The EFCC is diligently investigating and prosecuting ex-officials from the Muhammadu Buhari administration for corruption.

Sirika is alleged to have granted aviation contracts amounting to more than N8 billion to his brother, a civil servant. He is set to face charges in court this week. According to a presidential source who preferred to remain anonymous, the present administration maintains a strict zero-tolerance stance on corruption.

“Like I said before, this government has zero tolerance for corruption. The government is investigating past officials and is ready to recover stolen funds from whoever is found culpable. Some of those who consider themselves untouchables would soon find out that there are no sacred cows in the President’s determination to recover stolen funds,” the source told Sunday Telegraph.

– The EFCC is currently handling multiple cases and will summon individuals for questioning after concluding investigations, as per a different source.
– The source further mentioned that certain officials are involved in undisclosed plea deals, returning embezzled money to the authorities. Nonetheless, individuals declining to participate will be prosecuted.

“The former President, who is an anticorruption champion, has washed off his hands and would not lift a finger to save any of his officials found wanting. By now, there would have been so many cases but I learnt that many of them were doing secret plea bargaining and returning stolen funds into government coffers. Whoever is found culpable, and refuses to plea bargain, will have a court date,” the source said.

A group of men in Plateau State apprehended an unidentified individual who attempted to detonate a bomb within Bank premises.

Unsettling Incident Unfolds in Plateau State: Man Caught ‘Strapped with Bomb’ in Bank Premises

The unsettling incident transpired on Monday, May 13, in Dadin Kowa town located in the Jos South area of the state.Security analyst Zagazola Makama shed light on the situation in a post on X, revealing that the vigilant security personnel at the bank successfully averted a potential disaster by detecting the suspect’s suspicious behavior.

The swift actions of the security team did not go unnoticed, as they managed to prevent a possible catastrophe. However, the gravity of the situation provoked a strong reaction from onlookers, leading to a mob confronting the suspect and demanding severe repercussions, including his execution.

The motives behind the attempted bombing remain shrouded in mystery, with no conclusive evidence linking the suspect to any known terrorist organization within the country. Authorities have since taken custody of the individual, transferring him to the police station for further interrogation and investigation.

This alarming incident serves as a stark reminder of the ever-present threats to public safety and underscores the importance of remaining vigilant and cooperative in safeguarding our communities against such acts of violence.

Reports suggest that organized labor has revised its initial request for a new national minimum wage of ₦494,000.

Labour Considers New Minimum Wage Figure as Tinubu Issues Ultimatum; Rejects ₦494,000 Demand

There is a possibility that they will now consider accepting ₦100,000 as the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage begins daily meetings over five days to come to an agreement.

President Bola Tinubu instructed Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, to provide the cost implications of the new minimum wage within 48 hours.

According to various sources, union leaders are open to lowering their initial demand from ₦494,000 to ₦100,000 due to criticism and controversy surrounding the previous proposal.

A senior official from the NLC confirmed that while the final offer had not been formally presented to the tripartite committee, they are firm on advocating for a minimum wage of ₦100,000.

He stated, “Today’s (Tuesday) meeting was essentially to set an agenda and plan how to complete the assignment within the five days.

“The government representatives did not mention a raise in the N60, 000. They just set the agenda on what to do and how to go about the negotiation. There was no mention of any increment. But labour planned to close the negotiation on N100,000 minimum wage.’’

Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, Deputy Head of NLC Political Commission, also verified that the tripartite meeting on minimum wage scheduled for Tuesday aimed to set the agenda for the daily meetings.

“We met today (Tuesday) to draw up an agenda for the one-week daily meeting. We met today and drew the agenda because the agreement was that we meet daily for the meet one week and on our own, we said we are relaxing the strike not even suspending it.

“It’s more like putting everybody on red alert. It means we are not going to give any notice. Which means by this time next week, we are going on strike. There is a difference between relax and suspend. Relax is to stay on your duty post and put your hands on the trigger. It is tomorrow (today) that we are expecting the government to submit another proposal,’’ he explained.

President Bola Tinubu has revealed that a sustainable minimum wage will be proposed for legislative action by the National Assembly.

Tinubu Suggests a Sustainable Minimum Wage: ₦62,000 or ₦250,000

This decision follows the conclusion of negotiations, during which the Tripartite Committee suggested a N62,000 minimum wage, while Labour pushed for N250,000.

The recommendation has been sent to Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume. The President is anticipated to present his approved recommendation as a Bill to the National Assembly.

During the Democracy Day dinner on Wednesday, President Tinubu mentioned that the minimum wage will be determined by the country’s financial capacity.

He said, “Senate President, Deputy Senate President, you’ll get a notice if I’ve changed my mind on minimum wage.

“We’re going to do it; what Nigeria can afford, what you can afford, what I can afford. They ask you to cut your coat according to your size if you have size at all.”

Here is a rephrased version of the text:

Present at the event were dignitaries such as Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume.
Additionally, in attendance were National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, Vice President’s wife Nana Shettima, Babagana Kingibe, Chief Pius Akinyelure, Chief Bisi Akande, and Senator Abu Ibrahim.

Among the governors present were:

Hope Uzodinma (Imo), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Usman Ododo (Kogi), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Alex Otti (Abia), and Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers).

A group of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja residents expressed their struggles to support their families because of the increasing prices of food items.

Residents in FCT Express Concern as Planning Meals Becomes Increasingly Difficult

In interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, they mentioned that staples like beans and yam have become unaffordable luxuries, disrupting their usual food routines.

Mrs. Glory Ocholi, a mother, highlighted the challenges of buying beans in bulk due to its high cost, affecting her nutrition plans.

“Before now, I used to buy 10 mudus of white beans for between N9, 000 to N10, 000, at N900 to N950 each.

“While the red one was usually slightly above N100 or N200.

“Currently, white beans cost N2,800 while red beans are sold for N3,000 to N3,500 , yam, Irish and sweet potatoes are also very expensive, it is only the rich that can afford them.

“You cannot buy corn or sorghum, vegetables are a no-go area, so at the end of the day, our children are forced to eat whatever we can provide,’’ she said.

Ocholi mentioned that the increased cost of buying food items compelled her to forgo meals such as ‘akara’ and pap, which were a customary Saturday morning dish in her household.

She urged the government and Nigerian Food Products Suppliers and Manufacturers to collaborate in resolving the issue.

Mr. Habila Makama stated that he was no longer able to purchase certain foods for his family because of the elevated prices.

“I used to compliment yam with sweet or Irish potatoes when yam is not in season but now, I cannot afford any of them.

“Sweet potatoes that used to be the cheapest are also expensive. Rice is the only available food now in spite of the cost.

“We eat it every day of the week and probably exchange it with any available swallow with the soup you can afford,’’ he said.

A correspondent from NAN, who visited Dutse-Alhaji market, observed that five large tubers of yam are now priced between N12,000 to N14,000.

At Karu market, the cost of corn and millet has increased from N850 and N900 to N1,300 per mudu.

The price of a bag of corn has risen from N40,000 to N90,000, and millet from N65,000 to N90,000 per bag.

Trader Mallam Bashiru Ahmed from Karu market mentioned that prices of goods can fluctuate daily, sometimes increasing by 20% or more within a week.

He highlighted that traders often face increased costs due to fluctuating prices during purchases, with instances of paying between N180,000 or N200,000 for a bag of beans initially priced at N160,000.

Ahmed attributed the high costs to transportation expenses incurred when moving goods from northern states to distribution units or towns, where additional traders purchase the products.

“The cost of transportation has contributed to the increase in cost of these foods and it has really affected our business.

“We had to increase the price of grains to meet up with the expenses in logistics, and this is making our customers complain, thereby affecting patronage,’’ he said.

He urged the government to implement measures to reduce transportation costs and regulate grain prices to prevent distributors and sellers from inflating prices unnecessarily.