ALL THE RELEVANT NEWS: SATURDAY

03 Jun ALL THE RELEVANT NEWS: SATURDAY

🌎Stories from the Villa

President Bola Tinubu on Friday said that the national minimum wage needs a review to reflect realities, assuring that improved livelihood for Nigerians remains a top priority of his administration, with more people-focused economic policies.
* He announced the appointment of Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff; Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, a former Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, as Deputy Chief of Staff; and the immediate past Minister of Special Duties, George Akume, as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
* He received in audience a former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori; the former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike and the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, at the State House, Abuja.

🌎Oil prices rose over 2% on Friday after the U.S. Congress passed a debt ceiling deal that averted a government default in the world’s biggest oil consumer and jobs data fueled hopes for a possible pause in Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. Brent futures closed the week with an increase of $1.85, or 2.5%, to settle at $76.13

🌎The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has rejected an application by Nigeria Air to proceed to phase two in the process of obtaining its air operators certificate (AOC). In a letter dated June 2, 2023, NCAA said due to the unavailability of a “formal application form” and other “necessary documents”, the certification process cannot progress to phase two.

🌎The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says the government, particularly the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has up until Wednesday next week to revert to the old price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise referred to as petrol or face a nationwide strike and protest.

🌎The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has said that the fuel subsidy regime was not a sustainable system for the nation’s economy.

🌎The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says it will no longer fix prices or release templates for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol.
* The Federal Government has scrapped the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), as well as the national transport allowance for oil marketers.

🌎The National Communications Commission, NCC, has begun the issuance of Licences to Mobile Virtual Network Operators, MVNO. EVC Danbatta says the move is to ensure that voice and data communication services are accessed by the people irrespective of their location, adding that the commission was keeping to date with developments and new trends in the industry.

🌎Telecommunication firms have issued Deposit Money Banks disconnection notice amid a disagreement over Unstructured Supplementary Service Data service debt running to over N120bn.

🌎The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has grilled Pauline Tallen, former minister of women affairs, over alleged corrupt enrichment. But Tallen said she was at the EFCC office on her “own accord” to “address the very false allegations” recently made against her and wasn’t invited or arrested.

A high court sitting in Makurdi, Benue state capital, has affirmed the suspension and removal of Iyorchia Ayu as the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

🌎Security Stories: At least 73 fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) —including their family members — have surrendered to the troops of sector 1, operation Hadin Kai, in Borno.
* Armed men in the early hours of Saturday invaded the Mashafa area of Mpape in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and abducted no fewer than four residents

🌎Russia-Ukraine War: Ukraine is ready to launch its long-awaited counteroffensive to recapture Russian-occupied territory, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Saturday.
* Ukraine says its air defenses shot down 36 drones and missiles over Kyiv early Friday as air raid sirens sounded across the country.
* Explosions rocked the Russian-occupied port city of Berdiansk in southern Ukraine. Both sides reported casualties in southern Ukraine on Friday.
* Officials in Russia also reported Ukrainian drone attacks and shelling in western regions Friday, as the war spills over from Ukraine’s borders into Russian territory. Ukraine has not commented on the claims.