Public Affairs Analyst

Last Monday, November 27, 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated a 30-member tripartite National Minimum Wage Committee for the negotiation of a new National Minimum Wage for Nigerian workers. The inauguration held inside the council chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, has in attendance governors and senior government officials. All Progressives Congress governors, Rochas Okorocha of Imo, Rauf  Aregbesola of Osun, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi and Simon Lalong of Plateau as well as Peoples Democratic Party governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers and Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe, are  members of the committee. The president said the inauguration of the committee followed the recommendation of a technical committee put in place after the increase in the price of petrol in 2016. He also said the current minimum wage being used in the country has already expired. (It was supposed to be reviewed every five years). After the completion of the work of the committee, an executive bill wo...

Every living thing – human beings, animals and indeed plants - need food and water to live. They are one of the basic necessities of life, the other two being clothing and shelter. Ironically, many Nigerians are being fed with poisons in the name of food. A visit to our foodstuff markets will reveal to discerning minds that many of the raw food offered for sale are not fit for human consumption. They are either adulterated or contaminated. Nutrition experts said many of the chemicals used to preserve most of the foods on sale in Nigeria are dangerous to human health. Some of the poultry products on sale in our markets are preserved with poisonous chemicals. An April 29, 2016 report in Thisday newspaper entitled “Imported Frozen Poultry Product as a Silent Killer” stated that “Medical experts have noted that these imported products are poisonous because smugglers use formalin, to preserve and keep them fresh from neighboring countries till it gets to Nigeria. Formalin is a cancer cau...

Anambra, the Light of the Nation, is set to witness the election of a new governor come next Saturday, November 18, 2017. The Independent National Electoral Commission had on February 23 this year published the timetable for this looming election. The 10 months advance notice is now down to 72 hours before the D-Day. Such is life; it’s a day that is not set that does not come. What will happen on Saturday? Will the over two million Anambra registered voters heed the call of Indigenous People of Biafra and boycott the election or will they turn out en-masse? Will the incumbent Governor Willie Obiano retain his coveted seat as the number one citizen in the state or will he be dethroned? Will the election be concluded on the first ballot or will it be inconclusive? Will the poll be peaceful and credible or will there be violence and electoral heist? I am not Nostradamus, the man who saw tomorrow. However, I will appeal to the good people of Anambra to allow for peaceful, credible and s...

As the rainfall recedes and dry season takes over in Nigeria, a mixed grill of emotion is palpable. Those whose houses are prone to flood and have therefore gone to take refuge elsewhere are joyful to return home with the cessation of rain. Also gone is the blowing off of rooftops by windstorms, the marshy roads, the excessive wetness and other negative things associated with the rainy season. Now we are effectively in dry season. Should we rejoice? Well, yes. We should be happy that the dry season is here. The harvest season for the farmers is here. Time of plenty and cheap food is here. Time of festivities, celebrations and partying has come Time of vacationing has dawned. However, dry season brings with it harmattan haze. Now, the fog and dew of harmattan makes visibility poor. Indeed, many flights are cancelled for that single reason as many pilots will not dare to fly blind; same with vehicular traffic. Poor visibility arising from harmattan smog has been responsible for many r...

“I expect that the expeditious coming into force of the commission will remedy the long years of under-development suffered by the region. The recovery and redevelopment of the zone devastated by terrorism is expected to last decades.” – Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representatives. News broke last week that President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to the North East Development Commission bill passed by the National Assembly. I congratulate the Speaker of House of Representatives and Senator Ali Ndume who are the lead sponsors of the bill in the two chambers of National Assembly. I equally felicitate with all sons and daughters including residents of the beleaguered North East Nigeria on this well-deserved federal intervention. The lamentable development situation in that geo-political zone is well known. Even when there was no Boko Haram insurgency, NE has always lagged behind in human development index. In May 2015 Senator Abdul-Aziz Murtala Nyako did a concept note...