Good Morning. Here’s a recap of top trending news stories this morning.
1. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have declared an indefinite nationwide strike starting Monday, June 3. The strike follows unsuccessful negotiations with the federal government for a new minimum wage. This decision was announced at a joint TUC/NLC news conference in Abuja on Friday, May 31. The labor unions attempted to secure an agreement for a new minimum wage by the end of May, but the federal government did not agree to raise the minimum wage from the proposed N60,000.
2. President Bola Tinubu has directed Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, in the country to patronize technologies and products of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, to support Made-in-Nigeria goods and reduce importation.
3. Construction workers have threatened to stop work on major highways in the country, including the Abuja-Kano road, due to the dismissal of over 52,000 of their colleagues. The potential impact extends to several key roads: Obajana road, Bodo-Bonny road, East-West road, Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Kogi-Auchi road, and Zaria-Sokoto road.
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4. The Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, revealed that electricity distribution companies have disconnected over 100 manufacturing firms. In an exclusive interview during the annual general meeting of MAN’s food, beverage, and tobacco sector on Thursday in Lagos, he noted that 10 of the association’s members had been disconnected in Kano.
5. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has temporarily suspended the enforcement of the helicopter landing levy at aerodromes, helipads, and airstrips. According to a statement signed by the Head of Press, Odutayo Oluseyi, on Friday, this decision which will take effect from May 30, 2024, was taken after a meeting with the executives of the Airline Operators of Nigeria.
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6. The Lagos State House of Assembly has assured the people of Abomiti, Yegunda, and Eyin-Osa communities in Epe that justice will be served regarding the alleged land hijack. The House plans to address the issue in a session next Wednesday. Community representatives had petitioned the Assembly, through Majority Leader Hon. Noheem Adams, accusing the Central Working Committee of unauthorized land sales.
7. The office of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has taken lawyer Everestus Ugwuowo and three others to court, accusing them of defrauding a woman of N29 million and forging documents to sell a house in Abuja. The amended charge, numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/121/2018, is currently before Justice Obiora Egwuatu at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with the Inspector-General of Police as the complainant.
8. The crisis in Rivers State took a dramatic turn, Friday as Governor Siminalayi Fubara canceled 10,000 civil service jobs that had been approved by his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. Fubara announced that a new recruitment process would be conducted in the future.
9. The Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA) and the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) have given the Federal Government 21 days to resolve the crisis in the sector or they will go on strike. The unions, represented by their presidents Ayodeji Adeyemo and Stephen Okoro, criticized the slowdown in contract execution due to a dispute with the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, over his unilateral imposition of new contract conditions that conflict with those approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
10. In Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, a teenager known only as Terna tragically ended his life by walking into an electricity transformer. The incident occurred at Welfare Quarters on Makurdi – Otukpo Road, where he laid on naked armored cables. The live wires immediately took his life.