We can go band for band
NLC is out to prove that they can go lower than FG with a planned nationwide strike
Good morning, Big Brains. Is it just me or does salary day feel like Christmas morning? Normal folks do countdowns to normal holidays, I only do countdowns to salary day. Wake up, it’s 4 days until salary day!
- Margaret
Word count: ~1,000
Reading time ~3 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
NLC threatens to go on nationwide strike if its president is arrested by FG
British techpreneur goes missing after yacht sinks in Tornado
Paystack processes over ₦1 trillion in one month
The Big Daily
NLC threatens to go on nationwide strike if its president is arrested by FG
You probably didn’t subscribe to The Big Daily to read bad “knock knock” jokes but here goes nothing – Knock knock ( who’s there), it’s another nationwide strike that nobody asked for. If you’re wondering who to blame, there’s a long list but it starts with President Tinubu and the Nigeria Labour Congress.
You are asking the right questions if the only thing you’re thinking right now is “why?” The Nigerian police force invited NLC president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, for questioning over terrorism financing allegations. But NLC members asked the police to give Ajaero time to consult with lawyers because they sense that the questioning is a ploy to attack their organization.
It seems like NLC isn't leaving any door open for a “you snooze, you lose” type of situation because they’ve arrived at a plan to counter the arrest or harassment of Ajaero: a nationwide strike. NLC describes the allegations as illegitimate and any arrest will lead to a nationwide strike.
Why is this a big deal?
The Nigerian Police Force hasn’t directly addressed NLC’s claims but we know that the allegations are related to the #EndBadGovernance protests. FG has been arresting “sponsors” of the protest and serving them terrorism financing charges. There’s no proof that Ajaero gave any money to the protest organizers but he vocally supported the right of Nigerians to protest during that period.
Even though the constitution gives Nigerians the right to protest peacefully, the people in power don’t seem to be fazed. Ajaero’s likely arrest suggests that we may also have a limited freedom of speech problem on our hands.
As much as Nigerians hate injustice, they also hate NLC strikes because they disrupt people’s daily lives and produce zero to minimal results. These strikes usually lead to nationwide blackouts, airport and school closure – things that directly affect the masses and barely move the elites. If there was ever a good time to strike, it isn’t now. Fuel scarcity is already disrupting an average Nigerian’s life, we can all use less disruptions. We hope NLC and FG consider alternative options like that dialogue Tinubu swore that he was open to have last month.
British techpreneur goes missing after yacht sinks in Tornado
Six prominent people have gone missing after a luxury yacht sank in a tornado near Palermo, Sicily.
British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter, Hannah Lynch, were part of the people on this yacht. Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International Bank, and lawyer Chris Morvillo were also on the yacht.
According to reports, a powerful tornado caused the yacht to capsize and sink. So far, none of these people have been found because debris and weather conditions are making things difficult for the rescue team.
The yacht’s cook, Ricardo Thomas, has been confirmed dead and his body has been recovered. Nobody really knows if there’s any hope for the other missing people but the rescue team is going to keep searching until they are found.
Paystack processes over ₦1 trillion in one month
When you think cha-ching, think Paystack because they just made it into the trillionaire boys club!
The financial tech company recently announced that it helped Nigerian businesses process transactions summing up to ₦1 trillion in July 2024 alone.
The company proudly shared the news saying, “For the first time ever, businesses in Nigeria sent and received over 1 trillion naira with Paystack in a single month.”
For Paystack, the days of ₦1 billion transactions are so last decade. Remember when they hit that milestone back in mid-2017? They didn’t stop there, by November 2018, they were celebrating hitting ₦10 billion in monthly transactions. Are we going to ask Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi to cut soap for us? Most likely because what kind of work rate is that?!
Paystack might be celebrating another milestone soon because experts have said that the e-payment scene still has crazy potential. Africa led the world in real-time electronic payments in 2023, with Nigeria at the forefront. So, if you’re still obsessed with physical cash, we don’t know what to tell you.
This Week’s Big Question
“Which fictional character would you want as a mentor, and what would you hope to learn from them?”
Naomi’s response - “Definitely Sherlock Holmes from Sherlock Holmes. I’m already so good at finding literally anybody I want on the internet. I need to take things up to Sherlock level”.
You can also share your response here and if it’s as interesting as Naomi’s response, we’ll feature it in the next edition.
The Big Picks
Mpox Cases Rise In DR Congo As Country Awaits Vaccines: Mpox cases and deaths are on the rise in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the country waits for vaccine shipments from the United States and Japan, according to the health minister on Monday.
Tinubu Flies To France In New Presidential Plane: On Monday, President Tinubu left Abuja for Paris aboard the new Airbus A330, which has replaced the 19-year-old Boeing B737-700(BBJ) that was acquired during President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration.
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