• PH Refinery allegedly halts operation due to minor repairs
• Yemi Cardoso threatens to penalise banks for sabotaging ATMs and creating cash scarcity
• NLC instructs members to embark on strike over non-implementation of new minimum wage
• Protest rocks Abuja as residents complain about the demolition of community
• FG set to launch a space observation satellite

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

PH Refinery allegedly halts operation due to minor repairs

The Port Harcourt Refinery, celebrated nationwide for resuming operation after years of dormancy, has allegedly halted operations to the surprise of Nigerians who visited the refinery.

According to reports and information from workers found on site, the refinery had been temporarily suspended from functioning as it was undergoing some calibrations which might take a week before it was fully ready to resume operations.

Although news had spread on the internet that the PH Refinery was entirely in service and had loaded about 200 petrol trucks, this was not the same in reality as there was only “dead stock” found in the refinery, which required cleaning and clearing for new production of the newly refined products.

Yemi Cardoso threatens to penalise banks for sabotaging ATMs and creating cash scarcity

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has threatened to penalise any bank fueling the flames of cash scarcity by not restocking ATMs with cash.

The governor warned after Nigerians took to social media to complain about the absence of cash in bank Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and being forced to depend solely on Point of Sale (POS) operators.

“Effective December 1, 2024, customers are encouraged to report any difficulties with withdrawing cash from bank branches or ATMs directly to the CBN through designated phone numbers and email addresses for their respective states,”

“I repeat, financial institutions found engaging in malpractices or sabotage will face severe penalties,” he warned.

NLC instructs members to embark on strike over non-implementation of new minimum wage

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has informed its members in 13 states and the FCT to embark on a strike from Monday, December 2, 2024, over the non-implementation of the new minimum wage.

This information was passed across to its members after the 13 states refused to implement the new minimum wage of ₦70,000 since it was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in July 2024.

The affected states include Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Imo, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Oyo, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara.

Protest rocks Abuja as residents complain about the demolition of community

Residents of the Zhidu community in Abuja have taken to the streets of Abuja to complain about the destruction of their community, blocking the path to their community with placards and chants to get the attention of the President.

They have called on President Bola Tinubu to put a stop to the ongoing destruction of the Zhidu community as the Chairman of the Zhidu Residents Association, Apostle Prosper E. Eromosele accused the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and its partners, Nugabest Regis, of being at the head of the community’s plight.

He recounted that over 1,500 housing structures were demolished, leaving 25,000 families displaced without cause, remorse or justice.

FG set to launch a space observation satellite

Through the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Unaji, the Nigerian federal government announced that it would launch its space observation satellites to monitor activities across space.

The Minister commended the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), NIGCOMSAT, and the Defence Space Administration for their excellent work in building and enhancing satellite projects in Nigeria.

“Again, the partnership between the three agencies is important as they all have major roles in the military and the country. The satellite in space is also a revenue-generating avenue for the country because of the influx of ships whose monitoring can only be done by satellite.”