New minimum wage will take effect from May 1, 2024 – FG (Channels)
The Federal Government says although the Tripartite Committee On National Minimum Wage is yet to conclude its negotiations, workers will not lose anything as the new minimum wage will take effect from May 1, 2024.
The Minister of State Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, stated this on Wednesday while addressing Nigerian workers at the May Day celebration in Abuja.
She said it is regrettable that the new national minimum wage is not ready before today, but that a wide consultation is ongoing to ensure that the document is out together as soon as possible. Read more
May Day: Labour seeks urgent policies to cushion workers’ plight (NewTelegraph)
As Nigeria joins other nations across the world to mark May Day, members of Chemical and Non-Metallic Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (CANMPSSAN) have called on the Federal Government to come up with policies to cushion the removal of subsidy on petrol.
Specifically, the union urged the Federal Government to create local policies that will improve the economy and lives of citizens.
In a press release signed by both the President and General Secretary, Comrade Segun David and Comrade Ugenlo John, to mark the day, the union said since the inception of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Nigerian workers had been bedeviled with challenges arising from abrupt fuel subsidy removal, without proper cushioning policy. Read more
Lagos stands by workers’ demand for pay rise — Sanwo-Olu (Vanguard)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has expressed solidarity with Nigerian workers’ over the demand for wage increase, saying his administration would continue to prioritize welfare and prosperity of the workforce in the state.
Sanwo-Olu stated this on Wednesday, while addressing workers during the May Day celebration, held at Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos Island.
According to the Governor, “There is no gainsaying that this year’s workers day is being celebrated amidst economic challenges which are as a result of the difficult but yet inevitable policies taken by the government to rescue the economy and set it on the path of sustainable growth. Read more
NLC, TUC give FG ultimatum to reverse new electricity tariff (DailyTrust)
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have appealed to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Power Sector operators to reverse the increase in electricity tariff within one week.
President of the unions, Mr Joe Ajaero and Mr Fetus Osifo, made the call on Wednesday in a joint speech to mark the 2024 Workers’ Day in Abuja.
The duo expressed dissatisfaction over the epileptic power situation in the country which is affecting the economic growth of the country. Read more
Benue to launch new security outfit (Tribune)
Benue State Government is set to launch a new local security outfit.
The State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia disclosed this during the stakeholders meeting held in Makurdi on Tuesday.
According to the governor, the security outfit which is to be launched before the end of May 2024 will recruit ten thousand youths to complement the efforts of conventional security agencies in tackling security challenges bedeviling the state. Read more
Abducted Ondo father, son regain freedom (Punch)
A man, Mr Maliki Onose and his son, Jethro, who were kidnapped by gunmen, have been released two days after their abduction.
The PUNCH reports that Maliki and his son were kidnapped while travelling along the Benin-Owo road in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State on Monday, as the hoodlums waylaid them and dragged them into the bush.
The boy is said to be a student of the Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Imeri, in the council area. The victims were abducted when the father was taking his son to school after a three-week holiday. Read more
Share warning on impending terror attack with us, Matawalle urges US (Nation)
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has urged the United States (US) government to always share with Nigeria on impending attacks by terrorists.
He said the information and intelligence the US uses in sending early warning to its citizens in crisis countries could be shared with Nigeria to help fight banditry and terrorism.
The minister said this when he hosted the Assistant Secretary for Defence for African Affairs at the US Department of Defence, Jennifer Zakriski, in Abuja. Read more
2024 Workers’ Day: Jigawa workers lament delayed April salary (Vanguard)
As Nigerian workers joined the rest of the world in marking the international Workers’ Day, civil servants in Jigawa state have lamented the delay in the payment of their April salary as a result of the ongoing workers’ verification exercise by the state government.
Stating the position of the workers in a speech, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) Com. Sanusi Alhassan submitted that not has the current exercise put the workers in the state of uncertainty, but has also jeopardized their hopes of being paid their legitimate entitlement as many legitimate workers have been declared ghost.
According to the NLC chief, while the organized Labour acknowledges the right of every employer to conduct period audits of their workforce to help mitigate cases of employee infractions such as overstay in service, “We also believe that such exercises should not be done in a manner that causes hardships and uncertainties to workers, their immediate families and other dependents. Read more
Niger: Agadez re-emerges as migration hub to europe (AfricaNews)
Agadez’s public transport square has been bustling with arrivals and departures since the ruling military junta rescinded the decree banning the transport of migrants and all migrant-related activities in Niger in November 2023.
In the town located in northern Niger, migrant smuggling is back in full swing, with convoys of migrants leaving on Tuesdays and Thursdays of the week.
With the help of smugglers, migrants leave Agadez in small 4X4 cars or in lorries on their way to Libya or Algeria – Niger’s neighbours – and the last stop before crossing the sea to Europe. Read more
Lil Yachty seemingly shades Kendrick Lamar over infidelity following Drake diss (HipHopDx)
Lil Yachty has appeared to throw shade at Kendrick Lamar following his blistering Drake diss song “Euphoria.”
Following the track’s release on Tuesday (April 30), Lil Boat — who was mentioned on the song and has a close relationship with the 6 God — liked a post on X (formerly Twitter) rehashing Kendrick’s past infidelity.
“So who was raising your child while you were out cheating on your wife with white women? @kendricklamar,” the post read, referencing K. Dot’s attack on Drake for allegedly being an absentee father. Read more
UK starts detaining asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda (NBC)
British authorities have started detaining asylum seekers as part of a new scheme to deport them to Rwanda, the government said, with the first flights expected to take off as early as July.
“Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground,” said Home Secretary James Cleverly on Wednesday.
Confirmation of the round-ups came a week after legislators passed a contentious law declaring Rwanda to be a safe third country, bypassing an earlier UK Supreme Court ruling that had declared the scheme unlawful on human rights grounds. Read more
Daniel Radcliffe says J.K. Rowling’s anti-transgender stance ‘makes me really sad’ (People)
Daniel Radcliffe is saddened by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s continued anti-transgender comments, as well as her support for others with transphobic views.
The actor, who earned a Tony Award nomination on April 30, said in a new interview with The Atlantic that he hasn’t spoken to Rowling, 58, in years. Radcliffe starred as the titular hero in all eight Potter films, based on her bestselling novels, from 2001 to 2011.
“It makes me really sad, ultimately, because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic,” Radcliffe said of Rowling and her controversial comments about gender. Read more
UN chief calls for independent probe into Gaza mass graves (AlJazeera)
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has demanded an independent investigation into reports by Palestinian authorities of mass graves discovered in Gaza after bodies with hands tied or medical tubes attached to them were found in multiple sites, including two hospitals.
“It is imperative that independent international investigators with forensic expertise are allowed the immediate access to the sites of these mass graves to establish the precise circumstances under which the Palestinians lost their lives and were buried or reburied,” Guterres said on Tuesday.
The UN secretary-general also urged Israel against invading southern Gaza’s city of Rafah, the last refuge for more than 1.4 million Palestinians, after the Israeli prime minister said an offensive would go forward regardless of the outcome of truce talks with Hamas. Read more
United Methodists begin to reverse longstanding anti-LGBTQ policies (NBC)
United Methodist delegates began making historic changes in their policies on sexuality on Tuesday — voting without debate to reverse a series of anti-LGBTQ polices.
The delegates voted to delete mandatory penalties for conducting same-sex marriages and to remove their denomination’s bans on considering LGBTQ candidates for ministry and on funding for gay-friendly ministries.
The 667-54 vote, coming during their legislative General Conference, removes some of the scaffolding around the United Methodist Church’s longstanding bans on LGBTQ-affirming policies regarding ordination, marriage and funding. Read more
Rapist Met PC who told victim ‘you’ve met the devil’ jailed for life (Metro)
A police officer has been jailed for life for a terrifying catalogue of rapes.
Cliff Mitchell, 24, told one of his victims ‘you’ve met the devil’ as he tied her up and threatened to stab her after she was kidnapped in September 2023.
He laughed at her while she cried, told her she was a ‘slut’, and taunted that nobody would believe her if she complained because he was a police officer. Read more
Brentford signs Nigerian U-20 sensation Benjamin Frederick (DailyTrust)
Nigeria U-20 centre-back, Benjamin Chiemela Frederick, has permanently joined English Premier League side, Brentford.
The 18-year-old is a graduate of Moses Simon’s academy in Nigeria.
Despite playing in the Nigerian league, Benjamin had interest from top European teams like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and FC Porto, but Brentford won the battle for the defender, signing him on loan last summer with an option to buy included in the deal. Read more
Fubara hails Finidi’s appointment as Super Eagles’ head coach (Channels)
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has congratulated Rivers-born ex-international Finidi George on his appointment by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as the Super Eagles’ head coach.
Governor Fubara, in a congratulatory message by his Chief Press Secretary Nelson Chukwudi, said the appointment is a testament to Finidi’s “hard work, commitment, perseverance and patriotism over the years”.
He recalled George’s sterling performances at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals, as well as his contributions to the Super Eagles winning gold, silver, and bronze medals in the 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002 AFCON tournaments, among other exploits. Read more
Brentford trigger buy option to sign Nigeria U-20 defender (Leadership)
English Premier League side Brentford have trigger the buy option to sign Nigeria U-20 player Benjamin Fredrick.
The defender was on loan from Simoiben FC of Kaduna until the end of the 2023/24 season.
Confirming the development in a post on his X handle, football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who disclosed the development, wrote: “Brentford decided to activate the option and sign him from Kaduna based Simoiben Academy, sources from Nigeria confirm. Read more
Belgium goalkeeper Courtois ruled out of Euro 2024 (BBC)
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will miss Euro 2024 following a knee ligament injury despite a potential return for Real Madrid.
Courtois, 31, has missed the entire season and needed another operation on his knee in March when he had a setback.
He might return for Real Madrid before the end of the campaign but Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco has ruled him out of Euro 2024 selection. Read more
Lewandowski hat-trick leads Barca to win (GulfTimes)
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick in the second half to help his side fight back to claim a hard-fought 4-2 win on Monday over visitors Valencia, who were leading 2-1 when they were reduced to 10 men just before the break.
With five games remaining, Barca moved back to second in La Liga on 73 points as they leapfrogged surprise package Girona, who are third with 71. Those two teams will meet in a Catalonia derby on Saturday which could decide a top-two La Liga finish and a place in the Spanish Super Cup.
Barcelona’s win postponed for a couple of weeks Real Madrid’s almost inevitable La Liga title celebrations as Carlo Ancelotti’s side sit atop the standings on 84 points. Valencia stay eighth on 47 points, two points behind Real Betis and four off Real Sociedad in the battle for a European qualifying spot. Read more
Kevin Hart, Kenan Thompson to host Olympic highlights series (UPI)
Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson will host and executive produce an Olympic highlights series for Peacock.
Peacock announced in a press release Tuesday that Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson will premiere in July during the Paris Summer Olympics.
Olympic Highlights is a comedy commentary show that will see Hart and Thompson “bring their signature hilarious insights” to recap “the best and most unexpected moments” from this year’s Olympic games. Read more