Author: NPO Admin I

By Kamil Opeyemi Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, on Tuesday said the Federal Government is not yet ready to reduce the cost of governance given the current spending culture of political leaders. Falana, while speaking at the House of Assembly complex in Lagos during the nationwide protests organised by the Nigerian Labour Congress, said the rate of acquisition of exotic cars by members of the National Assembly puts a lie to the claims by the Federal Government to want to cut down costs of governance. His accusation came bare 24 hours after President Bola Tinubu gave an order for the…

By Femi Alabi The Nigeria Labour Congress NLC planned Protest witnessed another twist when the Governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde personally joined the protest. The protesters expressed their anger towards the government saying things had become so though for the masses. In order to ensure that the protest doesn’t degenerate into anarchy, the Governor arrived early at Total Garden, along Secretariat road, Agodi. Makinde while addressing the protesters called for calm noting that the hardship would be over soon. Makinde, who declared his support for the protesters calling for an end to hardship and hunger being experienced by the…

By Halimah Olamide Protesters on Tuesday made their way into the complex of the National Assembly to register their protests against the state of the economy. The protesters demanded an address from the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio as they chanted Akpabio’s name. Akpabio was however not available to see the protesters as the senate Committee chairman on Labour, Diket Plang addressed them. They were however not ready to listen to Plang as continued to shout the name of Akpabio. Plang managed to say a few words to the protesters just as he promised to pass their grievances to the senate…

By Halimah Olamide There was an unusual sense of cooperation and understanding among protesters and the police in Lagos on Tuesday as police personnel shared snacks and water with some of the protesters amidst anti-government rally. The scene had attracted attention as a police van carrying bottled water stopped for one of its personnel to share the water to needy protesters. It was a rare scene that shows a departure from the past where police personnel and protesters had confrontations. On Monday when the Joint Action Front staged its protest, some policemen were seen joining the protesters in a rare…

By Femi Alabi Secretariat flyover bridge in Jos the capital of Plateau state was on Tuesday besieged by hundreds of protesters who had come to participate in the planned protest against the prevailing economic hardship on Nigerians. The protestants were unruffled by the heavy presence of the officers of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies, they went on with their protest peacefully and orderly. To drive home their grievance against government, Nigerian Labour Congress NLC and people who had joined the protest lamented the economic hardship and insecurity being faced by Nigerians in the state and other…

By Halimah Olamide Workers under the umbrella of the Nigeria Labour Congress on Tuesday made its vow to stage a nationwide protests against what they called hunger in the country. The much talked about protests have taken off in Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan and other cities with thousands of participants trooping to the streets to register displeasure over the worsening state of the economy. In Abuja, protesters took off from the NLC headquarters at the back of the Ministry of Finance with many people carrying placards that speak to the economic situations in the land. Comrade Joe Ajaero, President of the…

By Femi Alabi Three persons were confirmed dead when a boat carrying 14 passengers capsized around Ibeshe-Ikorodu waters in Lagos. The Permanent Secretary of Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyiintolu in a statement on Tuesday confirmed the unfortunate incident. According to the LASEMA statement, “The Agency responded to distress calls concerning a Passenger Boat which took off from Addax Jetty around 7 pm. “On arrival, it was discovered that passenger ferry boat named Oluwaseyifunmi carrying 14 people had capsized due to a suspected mechanical fault and was rapidly submerged following its departure from the aforementioned terminal. “A…

By Femi Alabi The Federal Government has said that it will now hold the management of public higher institutions accountable for the prudent administration of its financial resources and strict compliance with establishing laws and regulations setting up the institutions. Minister of Education, Mamman Tahir, speaking after Monday’s meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the presidential villa, Abuja, stated that the tertiary institutions will now employ staff only when there is budgetary provision for the need. He added that aside from the budgetary provision, a ratio between academic and non-academic staff which must not be bridged, must be…

By Halimah Olamide The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism has called for objectivity in the reporting of matters relating to insecurity in Nigeria. The centre acknowleged the report by the Civil Society Joint Action Group which said that at least 2,423 people were killed, while 1,872 were abducted within eight months of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The centre in a statement signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Motunrayo Alaka, noted that the Institute for Economics and Peace ranked Nigeria 144 on the 2023 Global Peace Index. According to Alaka, the calls for the safety and security of citizens’ lives…

By Halimah Olamide The Chief Executive Officer of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, Mrs. Motunrayo Alaka, has called on journalists to devote their skills to reporting more on issues bordering on social justice. Alaka, in a statement made available to the NPO Reports said the call became more germane on the occasion of the 2024 World Day of Social Justice. She said the event presented another opportunity for news organizations to “scale up the call against social exclusion and tackle social injustices through investigative human-interest stories.” She explained that social justice embodies principles like equitable access to resources,…