Category Nigeria News

Governor Uba Sani has been commended by a coalition of state employees who work in Kaduna State for implementing the new national minimum wage and making necessary adjustments.

READ MORE:  Ondo Workers Demand 256, 950 Minimum Wage

At a joint press conference in Kaduna, the unions, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), and the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), presented the commendation.

The governor’s actions were characterized by their leaders as a display of compassion, fairness, and commitment to the welfare of workers, according to Rayyanu Turunku (NULGE), Ibrahim Dalhatu (NUT), and Umar Fatika (MHWUN).

Following the governor’s approval, the wage adjustments for all local government employees, including those under SUBEB and the Primary Healthcare Board, will be effective from October 2025. They also announced that their planned warning strike will be suspended.

They praised the governor’s choice to implement the new wage structure in the face of financial constraints, citing compassion, sincerity, and respect for the dignity of labor.

The administration’s efforts to transform the fields of education and healthcare were commended by the labor unions.

Major milestones were identified as the renovation and modernization of classrooms in all 23 local government areas, the enactment of the 65-year retirement age or teacher’s 40-year service policy, and the refund of more than $500 million in ENDWELL savings deductions.

The workers also praised the government’s decision to correct check-off fees and the successful staff verification exercise, which improved accountability across the public service, noting that the welfare scheme provided crucial support for teachers and their families.

The unions applauded Governor Sani’s reforms, including the hiring of 1,800 health workers each year for the next five years, and the revitalization of 255 Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) that have already been established.

They also acknowledged Kaduna’s rise as the North West Zone’s champion of the 2024 Primary Healthcare Leadership Challenge and the implementation of the 2024 CONMESS and CONHESS salary scales.

The governor’s leaders also praised the governor for launching 100 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to provide free transportation for both employees and students, citing the initiative as a timely way to lessen living expenses and reduce the impact of the elimination of fuel subsidies.

They reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful engagement and pledged to continue working with the Kaduna State Government to improve the progress made under the Uba Sani administration.

They urged their members to show commitment, discipline, and professionalism in response to the government’s goodwill.

Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist and publisher of SaharaReporters, was bailed by a federal court in Kuje, Abuja along with several other protesters who were detained during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow demonstration.

Aloy Ejimakor, Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), and Prince Emmanuel Kanu, his brother, are also on bail.

Joshua Emmanuel, Wilson Anyalewechi, Okere Kingdom Nnamdi, Clinton Chimeneze, Gabriel Joshua, Isiaka Husseini, Onyekachi Ferdinand, Amadi Prince, Edison Ojisom, Godwill Obioma, and Chima Onuchukwu are also on bail.

Following the defendants’ arraignment on charges of unlawful assembly and disturbance of public order, the court, led by Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’I, presided over the bail order on Friday.

READ MORE: Police Arrest Sowed In Court;

According to the ruling, the court granted bail to Sowore and the other protesters on the condition that they provide a verified National Identification Number (NIN) upon request.

The defendants were also required to submit their passports and three-year tax clearances as part of the bail conditions by the magistrate.

After leaving the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, Nigerian police officers detained Sowore.

The All Progressives Congress (APC)’s National Secretariat in Abuja was attended by angry Ekiti State members on Friday.

Before the 2026 elections, the protesters demanded that the National Working Committee (NWC) hold a legitimate governorship primary election in the form of placards and chanting solidarity songs.

They objected to the alleged effort to impose a party-wide candidate in the state.

In some of the protesters’ placards, there were words like “We don’t want consensus,” “Women say no to consensus candidate in Ekiti,” and “Disqualification is political harassment.”

READ MORE: PDP Northern Stakeholders Support Turaki As Consensus Candidate for the National Chair

A consensus arrangement, in the opinion of the protesters, is a deliberate attempt to prevent other candidates from running for governor.

On Friday, members of Australia’s defense forces filed a class-action lawsuit alleging widespread and systematic sexual abuse, harassment, and discrimination.

The Australian government received a case involving abused women who could have been victims of abuse any time during the 21-year period November 2003 to May 2025.

The threat of sexual violence at work is frequently the biggest safety concern for female ADF personnel, according to attorney Josh Aylward of the law firm JGA Saddler.

The reports of sexual assault, harassment, victimization, rape, and physical threats, according to a statement from he said, “but even more disturbing are the brutal assaults against those women who dare file a complaint,” he added.

READ MORE: &nbsp, France Poised To Define Rape As Lack of Consent

All women serving during that time are enrolled in the case, which is being filed at the Federal Court in Sydney, unless they declare that they have not experienced the alleged abuse.

According to the company, the class action was expected to involve a large number of women.

The complaint was made known, according to the Australian Department of Defense.

A department spokesperson said that “everyone in the Defence industry has a right to be respected and deserves a positive workplace experience.”

The spokesperson continued, “There is no place in the Defence for sexual violence or misconduct.”

Defense acknowledges that work needs to be done.

“Desire for action”

Following an investigation into veteran suicide and defense, the government announced that it would implement “as a priority” recommendations relating to sexual violence in 2024.

A “comprehensive sexual misconduct prevention strategy” was also being developed.

One of the four lead applicants in the case claimed that after attending an on-base party, she allegedly awoke naked, hurt, covered in bruises, and had scratches after being informed that she had left with four service members.

According to a statement from JGA Saddler, she was sexually assaulted in a storage room.

The woman’s movements were restricted while the alleged perpetrator was free, according to the complaint.

She allegedly received abusive messages from service members, was later posted to a different base, and was also prohibited from using shared base amenities.

The defense force is “vicariously liable” for failing to protect women from sexual harassment while serving, according to the class action.

According to the legal team, repeated reports into sexual harassment, followed by commitments to cultural reform, “never” led to significant change.

Ola Olukoyede, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) executive chairman, claims that the commission has made unprecedented progress in the last two years.

Olukoyede disclosed the information on Thursday in Abuja during a press conference to celebrate his second year in office.

Between October 2023 and September 2025, he stated, “The EFCC has recovered more than 566 billion, several foreign currencies, and more than 1, 500 non-monetary assets.”

The EFCC Chairman, represented by the Director of Public Affairs, Commander of the EFCC, CE Wilson Uwujaren, said the Commission recovered ₦566, 319, 820, 343.40, $411, 566, 192.32, £71, 306.25, and €182, 877.10 during the period.

He claimed that the Commission had filed 10, 525 cases from more than 9, 000 petitions and 29, 240 investigations, which resulted in 7, 503 convictions.

Olukoyede referred to the accomplishments as concrete evidence of the EFCC’s renewed commitment to combating economic and financial crimes worldwide.

READ ALSO: DSS Arrests Three Suspect Gunrunners In Kaduna

He revealed that the Commission recovered 1, 502 non-monetary assets, including 402 properties in 2023, 975 in 2024, and 125 so far in 2025.

He stated that the forfeiture of Nok University, now the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Abuja, and the final forfeiture of 753 duplexes in Lokogoma, Abuja, are two notable landmarks.

According to EFCC policy, some recovered properties have been given to government agencies for use as offices.

The anti-graft agency’s director revealed that there were 100 billion dollars invested in key national initiatives, including the Students Loan Scheme and Consumer Credit Scheme.

He claimed that the initiative supports the federal government’s goal of providing affordable credit access and education to citizens.

High-Profile Disputes

EFCC

Additionally, the EFCC Chairman gave a list of numerous well-known criminal cases that were handled during that time.

Former governors Willie Obiano, Abdulfatah Ahmed, Darius Ishaku, Theodore Orji, Yahaya Bello, and former ministers Olu Agunloye, Mamman Saleh, Hadi Sirika, Charles Ugwu, and former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele are among them.

Olukoyede further disclosed that the Commission detained 792 suspects in Lagos in connection with money laundering and cryptocurrency ringleaders, including 192 foreigners who were detained and charged with a criminal offense.

He said, “This development sent a clear message that Nigeria won’t allow its territory to become a haven for cybercriminals.”

He noted that Fred Ajudua, Haliru Bello Mohammed, former PDP Chairman Haliru Bello Mohammed, former NSA Sambo Dasuki, and former Ngozi Olojeme boss Ngozi Olojeme have all been the subjects of recent corruption cases brought to light by the EFCC.

Olukoyede also announced the establishment of a Task Force on Naira Abuse and Dollarization of the Economy, which, according to him, has made notable progress in sanitizing currency operations nationwide.

The Chairman of the EFCC emphasized that improving national welfare is a key component of the Commission’s recoveries as well as figures.

Chidi Odinkalu, a human rights lawyer, claimed that some politicians are sponsoring cults, which are responsible for the rising insecurity in the South-East. &nbsp,

Odinkalu criticised those who claim the development is solely the result of the now-proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) interview on Channels Television on Thursday.

Odinkalu claimed that the notion that every issue in the South-East is an IPOB issue is absurd while acknowledging that separatist agitations contribute to the region’s insecurity.

“It’s absolutely not the case,” he added. Let me tell you that the South-East has the biggest security issue, in my opinion, not the IPOB, but cults, which are funded by politicians.

“Alright,” I say. You have no idea how terrible the problem of cults in the South-East is right now, according to the former head of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

READ ALSO: Chidi Odinkalu’s Integrity Can Be Tarnished By Multiple Principalities At INEC

‘Overblown’

His statement comes in response to rising insecurity in some South-East states, which security officials and observers have largely attributed to IPOB activities.

In recent years, gunmen have attacked security posts, tainted several officers, mutilated numerous residents, and destroyed properties in the area.

Odinkalu contends that the association between cultism and IPOB is “overblown” despite the possibility of connection.

He claims that IPOB cannot thrive in some South-Easterly communities, which disproves the claim that the organization is merely to blame for the insecurity in the five states.