Nigerian press zooms in on potential economic shutdown as ultimatum by NLC ends, others

APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The report that the 21-day ultimatum issued by the organised labour ends today and the assurance by the government on Wednesday that there should be no fears about a potential economic shutdown is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Thursday.
The Punch reports that hours to the end of the 21-day ultimatum issued by the organised labour, the Federal Government, on Wednesday, said it has no fears about a potential economic shutdown.
This is despite last Monday’s parley being deadlocked as both parties failed to see eye-to-eye on the labour unions’ demands over the removal of petrol subsidy.
“I don’t think there is any problem. We don’t have any fears about some of the things they (labour) put on the table and also the suggestions and the package of the Federal Government,” the Minister of Labour, Simon Lalong, told State House Correspondents after a private meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima, at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, Wednesday evening.
Days earlier, Lalong met the organised labour in Abuja. However, both parties failed to reach a consensus as the Nigerian Labour Congress insisted that the Federal Government must meet its demands ahead of the 21-day ultimatum it issued on September 1.
The union had handed down the 21-day ultimatum over the delay in sharing palliatives, saying it might be compelled to declare an indefinite labour action if its demands were not met.
It said all is set for a total shutdown of the economy, which would start at the expiration of the ultimatum on Friday.
The newspaper says that the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday ridiculed the efforts of the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to obtain the academic records of President Bola Tinubu from the Chicago State University, United States, describing it as ‘’an expedition in futility.’’
The ruling party said it had nothing to fear as the President had always boasted that he had nothing to hide.
This came as Judge Jeffrey Gilbert of the US District Court for Northern District of Illinois, ordered Tinubu’s alma mater to provide all relevant and non-privileged documents to the applicant, Atiku, within two days.
Documents sought by Atiku, through his counsel, Angela Liu, include the record of admission and acceptance at the university, dates of attendance including degrees, awards and honours attained by Tinubu at the university, among others.
In spite of the development, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Duro Meseko, said the ruling party was not bothered by the court order, stressing that the President had nothing to hide.
He said, “The President has always said over and again that he has nothing to hide. His records are there for all to see. Chicago University has also written severally to say that this man is from us. Nothing has changed. There is no cause for alarm. It is an expedition in futility.”
In its reaction, the Presidency submitted that Tinubu’s academic record would be of no value to the PDP presidential candidate, noting that Atiku and his party were simply chasing shadows.
The Guardian reports that the Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Sule Abdulaziz, has called for proper regulation of energy storage in the industry.
Speaking at the ongoing three-day 2023 Nigeria Energy Leadership Summit in Lagos, the TCN boss, who was represented by the company’s General Manager, Regulation and Compliance, Ali Bukar, said the 2023 Electricity Act did not tackle the issue of storage.
“There should be a regulation in the electricity market to account for the amount of energy individuals and households are supposed to store for safety reasons. What is missing in the region’s electricity market is energy storage, which incidentally is one of the shortcomings of the new act,” he said.
On his part, the Managing Director of Nigeria Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), Aliyu Tukur Tahir, said the development of technical standards and regulations was the key to mitigating electricity-associated hazards.
He emphasised that the function of the agency was the enforcement of technical standards and regulations, inspection, testing and certification of all categories of electrical installations, meters and instruments to ensure the efficient production of sustainable electricity power supply.
“For self-reliable and sustainable electricity supply, it is paramount that electricity hazards are effectively mitigated,” he said.
The newspaper says that a former Special Adviser on Media to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, has revealed that his principal had regrets.
Adesina made this known in Osogbo, yesterday, at a programme, tagged Media Dialogue with Femi Adesina, organised by Association of Veteran Journalists in Osun State.
The former spokesperson said before Buhari left office, he had a two-hour chat with him, during which he (Adesina) asked all manners of questions.
He said during the interview, he asked his principal what his regrets were, and Buhari expressed disappointment that certain things could have been done better.
Adesina, who did not disclose Buhari’s particular regrets, said: “There is no living being that will not regret certain things. It was one of the questions I asked the President.
“Before we left the office, I sat with him for about two hours and asked him every question under the sun. And when we finished, he asked what I gave to the Chief of Protocol that he gave so long a time with him. There was no question I didn’t ask. There were things he (Buhari) felt could have been done better.”
Defending some of the actions of the administration, Adesina said the naira redesign policy, although it exposed Nigerians to hardship, was not altogether a bad policy, as it reduced crime, especially kidnapping, and curbed manipulations in the 2023 polls.
He said Buhari served the country diligently, noting that inadequacies in the way he governed could not be entirely blamed on him.
GIK/APA