Columns/Opinions/Letters - Abia ThinkTank News

Jun

2024

Dr. Engr. Odo Ijere Advises Hon. Ibe Okwara Osonwa On Ohafia Electricity Problems

Columns/Opinions/Letters, National Assembly, News Flash, Power & Energy

Dr. Engr. Odo Ijere Advises Hon. Ibe Okwara Osonwa On Ohafia Electricity Problems MY INFORMED RESPONSE TO REPRESENTATIVE IBE OKWARA OSONWA AMID EEDC SUPPLY BLACKMAIL. I have operated long enough in the electricity supply industry to be able to understand and speak to their body language of deceit. I have been a privileged operator as Consultant to NEPA Southeast zone, PHCN Southeast zone and then to where EEDC was created through privatization. And so when Representative Ibe Okwara Osonwa recently announced his terms of settlement of the issues between EEDC and Ohafia community, which among other things recommended a N100…

Jun

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

How I Saved Tinubu’s Political Career – Atiku

Columns/Opinions/Letters, News Flash, Politics

How I Saved Tinubu’s Political Career – Atiku Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said without his support to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his political career could have ended as the governor of Lagos State. He said this while reacting to the widely held position that the President Tinubu came to his rescue following his spat with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, leading to his contesting the Presidential Election on the platform of Action Congress (AC) in 2007. In a statement through his Media Adviser, Mr Paul Ibe, said, “Vice President Kashim Shettima goofed when he claimed that former Vice President of…

Jun

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Organised Labour Reveals Next Move After Rejecting N62k Minimum Wage Offer

Columns/Opinions/Letters, FGN, Labour, News Flash

Organised Labour Reveals Next Move After Rejecting N62K Minimum Wage Offer The Organised Labour comprising of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) is awaiting President Bola Tinubu’s decision on the newly proposed ₦62,000 minimum wage. Recall that the Tripartite Committee on Friday increased the new minimum wage offer from N60,000 to N62,000. But the TUC President, Festus Osifo immediately rejected the figure, stating that Labour would not accept anything less than ₦250,000 as a fair minimum wage. Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) stated that Tinubu’s verdict would determine Organised Labour’s next move.…

Jun

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Minimum Wage: Where Will States Find Extra Money For The Minimum Wage? From Christ Embassy’s School Of Miracles? – Reno Omokiri

Economy, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Labour, News Flash

What is the use of making an unenforceable minimum wage law? More than half of Nigeria's thirty six states are already struggling to pay the current ₦30,000 minimum wage. It does not take a genius to know that if they are forced to pay ₦60,000, the Governors will have to engage in MASSIVE sacking. Only about eight states can fully survive on their own without federal allocations. Nigerians are notorious for not paying taxes. We have tax-to-GDP ratio of less than 10%. Even Ivory Coast has a higher tax-to-GDP ratio than we do. So, where will the states find the…

Jun

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

N60,000 Minimum Wage Too High, Not Sustainable – Governors Reject Proposal

Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, News Flash

N60,000 Minimum Wage Too High, Not Sustainable – Governors Reject Proposal Governors under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors Forum have rejected the proposed N60,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers. In a statement issued on Friday by the Director of Media and Public Affairs for NGF, Halimah Salihu Ahmed, the governors said the proposed minimum wage is too high and not sustainable. NGF expressed concerns that if the N60,000 minimum wage is adopted, many states would allocate their entire Federal Account Allocation Committee funds to salaries, leaving no resources for development projects. The statement read in part, “The Nigeria Governors’…

Jun

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Tinubu Administration Diverting Funds Through Secret Petrol Subsidy

FGN, Columns/Opinions/Letters, News Flash, Oil & Gas

Tinubu Administration Diverting Funds Through Secret Petrol Subsidy – Atiku The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has accused the Bola Tinubu administration of diverting public funds through petrol subsidy, hence the refusal of the government to reveal how much is being spent on subsidy. Atiku said this in a statement on Thursday in reaction to a statement from the presidency. The former vice president said the clandestine subsidy regime was one of the reasons investments in the oil sector had refused to come in. He said, “Tinubu has brought the shady…

Jun

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Dr. Engr. Odo Ijere Applauds The National Assembly For Introducing Bill To Stop Open Grazing

Columns/Opinions/Letters, National Assembly, News Flash, Politics

Dr. Engr. Odo Ijere Applauds The National Assembly For Introducing Bill To Stop Open Grazing CAN ANYTHING GOOD COME FROM THIS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY? The news of the bill banning open grazing of cattles nationwide passing through second reading at the National Assembly is a very encouraging optics. This law if finally passed will without doubt reduce the socioeconomic and political stress levels in this country by at least 50 percent. But for it to pass the second reading, it expectedly divided the Senate and the country along religious and ethnic lines. The same people of ethno religious conclave propagating Arewa…

Jun

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

ABIA State One Of The Least In Recurrent Expenditure Amongst 30 States Of The Federation In 1st Quarter 2024 – Report

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance, News Flash

ABIA STATE One Of The Least In Recurrent Expenditure Amongst 30 States Of The Federation In Ist Quarter 2024 - Report 30 Governors Spent N968.64 Billion On Refreshments, Others In Three Months – Report No fewer than 30 state governments of the federation spent N986.64bn on recurrent expenditures, including refreshments, sitting allowances, travelling, utilities, etc., in the first three months of 2024, The PUNCH reports. The states’ budget implementation reports, which were obtained from Open Nigerian States, a website supported by BudgIT that acts as a repository for public budget data, were analysed. For the first three quarters of the…

Jun

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Timaya Shocked At Tiwa Savage’s Humility, Accepts Collabo For Free

Columns/Opinions/Letters, Entertainment, News Flash

I messaged Tiwa Savage so we could collaborate on a new song and when I asked how much she charges for a song, she laughed and replied "How I go dey bill my own legend now?" She immediately asked me to send her the beats, and within an hour time she sent her recorded verse to me, I was really surprised that she was this humble after all she had achieved - Timaya expressed shock as he imagined how Tiwa gave him verse which she charges over $100000 for free.

Jun

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Address Electricity Tarriff Hike Alongside Minimum Wage Increase – Labour Tells FGN

Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, FGN, News Flash, Power & Energy

Address Electricity Tariff Hike Alongside Minimum Wage Increase – Labour Tells FG The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) say the federal government should address the issue of the electricity tariff hike. On Monday, the two unions announced that they had “relaxed” their nationwide strike. Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the strike has been “relaxed for one week”. Labour had embarked on the strike after negotiations with the federal government on a new minimum wage hit a brick wall. The industrial action paralysed economic and government activities across the nation for two days. In a communiqué…