NEWS
Buhari, Osinbajo, Others Criticized For Accepting Severance Package
President Buhari and other political office holders have faced severe criticism from activists for accepting the severance package.
The activists argue that the decision is insensitive given the current hardships faced by Nigerians.
Many believe that President Buhari’s tenure has contributed to a rise in poverty, adding to the frustration and hardship being faced by the people.
Furthermore, the incoming governors will have to tackle challenges such as unpaid salaries and pensions, along with growing debts, further exacerbating the situation.
In response to the situation, Mr. Kolawole Oluwadare, the Deputy Executive Director of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), emphasized that any exorbitant amount allocated as a pension would be seen as a direct insult to the Nigerian people.
“The law is clear. For the President, he is entitled to pension by the provision of the constitution but the quantum of the pension, which is a severance package, is what will now be considered appropriate or not. In the face of Nigeria’s growing public debt and growing poverty in the land, any amount that is considered too much will be an affront to the good people of Nigeria”, Oluwadare said
Expressing her firm disapproval, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, the President of Women Arise for Change Initiative and the Campaign for Democracy, asserted that this unacceptable practice must cease.
“There are multiple viewpoints to this sick culture. First, there is the angle of those who were not voted into offices. For instance, appointees should not get a kobo. Second, of those voted into office, the President and Vice President should be protected and granted a level of comfort after office because they must have taken decisions that might expose them to danger in their post-office life.
“The cost should be debated before approval. It is so obscene that people who had retired and collected benefits are again retiring as public office holders and yet collecting jumbo packages for lacklustre performances in high office.
“In the meantime, regular people who didn’t steal, kill or destroy are dropping dead in pension queues. And the pension is miserable. Yet they worked for 35 years or till they hit retirement age. But here comes someone who has been here for eight years. He gets rewarded afterwards till death. This nonsense must stop.”
Mr. Abiodun Bamigboye, the acting National Chairperson of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) and Oyo State Coordinator of Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights (CDWR), urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to speak out and not stay silent regarding this issue.
He called upon Nigerians to unite and collectively oppose the current situation, urging them to take a firm stance against it.
Bamigboye said: “It is not only wrong, it is condemnable. I think every well-meaning Nigerian must speak against it to ensure they drop such an anti-people plan. None of the political office holders deserve to earn a single Kobo after vacating their respective offices. These are the set of Nigerians who live in opulence.
“They receive huge salaries and allowances while in office. It is not like a normal civil servant that survives on poor pay, which is the minimum wage of N30, 000. If there are Nigerians who deserve a fat pension after leaving office, it should be the Nigerian workers who earn N30, 000 as minimum wage and not political office holders who are entitled to millions as salaries and allowances while in office.
“The huge amount of money further underscores that the interest of the poor working people is always the least on the priority list of Nigeria’s pro-capitalist government.
“If not, given all the crises people are facing in the country, it should be the last thing. As we speak, the Academic Staff Union of Nigeria, ASUU, demand has not been attended to. A few days ago, resident doctors just suspended their strike. Our refinery is comatose.
Chairman, Centre for Anti-corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said: “They are living a life of opulence even as poverty is ravaging Nigerians. They seem not to bother about the degenerating state of families and individuals.
“They do not look in the direction of things that would make life convenient for an average Nigerian, they make life more difficult. “Generally, the leaders have pillaged the resources of this country too much for them to go away with it.
“They are supposed to return some of their earnings to the coffers of the federation instead of going away with a huge sum of money at the end of their lacklustre tenure. Unfortunately, the constitution provides them the power to exploit the weakness of the mass of the Nigerian people. “It is a lopsided distribution of this country’s wealth that widens the gap between the rich and the poor.
“Basically, they don’t deserve it at all. It is obscene and immoral. Even if the law gives them the opportunity, they should have been moralistic in their thinking and empathise with the average Nigerian to say that they have been impoverished while we were in office, we should not impoverish them further even after we exit office.” He added
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for an upward review of the national minimum wage, declaring that the current ₦70,000 salary can no longer meet the needs of Nigerian workers due to rising inflation and the increasing cost of living.
The demand was made on Friday at the Nigeria Rights of Workers Summit 2026 in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, where labour leaders, government officials, employers, civil society organisations and workers gathered to commemorate 88 years of legally recognised trade unionism in Nigeria.
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Speaking on behalf of NLC President Joe Ajaero, the Deputy President of the Congress, Adewale Adeyanju (Amba), said the purchasing power of the current minimum wage has been severely eroded by prevailing economic realities.
“The current ₦70,000 minimum wage can no longer adequately respond to the realities confronting Nigerian workers, particularly with the rising cost of living,” Adeyanju said.
He noted that the existing wage arrangement has expired, making fresh negotiations with the Federal Government and state governments necessary.
According to him, labour expects a new wage structure that reflects current economic conditions and enables workers to meet their basic needs.
The summit, themed “The Rights of Workers: Decent Work and a Just Economy in Nigeria,” focused on workers’ remuneration, workplace safety, job security, discrimination, and the protection of casual and other non-traditional workers across the country.
Convener of the summit and Executive Director of Call a Lawyer, Ekpa Stanley, said the gathering was aimed at assessing the progress made in advancing workers’ rights while identifying areas requiring urgent attention.
“This summit is not only about celebrating 88 years of trade unionism; it is also an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved, the challenges that remain, and what must be done to guarantee decent work for Nigerian workers,” he said.
Former NLC President Ayuba Wabba stressed that improving workers’ welfare should go beyond increasing salaries.
“Decent work is not only about wages. It is also about workers’ rights, social protection and meaningful social dialogue between workers, employers and government,” Wabba stated.
He urged policymakers to implement measures that guarantee workers’ dignity, strengthen social protection and improve job security amid the nation’s economic challenges.
Meanwhile, Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris assured workers that his administration would implement any new national minimum wage approved by the Federal Government.
“Whatever is agreed upon at the national level on the minimum wage, Kebbi State will implement it,” the governor said.
He also pledged to advocate improved remuneration for workers during deliberations at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
Participants at the summit further called for stricter enforcement of labour laws, improved workplace safety, stronger protection against discrimination and greater support for workers in the informal sector.
The event concluded with goodwill messages from labour leaders, affiliate unions and representatives of the National Industrial Court, while awards were presented to individuals, including Governor Idris, in recognition of their contributions to workers’ welfare.
Anambra State First Lady, Dr. Nonye Soludo, has emerged as the winner of the Health Activism category at the 2026 BudgIT Active Citizens Awards, beating other leading health advocates to clinch the prestigious national recognition.
The award, now in its third edition, celebrates individuals and organisations making exceptional contributions to civic engagement, social development, accountability and sustainable development across Nigeria.
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Dr. Soludo earned the honour for her outstanding work in promoting preventive healthcare, community wellness and public health advocacy through her Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo Initiative, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to improving the health of communities across Anambra State.
She was selected ahead of renowned Nigerian health and gender rights advocate Ramatu Ada Ochekliye and public health and social impact professional Sidney Sampson following a rigorous evaluation process.
Nominees were assessed on innovation, impact, sustainability, inclusion, leadership and measurable community outcomes.
Receiving the award, the First Lady described the recognition as both humbling and a renewed call to deepen her commitment to public service.
“Like a family driven by one common goal, we have shown that when communities take ownership of their health, lasting transformation becomes very possible,” she said.
She dedicated the award to members of the Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo Initiative, healthcare workers, volunteers, community leaders, development partners and residents of Anambra State for embracing the vision of healthier living.
Dr. Soludo also expressed gratitude to BudgIT, Civic Hive and the Ford Foundation for the recognition, noting that it would inspire the initiative to expand its programmes and continue promoting healthier communities across the state.
In a statement, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor’s Wife, Daniel Ezeigwe, said the award reflects growing national recognition of the impact of Dr. Soludo’s healthy living campaign, describing it as a model for advancing preventive healthcare and healthy lifestyles.
According to Ezeigwe, the First Lady has championed several people-centred initiatives since assuming office.
These include statewide fitness campaigns, maternal and child health advocacy, nutrition education, environmental sanitation, the Healthy Living Pad Bank for schoolgirls, free seed distribution to households and the Nonye’s Healthy Living Pap Initiative, which is aimed at tackling childhood malnutrition.
“These programmes have touched thousands of lives while reinforcing the importance of prevention as the foundation of a healthier society,” Ezeigwe said.
He added that the latest recognition underscores Dr. Soludo’s unwavering commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of Anambra residents while contributing to Nigeria’s broader public health development.
Four people were injured after a petrol tanker carrying approximately 60,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) burst into flames while offloading fuel at AYM Shafa Filling Station in Area 3, Garki, Abuja, on Thursday night.
The filling station, located beside the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) office along Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti Way, witnessed panic as the fire spread to part of the adjoining three-storey FCT-IRS building before emergency responders brought the situation under control.
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The Federal Fire Service (FFS), in a statement issued on Friday by its National Public Relations Officer and Head of Corporate Services, DCF Paul Abraham, confirmed that the blaze was successfully extinguished through a coordinated emergency response involving multiple firefighting appliances, medium water jets and foam compound.
According to the statement, the Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Olumode Samuel Adeyemi, personally led the operation as Incident Commander and remained at the scene until the early hours of Friday to ensure the fire had been completely extinguished.
The Fire Service disclosed that the four injured victims, all adult males, were evacuated by a National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) ambulance to a nearby hospital, where they received treatment and were later discharged.
Following a thorough inspection of the site, officials confirmed there were no further fire outbreaks or additional casualties, while all emergency personnel and equipment safely returned to their respective stations after the operation.
The FFS commended residents, motorists and members of the public for cooperating with safety directives throughout the emergency.
It also acknowledged the support of sister agencies, including the FCT Fire Service, NEMA, the Nigeria Police Force, and other emergency responders for their swift intervention.
The agency further announced that an investigation has commenced to determine both the immediate and underlying causes of the incident in a bid to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
“The Federal Fire Service remains committed to safeguarding lives, property and critical national assets through prompt, professional and coordinated emergency response,” the statement added.
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