• Bill seeking six-years single term for presidency passes first reading
• Report reveals over 600,000 filed for asylum under Buhari’s administration
• UAE debunks demanding $10k bank balance and ₦640k visa application fee
• President Tinubu likely to reveal minimum wage amount today
• Nigerians fear for price hike of fuel as landing costs rise to ₦1,117/litre

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

Bill seeking six-year single term for presidency passes first reading

The bill seeking to amend the 1999 constitution and switch the four-year double term for a president, governors, and local government areas chairmen into a six-year single term has passed its first reading at the House of Representatives.

The bill sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere and 50 other lawmakers seeks to change some things in Sections 7, 135, 137, 180, and 182 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Report reveals over 600,000 filed for asylum under Buhari’s administration

A report by Statisense has shown that a record of 600,000 Nigerians filed for asylum between 2016 and 2023 under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

According to the report by Statisense, a data collection organisation, 664,384 Nigerians sought asylum from foreign countries within eight years, as 355,792 requested it between 2016 and 2019, while 308,592 filed for it between 2019 and 2023.

UAE debunks demanding $10k bank balance and ₦640k visa application fee

The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has spoken up about the fake news spreading about its expensive demands and conditions for Nigerians seeking to gain entry into its territory.

The UAE’s Department of Economy and Tourism debunked the false news spread by the Nigerian Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris, who had claimed that Nigerians interested in seeking entry visa into UAE would have to pay a non-refundable ₦640k for a document verification fund and must possess at least $10k.

Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners’ Affairs (GDRFAD) instead listed the requirements for Nigerians who would like to come to Dubai, stating that none of these things included the exorbitant things the DV hub had shared on its website.

President Tinubu likely to reveal minimum wage amount today 

President Bola Tinubu is expected to disclose the minimum wage figure today as he meets with the Organised Labour at the Presidential Villa today, July 18.

The meeting is to be the continuation of last week’s meeting held by both parties (the President and organised Labour) as the country hopes they finalise the decision regarding the minimum wage and implement it.

The last known proposed figures from both parties (the federal government and the Organised Labour) remain at ₦62,000 and ₦250,000, respectively.

Nigerians fear a price hike of fuel as landing costs rise to ₦1,117/litre

Nigerians have begun to panic about the possibility of fuel price riding in the country beyond its current price as the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) has revealed that the landing costs of petrol have risen to ₦1,117 per litre.

The current fuel price sold in states across Nigeria (excluding NNPCL filling stations) is around ₦710/litre and above. With the news of the landing cost skyrocketing, there is a potential that petrol would be sold for a higher price in the country.