Nigerian activist and political figure, Omoyele Sowore has accused Edo North Senator Adams Oshiomhole of working with former military and political leaders to orchestrate fuel price increases in Nigeria during the 1990s.

Speaking on a podcast hosted by Glitch Africa Studios, Sowore alleged that Oshiomhole, while a labor leader, was involved in backdoor deals to support fuel price hikes.

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Sowore claimed that Oshiomhole, alongside then-Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) President Pascal Bafial, struck a deal with former military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, to support Nigeria’s first fuel price increase in 1992.

“Oshiomhole was never an activist. You can check this out anywhere. In 1992, Oshiomhole and Pascal Bafial… had a deal with Babangida to increase fuel price and supported it,” Sowore stated, adding that he had labeled Oshiomhole an “enemy of students” for his role in the move.

Sowore further alleged that Oshiomhole continued such tactics during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

“During the time of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Oshiomhole would meet Obasanjo and ask him to increase the fuel price,” Sowore claimed.

He described an arrangement where Oshiomhole would appear to publicly oppose the hike, only for the price to settle at a new, higher level.

“We will fight small and you will bring it back to where it is supposed to be. You are happy, I’m happy. That was what Oshiomhole was doing,” Sowore said.

Reflecting on Oshiomhole’s legacy, Sowore also recalled protests after the annulment of MKO Abiola’s election in 1993, saying students stormed the NLC headquarters in Yaba, Lagos, in response to the perceived collusion between labor leaders and the military.

“Part of the places the students invaded was the NLC secretariat in Yaba because they were in bed with the military, Pascal Bafial and Oshiomhole were the labor leaders,” he said.

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Church of England, announced his resignation Tuesday following an inquiry that concluded he failed to report physical and sexual abuse allegations against a volunteer as soon as he was made aware of them.

The inquiry’s findings, released last Thursday, have intensified scrutiny on church leadership, sparking public outrage and internal calls for Welby’s departure.

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Pressure on Welby escalated over the weekend as the inquiry’s report brought renewed attention to accountability issues within the church.

On Monday, Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley declared that Welby’s position had become “untenable.”

Several members of the church’s national assembly also launched a petition demanding his resignation, stating he had “lost the confidence of his clergy.”

In a statement, Welby expressed that stepping aside was “in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honoured to serve.”

The strongest backlash came from survivors of John Smyth, a prominent attorney who reportedly abused teenage boys and young men at Christian summer camps in Britain, Zimbabwe, and South Africa for over five decades.

Andrew Morse, one of Smyth’s victims, said resigning offered Welby a chance to address the damage caused by the church’s handling of historical abuse cases.

“This would be an opportunity for him to stand with the victims of the Smyth abuse and all victims that have not been treated properly by the Church of England in their own abuse cases,” Morse told the BBC before Welby’s announcement.

Welby’s resignation underscores the challenges facing the Church of England in the wake of revelations of widespread abuse within its institutions.

A 2022 report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse highlighted systemic issues within the church, including a tendency to prioritize the protection of accused clergy over victims, deference to clerical authority, and taboos around discussing abuse, which fostered an environment where perpetrators could “hide.”

A large group of retired federal workers on Tuesday, blocked access to the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja, demanding long-overdue pension payments under the guidance of the National Union of Contributory Pensioners (NUCP).

Led by the union’s National Chairman, Comrade Sylva Nwaiwu, the pensioners called for immediate disbursement of their accrued rights—benefits earned under the government’s pre-2004 pension system.

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Accrued rights refer to pension entitlements from before the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) was introduced by the federal government in 2004.

Under the Pension Reform Act, these rights were to be paid directly to each worker’s Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) upon retirement, allowing retirees to access their savings without delay.

However, Comrade Nwaiwu claims that many of these accrued rights remain unpaid for pensioners who retired as far back as 2003, preventing them from accessing funds that are legally theirs.

The union leader condemned the government’s inaction, describing the delays as “a violation of the Pension Act and an unfair burden on retirees who have served this country.”