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Tinubu Highlights New Minimum Wage, Student Loans, and Consumer Credit as Reasons to Avoid August Protests
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has outlined several key achievements as reasons why Nigerians should reconsider participating in the upcoming August 1-10, 2024, protest against economic hardship.
During a recent meeting with a delegation of Islamic leaders led by Sheikh Bala Lau at the State House, Tinubu highlighted the government’s recent initiatives aimed at improving the lives of Nigerians and addressing their grievances.
Tinubu emphasized the commencement of a new student loan scheme, which he described as a significant step towards supporting education by covering school fees for beneficiaries.
Additionally, he pointed out the recent implementation of a new minimum wage, which has been increased to N70,000, marking a more than 100 percent rise from previous levels.
He also mentioned the introduction of a consumer credit initiative designed to help citizens purchase cars and houses with the option to repay gradually.
In his address, Tinubu urged protest organizers to avoid disrupting the country, drawing a comparison to the unrest in Sudan.
He assured that his administration is dedicated to overhauling its social welfare programs to ensure they effectively reach vulnerable populations at the grassroots level.
The President stressed that these measures are part of a broader effort to reconnect with local communities and provide financial support to those in need.
The Nigerian National Assembly recently passed the new Minimum Wage Act, following an agreement between Tinubu and Nigerian workers on the N70,000 minimum wage.
Furthermore, the federal government has begun distributing funds from its N35 billion student loan scheme to 110,000 successful applicants.
This is in addition to the earlier approval of a N100 billion consumer credit program aimed at easing financial pressures on citizens.
TV anchor Rufai Oseni makes headlines as he speaks on fuel subsidy in Nigeria. He shared that Nigeria can have fuel subsidy without the long queues at filling stations.
“When we were still paying subsidies, there were no long queues. We were subsidising. So you can still have a subsidy regime going on, and there will be no long queues because production was close by. Dangote had it. That’s just it. That argument also falls flat.
“The biggest beneficiaries of subsidy are not Nigerians. They are crony capitalists that have big infrastructure, and they do contracts. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the subsidy,” he said.
Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, speaks to those in the electricity sector about the usual blackouts in the state.
He speaks on ways things can change in the state and how electricity can be provided.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector.”
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” Sanwo-Olu asked.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day for public servants in the state to mark the Isese Festival.
Speaking on the celebration, he said “Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He added “When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
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