President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he will end his presidential re-election campaign, bringing an abrupt and humbling conclusion to his half-century-long political career and scrambling the race for the White House just four months before Election Day.
Biden, 81, could not reverse growing sentiment within his party that he was too frail to serve and destined to lose to Donald Trump in November.
“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter posted on X.
“I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.”
Biden thanked Vice President Kamala Harris for “being an extraordinary partner” but did not endorse her to be his replacement as the Democratic Party presidential nominee in his letter.
The leadership of the Labour Party National Transition Committee (LP-NTC) has warned Barrister Julius Abure and other members of his group not to risk jail terms and to respect the court’s judgment regarding the expiration of his tenure as the former Chairman of the Party in 2023, which disqualifies him from organizing legitimate elections within the party.
Consequently, the LP-NTC is urging the general public, especially members of the Labour Party throughout Nigeria, to avoid any dangers that could jeopardize their political careers by dissociating themselves from sudden unconstitutional wards, local government, and state congresses being conducted by Abure and others.
A statement signed by Alhaji Abdulwaheed Omar, Chairman of the Labour Party National Transition Committee (LP-NTC), over the weekend, asserted that any ward, local government, and state elections conducted in all the states of the Federation by the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC)—particularly in states like Anambra, Imo, Edo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Sokoto, Ondo, Kaduna, and Adamawa—remain null and void in the eyes of the law.
The LP-NTC further pointed out that the ward, local government areas, and state congresses allegedly being organized in several states by the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) would be futile, as Abure has lost the authority to organize further legitimate elections for the Labour Party, stressing that such efforts would only result in a waste of funds and human resources.
The LP-NTC warned that any elections organized by Julius Abure are illegal and represent another scheme to extract money from innocent, misinformed members of the Labour Party and the general public.
“The reported congress venture by Barr Abure and his others are also acts of blatant disobedience to an irrevocable court judgment of the Abuja Federal High Court delivered on March 20, 2018, by Honourable Justice Gabriel Kolawole”.
Furthermore, Committee said that the current Abure Congress expedition is also a violation of the Nigeria Electoral Act, the operations of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Constitution which ultimately regulates the affairs of political parties.
“Recall that the INEC, the Labour Party leader Mr. Peter Obi, the elected Labour Party members of States/National Assemblies and other informed, law-abiding stakeholders of our party nationwide boycotted, did not recognize and have since consistently dissociated themselves from the fraudulent Nnewi convention based on which Julius Abure and his cohorts claim authority to act as National Executive (NEC) Council and National Working Committee (NWC) of Labour Party to conduct congresses.
“Also recall that to make their positions clear beyond doubt on the illegitimacy of Abure’s unlawfully concocted Nnewi convention of March 27, 2024, INEC through the commission’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Rotimi Oyekami, Mr Peter Obi himself reiterating through his spokesman, Dr Yunusa Tanko, and other stakeholders publicly dissociated themselves in both formal print and electronic media from the Nnewi gathering.
“Ironically, it is on that multi-institutionally condemned, rejected, dismissed and invalid, illegal convention that Julius Abure and his friends of the Labour Party rely on as their authority to conduct congresses of the party and to engage themselves to, uninformed Labour Party members and the Nigerian public as the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.
“Furthermore, in stark contravention of INEC guidelines for the conduct of congresses by political parties and contrary to the false information being dished out to the public and uninformed Labour Party members, we have on good authority that just like their Nnewi convention charade, INEC did not approve the so-called congresses of Abure”.
The approved minimum wage of N70,000 will not address the fundamental economic challenges being experienced by Nigerian Workers. Not even N250,000 will fix the economic conditions of the workers ! An increase in minimum wage without corresponding increase in productivity will amount to nothing!
A more fundamental approach is desirable at this critical period in our history . It seems to me that most people at the corridor of power do not understand the problem with Nigeria.
This approved minimum wage of N70,000 can only keep the workers in perpetual state of slavery and beggerly .
Our Political Leaders have not learnt anything from history and deceit game has continued since after the civil war.
Realistically, minimum wage should consider the cost of living such as food , accommodation , transportation, healthcare etc . NLC painstakingly , tabulated the variables that added up to their final demand figure. I have not seen how a least paid worker will survive with N70,000 per month! I have not also seen performance targets set for workers to earn performance bonus.
For clarity purpose , our feeding bottle federalism is the problem with Nigeria as a country . This present system started after the first military coup in Nigeria and the 1999 constitution as amended democratized the unitary constitution . The central government is overburdened with loads of activities that the high cost of servicing the unproductive ventures in the exclusive list of federal government becomes a big setback towards the march for development and advancement. This unproductive system must be dismantled immediately.
There are immediate actions to be taken by President Tinubu as listed below;
1.Return the control of all the natural resources to the States just as electricity business is returned to the States.
2. Make workers wages to be paid per hour. People can work in many places as they like. Determine the minimum amount to be paid per hour like N4000.
3. Return most ministries to the state like education, transportation, agriculture,works ,housing etc . So many federal ministries and agencies are just conduit pipes for diverting public funds .
4. Use creative means to ensure that indigenous engineers are running the 4 refineries we have and bring the price of crude oil products below N200.
5. Hire local mercenaries to fight bandits across the Country and ensure that farmers return to their farmlands with adequate incentives.
6. Retire all the public servants with unexplainable sources of income ( bvn will assist ) and ensure that resources are evenly distributed.
7. Ensure that all Nigerians are captured in National Identity card system within two months.There is no reason why unemployed Nigerian should not be receiving N100,000 monthly in his/her bank account.
8. Defend and stabilize naira using creative means . You cannot float naira when international trade is not favourable.
There are many other things a President who loves his people can do to create general happiness . This is if only those politicians in government can have change of heart and use the resources of the people for the welfare of the people .
Minimum wage of N70,000 will not solve any problem .
Ndubuisi Anaenugwu is the Ambassador -General of Good Governance Ministry
The Government of Enugu State and a group of Nigerians in the diaspora have sealed a deal to build an over $300 million state-of-the-art medical city in the state.
The medical city, which would play in all the value chain of medical services to make Enugu State the hub of medical tourism on the African continent, will see the state provide 100 hectres of land in consideration for which it would get a 10 per cent equity stake in the Special Purpose Vehicle, SPV, for the development.
Welcoming the executive and management of African Medical City, who are mostly Nigerian medical doctors based overseas, Mbah said the state government would discharge its obligations with dispatch to ensure a timely realisation of the initiative, blaming lack of modern facilities for the over $1 billion, which Nigerians are estimated to spend on medical tourism annually.
“What we are witnessing here today is monumental, and we cannot take the value and the significance of it for granted. This is in line with the humongous promise we made to our people during our campaign for office to grow our GDP exponentially from $4.4 billion to $30 billion.
“But we recognised that a lot of that growth will come from the private sector; and we also recognised that it has to be enabled by the government. So, our strategy was to have a government-enabled, but private sector-driven economy.
“So, coming to Enugu with an investment size of over $300 million, we knew it was something that must not escape us when we heard of it. We must do everything necessary to ensure that the investment is not only sitting here, but that we also recruit you as one of our testimonials, people who can market Enugu based on your experience in terms of how we made it easy for you to come here and invest and how we have also shown transparency, accountability and integrity in the entire process.
“You can be assured that we will discharge all those obligations creditably,” the governor said.
Speaking, Chairman of the African Medical City, Dr. Ethelbert Nwanegbo, said the group was attracted to Enugu by the investment and ease of doing business push by the present administration in the state.
“What we are trying to do here is to establish a medical city. A medical city is not just a medical building, to be sure. So, when we think of Africa, we think of Nigeria and think of yesterday.“
In his remark, the President/CEO of African Medical City, Dr. Uchenna Ogbozor, assured that the organisation would hit the ground running.
“African Medical City is a big organisation and we have 21 members as it stands today. So, I want to commend our members, including those that are not here, for their financial commitment and capabilities.
“We are looking at this investment to be an over $300 million investment. The government is giving us 100 hectres of land, representing 10 per cent of the investment”.
Also on the AMC delegation was Mr. Joseph Michael Budetti, a financial advisor.
Members of the House of Representatives have agreed to cut their salaries by 50 percent for six months as part of their solidarity and sacrifice to support the economic hardship and hunger Nigerians are going through at the moment.
This followed the adoption of an amendment to a motion’s prayer moved by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, on the need for lawmakers to sacrifice 50% of their N600,000 monthly salaries to support Nigerians in view of the hardship in the land.
Kalu’s amended prayer was to a motion by Rep Isiaka Ayokunle calling on proponents of the planned nationwide protests to jettison the idea and engage the government in dialogue.
The deputy Speaker said the salary cut is to be used to support federal government’s efforts to address rising cost of food stuffs in the country with the view to ameliorating the hardship Nigerians are going through.
We report that by slashing their salaries by 30%, the 360 lawmakers will be sacrificing N108 million monthly for the next six months.
Members of the House of Representatives have agreed to cut their salaries by 50 percent for six months as part of their solidarity and sacrifice to support the economic hardship and hunger Nigerians are going through at the moment.
This followed the adoption of an amendment to a motion’s prayer moved by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, on the need for lawmakers to sacrifice 50% of their N600,000 monthly salaries to support Nigerians in view of the hardship in the land.
Kalu’s amended prayer was to a motion by Rep Isiaka Ayokunle calling on proponents of the planned nationwide protests to jettison the idea and engage the government in dialogue.
The deputy Speaker said the salary cut is to be used to support federal government’s efforts to address rising cost of food stuffs in the country with the view to ameliorating the hardship Nigerians are going through.
We report that by slashing their salaries by 30%, the 360 lawmakers will be sacrificing N108 million monthly for the next six months.
Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, has waved the 18 years benchmark for admission into tertiary institutions.
At an ongoing policy meeting organised by the Joint Admission Matriculations Board (JAMB) in Abuja, Mamman had announced that only applicants who were 18 years and above were eligible for admission.
This had sparked a controversy as stakeholders across tertiary institutions in the country, kicked against what the minister said.
Immediately after Mamman made the utterance, the hall erupted in rowdiness.
In a move to calm frayed nerves, the Minister had asked, “Are we together?”, to which the attendees chorused “No!”
It took the intervention of JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, before normalcy was restored.
While reacting to the grumblings from the participants, he insisted that the law required that their children should be in school at 18 years, having attended six years in primary school, three years in Junior Secondary School and three years in senior secondary school.
The Minister noted that the meeting was to ensure that the process of admission for 2024/2024 was fair.
AHe said the position of the Federal Ministry of Education had not changed from any institution that does admission outside the right process, which is Central Application Process (CAP).
One of the participants who did not want to be named said: “That is not possible, how can a child finish school write WAEC and JAMB and passed and you deny him admission?”
But the minister later accepted the suggestions of the stakeholders that from 16 years and above should be eligible for this year’s admission while the law would apply from next year.
The Nigeria Labor Congress, on Tuesday, threatened to shut down the country for a month in protest against plans by the National Assembly to deregulate the national minimum wage.
NLC’s threat came as the nation awaits a new national minimum wage following months of negotiations between Organized Labor, the Federal Government, and the Organized Private Sector.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, declared the position of the union while speaking on the sidelines of the 67th Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association Annual General Meeting in Lagos.
Ajaero said, “As we are here, a Joint Committee of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Judiciary are meeting. They have decided to remove section 34 from the Exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list so that the state governors can determine what to pay you and so that there will be no minimum wage again. You cannot decide what you should earn.
“The very moment the House of Representatives and the Senate come up with such a law that will not benefit Nigerian workers, they will be their drivers and gatemen, and there will be no movement for one month. We cannot accept any situation where the governors and the National Assembly members will foist a slave wage on workers and force poverty on the citizens. Organized Labor will not accept it.”
The NLC president further stated that “We don’t have a situation where people determine their wages that amounts to some level of illegality. In the constitution, there is a provision for equal work for equal pay. If we go into job analysis and job evaluation, we may discover that a clerk here may be doing the same work as the clerk in Sokoto.
“The so-called decentralization of wages to pay somebody here less than what the other person is receiving is against the concept of equity and equality before the law.”
According to the NLC president, the International Labor Organization recognizes wage as a national law, saying it is not for the sub-nationals.
The labor leader maintained that “every country has their minimum wage and some states are paying higher than the basic minimum wage, and that is the position of the law anywhere”.
However, he said, some people instigated by the governors were saying they would not be able to pay N60,000 even when their members were in the meeting with labor, saying this was being done in bad fate.
“We have put our members on notice that if these people succeed in coming up with such unpatriotic and obnoxious law. This democracy they are playing with, we have enough in this country in terms of hardship. Some people, based on their privileged positions want to inflict more Injuries on the workers and citizens of this country and that will not be accepted,” he stressed.
He added that the labor movement will not accept “slave wages”.
“Every worker in Nigeria across the country is seen as Nigerian workers and any attempt to discredit them in a federation will first be resisted by the NLC.
Thank you for everything, I wish you eternal rest, u deserve it. U don try. U don’t belong in this shit hole.
As you officially join the league of ancestors; Please if you see Tafawa Balewa, tell him that his sons are carrying guns against Nigerian state.
Tell Yar’Adua that the amnesty he granted is now business oriented for the privilege few; causing wahala.
Please if u see Ojukwu, tell him that his brothers and sisters are expecting another program.
Tell Awolowo that Nigeria is now more divided and preparing for another war.
Tell Nnamdi Azikiwe that those things that made him cross the ocean 100 times seeking for peace are coming again.
Obviously you will not see Abacha, but if u see anyone that see’s
him, pls tell him that Almustapha his main man is out of kirikiri prison; tell him that even Obasanjo came out of prison and became President. Please try and see Baba Fela, biko tell him that we are no longer suffering and smiling, we are suffering and dropping dead daily.
Tell MKO Abiola that another June
12 is looming and his kinsmen no longer speak with one voice.
I know you will see my father, Justice Oputa, tell him am holding ground and that I miss him, tell him not to worry about me. But don’t forget to remind him that justice can no longer be found in Nigeria it’s for the highest bidder.
Tell Gani Fawehemi Senior Advocate of the Masses, that corruption is now official; tell him that even prosecution and conviction of Politicians who are looting the country dry is selective. Tell him that Mike Ezekome now defends known treasury looters. Kai
Please don’t fail to tell CHINUE ACHEBE not to be disappointed in Nigeria, it’s just that since he left to join the league of ancestors, THINGS FALL APART, Nigeria is NO LONGER AT EASE and the ARROW OF GOD is now pointing seriously at Nigeria because of THE TROUBLE IN NIGERIA, even though we’ve had MAN OF THE PEOPLE like you, but when we cast our minds back to the good old days, indeed we remember THERE WAS A COUNTRY…
As you join the league of ancestors, SHAGARI rest in peace…
