Index to Nigerian Newspapers

The Federal Government has suspended indefinitely its planned fuel subsidy removal and will amend the 2022 Appropriation Act to provide for subsidy payments from July 1. This was announced by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Ms Zainab Ahmed, in a meeting with lawmakers at the National Assembly. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited had revealed that Nigeria consumes 19.535 billion litres of petrol yearly, averaging 1.6 billion litres monthly. This brings yearly subsidy to about N4.6 trillion. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) threatened to embark on a nationwide protest against the planned removal of fuel subsidy in the 2022 budget signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari. The Finance Minister, Timipre Sylva, and the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari, met with the National Assembly leadership to amend the law to provide for an extension of subsidy provision beyond June 2022. Sylva said the government had initially planned to remove subsidies on petroleum products from July, but a reasonable provision was made in the 2022 national budget for subsidy payment till June.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to honour their part of an October 2, 2023 agreement to address the "massive suffering" caused by the hike in petrol prices and naira devaluation. The ultimatum, which starts counting today, is in response to the National Association of Nigerian Students' ultimatum for the government to address inflation and make food prices out of the reach of citizens or face mass demonstrations. The labour movement claims that the government's failure to uphold its end of the bargain is regrettable and unacceptable, as widespread hunger is affecting millions of Nigerians, and insecurity has increased. Meanwhile, Kano residents have taken to the streets in protest against the high cost of food items and other essential commodities. The apex Islamic body in the North, Jama’at Nasir Islam (JNI), has called on the Federal and state governments to intervene before the situation worsens and to avoid future recurrence through synergy and prompt interventions.

Nigerians may need to adjust their expectations ahead of possible removal of subsidy as the rising price of crude oil may push Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to N403 per litre. The Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) has initiated talks with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on the proposed removal of subsidy on petrol. The National Economic Council (NEC) has disclosed that a decision on the removal of petrol subsidy will be made in June when the provision for its payment in the 2022 budget expires. The NLC has mandated all states organs to intensify mobilisation for next Thursday's nationwide protest against the Nigerian government over its proposed increase in the pump price of petrol. Stakeholders have insisted that liberalisation of the downstream sector, including removal of subsidy, were necessary steps if the country must end its borrowing and revive the downstream segment of the nation's petroleum industry. The Federal Government had opted for deregulation of the downstream, partially removing subsidy from petrol, resulting in a doubling of the pump price. In December 2021, the NLC and TUC forced the Federal Government to a dialogue, where the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) agreed to slash N5 from N167.44 to N162.44. This was in contrast to expectations that the signing of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) would automatically commence deregulation.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has issued a February warning to the Federal Government to fully implement the minimum wage or face industrial action. In a communiqué issued at the end of its 41st National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, the union lamented the hardship its members are going through due to the implementation of the Integrated Personnel Payroll System (IPPIS). It urged the government to pay the overdue arrears of the national minimum wage on or before the end of February 2022, unbundle the mode of payment by decentralising payment along staff unions, and ensure the immediate and full implementation of the circular on pharmacists consultant cadre referenced HCSF/CSO/HRM/T3.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has issued a February warning to the Federal Government to fully implement the minimum wage or face industrial action. In a communiqué issued at the end of its 41st National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, the union lamented the hardship its members are going through due to the implementation of the Integrated Personnel Payroll System (IPPIS). It urged the government to pay the overdue arrears of the national minimum wage on or before the end of February 2022, unbundle the mode of payment by decentralising payment along staff unions, and ensure the immediate and full implementation of the circular on pharmacists consultant cadre referenced HCSF/CSO/HRM/T3.