BREAKING NEWS

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, yesterday in Abuja, walked out on students protesting the continued face-off between the government and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, who have paralysed academic activities in the nation’s universities.  The students, under the aegis of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, had taken their protest to the minister’s office, clutching placards demanding a quick resolution of the crisis. After a few questions by the students, who were led by the NANS President, Comrade Sunday Asefon, the minister angrily left for his office. Commenting on the development, Asefon said:  ”We only asked the minister one or two questions about what the government is doing to resolve the impasse, when he angrily left us and went inside. ”We are surprised at the development because as students, we are the ones bearing the brunt of the strike. We are going to hold a meeting to deliberate on the next step to take and we will

  Nigerian workers are facing very difficult times as they spend about 79% of their monthly minimum wage (N30,000) on transportation. This is according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) January report on transport fare NBS noted in the report that Nigerians in January paid N476.3 on an average per drop for bus journey within the city. This is an increase of 1.18 percent when compared to the N470.83 in December 2021. The amount paid in January 2022 is also a 35.28 percent rise from N352.15 paid in January last year. What this means is that for a Nigerian who is on a minimum wage pay of N30,000, he or she will have to spend over 70 percent of their salary on transportation. Nigeria has an average of 25 working days, if a per drop bus ride is N476.39, that is about N23,819 to get to work and back home in a month, leaving only N6,180 as take home pay. Further analysis also showed the huge pressure on Nigerian workers’ finances. NBS also reported that the average fare paid by commu

  For the first time in eight months, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has failed to remit a kobo to the federation account despite the rising international prices of oil. The account is jointly operated by the federal, state and local governments and money received is distributed to all. But a document obtained from NNPC shows that despite making an average N52.3 billion daily given oil price averaged at $90 per barrel and also a slight improvement in oil exports of 1.3 million barrels per day, NNPC revealed it had no money. The last time NNPC announced zero remittance to the federation account was in April last year. The document also revealed that a whopping N210.38 billion was spent on petrol subsidies in January. What this means is that in one year (February 2021- January 2022) almost N1.8 trillion has gone into subsidy payment. NNPC generated total revenue of N2.992 trillion in 11 months and removed N2.47 trillion for refinery rehabilitation, oil search, sub

  The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited on Monday confirmed that International oil companies are diversifying and leaving Nigeria. The NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, disclosed this in Abuja at the ongoing Nigeria International Energy Summit 2022 with the theme, “Revitalising the Industry: Future Fuels and Energy transition.” According to him the exit of International Oil Companies from Nigeria was not because of bad policies, but due to the global push for energy transition and net carbon zero target. His words: “Companies are divesting. They are leaving our country literally, that’s the best way to put it. But they are not leaving because opportunities are not there. “It is because companies are shifting their portfolios where they can add value, and not just that, where they can also add to the journey towards net carbon zero production. We understand this very perfectly. “But we can’t afford not to realise that this country must benefit from the realiti

  The United States has directed its citizens to consider leaving Russia immediately as the hostilities between Moscow and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies over the invasion of Ukraine reached one week. In a statement issued on Sunday, the State Department said a special flight would be deployed to Russia to evacuate Americans in the country as more countries closed their airspace to Russia after the country’s invasion of its neighbour. The US embassy in Moscow had earlier advised Americans in the country to have an evacuation plan, citing the threat of attacks in Moscow and along the Russian border with Ukraine. “US citizens should consider departing Russia immediately via commercial options still available,” a security alert dated February 27 posted on the website of the US embassy in Moscow read. The US and its allies including the United Kingdom, Canada and France have imposed stiff sanctions on Russia over the invasion which has been described as the largest assaul