OCEAN TOWN GISTS

As Nigerians expect premium motor spirit from the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery this month, petroleum marketers have started registering with the company ahead of loading the product, The PUNCH has learnt. The marketers are registering as individual business owners applying to get direct fuel supply from the oil refinery. This is even as the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria said it would continue talks with the company to get bulk supply for its members who may not be able to buy a large volume of petrol from the refinery. The President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, last month disclosed that it would begin the sale of PMS in June, saying his refinery would end the importation of petrol into Nigeria. Speaking at the recent Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, Dangote expressed optimism about transforming Africa’s energy landscape. “Right now, Nigeria has no cause to import anything apart from gasoline and by sometime in June, within the next fo

  The Organised Labour has said it will not accept any N62,000 or N100,000 “starvation wage” as the minimum wage for Nigerian workers. It insisted on N250,000, being its latest demand at the last meeting of the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage on Friday, as the living wage for an average Nigerian worker. This was made known on Monday by Chris Onyeka, Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, while fielding questions on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief show. Onyeka said the one-week grace period given to the Federal Government last Tuesday, June 4, 2024, would expire by the midnight of Tuesday, June 11, 2024. According to him, should the Federal Government and National Assembly fail to act on the demands of workers by tomorrow (Tuesday), the organs of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, would meet to decide on the resumption of the nationwide industrial action relaxed last week. “Our position is very clear. We have never considered accepting N62,

  The pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, should drop to about N300/litre upon the commencement of massive production by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and other indigenous producers, operators of modular refineries stated on Sunday. However, they pointed out that this would be achieve when the government ensures the provision of adequate crude oil to local refiners, stressing that refineries abroad were ripping off Nigeria. Speaking under the aegis of the Crude Oil Refinery Owners Association of Nigeria, they explained that what happened to the cost of diesel after Dangote started producing it, would happen to petrol price once it is being produced massively in Nigeria. CORAN is a registered association of modular and conventional refinery companies in Nigeria. “A lot of companies today benefit from the importation of petroleum products at the expense of Nigerians,” the Publicity Secretary, CORAN, Eche Idoko, stated. He told our correspondent that “if we begin

In this article, we explore five silent-killer foods Nigerians love. Nigerian cuisine is renowned for its rich flavors, vibrant colors, and diverse ingredients. However, amid the array of delicious dishes, there are some foods that, despite their popularity, pose significant health risks. 1. Deep-Fried Snacks  Deep-fried snacks such as puff-puff, buns, akara (bean cakes), and plantain chips are immensely popular in Nigeria. These snacks, while delicious, are often cooked in unhealthy oils that contain trans fats. Trans fats are known to increase bad cholesterol (LDL) levels and decrease good cholesterol (HDL) levels, leading to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, the high-calorie content of deep-fried foods can contribute to obesity, which is a risk factor for numerous chronic diseases. 2. Nwkobi (Excess Potassium) Nkwobi, a delicacy made from cow feet cooked in a spicy palm oil sauce, is a beloved traditional dish. However, it is also a silen

  Organised Labour on Saturday tackled the state governors, accusing them of acting in bad faith towards the new minimum wage negotiations ongoing in the country. Recall that the governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum rejected the proposed N60,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers. In a statement issued on Friday by the Director of Media and Public Affairs for NGF, Halimah Ahmed, the governors said the proposed minimum wage was too high and not sustainable. The governors said if the N60,000 minimum wage is adopted, many states would allocate their entire Federal Account Allocation Committee funds to salaries, leaving no resources for development projects. However reacting on Saturday, the Organised Labour faulted the NGF’s position, saying every part of the new minimum wage agreement should be implemented and any of the state governors who can’t pay it should resign. Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, Deputy National President of the Trade Union Congress, Tommy Etim, said, “

  As part of efforts aimed at alleviating poverty and ensuring job creation in the country, especially among the feminine gender, the Federal Government has inaugurated a Pink Riders Scheme with a view to empowering women to earn a living and contribute meaningfully to the upliftment of the lives of their families and the nation at large Unveiling the Scheme today at the Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja, the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Barrister (Mrs) Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye stated that the initiative is targeted at boosting the economic status of women so as not to only make them self-reliant and entrepreneurial but to also create an opportunity for the actualization of their potentials in life She informed that statistics has shown that women constitute about 49 percent of the country's population, thus, if adequately empowered, it will no doubt contribute to the socio-economic growth and development of the country Kennedy-Ohanenye observed the need for conscious efforts to be

  A bill seeking a return to a regional system of government for Nigeria will be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu next week, Saturday PUNCH has exclusively gathered. Recall that the House of Representatives last week disowned the draft bill which circulated widely on the internet. Titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to substitute the annexure to Decree 24 of 1999 with new governance model for the Federal Republic of Nigeria’, the bill seeks among others, new extant laws to be cited as “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria New Governance Model for Nigeria Act 2024.” The preliminaries of the bill read in part, “Whereas Nigeria, its peoples and government have been governed under Decree 24 of 1999 that was handed down by the then military government without the express consent of the people despite the preamble of ‘We, the people.’ “Whereas the said Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) is not autochthonous as it does not evolve from the deliberations