NEWS
Buhari to Youths: Learn to live together, explore new technology for greater opportunities
President Muhammadu Buhari has advised Nigerian youths to look beyond culture, ethnicity and religion in relating with one another.
He also urged them to embark on more travels, mingling, tolerance and negotiations to appreciate the rich diversity of the country.
The president gave the advice when he received members of the National Youth Service Corps serving in his country home, Daura, Katsina State on Saturday.
According to Buhari, regular interface and broader vision of Nigeria as a whole will improve relationships, especially among the youths.
The President’s media aide, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement in Abuja, quoted Buhari as saying: ”Thank you so much for coming to see me. I have been away from home since Sallah celebration a year ago. And my attention has been on Nigeria, which is bigger than my town.
“Every time I meet former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, I always thank him for the NYSC, which helps people to move all over Nigeria.
“Before the NYSC there were people who had never moved out of their locality.”
The president said the scheme broadened the horizon for many over the years, and reduced the tensions and misunderstandings that exist between strangers.
“When I joined the army, I was posted to Abeokuta and then Lagos. And I have travelled all over Nigeria,” he added.
Buhari told the youth Corps to keep expanding their views on life and opportunities, and avoid the limitations of culture, ethnicity and religion by exploring technology to network, even beyond borders, ensure personal development and a more competitive means of livelihood.
“We are reaching a time where you don’t have to get education and start looking for government jobs.
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”What happens when government job is not there? You get educated and equip yourself for bigger opportunities, mostly provided by technology,” he said.
The president said the youths and all Nigerians must learn to live together with one another.
In his remarks, the Corps Liaison Officer (CLO), Mr Douglas Damina, thanked the president for encouraging sustenance of the NYSC, and promoting youth inclusiveness and empowerment.
“Mr President, we pray that the Almighty God will accept your prayers and remember your sacrifices for the nation,“ he said.
Damina told the president that the Corps members had achieved a lot in community development, renovating three motor boreholes, training 350 youths in various skills, and encouraging proper hygiene, especially among women.
The president donated two bulls, 10 rams and N1 million to the corps members for the celebration. (NAN)
The Committee on Consequential Adjustments in Salaries for Civil Servants has confirmed that the newly approved minimum wage will be implemented starting July 29, 2024.
This was disclosed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) issued at the conclusion of the committee’s meeting in Abuja on Friday.
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The MoU reads, “The National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission (NSIWC) will prepare and release the necessary salary templates for other consolidated salary structures. The implementation date for the new wage will take effect from July 29, 2024.”
The committee, comprising 16 members, was set up to oversee the execution of the National Minimum Wage Act of 2024. This legislation raised the country’s minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000.
Among its key responsibilities, the committee is tasked with negotiating salary adjustments across various sectors and developing a template for implementing the newly approved wage structure.
With the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popular in the streets as petrol, hovering around approximately N1000-N1300 per litre, concerns are mounting about the viability of fuel subsidies in Nigeria.
Energy policy analyst, Adeyemi Adeoye, has underscored the critical role of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) in this issue, shedding light on who bears the subsidy costs.
He shared his views on TVC News on Friday.
Biztellers reports that the pump price of petrol has risen from below N200/litre at at May 29, 2023 to around N1300/litre as at September 20, 2024, with little variations depending the part of Nigeria, consumers are buying from.
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He stated, “Only the NNPC can engage in negotiations of this nature. Their partnership with the Dangote Refinery gives them leverage to negotiate from a position of strength.”
Adeoye highlighted that while the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and other marketers lack significant influence over prices, the Dangote Refinery prioritizes profitability.
According to him, this makes the NNPC’s negotiations vital, as they are legally required by the Petroleum Industry Act to ensure fuel availability across the country and prevent long queues at gas stations.
Adeoye said, “It is only NNPC that could have gone into that type of negotiation because NNPC is coming to the table from a position of strength because they have a partnership with the Dangote Refinery, and they have other businesses they are supplying crude to, so they can come and say, ‘Look, this has to be this way.’
“The IPMAN and the other marketers cannot do that because Dangote is a profit-making organization; it is not a charity organization. So, the only thing that is important to the Dangote Refinery is to make a profit, which is the same thing that is important to any business.
“So, the NNPC went into these negotiations because it also understands that it is the last resort. In terms of fuel distribution in the country, NNPC is mandated by the Petroleum Industry Act to make sure that there are no queues in the country. So, even if they don’t want to do it, the law mandates NNPC as the supplier, the last resort, to make sure that there is petroleum product across Nigeria.
“That negotiation is such that NNPC took all the calculations in and said, ‘This is a fair pricing that we know we can withstand.’
“Because what NNPC was paying out, which you might call a subsidy or under-recovery, NNPC was paying the difference on behalf of the government, which is under the directive of the president, who has also said he wants to see this situation totally resolved.
“That was why he directed the NNPC to make sure that crude oil to the Dangote Refinery is sold in Naira, because NNPC produces the crude in dollars, and it has to be sold to the Dangote Refinery in Naira, which is good faith.” he added
Ukraine has implemented restrictions on Telegram for government, military, and security personnel, citing national security threats associated with the app, founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov.
The National Security and Defence Council announced in a statement on it’s Facebook page that these limitations will affect all government agencies, military units, and critical infrastructure facilities.
The council emphasized that this measure is essential for protecting national security.
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It reads, “The National Security and Defence Council decided to restrict the use of Telegram in government agencies, military formations and critical infrastructure facilities. It is a “matter of national security.”
More to follow………….
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