Nigerian press spotlights collapse of talks between govt, labour, others

APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The report that barely 24 hours after meeting with President Bola Tinubu where an agreement was reached to call off their protests, the rapprochement between the organised labour and the Federal Government appeared to have collapsed as the unions on Thursday night vowed to embark on a nationwide strike from August 14 if their leaders were summoned for contempt of court orders dominates the headlines of Nigerian newspapers on Friday.
The Punch reports that barely 24 hours after meeting with President Bola Tinubu where an agreement was reached to call off their protests, the rapprochement between the organised labour and the Federal Government appeared to have collapsed as the unions on Thursday night vowed to embark on a nationwide strike from August 14 if their leaders were summoned for contempt of court orders.
The Nigeria Labour Congress hinged its decision on the contempt of court application filed by the Federal Ministry of Justice against the labour leaders on Wednesday.
It threatened to down tools should the Federal Government fails to withdraw the lawsuit accusing the labour leadership of disobeying court orders.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, announced the decision on Thursday night after the union’s National Executive Council meeting which was held in Abuja.
In a bid to avert a strike by the labour movement last month, the FG had through the Federal Ministry of Justice secured an order from the National Industrial Court restraining the NLC and the Trade Union Congress from embarking on any strike action over issues bordering on “removal of fuel subsidy, hike in prices of petrol and consequential increase in cost of living,” pending the determination of the suit.
The Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Beatrice Jedy-Agba, in a statement, urged the NLC to withdraw the seven-day notice it issued on its plan to commence a nationwide industrial action from August 2, if the demands of labour unions were not met.
The justice ministry sternly warned in a statement on July 26 that the planned strike by the union would be contempt of court, an offence that is punishable by imprisonment.
According to the government, such strike action would amount to a resort to self-help since the matter was already pending in court.
The newspaper says that the United States Agency for International Development has warned Nigeria and other African countries to brace up for higher food prices, following recent developments that have temporarily halted Ukraine’s food exports to African countries.
USAID’s Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming, Isobel Coleman, said this on Thursday at a virtual press conference.
According to her, Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative had already begun to trigger higher food prices around the world.
She noted the impact of this food price hike would be more felt in developing countries that were import-dependent, and had conventionally relied on grain imports from Ukraine.
Coleman said, “One of the world’s largest breadbaskets is Ukraine. By doing this, Russia is increasing food prices globally. We’ve already seen how global food prices came down over time after the Black Sea Grain Initiative came into place. Since Russia has pulled out of the agreement, food prices have again been on the rise.
“This affects every country around the world, but it affects, most acutely, large import-dependent developing countries that have to spend much of their precious foreign exchange resources to purchase food to feed their population.”
The Black Sea Grain Initiative was conceived to specifically allow for commercial food and fertiliser (including ammonia) exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, which are Odessa, Chornomorsk, Yuzhny/Pivdennyi.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, led to a complete halt of maritime grain shipments from Ukraine, previously a major exporter via the Black Sea. Additionally, Russia temporarily halted its grain exports, further exacerbating the situation.
This resulted in a rise in world food prices and the threat of famine in lower-income countries such as Nigeria, and accusation that Russia was weaponising food supplies.
To address the issue, discussions began in April 2022, hosted by Turkey (which controls the maritime routes from the Black Sea) and supported by the UN. The resulting agreement was signed in Istanbul in July 22, valid for a period of 120 days.
The Guardian reports that the entry of the military into the politics and governance of Niger Republic is yet another negative development in the growth of democracy and people-centred rule in that country and the West African sub-region in general.
In its editorial on Friday, the Guardian said: “This clearly justifies the wide condemnation the coup has received from all and sundry, particularly the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which gave the coupists seven days to restore democratic order, warning that it would not foreclose the use of force to execute its ultimatum.
“The regional body’s reaction is not unexpected as its new chairman, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has not just recently assumed the mantle of leadership, he had, barely two weeks before the coup, declared zero tolerance to military incursion and terrorism in the sub-region.
“All the same, the solution to the Niger crisis does not lie in military action, but a deep introspection of the underlying circumstances of coups in West Africa, as well as an admixture of political diplomacy. To move headlong into military onslaught is very likely to escalate the problem beyond manageable level, even as it may not stop the coupists from carrying on.”
According to the Guardian, the Niger coup signifies a seeming endlessness to the cycle of military incursions into the African political space.
“While the new ECOWAS leadership was warning against unconstitutional change of government in the sub-region early in July, little did it know that a coup was incubating in Niger Republic. By July 26, 2023, the presidential guard toppled the civilian regime of Mohamed Bazoum. The coup would soon gain widespread support among the population with an optic that showed resentment of French imperialism in that country,” the editorial said.
The newspaper says that to check rising energy costs ravaging the economy from which the telecoms industry is not immune, the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) is on the verge of introducing policies that would encourage the sector to adopt clean and sustainable energy sources. Besides, the policy is also targeted at helping to reduce carbon emission footprint in the country.
The Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, made the disclosure during a roundtable discussion with the academia, industry and other stakeholders, in Lagos, yesterday.
At the roundtable with the theme: “Refocusing Academic Research towards Alternative Clean Energy: Panacea to Paucity of Energy in the Telecoms Sector,” Danbatta stated that the globe is confronted by the urgent need to address the challenges posed by climate change and the increasing demand for energy.
With Nigeria’s telecoms sector now worth $75.6 billion, Danbatta said like many other industries, the telephony industry has a significant role to play in transitioning to a sustainable energy future, stressing that there is responsibility to ensure that the growth of the telecoms sector is achieved in a manner that is environmentally friendly and in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
As such, he said the introduction of the policy would encourage ethical energy sourcing in the telecommunications sector. Danbatta noted that the policy would serve as a framework for telecoms service providers to adopt clean and sustainable energy sources, reducing their carbon footprint and contributing to a greener future.
Represented by Executive Commissioner, Technical Services NCC, Ubale Maska, Danbatta said: “We believe that this policy will not only benefit the environment but also drive innovation and create new business opportunities within the industry.”
As such, he said the introduction of the policy would encourage ethical energy sourcing in the telecommunications sector. Danbatta noted that the policy would serve as a framework for telecoms service providers to adopt clean and sustainable energy sources, reducing their carbon footprint and contributing to a greener future.
GIK/APA