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Subsidy: Lukman asks Tinubu to eliminate distractions of strikes

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*** Develop functional partnership with organise labour

A member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Mallam Salihu Lukman, has urged President Bola Tinubu to do all within his power to eliminate distractions that comes with strikes by orgarnised Kabour

The APC stalwarts also asked the President to immediately develop functional partnership with organise labour to facilitate consultations between the government and the unions.
In a statement released Tuesday in Abuja, titled “Nigerian Democracy and the Challenge of Governance,” Lukman said there are many policy issues that organised labour would be interested in adding that simple courtesy of being in the loop of policy design would help reduce frictions and tension between labour and APC governments and eliminate distractions that come with strikes.
Lukman who is also the North-west zonal vice chairman of the party called for a common template to be agreed upon between the government and the labour unions to guide consultations.

According to Lukman, it will be easier for organised labour to develop a functional relationship with APC and its governments at all levels and seek to defend and promote the interests of Nigerian workers than for NLC and its partners to reclaim the Labour Party and use it to sponsor candidates and win elections.

While commending the labour unions for the suspension of nationwide strike over subsidy removal, Lukman said the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and their partners would have been the first casualty had it been Peter Obi won the last presidential election.

He said: “Good enough, the young government of President Tinubu was able to open negotiations with NLC and TUC and already both NLC and TUC have agreed to suspend their planned strike action. However, beyond the suspension of the planned strike action, APC and the government of President Tinubu must consider developing functional partnership with organise labour.

“The partnership must be strategically to facilitate consultations between organised labour, APC as a party and the governments it controls both at federal and state levels. Common template should be agreed to guide consultations. There are many policy issues that organised labour would be interested and simple courtesy of being in the loop of policy design would help reduce frictions and tension between labour and APC governments and eliminate distractions that come with strikes.

Some would argue that NLC has already registered Labour Party. The truth is that NLC lost Labour Party a long time ago. What exists today as Labour Party is a corrupt representation of the Labour Party envisioned by the NLC in 2002. The Labour Party envisioned by the NLC in 2002 was a party to be controlled by people committed to Nigerian working class. For quite sometimes now, Labour Party is the political equivalent of stock market whereby every person aspiring to emerge as a candidate of the party for election, is free to bid so long as he/she has the resources.

“The reality is that the highest bidder wins the ticket of the party. This is what produced Mr. Peter Obi as the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections. NLC and all their partners had no say in the emergence of Mr. Obi and had he won the election, NLC and their partners would have been the first casualty.

“Besides, NLC and TUC need to come to terms with the fact that they must relate with the government of the day to promote and defend the interests of Nigerian worker. They must relate with the federal government both as a sovereign authority and as the largest employer of labour irrespective of the party in power.”

The APC chieftain believed that once negotiation is limited to getting organised labour to accept the new policy of withdrawal of fuel subsidy without contracting partnership agreement with organised labour aimed at securing functional relationship to negotiate the roll out of difficult policies, which would be considered necessary to move Nigeria forward, the old distractions of managing strike actions by organised labour would continue.

“Developing a functional partnership relationship with organised labour, and by extension other groups, require deeper political reforms in the country. To achieve that would also demand more focus in reforming the APC as a pollical party, which may have to compel President Tinubu to ask the APC leadership to organise mid-term National Convention earlier than schedule.

“Some of the changes for instance required to bring about new leadership who could lead the party to achieve its vision of being a progressive party can only be decided by the National Convention. If, for instance, the party want to correct the problem of having reactionaries and conservatives leaders such as Sen. Adamu and Sen. Omisore leading the party, organising a mid-term convention is necessary and compelling.

“The earlier this is done, the better for the young government of President Tinubu especially if he wants to run a progressive federal government, one that can guarantee the participation by Nigerians represented by their organised groups in his government as provided by the 1999 Nigerian constitution as amended.”

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Edo Governor Joins National Economic Deliberations

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Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, attended his inaugural National Economic Council (NEC) meeting on Thursday at the State House Council Chambers in Abuja.
The session was presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The NEC serves as a vital forum for state governors, deputy governors, and the federal government’s economic team to discuss and address key economic challenges.

In a gesture to mark his first appearance, Governor Okpebholo was invited by Vice President Shettima to lead the opening prayer after the national anthem.

This event underscores Edo State’s active commitment to collaborating on national economic policies and driving solutions for Nigeria’s progress.

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At Achebe Forum, Obasanjo Labels Nigeria a ‘Failing State’ Criticizes Tinubu’s Leadership

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Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed sharp criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, stating that Nigeria’s decline is now evident to “every honest observer.”
Speaking at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in the U.S., Obasanjo attributed the country’s deteriorating state to leadership failure, pointing specifically to Tinubu’s governance, which he referred to as “Baba-go-slow and Emilokan.”

In his keynote address titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria,” Obasanjo highlighted that pervasive corruption and mismanagement have worsened Nigeria’s challenges, driving the country deeper into insecurity, division, and underdevelopment.
He quoted the late writer Chinua Achebe, who in his book The Trouble with Nigeria argued that the country’s fundamental problem is a failure of leadership, not a flaw in its people or resources. According to Obasanjo, this diagnosis remains as relevant today as it was over 40 years ago.

Obasanjo cited works by American experts Robert Rotberg and John Campbell, who have characterized Nigeria as a “failed state.” Their argument, he noted, suggests that Nigeria’s inability to maintain security and stability has serious implications for Africa and the world at large.

Additionally, the former President described “state capture” as a pressing issue in Nigeria, where powerful individuals and groups exploit government resources and policies for personal gain. Obasanjo argued that this corruption undermines national interests, with influential elites shaping the country’s legal and economic systems to benefit themselves. Such practices, he warned, compromise public welfare, affecting the quality of education, healthcare, and infrastructure development.

In reflecting on Achebe’s legacy, Obasanjo praised the late author’s commitment to truth and the moral foundation he established for Nigeria. He urged Nigerians and the international community to recognize the dangers of state capture and work towards restoring a governance model that prioritizes the public good.

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Sule Lamido, Shehu sani disagree over National Security Adviser

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Shehu Sani and Sule Lamido

The senator who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 8th National Assembly, Shehu Sani has disagreed with a former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido over national security issues
Lamido had taken a strong position against the current National Security Advisor (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu accusing him of compromising his professional integrity and acting more like a spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu than fulfilling his constitutional role.
Sani advised Lamido to at least appreciate how the Tinubu led Administration tackled insecurity instead of politicizing it in his comment on the National Security Adviser.
Ribadu who was basking in the euphoria of the recent claims of decimating the insurgents cautioned anyone “not to dare Tinubu”, espercially the new Lakurawa Insurgents a development which infuriated the former governor of Jigawa State and a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party,(PDP), prompting him to take to his verified facebook wall to describe the NSA as “loquacious, flippant and qualified to have been Tinubu’s Minsiter of Information instead of NSA.”
Lamido Criticizes NSA for Sycophantic Behavior, Urges Focus on Duties.
Lamido in his comment had expressed concerns over the NSA’s behavior, particularly his past actions as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under President Olusegun Obasanjo. Lamido reminded Nigerians of the NSA’s controversial remarks, including his public labeling of prominent governors—such as Tinubu, Kalu, and Akume—as the “most corrupt.” Lamido pointed out the stark contradiction between the NSA’s earlier criticisms and his current position, serving under the same figures he once condemned.

The former governor called the NSA’s decision to join the administration of President Tinubu—a leader he previously described as corrupt—a “singular mistake,” one that Lamido believes has tarnished the NSA’s credibility and character. “You are not a spokesperson for the President, you are a National Security Advisor,” Lamido emphasized, urging the NSA to return to the professionalism that has historically defined the role.

Lamido argued that previous holders of the NSA position, including the late Umaru Shinkafi, General Gusau, and Colonel Dasuki, all displayed discipline and a low profile, focusing on security matters without resorting to public displays or sycophantic behavior. Lamido lamented that the current NSA’s behavior reflects a departure from this standard, pointing to his increasingly vocal and partisan approach.

Rather than fulfilling his duties as an anonymous and diligent security advisor, Lamido claimed that the NSA’s moral dilemma and excessive displays of loyalty to the president have shifted him into the role of a “Minister of Information,” undermining the neutrality and importance of his position.

In closing, Lamido urged President Tinubu to allow his NSA to regain focus, remove his fears, and return to the professional standards expected of someone in such a sensitive and critical role. The criticism continued to ignite debates about the role of the NSA and the expectations of public office holders in Nigeria, with many calling for greater transparency and consistency from those in power.
Reacting, Shehu Sani countered Lamido in a statement on Friday in Abuja, saying there should be a credit and a commendation for an administration that inherited multi-faceted security challenges ,but which has been reduced to the barest minimum, wondering how the elderly statesman failed to acknowledge the many triumphs of government in bandits hotbed regions in the north.

Sani who served in the upper legislative Chamber in the 8th National Assembly said, he witnessed to the appropriation budget allocated to security which unfortunately did not abate security challenges before now, expressing that Nuhu Ribadu has achieved what many of his predecessors have failed to accomplish despite the hundreds of billions spent in the name of defence and security in the past;

According to him, bandits have been neutralized to a large extent, thus encouraging government in this direction until total victory should have been ideal rather than playing haywire politics which he said may not help the yet-volatile situation in the North.

He said: “Neutralisation of top bandit leaders, end to mass abductions of students in northern schools,

“Securing rail lines and major northern highways hitherto notorious for kidnappings. The prompt response to terrorist attacks on power lines is worth mentioning.

“Security challenges are not over but in all indices of comparison, he has performed better and set unprecedented records. His political critics are fully entitled to their views ,but his delivery on his mandate is unparalleled.”, Sani concluded.

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