By Our Reporter

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has described the strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, as politically motivated blackmail aimed at paralysing the government.

Speaking during a media chat in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike claimed that the ongoing labour dispute, which has led to school closures and disrupted public education, was being driven by opposition political interests rather than genuine workers’ grievances.

The minister pointed to the political affiliations of the NLC chairman in the FCT, accusing him of harbouring partisan motives linked to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

“It was political and so we must stop this blackmail. An ADC person who ran for election in the past area council election is the chairman of the NLC in FCT.

“What do you think he would do? To make sure that the government cripples, to use as a campaign that teachers are on strike,” he said.

Addressing accusations that the FCT Administration owes teachers unpaid entitlements and promotion arrears, Wike insisted that his administration had met its financial obligations and invested heavily in public school infrastructure.

“We are not owing. Go and see the schools today—what we have done in the schools, the rehabilitation of schools and providing the basic infrastructure.

“Labour cannot continue to blackmail us,” he said.

Expressing concern over the plight of primary and secondary school students forced to stay at home, Wike assured residents that the deadlock would soon end.

He threatened to take legal action against labour union leaders, adding that the FCT Administration’s legal advisers were finalising the suit.

“Negotiation has to end because it is the children that will suffer at the end of the day, but don’t worry, we will solve it. I will clip the wings of that NLC chairman,” he said.

Rejecting criticisms that his tough approach reflected autocratic leadership, Wike maintained that any counteraction by the FCT Administration would strictly adhere to statutory provisions and the rule of law.

The NLC FCT Council had declared an indefinite strike on October 7 over unresolved issues between the FCT Administration and the NUT

By Our Reporter with agency report

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised Nigeria against restoring broad petrol subsidy, recommending targeted support for vulnerable households to cushion the impact of rising energy costs.

IMF said blanket petrol subsidies were expensive, often benefited higher-income consumers disproportionately and could worsen fiscal pressures amid rising borrowing costs.

Rodrigo Valdés, director of the IMF’s fiscal affairs department, spoke during a press briefing on the fund’s fiscal monitor at the 2026 annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday.

His comments followed a question on how the fund could recommend allowing energy prices to reflect scarcity when higher fuel prices in Nigeria could raise transport costs, worsen inflation and deepen poverty, particularly when the government was facing calls to restore petrol subsidy ahead of an election year.

“Protecting people is not the same as protecting the price of fuels,” Valdés said.

He said fuel subsidies or measures preventing prices from adjusting fully to an energy shock had cost countries between 1 percent and 1.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026.

“It’s first fiscally very costly, and second, if you look at the pattern of consumption, it’s easy to see that that subsidy is readily regressive in many places,” he said.

Valdés said governments should instead use social safety nets and household data to identify people who need assistance.

“There are better tools to deal with this,” he said.

The federal government recently announced a 30-day petrol discount at Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited retail stations, with priority for public transport operators, to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices.

Taiwo Oyedele, minister of finance, said NNPC retail would sell petrol at cost by foregoing its retail profit margin, describing the measure as temporary relief rather than a return to petrol subsidy.

The government also proposed negotiating a ceiling of N1,350 per litre on petrol’s ex-gantry or landing cost, subject to monthly reviews

IMF URGES FG TO REDIRECT SUBSIDY GAINS TOWARDS VULNERABLE PEOPLE

The IMF also recommended targeted interventions to cushion the effect of higher fuel prices on transportation costs.

Davide Furceri, a division chief in the fund’s fiscal affairs department, said governments could redirect some of the resources spent on blanket subsidies towards vulnerable consumers.

“For example, you mentioned transportation costs. Yeah, gasoline could go up, and perhaps bus fees may be subsidised in a way that is a much better policy at the end of the day than just a blanket subsidy for everybody,” Furceri said.

He also suggested alternatives such as school feeding programmes, geographical targeting and assistance for vulnerable farmers.

READ ALSO: Atiku accuses Tinubu of copying his fuel subsidy proposal

Furceri acknowledged that some countries lacked household registries and digital payment systems needed to deliver targeted support effectively.

However, he said governments could adopt alternative approaches in the short term while developing stronger systems.

He recommended that assistance should be limited, targeted and temporary.

Valdés explained that fuel subsidies could worsen global energy pressures by preventing demand from adjusting when supplies were constrained.

“When you subsidise, you don’t allow, at the end of the day, demand to adjust,” he said.

“And reality is that we have less fuels in the world economy. That means that someone else has to adjust more, and the market produces a higher price for that.”

The IMF official said subsidies were not only costly and regressive but could also have spillover effects on the global economy.

TheCable

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) the telecoms industry regulator, has commended Globacom on  its outstanding performance in consumer complaint management and resolution.

In a letter to the company, which was signed by Kabiru S. Haruna, Principal Manager, Consumer Protection & Advocacy

Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB), the Commission expressed happiness at Globacom’s treatment and resolution of customer issues during the month of August, 2026.

The letter read in part: “We are pleased to note that your organization achieved and surpassed the Commission’s complaint resolution thresholds of 90% and 97% for Level 2 (L2) complaints. This accomplishment reflects your commitment to regulatory compliance, consumer satisfaction, and the continuous improvement of service delivery.”

NCC noted that Globacom’s dedication to timely complaint resolution and adherence to established Service Level Agreements (SLAs) put in place by the Commission has contributed significantly to enhancing consumer confidence and promoting a positive customer experience within the telecommunications sector.

The Commission further encouraged Globacom to sustain this level of outstanding performance while continuing to implement measures aimed at further improving service quality and consumer satisfaction.

Globacom noted that constant training of its customer-interfacing staff and investment in the latest technology were  responsible for observed improvement. The company promised not to relent in this regard.