Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has approved the implementation of N70,000 as the new minimum wage for all workers in Katsina State.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed made the announcement on Saturday morning in a post he shared on X.

According to Mohammed, Governor Radda said that the comprehensive wage implementation will cover employees across the state, local government and local education authority sectors with effect from December 2024.

“This decisive action follows our extensive negotiations and careful financial planning in line with our promised dedication to support workforce while maintaining fiscal responsibility,” the governor stressed.

Governor Radda emphasized the importance of this wage adjustment, calling on civil servants to redouble their commitment to productivity, integrity and public service.

In the same vein, he acknowledged the resilience of Katsina State’s workforce, noting that this wage increase represents more than a financial transaction.

Radda said it is also a recognition of the critical role public servants play in driving state development.

The governor concluded by saying that the Katsina State Government is a progressive and employee-centred administration committed to implementing meaningful economic reforms and capacity building as enshrined in the Building Your Future Blueprint.

There was jubilation among the residents of Yola in Adamawa State after the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi ordered the sale of smuggled petrol at a subsidised rate.

The NCS made this known on Thursday afternoon in a press statement it shared on both its official X and Facebook accounts.

“Following the recent seizure of petroleum products by operatives of Operation Whirlwind in the Adamawa-Taraba region, Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi has authorised the sale of the seized PMS to Yola residents in Adamawa State at a subsidised rate with proceeds remitted to the Federation Account,” the statement read.

Speaking to journalists on 27 November, 2024 in Yola, Adamawa State capital, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Comptroller Hussain Ejibunu, praised CGC Adeniyi and National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu for their support.

Ejibunu during his address to reporters also clarified that the initiative will help in alleviating the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy in Adamawa State.

Ejibunu explained that the seized products intended for illegal export were confiscated through intelligence and surveillance operations, significantly easing fuel scarcity in the region.

The total seizure included 1,124 jerrycans (25, 40 and 60 litres), 53 drums (200 litres each) and 21,000 litres transported in two tankers, amounting to 71,965 litres valued at over ₦81.5 million.

He also revealed that most of the seizures occurred along the Cameroon-Nigeria border. In a collaborative effort, the Customs transferred 13 of the 14 intercepted tankers to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in Yola.

Ejibunu confirmed that a suspect linked to smuggling activities had been arrested and is currently facing prosecution.

He further noted that Operation Whirlwind had helped stabilise the fuel supply in Adamawa State, reducing scarcity and price volatility.

According to him, the operation’s broader strategy aims to ‘’curb the activities of illegal oil bunkerers and marketers.’’

He urged legitimate oil marketers to continue their businesses without fear of harassment, appreciating their contributions in the fight against smuggling.

The Customs Area Controller (CAC) Adamawa/Taraba Command, Comptroller Garba Bashir stressed the need for collaboration among all stakeholders.

“This fight requires collective responsibility,” Bashir said, calling on the press, stakeholders and Nigerians to share intelligence to combat smuggling and boost economic growth.

A representative of NMDPRA in Adamawa, Humuri Timothy commended the Customs for its efforts to tackle fuel smuggling across Nigeria’s borders.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Component of Operation Hadin Kai, launched a devastating air strike against terrorists in Kukawa, Borno.

This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Commodore Olusola Akinboyewa, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Akinboyewa said the NAF fighter jets destroyed a gun truck and neutralised several fighters in the first strike while the second was to provide close air support to repel an attack on ground troops.

He said that the first operation began with credible intelligence on the location of a terrorists’ gun truck, approximately five kilometers west of Kukawa.

According to him, the NAF fighter jets swiftly responded, acquiring and attacking the target with precision, destroying the gun truck and crippling the terrorists’ capacity.

“In the second operation, the air component responded to a distress call from ground troops in Kukawa, who were under intense attack by terrorists on motorcycles.

“The NAF air assets rapidly responded, engaging the terrorists at various intervals.

“The strike neutralised many terrorists, and our ground troops recovered over 20 abandoned motorcycles. Following the strike, ground troops are capitalising on the momentum, pursuing wounded and fleeing terrorists.

“The NAF reaffirms its commitment to the collective effort to restore peace and security in the country, and will continue to provide airpower in support of our ground forces and other security agencies,” he said.

 The organised labour in Cross River has directed state civil servants to return to work on Wednesday.

The directive is contained in a statement issued by the state chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Mr Monday Ogbodum, and made available to newsmen on Tuesday.

Ogbodum stated that the directive followed the success of the two-day warning strike over the government’s non-implementation of the new minimum wage.

According to him, negotiations between the state government and labour would resume on Thursday.

“The strike committee wants to thank all workers for their total compliance in the just concluded warning strike from Sunday midnight, November 24 toTuesday, November 26.

“This demonstrates our collective resolve to ensure that our workers get their due.

“We appreciate your resilience, not minding the excruciating working conditions we are subjected to.

“It is our firm belief that together we can move mountains,” the statement added.

It would be recalled that the workers had embarked on the warning strike, after the negotiation between labour and the government brokedown.

A fake doctor, Martins Ugwu, has been jailed for using his friend, George Daniel Davidson’s, certificate to operate.

A federal capital territory (FCT) high court in Jabi, Abuja, convicted Ugwu for impersonation, thereby, securing a job at the federal ministry of health.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) spokesperson, Demola Bakare, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

According to Bakare, the ICPC said the commission filed a seven-count charge against Ugwu in February 2016.

“Ugwu was charged in court for making a false statement to the federal Civil Service Commission chairman, through which he secured employment in 2006,” he said.

“For 10 years, Ugwu earned N17.2 million in salaries and allowances while falsely presenting himself as a qualified medical doctor.

“The offence contravenes section 25(1)(a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.”

According to him, Ugwu also used the forged documents to obtain a staff identity card, apply for annual leave, and enroll in a postgraduate programme in epidemiology, which could have earned him a master’s degree.

During the sentencing hearing, Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha, the counsel to the ICPC, urged the court to order Ugwu to return the N17.2 million he fraudulently earned.

The presiding judge, Abubakar Idris Kutigi, condemned Ugwu’s actions and sentenced him to six months imprisonment on each of the seven charges, to run consecutively, totalling three and a half years while ordering him to refund the N17.2 million he had earned illegally.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello after honouring the invitation of the commission over an alleged misappropriation of funds.

Bello went to the office with his lawyers on Tuesday morning, following the Supreme Court judgment which dismissed states’ cases on the constitutionality of the anti-graft agency.

The former governor drove himself in a black Hilux to the EFCC office with his lawyers and was still being held by operatives of the commission at the time of this report.

At the last hearing on November 14, the EFCC sought an adjournment until November 27 in the fresh case it instituted against Bello, saying that the 30-day window was still running for the summons issued earlier.