Lagbaja: National flag at half-mast as Remi Tinubu visits widow

President Bola Tinubu has directed that the national flag must be flown half-mast as Nigeria mourns its Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, who died after a brief illness.

First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu has paid a condolence visit to the widow of the departed Chief of Army Staff.

Secretary to the of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, said President Tinubu gave the directive of the flag flying at half-mast on Wednesday.

A statement signed for Akume by Mr Segun Imohiosen, Director, Information and Public Relations Office of SGF (OSGF) read, “The President has directed that National Flags be flown at half-mast throughout the country for seven days in honour of the departed Army Chief.”

In another statement, the First Lady expressed condolences, praising the COAS for his exemplified valor.

She stated, “It is with a heavy heart that I received the sad news of the demise of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja. ”Throughout his career, the late Chief of Army Staff exemplified valor, patriotism, and unwavering dedication to the service of our dear country.

“I extend my deepest condolences to his wife, Mrs Mariya Abiodun Lagbaja, children, family, friends, colleagues and associates.

“May Almighty God comfort and grant them the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss.

“May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.”

Oyo civil servants to enjoy N80,000 as minimum wage 

Workers under the employment of Oyo State Government are to enjoy a minimum wage of N80,000.

This was announced on Wednesday by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade.

He said the technical committee set up by the state government recommended the amount and was approved by Governor Seyi Makinde.

He added that the new scale would be implemented as soon as the consequential adjustments process is completed by the committee comprising government and labour top officials.

Oyelade said only last month, the National Bureau of Statistics, in its latest employment statistics published for 2024, rated the state as the most worker-friendly in the whole of Southern Nigeria due to a significant decline in the state’s unemployment rate, following the high-pitched employment of workers into various sectors of the state.

“The Oyo State Government has been paying workers’ salaries on the 25th of every month since Governor Makinde took office in 2019.

“The governor began paying the previous ₦30,000 minimum wage from the start of his tenure over four years ago, including consistent payments of pensions, gratuities, and a 13th-month salary for both workers and pensioners alike.

“Since November 2023, Governor Makinde has been paying ₦25,000 to workers and ₦15,000 to pensioners as a welfare wage award.

“The Makinde administration introduced the wage award to cushion the effects of the Federal Government’s fuel subsidy removal and has remained consistent with these payments for over a year, even to this day,” Oyelade said.

The commissioner said Makinde had paid the backlog of gratuities from 2008 to 2015 for pensioners, with an increase in gratuity payments for those under both the Local Government Staff Pensions Board and those paid by the Ministry of Establishment and Training.

He added that the governor had reinstated pensioners whose names were removed by the previous administration and continues to provide all pensioners with an annual Christmas/New Year chicken bonus.

Ndume says Tinubu’s tax reform bill ‘dead on arrival’

In a recent interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today, Senator Ali Ndume expressed strong opposition to President Bola Tinubu’s proposed tax reform bill, predicting it is “dead on arrival.”

According to Ndume, the proposed reforms have sparked significant backlash, particularly among Northern leaders, who view the bill as disproportionately unfavorable to the North.

Ndume emphasized that President Tinubu’s focus should be on streamlining government functions rather than introducing new tax burdens on Nigerians.

He argued that the Northern Governors’ Forum had already voiced concerns and advised the President to reconsider the bill, urging Tinubu to prioritize reforms that support growth and ease economic pressures on citizens.

The senator called on President Tinubu to listen to this feedback and withdraw the bill to pursue a more inclusive approach to economic reform.

Ndume said, “Our people are saying they don’t want the VAT bill, they don’t even want to hear about it. That is why we are going to make it dead on arrival. President Tinubu should heed the advice of the National Economic Council (NEC) and the Northern Governors’ Forum and withdraw the bills immediately.

“Nigerians are willing to pay taxes but only when they can afford it. Right now, people are struggling to survive. Let people live first before you start asking them for taxes.”

Ndume said it would be fair to shut the bill down, hinting that he had started rallying support among colleagues to reject the bills.

“What he needs to do is to withdraw the bill. Then go back to our people, educate and make us understand. We are representing the people, and they have already made their stance clear.

“The governors and traditional rulers have said that the bill is not good. So, the best course of action is to withdraw it immediately,” he added.

Ndume says Tinubu’s tax reform bill ‘dead on arrival’

(DailyTrust)