Delulu is not the solulu

Federal government threatens mass layoff if Labour doesn’t set realistic expectations

Jun 14, 2024

Happy Friday, Big Brains. I checked the calendar for next week and I did a little dancey dance. We deserve the public holidays. On a more serious note, please be more conscious of the cholera outbreak. We included some preventive measures in the newsletter so keep reading.

- Margaret

Word count: ~1,300
Reading time ~5 mins

Let’s get into today’s edition:

Federal Government passes potential mass layoffs warning as Labour rejects minimum wage deal
Shehu Sani calls on Tinubu to free EndSARS protesters still in jail
NCDC notifies public of worsening cholera outbreak
Police accused of arresting protesters in Ibadan

The Big Deal

Federal Government passes potential mass layoffs warning as Labour rejects minimum wage deal

Just when we thought we’d seen the most crazy turn of 2024, boom – a potential mass layoff.

With Labour and the federal government confusing the entire country with the constant negotiations that seem to be heading nowhere, they seem to have hit a dead end.

FG has told Labour to get realistic with their minimum wage expectations or face the consequences of being delulu.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris suggested that the ₦250,000 minimum wage demanded by labour could lead to mass layoffs.

The Minister said, “We want the labour unions to understand that the relief that Nigerians are expecting, and that they fully deserve, will not come only in the form of an increase in wages.”

He mentioned that the President has been exploring different ways to lower living expenses, like the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) programme which is designed to slash transportation costs by half. Idris added that although a higher wage is important, Labour should also appreciate initiatives that can boost people’s buying power.

President Bola Tinubu mentioned during his Democracy Day broadcast on Wednesday that his administration would soon submit a bill to the National Assembly to effect the agreements reached in the minimum wage negotiations between Labour, the private sector, the states and the Federal Government, but Labour has come out to say that no agreement was reached in the first place.

Labour still wants ₦250,000, the federal government is still insisting on ₦62,000, state governors are saying that paying ₦62,000 is not even an option for them and Nigerians are just tired of being caught in the middle of endless haggling.

Why is this a big deal?

For the first time since the negotiations started, Labour and FG have reached a point where no party wants to back down. Labour is threatening the government with a national strike and the government is clapping back with the prediction of a nationwide layoff that will affect the lives of 200 million Nigerians.

Unfortunately, everything about the Labour vs FG series affects all Nigerians. During the last nationwide strike, national grids were shut down and Nigerians were thrown into darkness. Fuel got crazy scarce and expensive. Everything else went from 100 to 0 in a matter of hours. And we are possibly going to have a repeat of these events in the coming days.

The government’s layoff claims, if they become true, would throw people’s parents, friends, siblings and partners into a wave of unemployment and increase the country’s overall unemployment and poverty rate.

Shehu Sani calls on Tinubu to free EndSARS protesters still in jail

For many Nigerians, life has not changed in the most unexpected way possible in the last four years, but for the EndSARS protesters who have been detained since 2020, we can’t say the same.

In 2020, some young Nigerians protested against police brutality in the country. The protests took a sad turn in October 2020 when some youths were killed by the government and others were arrested.

Some of those arrested have been released, but others are still being held in different police stations.

Former Senator Shehu Sani, who represented Kaduna Central, has called on President Bola Tinubu to release individuals still detained for participating in the EndSARS protests. Sani said that these protesters should be seen as defenders of democracy, not criminals.

A four-year-long nightmare…

In March 2024, three EndSARS protesters, Sunday Okoro, Olumide Fatai, and Oluwole Isa, were freed from the Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre in Lagos by Justice Modupe Nicole-Clay of the Lagos State High Court.

Just like Sani, Amnesty International is also calling for the release of other detained protesters like Daniel Joy-Igbo, Sodiq Adigun, Shehu Anas, and Akinniran Oyetakin, who have been held in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre since 2020. Several others including Segun Adeniyi, Onuorah Odih, Jeremiah Lucky, Gideon Ikwujomah, Irinyemi Olorunwanbe, Quadri Azeez, Olamide Lekan, and Sadiq Riliwan are also being detained at Ikoyi Medium Security Correctional Centre in Lagos without trial.

Isa Sanusi, the Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, has challenged Nigerian authorities to tell Nigerians the status of these detainees, ensure their families and lawyers have access to them, and either bring them to court or release them immediately.

"Violations of human rights during the EndSARS protests show a complete disregard for the right to peaceful assembly. All those detained solely for taking part in peaceful EndSARS protests must be released immediately and unconditionally," Sanusi added.

President Tinubu has the power to order their immediate release and offer these young Nigerians a fair shot at life again.

NCDC notifies public of worsening cholera outbreak

We’re going to hold your hand while we say this (just kidding, don’t go around holding people’s hands while we deal with the outbreak, not even for emotional support)– there’s a cholera outbreak in the country and it’s spreading fast.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has provided an update about the recent increase in cholera cases in the country which is getting worse because of the rainy season.

Currently, 10 states, including Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, and Lagos, have reported cholera outbreaks and are the most vulnerable to the disease's spread. But the NCDC has assured Nigerians that they are actively working to contain the spread.

As of June 11, 1,141 suspected and 65 confirmed cholera cases have been noted, leading to 30 deaths across 96 Local Government Areas in 30 states since January 1.

What’s the way forward?

The NCDC said the best way to prevent cholera is by drinking clean water and practising good hygiene. They’ve also advised Nigerians to wash their hands regularly with soap and clean water, and be extra careful of what they eat which means it's probably time to leave the “is cooking meant for men or women?” discourse and eat more home-cooked meals. Food from street vendors or restaurants and raw or undercooked seafood are not advisable for now. We hope the situation is going to get managed soon but till then, practise the preventive measures and pay more attention to your health.

Police accused of arresting protesters in Ibadan

While some Nigerians were trying to keep their faltering patriotism alive on Democracy Day, the Oyo State Police Command reportedly pulled a not-so-democratic move by arresting several protesters during a demonstration in Ibadan, the state capital.

The protesters had gathered in the Mokola area of Ibadan to voice their frustrations over the current hardships in the country.

Some of these protesters were allegedly taken into custody for staging “an unlawful protest” and “causing a disturbance”. The group was demanding an end to economic hardship, insecurity, police brutality, and a reversal of the electricity tariff hike.

The protesters reportedly became violent and tried to attack the police officers who were there, leading to their arrest.

As of now, the police haven’t addressed the incident and the exact number of people arrested is still not confirmed.

The Big Picks

Appeal Court Sets Aside Contempt Proceedings Against EFCC Chairman: The Court of Appeal has dismissed the contempt proceedings filed by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, against the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede.

Meta will reduce office space in Lagos after layoffs affected Nigerian team: Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, will reduce its office space in Lagos after global layoffs in mid-2023 affected its Nigerian team.

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