It was often labeled as a waste of time and misplaced priorities in the face of ongoing insecurity and economic challenges.

Nigerians React to Tinubu’s Approval of Old National Anthem: “I Will Never Sing It”

President Bola Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill 2024 on Wednesday, May 29, reinstating the old national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” and discontinuing the current one, “Arise, O Compatriots.”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio made this declaration during a combined session of the National Assembly, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Nigeria’s 4th Republic. Nevertheless, the National Assembly’s passage of the bill and the president’s endorsement have sparked backlash from Nigerians on social media. Critics have labeled it as a misallocation of time and resources, especially given the ongoing security challenges and economic difficulties in the country.

Damilare Sabram, with the X handle @gsabram7, wrote, “Imagine playing against England in World Cup, they will start laughing once they hear this crap🤦”

The Old national anthem of Nigeria 🇳🇬 just signed into law by President Bola Tinubu

pic.twitter.com/yBINMp5wU0

— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) May 29, 2024

@EkhatorFestus05 wrote, “Can this government take fuel prices back to the old price, too.”

 

@n6oflife6 wrote, “This is The greatest Clownery I have ever witnessed in my history as a Nigerian. Fuck everybody involved. 🙄😡🤡”

 

@DaSteve001 wrote, “I will never sing it, this is my civil disobedience.”

I will never sing it, this is my civil disobedience

— Taiwo Gbadegesin (@DaSteve001) May 29, 2024

The critical talks on the new national minimum wage between the Federal Government and Organised Labour are set to conclude today, awaiting President Bola Tinubu‘s final decision.

End of Minimum Wage Negotiations Today, Labor to Determine Strike Action

Negotiations have been intense as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) leaders have set a Monday deadline for a resolution.

The Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage recently settled on ₦62,000 after discussions with the government and the Organised Private Sector.

Labour is standing firm on their demand for a ₦250,000 minimum wage, much higher than the government’s proposed amount.

The Nigeria Governors Forum has expressed concerns, deeming any wage above ₦60,000 as unsustainable for state administrations.

The outcome now rests on President Tinubu’s response to the committee’s recommendations, according to labour representatives.

NLC President and other union leaders are attending an international labour conference in Geneva, Switzerland, with plans to hold a National Executive Council meeting upon their return.

The president’s feedback at this meeting will shape future actions, potentially including strike measures.

The labour leader that spoke with Punch said;

“We have submitted the report to the president and we are waiting for him to make his decision. That is the most important thing and that is what we are all waiting for.

“As it stands some of us are on the way to Geneva for the ILO conference. Some of us are going today (Sunday), some have gone already while others w“Before we can even hold a NEC meeting, we must come back from Geneva first. Also, we are trying to be careful so the government won’t say Labour is inciting citizens against the government. Also, you know they are in charge of the military so we are trying to be careful about that. This is why we are waiting.”

When asked about Monday’s ultimatum, another source within the NLC said;

“Well, we have sent a report to the committee and we are expecting the president to act on it.

“We should hold a National Executive Council meeting regarding the ultimatum when we return from Geneva. It is very important for us to be there but right now, we are patiently waiting for the decision of Mr President.”

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Rising Food prices and gas costs are causing discontent among inmates in Nigerian prisons.

Increasing Food Prices Cause Tension in Prisons

Families of inmates have expressed concerns to Vanguard about the negative impact of increased food prices on their incarcerated loved ones.

They are urging state governments to ease bail terms for minor offenses so that offenders can afford bail and participate in trials from home.

Nigeria has 256 prisons with a total inmate population of 81,647 as of May 31, 2024.

Federal offenses: 5,853 inmates (3,774 pre-trial detainees, 2,079 convicts)
State offenses: 75,794 inmates (51,934 awaiting trial, 23,860 convicts)
In 2021, the federal government reluctantly raised the daily feeding allowance per inmate from N450 to N750 due to public pressure.

After deducting taxes, gas costs, and vendor profits, the actual amount spent on feeding an inmate daily could be less than N500.

“The slow response to adjustment of allowance for feeding inmates is actually worrisome. It is perhaps trite to say that the price of most commodities in Nigeria, especially food, has gone beyond the reach of the average Nigerians.

“As if this is not enough, one gets petrified that with this economic reality, the management of the Nigerian Correctional Service is still expected to feed inmates with N750.00 per day, including vendors profit and tax.

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“If the government would spend N700 on a little child of less than 10 years just for one meal as part of its school feeding programme, a child who probably ate breakfast before going to school and who would still eat dinner, you can imagine the implications of feeding a full grown adult who is incarcerated with N750 for a three square meal daily,” said a top security personnel who did not want his name mentioned in the report.

Expressing fears of possible protests by some of the inmates, he said the situation could force some personnel to compromise security, especially with regard to “trafficking”.

He added: “The spirit behind legal internment of individuals, whether as suspects or convicted offenders, is to promote societal peace. This is in the understanding that some persons do not have the capacity to interact with others within civil boundaries, thus requiring the law to keep them out of circulation.

”It could also be to avoid tampering with the justice process while cases are on trial or, to serve as deterrent for convicts as well as would-be-offenders. Sometimes, incarceration also protects offenders from a vengeful society, among others.

“However, contemporary practices in the management of persons denied of their liberty requires that such persons are kept humanely safe and basic needs for survival provided by the captors.

“A growing concern about the Nigerian Prisons Service is the ‘inadvertent forgetfulness’ of the Nigerian government to make the most basic provisions for the upkeep of its prisoners in accordance with prevailing economic ecosystem.

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“My deep worry is a possible compromise of operational standards which may precipitate security breaches with far-reaching security and socioeconomic consequences. We are all witnesses to the unprecedented unrest and upsurge in crimes in contiguous communities each time there is a security breach and inmates escape from a custodial centre.

“The stone a man sees flying in the air should not blind him. If we must save nine, we need to stitch in time. The federal government must avoid this looming crisis by intervening as speedily as possible”.

A 62-year-old retired civil servant named Sunday Jegede criticized state governments for their lack of interest in prisons, as his son is currently being remanded in a southern prison.

“There is no doubt, state governments have shown no decorum in the use of incarceration for all manner of crimes in their jurisdictions and literally abandoning the inmates after remand, thus exacerbating the over-population phenomenon and the accompanying menace.

”This, more than anything else, justifies the decision by the federal government to transfer the burden of state offenders, which is over 85 per cent of the inmate population to states.

“But given that state governments do not have the capacity to provide for these persons, why can’t they embark on massive decongestion of prisons, as against the tokenistic release of five to eight persons by visiting chief judges?

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”Why can’t they liberalize bail conditions to enable inmates attend court sessions from their homes, at least, for minor crimes? Why can’t they even expedite trial processes so that the convicted population can be taken to farms to work and augment their upkeep?

“We must realize that societal progress is a function of the level of safety the citizens enjoy. While chasing the criminals at large, those in custody should be kept in conditions that make them amenable to reformation and rehabilitation to promote enduring peace,” he stated.

The maid of the former CEO of Nigerian e-commerce giant Konga, Nick Imudia, revealed the final conversation she had with her boss before news of his passing was made public last week.

Househelp discloses final discussion with former Konga CEO, Nick Imudia, before his death.

A close friend of the deceased, speaking anonymously to Vanguard, shared that the maid received a call from Imudia the day before his death. He gave her a piece of paper with five phone numbers, one of which belonged to his brother in the USA.

“She said Nick told her to keep the numbers, that she would need them at the appropriate time. Thereafter, she said he went into the bathroom and heard the shower running, indicating that he was having a bath. She said after some time, she observed that the shower was still running and wondered what he could still be doing for so long. She knocked on the door, but there was no response and she left.

Moments later, she said the private guard knocked on the door and informed her to come and see what had happened to Nick. She rushed downstairs and found him in a horrible state. Immediately, she rushed upstairs and still met the shower on. By the time she opened the door, she discovered there was nobody in there.” the deceased’s friend said

The deceased’s friend mentioned that the family had asked for Imudia’s body to be released for burial.

The family issued a statement over the weekend stating that they do not believe suicide was the cause of his death.

Read Here…

They mentioned that Nick did not display any signs of stress and was never diagnosed with depression.

The State Criminal Investigative Department in Yaba, Lagos, has now assumed control of the investigation into the tragic event.