• Representatives demand the reversal of the petrol price hike
• Jigawa tanker explosion claims over 120 lives
• Sanwo-Olu announced ₦85,000 minimum wage for Lagos State workers
• Naira’s devaluation continues as it now trades at ₦1,705/$ in the parallel market
• Oil marketers claim NNPC is still Dangote Refinery’s sole petrol buyer

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

Representatives demand the reversal of the petrol price hike

The House of Representatives has demanded that the federal government reverse the recent petrol price hike and the cooking gas price.

The lower legislative chamber approved the resolution during the plenary session after accepting the motion by Kingsley Chinda, minority leader; Aliyu Madaki, the deputy minority leader; and 109 lawmakers.

Supporting the motion, Aliyu Madaki stated that over the past few months, there has been an increase in petrol and cooking gas prices in Nigeria, creating an unsustainable financial burden on Nigerians.

Jigawa tanker explosion claims over 120 lives

The whole country is in mourning as a tanker carrying petrol in Majia town of Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State, has claimed the lives of over 120 people.

Nearly everyone in the community is said to be affected in one way or the other with 70 victims being hospitalised.

According to the locals, a tanker steered off the road to avoid hitting a car, and as such, it could not maintain its balance and collapsed.

Upon collapse, the residents of Naija town rushed to the venue of the accident to scoop petrol for themselves. The tanker exploded, and with it, 90 lives were claimed at the very spot.

Sanwo-Olu announced ₦85,000 minimum wage for Lagos State workers

The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has announced that Lagos State workers will be entitled to a minimum wage of ₦85,000.

The Governor stated that the decision was made after the conversation with labour unions in the state. 

“It’s not a competition, so I’m not going to say that we’re paying more than some other people; it’s a function of affordability and a function of capacity,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Naira’s devaluation continues as it now trades at ₦1,705/$ in the parallel market

The naira continued its downward spiral by sinking lower in the black market, trading at ₦1,705 per US dollar.

The report was shared by a Bureau De Change operator who claimed he bought dollars at the rate of ₦1,695 and sold them for ₦1,705.

However, on the Nigerian Autonomous Forex Exchange Market (NAFEM), the naira is trading at the rate of ₦1,659/$, despite having an intraday trading as high as ₦1,682/$ and as low as ₦1,562/$.

Oil marketers claim NNPC is still Dangote Refinery’s sole petrol buyer

Oil Marketers revealed that despite the federal government’s announcement last week, dismantling the need for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) as the middleman between Dangote Refinery and other oil marketers, the NNPC remains the sole buyer.

The oil marketers stated that NNPC would continue to be the only direct buyer from the NNPC till its agreements with Dangote Refinery concerning the sole lifting of petrol are concluded. Still, no one knows when this partnership between the two organisations will be.