Business
FG, varsity workers meeting ends in deadlock

The meeting between the Federal Government team and the non-teaching staff in the universities under the umbrella of Joint Action Committee, JAC, ended on Tuesday without any resolution of the contentious issues.
JAC comprising the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU, had threatened to shut down the universities starting from February 5 if the government failed to address some of the concerns they raised.
Among the concerns are the issue of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, which the unions complained that they were having problems with since they migrated into the platform; the non-payment of arrears of minimum wage since April last year; the disparity in the sharing of the N40 billion Earned Allowances in which the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, was allocated 75 per cent of the total sum, leaving 25 per cent for three unions; and the alleged usurpation of the functions of the non-teaching staff by the ASUU members.
In a bid to save the universities from the impending strike, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who is the conciliator between the government and the unions convened a meeting in his office in Abuja.
It was learnt that the meeting ended without any resolution of the burning issues.
A source at the meeting said the union members had to request adjournment when it was clear that the government had nothing on the table for the settlement of the contending issues.
The source said, “On the issue of the arrears of minimum wage, they said there is no date for payment.”
On the IPPIS, they raised a committee among the unions to go and sit down with the IPPIS to sort out the nagging issues.
The source said the issue of Earned Allowances was never discussed at the meeting.
The source said, “As we discovered that there was practically nothing forthcoming from the government, we tactically asked for an adjournment so that we can go and meet our people because the issue of minimum wage arrears is one of the major issues and the IPPIS thing. If those things are not ready, so what are we discussing?
“We told them we are going to meet with our people if we can get fresh mandate to continue with the discussion. They requested that we should communicate back to government within 48 hours.”
Business
Air Peace slashes Nigeria-London fare by N600,000

Air Peace slashes Nigeria-London fare by N600,000
Air Peace has announced a ₦600,000 reduction in its Nigeria-London airfare for all travelers flying from Nigeria.
In a statement released on Wednesday in Lagos, the airline’s Head of Corporate Communications, Dr. Ejike Ndiulo, stated that the discount is part of Air Peace’s latest promo offer.
Passengers departing from any Nigerian city to London can enjoy significant savings, along with an exclusive one-free extra luggage allowance.
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According to Ndiulo, the airline rewarded five lucky winners of a raffle draw at the Silverbird Man of the Year Awards held on Sunday in Lagos.
He said that three winners won return economy tickets to any of Air Peace’s domestic destinations, while two won economy return tickets to London.
He said that the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Dr Allen Onyema, emphasised the airline’s commitment to driving Nigeria’s socio-economic development through its corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Air Peace slashes Nigeria-London fare by N600,000
Business
Fresh fuel price hike likely as Dangote refinery suspends petrol sale in naira

Fresh fuel price hike likely as Dangote refinery suspends petrol sale in naira
Petroleum products marketers have predicted a potential shake-up in the downstream sector as Dangote Refinery halts the sale of petrol in naira.
The marketers, while expressing shock over the development, said there are genuine concerns over supply chain disruptions and impending price hikes.
Stakeholders fear the ripple effects may deepen economic pressures on businesses and consumers nationwide.
Dangote Refinery, in a statement, said the move was necessary to avoid a mismatch between its sales proceeds and our crude oil purchase obligations, which are currently denominated in US dollars.
“To date, our sales of petroleum products in Naira have exceeded the value of naira-denominated crude we have received. As a result, we must temporarily adjust our sales currency to align with our crude procurement currency.
“Our attention has also been drawn to reports on the internet claiming that we are stopping loading due to an incident of ticketing fraud. This is malicious falsehood. Our systems are robust and we have had no fraud issues.
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“We remain committed to serving the Nigerian market efficiently and sustainably. As soon as we receive an allocation of naira-denominated crude cargoes from NNPC, we will promptly resume petroleum product sales in naira. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this period”, the company explained.
Commenting on the development, the National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Mr. Billy Gillis-Harry, expressed rude shock at the development, saying the decision by Dangote will impact petroleum products availability, energy security and pricing.
He said the coming onboard of the Dangote Refinery has been able to stabilise the supply chain while guaranteeing access to product.
However, he warned the suspension of petroleum products into the sldomestic market by Dangote should not be an excuse for importers of products to profiteer by putting the country in a disadvantage condition.
He argued that PETROAN has been at the forefront of canvassing for multiple sources of products for the market, saying the entry of Dangote refinery into the downstream market was received with so much joy.
Gillis-Harry further lamented that the business decision of Dangote to sell his products in dollars has automatically shut out the local market from the business equation because domestic pricing and sales of petroleum products is in naira. On October 1, 2024, the federal government officially announced the commencement of crude oil sale to Dangote Refinery and other local refineries in the local currency.
The move was to reduce the pressure on the foreign reserves and ensure the stability of the local currency.
Fresh fuel price hike likely as Dangote refinery suspends petrol sale in naira
Business
CBN projects continued drop in inflation for six months

CBN projects continued drop in inflation for six months
The Central Bank of Nigeria has projected a gradual drop in inflation rate over the next six months.
It stated this in its newly released report on inflation expectations for February 2025.
The report said businesses and household respondents expected the level of inflation to gradually reduce over the next six months.
The respondents also anticipated lower spending as their expenditure gradually dropped over the next six months.
A further analysis by income distribution indicated that more households earning above N200,000 per month perceived inflation to be moderating, driven by factors such as energy costs, exchange rate, transportation costs, interest rate and insecurity influenced their perception of the inflation rate in the month under review.
The CBN, however said 65.1 per cent of respondents wanted a reduction in interest rate by the financial institution.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for March said the inflation rate for February dropped to 23.18% year-on-year in February 2025, reflecting a second consecutive monthly decline from the 24.48% recorded in January.
This figure marks a significant 8.52 percentage point decrease from the 31.70% seen in February 2024, following the adoption of a new CPI rebasing methodology.
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