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Following President Bola Tinubu and the Senate’s intervention, the Nigeria Labour Congress has stated that its scheduled strike has been suspended.

The Congress’s National Executive Council meeting was followed by the resolution.

“Protest suspended due to the Senate intervention and meeting with President Tinubu yesternight,” the national treasurer, Hakeem Ambali, said in a curt message to our correspondent this morning (Thursday).

It was reported that the NLC protest which was held yesterday across the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory prompted an emergency meeting between the President and the labour leaders.

The NLC had originally stated that it would only call off its strike in the event that the government demonstrated its seriousness.

Anger-filled demonstrators attempted to storm the National Assembly’s doors on Wednesday during the demonstration in Abuja, hoping to get inside and meet with the MPs.

After the meeting with Tinubu, Joe Ajaero, the president of the NLC, stated that the President had made certain promises.
The public is anticipated to be briefed shortly by the labor center.

The loss of their colleague, Dr. Vwaere Diaso, has prompted the Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association to order all doctors employed by the three government hospitals on Lagos Island to go on an indefinite strike.

In addition, the NMA requested physicians at the other government-owned institutions to reduce their workloads in observance of their deceased colleague and proclaimed a five-day period of mourning throughout the state.

The General Hospital in Odan, Lagos; the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital; and the Massey Street Children’s Hospital in Lagos are the hospitals that would go on an indefinite strike.

According to the organization, Diaso passed away on Tuesday at the General Hospital in Odan, Lagos. She had been locked in the elevator for about 40 minutes when help arrived, and there was not enough blood on hand to revive her.

This was disclosed by the NMA on Wednesday in a press release that was signed by Ismail Ajibowo, the secretary, and state chairman, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu.

“The NMA Lagos State received with rude shock the death of one of our members, Dr Vwaere Diaso, a medical house officer, whose death occurred as a result of injuries sustained when the elevator she was in crashed. This is heartbreaking, heart-wrenching, and quite unfortunate. We commiserate with her immediate family, her colleagues on the Island, the Medical Guild, and all body of doctors in Lagos State. The information we got was that she was trapped in the elevator for more than 40 minutes before she was rescued.

“We were also reliably informed that there was no blood available for resuscitation, and this has become a recurring issue as a result of the review made by the government on the previous policy on blood donation.

“To us, this was an avoidable death and it’s unfortunate that it was allowed to happen. We are pained and we are mourning. We are well aware that this same elevator has been a source of problem for many years during which several complaints have been made to all relevant agencies with no respite, the statement read in part.

The association, however, demanded an immediate and unbiased investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“We declare a five-day statewide mourning period; we demand an immediate, unbiased investigation into the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate incident; all those found culpable in this matter, especially the General Manager of the Lagos State Infrastructure Management Agency, Ms Adenike Adekambi, are all brought to justice.

“We direct all our doctors in the three government hospitals on the Island (GH Lagos, LIMH, and MSCH) to commence indefinite strike action until the investigations are completed and justice served; we immediately direct our doctors in all the other government hospitals to scale down activities as a mark of respect for our dead colleague. Only emergency services should be rendered for the next five days.

“The government should as a matter of urgency commence the complete overhaul of the house officers’ quarters on the island; all other infrastructures in all our government hospitals that need repairs should be urgently attended to. The blood transfusion system in Lagos State needs immediate revamping for improved services.

“As a result of this sad incident, the State Officers Committee of the Nigerian Medical Association, Lagos State, has decided that the upcoming Annual General Meeting will be a low-key event as a mark of respect to our colleague. We appeal to our colleagues to remain calm as NMA Lagos State leadership is on top of the situation and will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that justice is not just served but seen to have been served,” the statement noted.

Emmanuel Ugboaja, the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Labour Congress, chastised Jeddy Agba, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, on Wednesday afternoon for allegedly obtaining a “black market” court order to prevent the labor center from holding a nonviolent demonstration.

Speaking to demonstrators in the National Assembly, Ugboaja said that the Ministry of Justice had decided to give Agba a break so that she may “get a rejuvenation” and better comprehend the “law.”

The PUNCH had detailed the verbal sparring that Agba, the NLC, and their legal representative, Femi Falana, SAN, had instigated in several media segments subsequent to Agba’s obtaining of a court order.

In a number of press releases, Agba stated that the NLC would be in contempt of court if they disregarded the court order that her ministry had acquired. However, Falana said that the ban did not stop the labor center from starting a nonviolent protest on behalf of his customers, the NLC.

The NLC has continued to taunt Agba describing her court order as a “black market” order.

“Her advice became that of Ahitophel in the Bible…

“So comrades we are expecting in a short while that the leadership of the National Assembly will come and see genuine Nigerians with a new credential,” Ugboaja said.

For cyberstalking Nollywood actress Eniola Badmus, a female TikTok user named Nwakaego Okoye received a three-year prison sentence.

On Wednesday, the decision was rendered by Federal High Court Judge Nicholas Oweibo, who is based in Lagos.

Following her guilty plea to two counts of cyberstalking, the judge found Nwakaego guilty.

Despite the convict’s repentance, Justice Oweibo offered her the choice to forgo jail time by paying a fine of N150,000.

Nwakaego and one Chimabia, who is currently at large, allegedly planned to perpetrate the crime in Lagos between December 2022 and July 2023.

It further stated that the offense was in violation of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015’s Sections 27 and 24(1)(b)(2)(a)(c).

After being detained for making disparaging remarks about the actress Eniola Badmus, Okoye admitted that she had done it because her friend Fortune Ibe had promised to give her N200,000.

Seen in a video clip apologising for her actions, Okoye said she needed the money to pay her house rent, adding that desperation pushed her into acting in such a manner.

Okoye said, “What happened was that a friend of mine, Fortune Ibe, said if I should come out and talk about Mrs Eniola Badmus, he was going to send me N200k because I told him about my rent.

“That was what prompted the video. I am so sorry; I just did that because I was desperate to pay my house rent. I just did it because of the money.”

Following Okoye’s detention, Badmus kept on accusing her of defaming her hard-earned reputation and turned down offers to resolve the case outside of court.

Dr. Vwaere Diaso, a medical professional, passed away on Tuesday at the General Hospital in Odan, Lagos Island, following an elevator accident.

The hospital elevator that killed the late Diaso collapsed from the tenth level to the ground floor, according to information gathered by our correspondent.

Additionally, rumors circulated that the deceased physician was taken to the hospital’s emergency room, where he ultimately passed away.

An anonymous coworker of Diaso’s informed our correspondent that the elevator had broken down multiple times before to now.

“On multiple occasions, the elevator has stopped while we were inside. And there’s no maintenance,” he said.

He also disclosed to Newsmen that the hospital administration was informed about the elevator’s terrible condition but did nothing about it.

“We report every time. The elevator is supposed to carry 630kg maximum, that’s eight people.”

According to him, the hospital personnel has been minimizing the amount of people using the elevator since it began to malfunction in order to prevent crowding.

“Once you open the elevator and see two people already, you just have to wait for the next batch.”

“It was faulty and they knew about it. That’s why we’re not going to take this,” he stated.

He disclosed further that the late Diaso had just two weeks left to the completion of her housemanship at the hospital, noting that she was a “very diligent house officer.”

“She was very hardworking,” he said.

The Senate has been provided with the latest list of ministers by Femi Gbajabiamila, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chief of Staff to the President.

At 3:15 p.m., the chamber’s rules were suspended to permit the Chief of Staff to enter the revered Red Chamber.

Godswill Akpabio, the president of the Senate, received the list of Gbajabiamila’s 28-man list of cabinet nominees last Thursday.

Notable Nigerians on the list include former governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike, colleague from Kaduna Nasir El-Rufai, and former governor of Ebonyi David Umahi.

The first round of ministerial nominations is presently being vetted by the Senate; this process began on Monday.

Police officers have arrested several people including high-ranking soldiers in Sierra Leone, suspected to be planning violent attacks on citizens.

This was disclosed by the police in a statement that “The security sector has been following intelligence regarding the activities of certain individuals, including senior military officers, working to undermine the peace and tranquillity of the state.”

“In that regard, several arrests have been made and the suspects are assisting the police with the investigations.”

It said the suspects planned to use peaceful protests scheduled for next week “as a guise to unleash violent attacks against state institutions and peaceful citizens.”

On August 10, 2022, economic and political protests in the capital Freetown and other cities spiraled into deadly clashes, according to Barron’s.

Twenty-seven civilians and six police officers died that day and in the several days that followed, according to official figures.

Amnesty International said it had gathered testimonies alleging excessive use of force, and condemned internet restrictions.

The West African nation held general elections on June 24.

President Julius Maada Bio was re-elected for a second term, I’m sorry, but there isn’t enough information in the given text to rewrite it. Could you please provide me with a complete sentence or context to work with official results, that the opposition disputes?

International observers noted “statistical inconsistencies” and condemned a “lack of transparency” in the ballot count following the vote.

The opposition has refused to participate in local or national government, with all but one MP boycotting parliament.

Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a military coup and General Abdourahmane Tchiani, also known as Omar Tchiani, took over the affairs of the country.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) led by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has given the coup leaders to reinstate Bazoum in one week.

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Joe Ajaero, the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, and other labor center representatives have gathered for a “peaceful protest” at the Unity Fountain in Abuja.

The PUNCH reports that officials are currently gathered at the location to protest the rise in fuel prices and the President Bola Tinubu administration’s failure to reverse some of the policies that the NLC deemed to be “unfriendly” and “anti-poor.” Among them are representatives of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the National Union of Road Transport Workers, and Muhammad Ibrahim, the National President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities.

Over the years, major protests in Abuja have continued to originate from the Unity Fountain, which is centrally positioned in the city.

The location gave birth to the #BringBackOurGirls demonstration, which was organized in memory of the schoolgirls abducted from Chibok in Borno State.

At the same time, other rallies including the #EndSARS commemoration and #RevolutionNow protests were also initiated.

At the time this story was filed, the NLC and other demonstrators were still organizing and getting ready for the work at hand.

The Lagos State Government has taken measures to reduce the impact of fuel subsidy removal by cutting transportation costs of all state-owned transport systems by 50%.

Additionally, they have promised to distribute food supplies to support vulnerable individuals in the state.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu mentioned during a press briefing that these palliative measures are aimed at alleviating the hardships caused by the subsidy removal for the citizens.

The announcement was made at the Lagos House in Ikeja on Monday.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu further stated that the informal transportation sector, specifically the yellow buses, has also established measures to reduce their fares by 25 percent.

The government’s 50 percent reduction in transportation costs will begin on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.

These measures are part of the efforts to alleviate the impact of the fuel subsidy removal on transportation expenses for the people in Lagos State.

A former Minister of Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has warned that a coup d’etat could not be a solution to disputed elections in Africa, insisting it is not acceptable to support a coup under any guise.

Keyamo urged everyone, whether as members of the opposition or the ruling party, to outrightly reject and condemn the coup in the Niger Republic.

The former Minister claimed that those who think they have scored a point by comparing the coup to their so-called narrative of a flawed election in Nigeria should know that they are cutting their noses to spite their faces.

In a statement on his verified Twitter handle on Saturday, Keyamo stated that while there are constitutional means to seek redress in a disputed election, there is no means to seek redress for a coup.

He wrote, “We all have a duty, whether as members of the opposition or the ruling party, to outrightly reject and condemn the coup in the Niger Republic.

“Those who think they have scored a point by comparing the coup to their so-called narrative of a flawed election in Nigeria should know that they are cutting their noses to spite their faces. A coup does not overthrow only the President alone; a coup overthrows all levels of constitutional governments in a country, including the governments formed by the Opposition parties themselves at different levels of government after winning elections at those levels.

“In fact those who take a fancy in appealing to the mob on social media to get ‘clicks and likes’ will be in jail if a coup happens and will not even have such opportunity again to speak their minds.

“The earlier we realize that a coup d’etat is not a solution to disputed elections in Africa, the better for us. Almost all elections in Africa have always been disputed anyway. Whilst there are constitutional means to seek redress in a disputed election, there is no means to seek redress for a coup, because even the Constitution itself would be suspended when a coup happens.”