APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The appeal by Nigerian President on Wednesday to the organised labour to avail him more time to consider their grievances before embarking on any nationwide strike dominates the headlines of Nigerian newspapers on Thursday.
The Punch reports that President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, in Abuja appealed to the organised labour to avail him more time to consider their grievances before embarking on any nationwide strike.
This is just as indication emerged that the Federal Government may enforce the court order restraining the organised labour from embarking on a strike over the withdrawal of fuel subsidy in May should the Nigeria Labour Congress make good its threat on August 2.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, disclosed Tinubu’s plea to State House Correspondents after leading some officers of the House to brief the President on the outcome of their engagement with the National Association of Resident Doctors, which has declared a nationwide strike.
At about the same time, following the threat by labour, the Federal Government on Wednesday evening held an emergency meeting with the organised labour comprising of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
But briefing reporters, Abbas said Tinubu appealed that being new in office, he needs time to evaluate the issues raised by workers over which as he is yet to be briefed.
Abbas said, “What he (Tinubu) said is that he’s just coming on board. We should ask them and beg them to please give him a little more time.
The newspaper says that Nigeria has been struggling with revenue shortfall for some time due to oil theft in the Niger Delta. The recent threats by a Niger Delta militant group, Creek Reform Warriors, to vandalise major oil platforms in the region would worsen the country’s cash crunch. Nigeria earns about 80 per cent of its revenue from crude oil exports.
From January to May, the net oil export revenue of the country experienced a significant decline of 66 per cent, falling to $11bn, against the $34bn earned during the same period last year, according to data obtained from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries Revenue Factsheet released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
It earned about $46b from oil in 2022, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Its oil output fluctuated between 985,000 barrels per day in the third quarter of last year and 1.2b million b/d in Q4. It dipped further to 999,000 barrels in April before picking up again in May to 1.1mb/d.
In contrast, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have plans in place to significantly boost their production capacity to 13 million bpd and 5 million bpd, respectively, by 2027. Both countries currently produce about 12 million/bpd and 4 million/bpd.
Fellow Gulf producer Kuwait on June 18 also said it would boost its production capacity by 200,000 bpd by 2025 to reach 3 million bpd.
Capacity additions from the three Gulf countries over the 2020-2025 period total a combined 1.2 million bpd, double the capacity that Nigeria and Angola are projected to lose over the same period, according to a Reuters calculation.
The Guardian reports that over $1.2 billion has been spent on key distribution projects in the country as part of measures to improve power supply in the country, Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) has said.
The fund was spent on over 374 projects under the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
The Executive Director in charge of Networks at NDPHC, Ifeoluwa Oyedele, at the eighth Nigeria Energy Forum in Lagos, said the fund is expected to be repaid by the benefiting distribution companies (DisCos).
Oyedele disclosed that the projects have been handed over to the DisCos, adding that legal assets transfer is ongoing and awaiting Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) valuation.
Executed projects listed include 337 33/11kV lines, 25,281 25kVA and 50kVA CSP transformers, 199 distribution transformers (100, 200, 300, 500 KVA) of 108MVA, 2,256km of 33kV lines and 4,670km of 11kV lines.
According to him, the agency has equally undertaken over 121 transmission lines and substation projects.
Oyedele said expansion works were carried out in 34 Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) substations across the country, including those located in Enugu, Jos and Owerri.
Other projects executed in the transmission sub-sector include 51 330/132kV substations with 6,450MVA transmission capacity added, 132/33kV substations with 3,160MVA transmission capacity added, 2,703km 330kV of lines, 765km of 132kV lines with 25 other projects ongoing.
The newspaper says that President Bola Tinubu has rejected a reported coup attempt in neighbouring Niger Republic, saying leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the global community will not tolerate threats to democracy.
Reports filtered out of Niamey yesterday that the President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, had been seized by his presidential guards, with the presidential palace cordoned off by military vehicles.
Reacting to the development, Tinubu, who is also Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS Commission, in a statement he personally authored, said he was already in touch with other leaders in the region over the situation.
Promising that ECOWAS would do everything possible to ensure hard-earned democracy by the people of Niger is preserved, he re-echoed the focus of the sub-regional body to ensure constitutional order is preserved and defended.
He said: “Information filtering in from the Republic of Niger indicates some unpleasant developments around the country’s highest political leadership.
“It should be quite clear to all players in the Republic of Niger that the leadership of the ECOWAS region and all lovers of democracy around the world will not tolerate any situation that incapacitates the democratically-elected government of the country.
“The ECOWAS leadership will not accept any action that impedes the smooth functioning of legitimate authority in Niger or any part of West Africa.
“I wish to say that we are closely monitoring the situation and developments in Niger and we will do everything within our powers to ensure democracy is firmly planted, nurtured, well rooted, and thriving in our region.”
He added: “As Chairperson of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, I state without equivocation that Nigeria stands firmly with the elected government in Niger and equally conveys the absolute resolve of leaders in our sub-region that we shall not waiver or flinch on our stand to defend and preserve constitutional order.”
Also, Tinubu met with President Patrice Talon of Benin Republic at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.
Talon, who arrived the Villa at around 4:43 p.m., was visiting Nigeria’s seat of power, Abuja, the second time in nine days, having earlier visited on July 18, along with two colleague-presidents: Bazoum and Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissau.
Following the meeting, Tinubu said an ECOWAS mission had been sent to the Niger Republic to intercede in the attempted coup in the country.
GIK/APA