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The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has increased the minimum wage of those working on federal contracts to $15 per hour which corresponds with N6,750 at the parallel market exchange rate of N450 per dollar.
Biden made the announcement on Tuesday on his Twitter handle to notify all workers residing in the United State of the development.
Joe Biden Reuters
In Nigeria, the minimum wage per month is N30,000 which equals $66 in the face of economic hardship, therefore, perpetuating paucity among the people as food prices and other essentials daily rise in the country.
He said, “I believe no one should work full time and still live in poverty. That’s why today, I raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour for people working on federal contracts.”
According to The PUNCH reports, after a series of protracted and frictional dialogues between the workers, employers and the government, President Muhammadu Buhari sent an executive bill to the National Assembly for amendment of the National Minimum Wage Act, in 2019.
Buhari signed the passed bill into law in April 2019, raising the minimum wage from N18,000 to N30,000.
Also, a bill seeking to allow states to independently regulate the minimum wage appropriate for them is currently being debated at the National Assembly.
Presently, the Nigerian Government still holds the exclusive powers to negotiate and determine the national minimum wage for workers across the three tiers of government in Nigeria.
The bill seeks an amendment to the 1999 Constitution by removing matters concerning wages from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List narrowly passed second reading due to the division among the lawmakers on the proposal.
When the bill becomes law, respective state and local governments will be able to control and fix different wages for their workers.
United States of America News AddThis : Original Author : SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :Nigerians who pursued graduate and undergraduate degree education in the United States generated an estimated $501 million (N190,129,500,000.00) for American government last year.
This was revealed by the country’s website on Wednesday which said about 14,000 Nigerians sought admission into American colleges and universities, more than any other nationality in Africa.
An adorned graduation cap saying, “USA and CHN” at The City College of New York commencement ceremony in Manhattan on May 31, 2019. REUTERS/Gabriela Bhaskar
“With over 100,000 travellers to the United States each year, Nigerians boost American businesses, colleges, and universities. There are over 8,800 education and exchange program alumni from Nigeria and the United States,” the American government said.
The website further disclosed that, “Nigeria sends more students to American colleges and universities than any other country in Africa and is the eleventh largest source worldwide of international students to the United States.
“In Academic Year 2019-2020, a record-breaking number of nearly 14,000 Nigerians pursued US graduate and undergraduate degrees, bringing an estimated $501 million to communities across America. In 2020, advisees of EducationUSA services received scholarships worth $28 million,” it said.
While speaking on peace and security of the Nigerian state, the US Government noted that, “Northeast Nigeria has become one of the world’s most challenging and complex humanitarian crises. The United States is the largest humanitarian donor in response to the crisis, providing $1.45 billion since 2015 and supporting almost two million conflict-affected households.
“Since 2017, Department of State and Department of Defense security assistance for Nigeria totals approximately $650 million, including $500 million in Foreign Military Sales. The United States looks forward to delivering twelve A-29 Super Tucano aircraft this year. Nigeria also has one of the largest International Military-Education and Training (IMET) programs in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“The United States promotes strong and broad collaboration between government and civil society at all levels, including civil society organisations led by women and members of marginalised groups. We also support the establishment of robust early warning systems to identify and mitigate drivers of communal conflict and violence in vulnerable states.
“We provide technical assistance, and train and equip law enforcement and judiciary professionals to address a wide range of priorities, ranging from stopping banditry to protecting intellectual property rights to more effectively addressing trafficking in persons and gender-based violence. Law enforcement programming focuses on building capacity for civilian security actors, particularly the Nigeria Police Force.
“As the Gulf of Guinea has become the world’s hotspot for piracy and armed robbery at sea, Nigeria has stepped up efforts to stem this problem, including a new initiative, Deep Blue, consisting of vessels, shoreside infrastructure, and personnel that can be dispatched to respond to piracy incidents. It is expected to become operational by mid-2021. U.S. efforts to stem piracy in the Gulf of Guinea help to strengthen maritime governance, enable the development of sustainable, maritime-based economies, and protect international maritime commerce.”
Education News AddThis : Original Author : SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :The Ogun state chapter of the African Action Congress has congratulated the party's new (Interim) National Secretary, Comrade Ino Okopi and the new (Interim) National Public Relation Officer, Comrade Adeyeye Olorunfemi.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Chairman of the party, Comrade Afolabi Adesina and State Secretary, Ifemosu Michael Adewale.
The party encouraged the two newly appointed officers to contribute towards the development of the party.
The statement read, “We have no doubt that your emergence is for the development and advancement of the party and that you both will swiftly get to work and set the party in motion as the only formidable opposition party in Nigeria.
“Your good offices must be to accelerate the pace of development in the party most especially now that there would be no more unnecessary distraction in which we have no doubt you will deliver.
“We also appreciate all the Rescue Committee; your contributions have been worthwhile. We pray to God to bless you all.”
See Also Politics AAC Confirms Sowore As National Chairman, Says Nigerians Have Rejected APC, PDP 0 Comments 3 Hours Ago
PHOTONEWS: @YeleSowore, @AACparty Members Storm @INECnigeria HQ, Give Final Warning On Imposition Of Expelled Secretary On The Party | Sahara Reporters https://t.co/26Uxwv1b1r pic.twitter.com/z7yh7dntjN
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) April 28, 2021
Humans are fond of doing stupid things. Stupidity is more accepting in individual’s life. But we must rebuff and rebel stupidity in a national leadership.
There are two sides of history- the right side and the stupid side. A president can choose to be on a right side or on a stupid side. There is a mad rush for some presidents to be on a stupid side.
It is evident that the only agenda of General Muhammadu Buhari as President of Nigeria is to conquer all other ethnic groups by fully Fulanize and Islamize the country. For now, let’s talk about his stupidity. When it comes to stupidity, Buhari can be likened to an unhinged drunkard at the bar regaling patrons with his stupidity. For six years, we have been abused and at the same time amused by the deeply idiotic episodes of Buhari in Nigeria’s most stupid era.
President Buhari
Few examples of Buhari’s impossibly stupidity will suffice. How profoundly stupid can Buhari be when for six years he has been jetting out to Britain for medical treatment and didn’t deem it wise to use the power and resources of his office to build first class hospitals in all the 36 states. With the prevailing state of anarchy in the country, Buhari doesn’t see it fit and right to address the nation even for once. On rare occasions when he addressed Nigerians, we had to plead and beg. American President Joe Biden since he assumed office 100 days ago, he has been having press conferences almost every other day. Buhari is building railway to Niger while such has not been extended to the 36 states. He said he’ll lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in ten years. The same Buhari failed to fulfill his campaign promise of creating two million jobs every two years.
He said Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable. But he zealously pursue policies and programs that fragments and disunites Nigeria: nepotism, corruption, divisive politics, filled all federal civil service jobs and posts in federal agencies with his Fulani kinsmen. He proscribed IPOB freedom fighters as a terrorist organization. On the other hand, he appoints terrorist Isa Pantami as minister and staunchly stands behind Pantami and his terrorist declarations. Buhari desperately hunts for Chief Sunday Adeyemo Igboho Oosa who is fighting to save Yorubas from Fulani herdsmen terrorists. At the same time, he shields Miyetti Allah terrorists, the Gumis and other northern terrorist groups. I can go on, and on, and on.
Buhari’s regime has been one disaster after another. These fiascos can be ascribed directly to Buhari’s lack of intellectual horsepower. Buhari has given no indication he possesses mental capacity, wisdom, and leadership skills to be president. When the story of Buhari’s reign of terror is told many years from now, students and history enthusiasts will learn about Buhari’s terrorism, nepotism, lies, corruption, and self-enrichment. War drums from Buhari and Fulani invaders are becoming louder and louder every day. Nigeria’s break up is certain. Separation is the only way out!
bjoluwasanmi@gmail.com
Opinion AddThis : Original Author : Bayo Oluwasanmi Disable advertisements :The rate of insecurity in the South-East has continued to generate concerns as cases of attacks on security operatives and killing of citizens in the region keep increasing.
SaharaReporters has also observed that these attacks are usually carried out by unidentified persons usually reported in the media as ‘unknown gunmen'.
SaharaReporters Media
These assailants not only attack security operatives and bases but also do not spare innocent citizens going about their daily activities.
SaharaReporters examine the top 5 hotspot areas in the region.
Owerri
Owerri in Imo State is one of the most ravaged areas of the region that have come under constant attacks. Of recent, the country home of Governor Hope Uzodinma came under attack by gunmen.
The gunmen succeeded in killing two security operatives attached to the governor's mansion, burning the edifice, and destroying vehicles parked inside the compound.
Meanwhile, on April 5, 2021, the Owerri Custodial Centre in Imo State was successfully attacked by unknown gunmen, who released a total of 1,844 inmates in custody.
The attackers stormed the facility in the early hours of the day and gained entrance into the yard by using explosives to blast the administrative block.
There was also panic in the Imo State capital on April 26 as soldiers allegedly shot and killed Divine Nwaneri, a 100 level student of the soil science and biotechnology department of the Imo State University, Owerri.
Orlu
On January 22, Nigerian soldiers invaded Orlu, a town in Imo State, in search of Eastern Security Network (ESN) operatives. Eight buildings were burnt and one person was killed in the process.
Security forces re-invaded the area on January 25, clashing with the ESN and killing at least five people before leaving. Four Nigerian soldiers were killed in the fight and the Nigerian Army withdrew though Nigerian Air Force planes and helicopters were deployed to search for ESN operatives in and around Orlu.
On February 17, hundreds of military operatives launched heavy attacks on the suspected camps of the ESN in some parts of the forest –Umunna in Orlu and Orsu local government areas of Imo state.
Other areas that have witnessed attacks on security operatives in the region include: Okigwe South Area Command Headquarters, Ehime Mbano where five policemen were killed during an operation by gunmen. Gunmen in the early hours of Thursday, April 8, attacked the Mbieri Divisional Police Headquarters situated in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo state.
Similarly, on February 25, suspected hoodlums burnt down the police divisional headquarters in Aboh Mbaise, Imo State. According to the state’s police public relation officer, Ikeokwu Godson Orlando, the suspected hoodlums razed the station and injured a female police officer in the process.
On March 17, media reports had it that some gunmen attacked the Isiala Mbano Divisional Police Headquarters in Umuelemai, Imo State.
The gunmen injured a police officer (who later died) and set ablaze files when they were unable to find any rifle.
On February 6, gunmen suspected to be bandits attacked the police station in Umulowo, Imo State, after killing some police officers and carting away arms. Two police officers were said to have lost their lives during the attack.
Ohuakwu Local Council
On April 12, gunmen attacked Otuebu and Obodo Ocha villages in Ohaukwu Local Council of Ebonyi State, killing six persons and leaving many with injuries.
The attackers also razed many houses, yam barns, vehicles, farm products, among others.
Some Effium militants, on March 29 attacked the Ezza community in Ebonyi State, burning many houses.
The lingering communal conflict in the state between the Effium and Ezza Effium peoples has been violent, resulting in killings and destruction of property.
Residents of Ngbo Community in the local government also woke up on the morning of April 13 to attacks by gunmen, 15 persons were killed in the attack.
On January 24, eight persons died following clashes between Effium and Ezza Effium communities in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state.
On February 23, it was reported that at least 25 people were killed and over 125 houses burned down in armed communal fighting between the Effium and Ezza Effium communities of the state.
Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State
On April 26, there was pandemonium on the Igbariam campus of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Anambra State, as students and residents sought safety, following the alleged killing of nine persons and 23 cows by gunmen.
Unknown gunmen reportedly killed an unspecified number of soldiers in the same local council on March 19.
The gunmen set ablaze a police van in Neni and carted away arms belonging to the late policemen, while in Awkuzu, the felled soldiers also lost their weapons to the attackers.
The soldiers were killed at an outpost in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area, both of Anambra State.
On April 21, a yet-to-be-identified young man was allegedly killed by policemen in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra state for overtaking their patrol vehicles.
The deceased, who had recently returned to Nigeria from South Africa, was shot immediately he overtook the vehicle of the policemen.
Awka
On April 19, media reports had it that two police officers were killed in Anambra State, in a deadly attack by gunmen on a police facility in the state.
Some vehicles parked at the station’s premises were razed during the attack at the Zone 13 police headquarters at Ukpo, near Awka.
On April 20, there was a mass shooting in various areas in Awka, the Anambra State capital, which resulted in the death of three young people.
The shooting happened at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) temporary junction and Ifite area, close to the university. According to reports, three males, all youths, were killed at the end of simultaneous shootings in both locations.
On March 21, a police station in Mgbakwu in the Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State came under attack, where some arms and ammunition were reportedly carted away.
Insecurity News AddThis : Original Author : SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :Some communities facing attacks by bandits in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State have negotiated with terrorists for a ceasefire.
This followed a truce reached by the people of the communities with the terrorists who have been attacking their villages.
However, the information being circulated about payment of tax and Value Added Tax to terrorists in the affected communities has not been verified.
According to sources from the local government who spoke to Daily Trust, the people initiated the negotiation with the terrorists, who have been attacking them, so as to have peace in the area.
Meanwhile, a police source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they got information that the terrorists asked villagers to pay tax to them.
Co-convener, Concerned Shiroro Youths, Sani Abubakar Yusuf Kokki, said all communities and villages in Gurmana and Manta districts of Shiroro local government have held peace talks with the bandits.
“Virtually all communities and villages in Gurmana and Manta districts of Shiroro local government, Niger State have negotiated with terrorists for a ceasefire after reaching an agreement to give them a certain amount of money, including purchasing of Honda motorcycles for them.
“Also, some communities and villages in Bassa/Kukoki Ward have followed suit by agreeing to pay a certain amount of money, among others while the terrorists suspend their nefarious activities,” he said.
It was gathered that some villages pay as much as N2 million in addition to satisfying other demands by the group.
Some residents of the area, who bemoaned their predicament in the hands of the terrorists, said they prefer paying them if they would let them have peace rather than pay to a government that does not care about their security and welfare.
Niger State police command’s public relations officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, could not be reached confirm the report as of press time as his mobile telephone was switched off.
Insecurity Insurgency Terrorism News AddThis : Original Author : SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :Unknown gunmen have shot dead two police officers in Akwa Ibom state.
The officers were shot dead at a checkpoint in Urua Inyang, Ika Local Government Area of the state.
Akwa Ibom state map
The gunmen also burnt down a police patrol vehicle and carted away with rifles soon after the other officers fled.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Odiko Macdon, confirmed the incident.
Macdon said he was in the company with the Commissioner of Police, Amiengheme Andrew, for an assessment of the attack and would give the details of the incident later.
Police stations have come under attack in the South-East region lately, with many officers killed.
Governors from the region recently announced the establishment of a joint security outfit, codenamed ‘Ebube Agu’ to battle rising insecurity.
Police News AddThis : Original Author : SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, says she determined since 2007 that she would never accept a ministerial appointment again.
Ezekwesili said this in a series of tweets on Monday, adding that she had rejected past ministerial appointments.
The former minister’s tweet comes barely two weeks after her former protégé, Japheth Omojuwa, said in an open letter that Ezekwesili was expected to be appointed a minister by the new regime of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
Many Buhari supporters seized the opportunity to lambast Ezekwesili, accusing her of being a Buhari critic because the President failed to appoint her as a minister.
But Ezekwesili, the Co-Convener of the Bring Back Our Girls Group, said she found nothing fascinating in being a minister, adding that when former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed her in the early 2000s, the appointment had put a strain on her family.
The former Vice-President, World Bank Africa Division, tweeted, “I keep asking what is it about becoming a minister that these folks find so fascinating, considering the hardship my previous service to Nigeria including as a minister, cost my family and me?
“Finally, I got it. Such an attack is by all those who see public office as a meal. After 2007, I decided never again to accept any ministerial appointment in this country. Facts are all around that every time I was offered to be a minister since 2007, I swiftly turned down the offer. I know it kills some of you to accept this, but it is what it is.”
Politics News AddThis : Original Author : Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements :The police in Sokoto State on Tuesday confirmed the death of one person, burning of a divisional police station and two vehicles in Kware Local Government Area of the state.
The spokesman for the police in the state, ASP Abubakar Sanusi, told reporters that this was after a mob came to the station demanding the release of two suspected kidnappers.
Sanusi said that the suspects were earlier arrested and investigated for their alleged involvement in kidnapping in the area. He explained that the mob, mostly youths, came to the station shouting and insisting that the two suspects be released, News Agency of Nigeria reports.
He said that they overpowered the operatives guarding the station and burnt it down along with the DPO’s car and two police vans.
He added that the mob succeeded in killing one of the suspects and wounded the other.
Sanusi, however, said no arrest had been made, but the investigation was ongoing.
CRIME News AddThis : Original Author : Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements :The police in Sokoto State on Tuesday confirmed the death of one person, burning of a divisional police station and two vehicles in Kware Local Government Area of the state.
The spokesman for the police in the state, ASP Abubakar Sanusi, told reporters that this was after a mob came to the station demanding the release of two suspected kidnappers.
Sanusi said that the suspects were earlier arrested and investigated for their alleged involvement in kidnapping in the area. He explained that the mob, mostly youths, came to the station shouting and insisting that the two suspects be released, News Agency of Nigeria reports.
He said that they overpowered the operatives guarding the station and burnt it down along with the DPO’s car and two police vans.
He added that the mob succeeded in killing one of the suspects and wounded the other.
Sanusi, however, said no arrest had been made, but the investigation was ongoing.
CRIME News AddThis : Original Author : Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements :A coalition of 52 northern groups on Monday called on the global community to intervene in persuading the Nigerian government and United Nations to facilitate the final actualisation of the Biafran dream by the Igbo.
While describing as empty and of no effect “threats and promises” by President Muhammadu Buhari, the CNG said “between December 2020 and April 2021, over 970 students were abducted from their schools in the northern part of Nigeria with a substantial number still in captivity and some violently executed.”
Biafran flag
The spokesperson of CNG, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, raised the views in a communiqué after an emergency meeting in Abuja.
According to him, Northern Nigeria has never experienced the present level of exposure to criminals and bandits under the régime of Buhari.
He said, “The CNG hereby resolves to call on our friends and the international community, the UK especially, to understand that our bilateral friendship is guided by the principles of sovereignty, promotion of peace and the standards that guide legitimate interference.
“Hence, their intervention, exclamations and actions should not be drawn to discountenance the effort of the Nigerian state to protect citizens from violence and terror.
“We finally wish to renew our request for the global community’s intervention in persuading Nigerian authorities and the United Nations to facilitate the final actualisation of the Biafran dream by the Igbo.
“The world should keep in mind that by far, a destabilised Nigeria will certainly threaten the peace and security of the entire sub-Saharan Africa.
“In the South, gangs of armed IPOB militia, violent secessionists and an assortment of militant groups appear to sense a huge vacuum in the capacity and political will by the Federal Government to challenge them, which they exploit with disastrous consequences on the nation’s security assets and specifically on northern communities and individuals living as minorities in the South while the presidency wallows in deflecting the issue.”
The CNG, however, attacked the Indigenous People of Biafra, saying it “is now taking a more ominous and repulsive form and context with an open declaration of violence and anarchy against other parts of Nigeria and the Nigerian State.”
Politics News AddThis : Original Author : Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements :A coalition of 52 northern groups on Monday called on the global community to intervene in persuading the Nigerian government and United Nations to facilitate the final actualisation of the Biafran dream by the Igbo.
While describing as empty and of no effect “threats and promises” by President Muhammadu Buhari, the CNG said “between December 2020 and April 2021, over 970 students were abducted from their schools in the northern part of Nigeria with a substantial number still in captivity and some violently executed.”
Biafran flag
The spokesperson of CNG, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, raised the views in a communiqué after an emergency meeting in Abuja.
According to him, Northern Nigeria has never experienced the present level of exposure to criminals and bandits under the régime of Buhari.
He said, “The CNG hereby resolves to call on our friends and the international community, the UK especially, to understand that our bilateral friendship is guided by the principles of sovereignty, promotion of peace and the standards that guide legitimate interference.
“Hence, their intervention, exclamations and actions should not be drawn to discountenance the effort of the Nigerian state to protect citizens from violence and terror.
“We finally wish to renew our request for the global community’s intervention in persuading Nigerian authorities and the United Nations to facilitate the final actualisation of the Biafran dream by the Igbo.
“The world should keep in mind that by far, a destabilised Nigeria will certainly threaten the peace and security of the entire sub-Saharan Africa.
“In the South, gangs of armed IPOB militia, violent secessionists and an assortment of militant groups appear to sense a huge vacuum in the capacity and political will by the Federal Government to challenge them, which they exploit with disastrous consequences on the nation’s security assets and specifically on northern communities and individuals living as minorities in the South while the presidency wallows in deflecting the issue.”
The CNG, however, attacked the Indigenous People of Biafra, saying it “is now taking a more ominous and repulsive form and context with an open declaration of violence and anarchy against other parts of Nigeria and the Nigerian State.”
Politics News AddThis : Original Author : Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements :A coalition of 52 northern groups on Monday called on the global community to intervene in persuading the Nigerian government and United Nations to facilitate the final actualisation of the Biafran dream by the Igbo.
While describing as empty and of no effect “threats and promises” by President Muhammadu Buhari, the CNG said “between December 2020 and April 2021, over 970 students were abducted from their schools in the northern part of Nigeria with a substantial number still in captivity and some violently executed.”
Biafran flag
The spokesperson of CNG, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, raised the views in a communiqué after an emergency meeting in Abuja.
According to him, Northern Nigeria has never experienced the present level of exposure to criminals and bandits under the régime of Buhari.
He said, “The CNG hereby resolves to call on our friends and the international community, the UK especially, to understand that our bilateral friendship is guided by the principles of sovereignty, promotion of peace and the standards that guide legitimate interference.
“Hence, their intervention, exclamations and actions should not be drawn to discountenance the effort of the Nigerian state to protect citizens from violence and terror.
“We finally wish to renew our request for the global community’s intervention in persuading Nigerian authorities and the United Nations to facilitate the final actualisation of the Biafran dream by the Igbo.
“The world should keep in mind that by far, a destabilised Nigeria will certainly threaten the peace and security of the entire sub-Saharan Africa.
“In the South, gangs of armed IPOB militia, violent secessionists and an assortment of militant groups appear to sense a huge vacuum in the capacity and political will by the Federal Government to challenge them, which they exploit with disastrous consequences on the nation’s security assets and specifically on northern communities and individuals living as minorities in the South while the presidency wallows in deflecting the issue.”
The CNG, however, attacked the Indigenous People of Biafra, saying it “is now taking a more ominous and repulsive form and context with an open declaration of violence and anarchy against other parts of Nigeria and the Nigerian State.”
Politics News AddThis : Original Author : Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements :