• Ooni of Ife collaborates with Chinese industry to provide 50,000 job opportunities
• ACCI implores the federal government to implement policies for economic development
• The NESREA and DG win public service awards for environmental technology
• The president of NLC claims negotiations with FG are still in the preliminary stage
• The House of Representatives prepared to recover ₦10 trillion borrowed by the federal government

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.

Ooni of Ife collaborates with Chinese industry to provide 50,000 job opportunities

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has collaborated with a Chinese firm, China Overseas Energy Development Technology Limited, to secure job opportunities for 50,000 people in Osun State.

The Ooni and the representatives of the Chinese firm signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the monarch’s palace with the witness of the state governor, Ademola Adeleke.

According to Moses Olafare, Oba’s spokesperson, the Asian company would focus on developing agriculture, mechanism farming, and cocoa farming.

The Chinese firm is also looking to mine the state’s gold, lithium, and other mineral resources as it invests in green energy.

The monarch stressed that the future of Nigeria’s energy sector is within lithium as oil and gas resources are no longer as abundant.

ACCI implores the federal government to implement policies for economic development

The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has requested that the federal government make provisions for policies that will benefit the country’s economy.

In a statement, the president of ACCI, Dr Al-Mujtaba Abubakar, asked that President Bola Tinubu hasten the implementation of his commitment to increasing investment in Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), as he mentioned in his speech to Nigerians on October 1.

Dr Abubakar noted that the Nigerian President’s vow to improve employment, as well as offer investment funding for enterprises with great potential, was a laudable effort. However, these promises should be implemented and not ignored later on.

The NESREA and DG win public service awards for environmental technology

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) was announced the winner amongst other federal agencies on its “Use of Environmental Sustainable Technology Implementation” in Nigeria.

The Director-General (DG) of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dr Dasuki Arabi, also announced the nomination of the DG of NESREA, Dr Aliyu Jauro, for the “Distinguished GovTech Trailblazer’s Award” for outstanding administration.

The president of NLC claims negotiations with FG are still in the preliminary stage

The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, stated that the Organised Labour was still in the early stages of negotiations with the federal government regarding the minimum wage increment.

He said that the union was not demanding ₦65,000 as its desirable minimum wage fee, and it would still make a realistic demand of the Nigerian government.

The NLC suspended their strike for 30 days after having a lengthy meeting closed doors with the Nigerian government after announcing the President’s palliatives to the citizens on October 1, Independence Day.

Mr. Joe Ajaero claimed that certain things would determine the decision to propose a minimum wage, including inflation and the cost of living.

“We will not ask for ₦65000 because we will ask for a realistic amount. The ₦65000 you are talking about is still about $70. It shouldn’t be the minimum wage,” he said.

The House of Representatives prepared to recover ₦10 trillion in pension funds borrowed by the federal government

The House of Representatives has resolved to retrieve the funds borrowed by the federal government.

In a motion adopted by Aliyu Misau, a legislator representing the Misau/Dambam federal constituency in Bauchi, Aliyu argued that most pensioners cannot access their retirement fees despite compliance with pension scheme requirements.

The lawmaker claimed that the ₦10 trillion pension funds loaned to the federal government had exposed its contributors to “unnecessary volatility”.

“Critical stakeholders have expressed concern that 65 per cent of the pension funds (₦10 trillion) loaned to the federal government is an investment which exposes the contributors to unnecessary volatility as the federal government may fail to pay back the loan in due time,” he said.

The legislator pointed out that the inability of these pensioners to access their funds has created an unimaginable amount of hardship for them as they can no longer afford the simplest of basic needs in a country with inflation.

The notion was supported, and the House demanded that PenCom act accordingly by immediately releasing the funds for payment of pensions to retirees.