demonstrated by his unchoreographed, pre-dawn inspections of rural clinics and critical agencies to ensure their smooth operations and that staff are on hand to provide essential services at world-class standards.

President Tinubu also applauds the governor’s courage, exemplified by his personal interventions in security situations in Borno State and in the recent resettlement of displaced citizens.

The President appreciates Professor Zulum’s facility for providing unifying leadership, epitomized by his efforts towards ensuring the welfare of citizens from other parts of the country and in the promotion of Nigerians of diverse ethnic backgrounds and faiths through the ranks of the Borno Civil Service on the exclusive basis of merit.

“Babagana is one of those luminescent northstars of meritocratic rise in the Nigerian political firmament. From humble beginnings, his tenacious pursuit of personal growth and later on, expeditious state and national development, is a guide to Nigeria’s future generations.

“Borno State and Nigeria at large are fortunate to benefit from his benevolent brand of modest, rigorous, and visionary political and administrative leadership,” the President states.

As the governor marks this milestone, the President wishes him many more years in good health and renewed strength in his service to the nation.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini 

President Bola Tinubu commiserates with the people of the Ningi Emirate and the Bauchi State government over the passing of the Emir of Ningi, Alhaji Yunusa Muhammad Danyaya. 

The first-class monarch passed away in the early hours of Sunday. 

President Tinubu describes the deceased as an illustrious leader who deployed the power and resources of his throne in the service of his community. 

The President prays for the repose of the soul of the departed traditional ruler and condoles with his family and all those grieving the loss.

By Musa Kalim Gambo

Whether you like it or not, populism is the giant stallion politicians ride to victory in every race. They strike at the cords of the utmost desires of the public, exaggerate the failures of the existing structure, and swear by the deities they worship that they possess the magical cure. They have the staff that can open up the Nigerian Red Sea of trouble to ‘let my people go.’

So, this upcoming August protest in Nigeria is another populist stage—dramatic personas will sing the chorus of what everyone already knows, what everyone already endures, and what everyone already believes is no longer humanly possible for the current crop of Nigerian politicians to address. 

#ENDSARS was a huge success (?), to a relative extent. Youths expressed their rage at an overtly abusive agent of the government, a special unit of the Nigerian police force, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, or SARS, as it became notoriously known in 2020.

The protest was beyond police brutality and high-handedness. This was when the country was amid the coronavirus pandemic, economic recession, and poverty –you could perceive the pungent odor of poverty in the air. Life was becoming unaffordable and unpalatable. So if poverty provides the ground for hunger, then hunger was close relative to anger and frustration,  then it was clear that #ENDARS was bigger than the demand for an end to police brutality. 

It could be concluded that the frustration, hunger, and anger that hung in the air were the oxygen in the protesters’ blood. It was the crucial component of the energy that drove the protesters to the streets—although the activation energy came from the said ‘police brutality’ through the SARS.

Four years later, these youths moved on, and the country’s situation did not seem to display any sign of positive change. The only visible changes, obviously, must be said—there’s a proactive approach to leadership. Even if some government areas prove difficult and impossible, the leadership is resilient. 

It is now widely seen that the federal government has hastily increased the national minimum wage, granted autonomy to local government, launched a student loan scheme, and is vigorously engaging with stakeholders on the eve of this August protest.

The government is already taking important measures to prevent a protest from escalating into an ugly situation.

Here in the North, the Ulama have strong control over the youth, and they are already calling on youths to avoid violence or any action that could potentially undermine the nation’s fragile state. So, if the protest eventually occurs in parts of the North, it is expected to be peaceful. 

The Northerner respects leadership – good or bad, as long as such leadership does not directly conflict with his religious belief, especially the unity of God. But this calm doesn’t suggest silence! Neither does it imply agreement with the prevailing hardship. There will always be strong condemnation and damnation against the extravagant and ostentatious lifestyle of the political elite amidst hardship among the talakwa. This is sometimes expressed in rhetorics – with Allah ya isa.

This weekend, the Hausa political praise singer Dauda Kahutu Rarara, had his Facebook page deleted after users reported him over a song. In Rarara’s usual style, the song in question seeks to indicate that the life of talakawa has improved under the current Nigerian government. It can essentially be said that the song trivializes the grievances of the public against the government. 

Rarara is known to reduce the opposition to his benefactors to nothing, sometimes even mocking them using his rhythm and lyrics. So, this was undoubtedly one of those instances met with the appetizer of the upcoming protest.

Back to the protest—one thing is certain in this part of the world:  no matter how hard the poor fight, the elitist lifestyle that serves as a precursor to their pathetic condition cannot be changed. Protests do not improve the quality of life in this part of the world; they rather push the poor from frying pan to fire, leaving behind ashes of instability and unrest that go on long after the protest is over.

So it’s best to be wise and think twice – peaceful dialogue and engagement with the authorities. 

Musa Kalim Gambo writes from Kaduna via gmkalim.ng@gmail.com.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Emir of Ningi in Bauchi State, His Royal Highness Alhaji Yunusa Muhammad Danyaya, has passed away.

He died on Sunday morning in Kano, where he was receiving medical treatment for age-related health issues. 

The late Emir will be buried on Sunday evening at 4pm, following a funeral prayer at the Emir’s Palace in Ningi.

The funeral announcement was made by the Secretary of the Emirate, Alhaji Usman Sule, Magayakin Ningi. 

In a statement, Alhaji Sule said: “We belong to Allah and to Him we hope. God bless His Majesty the King of Ningi, Dr. Yunusa Muhammadu Dan Yaya (OON), who passed away this morning in Kano.”

By Sabiu Abdullahi 

The Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, has made history by inventing Nigeria’s first electric automated tricycle.

The innovation, unveiled at the institution’s innovation centre, is a significant milestone in the country’s quest for sustainable transportation solutions. 

Rector Dr. Mukail Akinde stated the need for government and corporate support to commercialize the invention, stating, “Mass production of this tricycle will reduce importation, ease pressure on foreign exchange, and create job opportunities for youths.” 

The polytechnic’s Governing Council Chairman, Alhaji Garba Gashua, praised the innovation and promised to mobilize support for its commercialization.

The National Automotive Design and Development Council also commended the initiative, urging government assistance to expand the project. 

The innovation centre’s director, Jide Soyemi, highlighted the centre’s focus on cutting-edge technology, including Artificial Intelligence and robotics, with students contributing significantly to the projects. 

This groundbreaking invention has the potential to revolutionize Nigeria’s transportation sector, and with adequate support, it could become a reality.

 By Sabiu Abdullahi

A Kano State court has released 40 minors on bail who were among the hundreds arrested during the recent #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests.

The minors were freed following the intervention of Advocate for Justice Alliance, a civic organisation led by Barrister AK Musa. 

The Kano State Police Command had arrested 873 suspects for alleged crimes committed during the protests, which were held to demand solutions to Nigeria’s economic woes and insecurity.

The suspects were arraigned before magistrates and detained in various prison facilities. 

Barrister Musa confirmed the release of the minors, saying, “We’re pleased that 40 minors have been granted bail, but unfortunately, no adults have been released.”

He added that his organisation is working to secure the release and representation of more detainees, with the next court hearing set for September 11, 2024. 

The protests, which took place across the country, saw over 1000 Nigerians arrested and detained, according to Amnesty International.

The global human rights organisation criticized the government’s response to the protests, saying it failed to address the economic issues driving the demonstrations.

By Uzair Adam

The Federal Government has revealed that over 21,600 students are using fake certificates obtained from degree mills in countries such as Benin Republic and Togo.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, during a press briefing in Abuja, marking his first year in office.

Professor Mamman stated that out of these, 1,105 students hold fake certificates from Togo.

This revelation follows the government’s formation of an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling in March, aimed at addressing the proliferation of fake degrees.

The Minister stated that all fake degrees, whether from Nigerian or foreign institutions, will be systematically removed from the system.

He mentioned that the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation has been instructed to issue a circular to ensure the removal of individuals holding such certificates.

Additionally, Professor Mamman highlighted the challenges faced by tertiary institutions due to high electricity tariffs and announced a government-approved long-term plan to power these institutions using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

He also shared that, over the past year, the ministry has successfully reintegrated around four million out-of-school children back into the education system.Efforts are also underway to enhance teacher support, welfare, and development in collaboration with UNESCO and the World Bank.

Furthermore, the Minister addressed recent concerns about the safety of school buildings and the government’s collaboration with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering to improve school infrastructure standards.

In response to the ongoing discussions with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Mamman assured that steps are being taken to meet their needs and prevent future strikes.