BREAKING: FG, Labour to meet tomorrow over strike, minimum wage

Published

1 year ago

June 3, 2024

The Federal Government has, through the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, NSIWC, summoned a meeting of the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage for tomorrow, June 4.

The last meeting of the committee ended abruptly on May 31. This was after the Organised Labour negotiating team walked out following the government and organised private sector, OPS’s refusal to go beyond the N60,000 they had earlier offered.

Vanguard gathered that tomorrow’s meeting will be by 10 am.

According to sources, the government is alarmed by the level of compliance and participation by workers in the first day of the indefinite nationwide strike.

Meanwhile, the unions shut down the country’s electricity industry in compliance with the strike order.

Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, Dominic Igwebike, told Vanguard that the power sector had been shut down.

Also, all loading activities at fuel depots in Lagos have been halted by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG.

However, Vanguard was informed that all loaded trucks were allowed to leave the depots, including aviation terminals, for safety purposes.

According to a labour leader, “We don’t want to keep a loaded truck within the depot because it is highly flammable.”

Similarly, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, has shut down port operations across the country.

An official of the Union told Vanguard that besides Lagos ports, all other port formations in Port Harcourt, Warri, Onne, Calabar, and others have been closed.

According to the official, they would remain shut until further notice from the national leadership of organised labour.

The same scenario is playing out in other sectors across the country, including the FCT.

Israel kills Chief of staff of Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri

Published

6 hours ago

June 13, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

Airstrikes by the Israeli military have killed Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Iran’s state TV IRINN reports

Bagheri was Iran’s highest-ranking military officer.

He was the second senior figure known to have been killed by Israel’s unprecedented attack on Iran in the early hours of Friday.

Multiple Iranian state media outlets had reported earlier that General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in Israel’s overnight strikes.

DAILY POST reports that Israel carried out dozens of airstrikes on Iran, declaring an emergency as it braces up for retaliation.

Israeli military said a “pre-emptive, precise, combined offensive based on high-quality intelligence” had been launched – called Operation Rising Lion.

Doctor Couple, Three Children Among 242 Victims Of Air India Plane Crash In Ahmedabad

Published

16 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

The couple was headed to London, where Dr. Joshi worked, to start a new life together as a family.

A doctor couple and their three children are amomg the victims of the devastating plane crash occurred in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

The Air India flight bound for London had crashed shortly after takeoff, resulting in the loss of 241 lives.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was carrying 242 people, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members.

Among the dead are 11 passengers from Rajasthan, including; the doctor couple and their children. They are; Dr. Koni Vyas, a doctor from Banswara, and her husband Dr. Pradeep Joshi, along with their three children, Pradyut, Miraya, and Nakul.

The couple was headed to London, where Dr. Joshi worked, to start a new life together as a family.

Also, Khushboo Rajpurohit, a 20-year-old woman from Balotra district, who had recently married Manfool Singh, a nurse in London is among the deceased.

She was travelling to London to meet her husband for the first time since their wedding in January.

Shubh Modi and his sister Shagun, children of a marble businessman in Udaipur, were also on the flight.

Vardichand Menaria and Prakash Menaria, two cooks from Udaipur, were travelling to London to work for a few months.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reported that the aircraft issued a “MAYDAY” call before losing contact.

The cause of the crash is currently under investigation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his shock and sadness over the tragedy and is in touch with ministers and authorities.

Air India is liable to pay compensation amounting to 151,880 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) per deceased passenger, approximately Rs 1.8 crore at current exchange rates.

The Tata Group has announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore to each passenger’s family.

Miraculously, one survivor, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British-Indian national, was found alive after the crash.

He was returning to the UK after a visit and had taken the flight with his brother, whom he is now trying to find.

Democracy Day: Benue youths hold pro-Tinubu, Alia rally despite unending killings

Published

20 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

While victims of Fulani herdsmen attacks are languishing in hospitals and families of the deceased are mourning, a group of Benue State youths and women on Thursday staged a rally in Makurdi to support the present administration.

The youths under the aegis of pro-Tinubu/Alia support groups, stormed major streets of Makurdi, capital city of Benue State, drumming support for second terms for President Bola Tinubu and the state governor, Hyacinth Alia.

The group eventually converged at the roundabout leading to the Government House, expecting the governor to address them.

The pro-Tinubu, Alia rally came a few hours after armed herders launched the latest attacks in Makurdi, killing scores of persons.

Ekwutosblog earlier reported that the bloodthirsty armed herders attacked the Mtsewnem and Akondutyough villages in the North Bank area of Makurdi on Wednesday night, killing several persons and leaving scores injured.

The Benue State University Teaching Hospital subsequently issued an urgent appeal for blood donations to save the lives of injured victims who are currently battling for their lives.

Meanwhile, the rally has continued to generate criticism from members of the public, who accused the group of not bothering about victims of the attacks.