News & Announcements

On Sunday, two prominent labor figures argued that the next minister of labor must understand the plight of the workforce, particularly at this moment when the economy is experiencing difficulties that directly affect them.

Before Monday’s swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers by President Bola Tinubu, the leaders gave separate interviews to the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.

The head of the Nigerian Labor Congress in Lagos, Mrs. Funmi Sessi, expressed confidence in Mr. Simon Lalong’s ability to carry out his duties as Minister of Labor and Employment considering his background.

Sessi advised Lalong to leverage his prior experience as governor of Plateau State to address labor-related issues.

“The future is bright with labour and Lalong as the minister, all things being equal, if he will not change, and with the good industrial relationship that he maintained with the labour unions in his state.

“I hope he will extend it to the labour centres in Nigeria, including Nigeria Labour Congress, all workers, not only in the public sector, but private as well; both formal and informal.

”This is necessary so that we can have the working people in Nigeria partake in the same wealth that they create; it will be a commonwealth, and that is our hope, “ she said.

The labour leader said that the sector would need a minister with compassion, and experience; one who is humane.

Sessi said, “Someone that will give all to ensure that he will create more ground for employment, productivity, high yield of productivity.”

Additionally, Mr. Aladetan Abiodun, Secretary of the Lagos State Council of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, stated that the elimination of gasoline subsidies will leave the incoming Minister of Labour with a difficult industrial environment.

He claims that all fixed-income people have been badly harmed by the withdrawal.

“I strongly believe that if this issue is not properly managed, it may snowball into a full-scale industrial crisis.

“It is precisely this reason that we want a minister who will hit the ground running.

“Also, we want the issue of the new minimum wage to be quickly settled; this is another area where we are going to need quick intervention.

“Furthermore, we hope under this new administration, the Ministry of Labour will wake up to some of its statutory responsibilities in the area of labour inspections.

“This includes bringing employers of labour who often breach their contract of agreement with employees to order, as well as ensuring that the laws of our land are respected, particularly by foreign companies who usually show utter disrespect to our labour laws, “ Aladetan said.

Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the junta that overthrew the government in the Niger Republic, declared on Saturday that his nation does not desire war but is prepared to defend itself if necessary.

The Al Jazeera network paraphrased Tchiani as saying, “Neither the army nor the people of Niger want war, but we will resist any manifestation of it.”

He stated that the Economic Community of West African States’ member nations are unaware that the Niger is now essential for preventing regional instability in the face of an uptick in terrorist activities.

Tchiani stated that the sanctions imposed on his nation were intended to put pressure on the rebels rather than to resolve the current crisis.

Tchiani added that rebels prefer to find a solution that serves the needs of the populace rather than assuming control of the nation.

The deposed president Mohamed Bazoum was met by an ECOWAS delegation on Saturday to discuss the circumstances surrounding his arrest, according to reports in the media.

Later in the day, Reuters reported that the delegation also held talks with Tchiani.

On July 26, Niger saw a coup, and Bazoum was overthrown and imprisoned by his own guard, which was headed by Tchiani.

Following the takeover, ECOWAS cut off all financial help to Niger, froze the assets of the rebels, and prohibited commercial flights into and out of the nation.

Early in August, ECOWAS officials decided to create a standby force to perhaps persuade the Nigerien military to restore Bazoum during a summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja.

ECOWAS general staff leaders agreed on a start date for the military intervention on Friday, according to ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs Abdel-Fatau Musah, but they would not make the date public.

Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, has stepped in to mediate the ongoing dispute between Oba Abulrosheed Akanbi, the Oluwo of Iwoland, and traditional worshipers in the state’s Iwo region over the potential evacuation and banning of Isese activities in his realm.

On Sunday, Adeleke warned against the religious strife in the state through his chief press secretary, Olawale Rasheed.

He sent Mr. Samuel Ojo, his Special Adviser on Security, to Iwo in order to urgently communicate with all sides, particularly on the Isese festival celebration.

The Special Adviser, who was at the palace in Iwo, spoke on the phone with Oluwo, who was out of town, and spoke with key stakeholders.

Additionally, he spoke with some traditionalists who had pledged to assemble at Iwoland in order to confront the traditional monarch, who had allegedly expelled traditionalists from his domain.

He said, “I came down on the directive of Mr Governor. I spoke with Kabiyesi, Oluwo and he promised to ensure peace and security though he is out of town. I interacted with some other traditional leaders not far from the palace.

“The message is that peaceful co-existence is a must and any group that breaches the peace of the state will have security operatives to contend with.

“We have taken all necessary security precautions. The traditionalists are free to exercise their fundamental human rights. They must act within the bounds of the law.

The Governor has also declared Monday 21st as a public holiday to commemorate the 2023 Isese Day Festival” the Security Adviser noted.

Femi Falana, SAN, a human rights attorney, called for Abdulrasheed Bawa, the jailed chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to be released right away on Sunday.

In a statement released in Lagos, Falana said that because Bawa’s remand order had expired, the Department of State Services lacked the legal authority to keep holding him.

“In view of the fact that Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa has not been charged with any criminal offence whatsoever, the State Security Service ought to have released him from custody. I am not unaware of the claim that Mr. Bawa is being detained on the basis of a remand order issued by a Magistrate Court in the Federal Capital Territory.

“It ought to be pointed out that the remand order has become spent, invalid and illegal as no magistrate has the power under Section 493 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 or Section 35 of the Constitution of Nigeria to authorise the detention of a criminal suspect for 67 days without trial.”

He added, “Indeed, under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, the cumulative lifespan of a remand order is 56 days. Therefore, having exceeded the detention period permitted by the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the Constitution of Nigeria, the State Security Service should be directed to release Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa from illegal custody without any further delay.

“The Federal Government should ensure that the rights of Messrs Emefiele and Bawa are respected by the State Security Service and the office of the Director of Public Prosecution in the Federal Ministry of Justice, even though the duo had a penchant for disobeying the orders of the courts when they were in office.

“The plight of both suspects should be a lesson for all public officers in Nigeria who always behave as if there will be no tomorrow.  However, the Government which rules by law is under a legal obligation not to breach the fundamental rights of citizens except in a manner prescribed by the Constitution of Nigeria.”

Bawa, who is currently in the DSS’s custody in Abuja, is being investigated for alleged financial wrongdoing committed while under his direction.

He has been in the Department of State Services’ custody since June 14, 2023, for exactly 67 days.

In a statement released Thursday, the U.S. Soccer team said Andonovski’s resignation came after the side’s disappointing World Cup campaign, AFP reports.

Twila Kilgore, who has worked as an assistant coach for the past 18 months, has been named interim head coach while the search for a replacement takes place.

While commenting on his action, Andonovski said, “It’s been the honour of my life to coach the talented, hard-working players of the USWNT for the past four years.”

“I’m very optimistic for the future of this program, especially considering all the young players that got opportunities over the past few years who will no doubt be leaders and impact players moving forward.

“While we are all disappointed by the outcome at this year’s World Cup, I am immensely proud of the progress this team has made,” he added.

The USA team was eliminated in the last 16 by Sweden after a penalty shootout which is the earliest they ever departed from a World Cup.

The Americans had won the previous two World Cups, in 2015 and 2019 with Jill Ellis in charge of the team.

Andonovski, an American citizen who was born in North Macedonia, took over the team in October 2019 having made his name in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Under Andonovski, the USA won a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics after losing to eventual champions Canada in the semi-finals.

The U.S. Soccer sporting director, Matt Crocker, said, “All of us at the U.S. Soccer thank Vlatko for his dedication to our Women’s National Team over the past four years.

“Vlatko worked tirelessly for this team and has been a strong and positive leader for our women’s programme. We’re grateful for everything he has contributed to the U.S. Soccer and know he has a bright future in the sport.”

The federation said that Crocker had been conducting a review of the women’s programme and he would now head the search for a new head coach.

Police have arrested two Christians accused of blasphemy in eastern Pakistan – two days after a Muslim mob burned churches and houses in the minority’s community – saying the two men had desecrated the Quran.

Pages of the Quran were found in a street with derogatory comments written on them in red, police said.

One attached extra page also carried the names, addresses and national identity card numbers of the accused, provincial police chief Usman Anwar said, adding that police were investigating all angles as to why the names and addresses would be attached, the Reuters news agency reported.

A court ordered the two suspects to be held in police custody for seven days for questioning, a government spokesperson said.

Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan but no one has ever been executed.

Numerous accused have been lynched by outraged mobs.
Rights groups have said accusations of blasphemy are sometimes used to settle scores.

Hundreds of people are languishing in prison after being accused because judges often put off trials, fearing retribution if they are seen as being lenient, they say.

The police said it has so far arrested 146 people involved in the attack on the Christian community in Jaranwala in the industrial district of the city of Faisalabad.

On Friday, caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar said that minorities have to be protected at all costs, promising to take action against those involved in violence.

“There won’t be any favour. There won’t be any fear,” he said in his first cabinet meeting telecast live.

Paramilitary troops have been guarding the community in the eastern part of the country after the mob vandalised at least one main and four small churches and set dozens of houses on fire.

A Christian graveyard was also desecrated in the vicinity, residents and community leaders said.

The attack continued for more than 10 hours without any intervention by police who were at the scene, residents and community leaders said.

Police have denied the accusation, saying security forces had prevented an even worse situation.

The residents said thousands of Muslims led by local religious leaders were carrying iron rods, sticks, knives and daggers during the rioting.

Hundreds of Christians had fled the settlement and took refuge in a nearby district.

The displaced families have started returning to their homes, Akmal Bhatti, a community leader, told Reuters.

The Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says it has fine-tuned its military intervention plans in Niger Republic.

ECOWAS agreed to use force as a last resort if diplomatic efforts failed to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum who was toppled and detained since the July 26 coup.

The military junta had also defied the bloc’s deadline to relinquish power, leading to ECOWAS’ deployment of standby military troops last week.

On Thursday, ECOWAS said it had begun the activation of its standby force in the Niger Republic to restore constitutional order.

The bloc added that its defense chiefs would meet in Accra, Ghana’s capital, to finalize plans for the deployment of force.

Speaking during the closing ceremony of the two-day meeting on Friday, Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, said the defence chiefs had agreed on a day to intervene.

“We are ready to go anytime the order is given.
“The D-day is also decided. We’ve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention. As we speak, we are still readying [a] mediation mission into the country, so we have not shut any door.

“Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa, both the military and the civilian components, are ready to answer to the call of duty,” he said.

Niger’s new military junta has defied calls from the United States and France, and the United Nations (UN) as well as the African Union (AU) to reinstate Bazoum.

The coup leaders had ousted the president on account of “bad governance and worsening security.”

The mother of Grammy-winning Wizkid, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun of Nigeria, Mrs. Jane Dolapo Balogun, has passed away.

The mother of three passed away on Friday morning about 1:30.

Sunday Are, the manager of Wizkid, confirmed the occurrence to the media on Friday, stating, “Yes, she passed away this morning, around 1.30 am.”

Controversial Few days after his father’s funeral, Nigerian crossdresser Bobrisky revealed that he misses him.

According to the well-known Crossdresser, his father used to contact him frequently when he was alive, and he added that it was one of the things he would probably miss.

According to Bobrisky, his current partner will now take on the role of his father as a result of his loss.

Bobrisky also prayed for him.

Some locals set a suspected thief who was apprehended in the Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State on Friday afternoon on fire after he was accused of kidnapping two children.

City Round learned that the culprit, whose name was still unknown, had stopped carrying the kids to an unspecified location when he was confronted by several neighbors who wanted to know where he was taking them.

They descended on him and beat him into a coma, leaving him unable to provide any believable explanations, it was discovered.

Unhappy, the mob gathered tires and wood to cover the alleged thief, while others brought gasoline to pour on the dead man’s body before setting him ablaze.

A video of the mob action shows individuals dousing the dead body in petrol and setting it ablaze. Additionally, the video featured young kids taking part in the “jungle justice.”

When reached, Abiodun Wasiu, a spokeswoman for the state police command, confirmed the event. He added that the mob had scattered when the police got on the site, but they were still able to transport the burned victim to the hospital and that they will apprehend the offenders.