Nigeria’s electricity grid collapsed yet again, as the total generation on the grid read 00:00:00 at 1:33 pm on Monday.
The total system collapse which led to total blackout in most parts of the country, is occurring for the fifth time in 2024.
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Hamster Kombat TGE In July 2024
Hamster Kombat Token Launch Echoes Buzz Across P2E Crypto Sector, Here’s Everything
The Telegram based play to earn game Hamster Kombat has captured significant attention with its upcoming TGE in July, further accompanied by promised developments for users.
Hamster Kombat, a Telegram-based tap-to-earn game, has recently gained significant traction across the crypto realm. Soon after its inception, the P2E game boasted an enormous user base, marking a monumental stride.
Now, with the project’s plans for a token launch ahead, the P2E crypto sector is brimming with optimism. It’s worth noting that P2E cryptos have emerged as the current trend across the broader market, as also seen by the significant traction gained by Telegram-based Notcoin. Also, Telegram-based projects, in particular, have stolen the spotlight.
So, let’s take a closer look at Hamster Kombat’s recent advancements and future endeavors.
Hamster Kombat TGE In July
According to the Hamster Kombat official site, the TGE (Token Generation Event) and Token in-game utility launch are all set to take place in the coming month, July. Meanwhile, the project has undergone significant upgrades.
As per the community, a stockpile of upgrades happened in June, encompassing on-chain infrastructure development, wallet in-game implementation, and Web3 pre-listing quest. Further, since its inception in March 2024, the project has seen developments such as mining updates, integration of the TON wallet for the collection of coins before token launch, and many more.
In a post shared by the Hamster Kombat community on X recently, it was further pointed out that the project’s user base spiked to 200 million. These chronicles, emerging amid a P2E season, have sent tongues wagging across the market.
The Hamster Kombat site further promises features like ‘Squad Kombat, Characters and skins, Time limited events, and Live events, in Q3 2024. Additionally, the abovementioned TGE also glimmers hope for the P2E crypto sector, given Hamster Kombat’s colossal user base.
P2E Coins Market Performance
In tandem with Hamster Kombat’s recent buzz, the P2E sector’s market cap jumped 8.95% to $10.62 billion. Moreover, popular P2E cryptos, The Sandbox, FLOKI, and others, have noted considerable gains in recent days.
FLOKI’s weekly chart showed a 0.9% upswing and is currently trading at $0.0001706. The Sandbox (SAND) price soared 1.21% over the past week and is resting at $0.3353
Axie Infinity (AXS) price jumped 1.9% during the same duration to reach $6.08. Decentraland price (MANA) price gained 2.35% to $0.3392 in the past seven days.
Collectively, the price gains within the P2E sector, emerging in tandem with Hamster Kombat’s buzz, have garnered noteworthy attention.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that Notcoin, a Telegram-based game, also gained unprecedented popularity in recent days, sparking hope for the abovementioned game as well.
Fire Outbreak At $20bn Dangote Refinery
‘No Cause For Alarm’ — Dangote Reacts To Fire Outbreak At $20bn Refinery In Lagos
The Dangote Group has confirmed a fire outbreak at its $20bn refinery in Lagos State.
Earlier it was reported that there was a fire incident at the refinery located in Ibeju-Lekki.
Reacting in a statement on Wednesday, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, said there was no cause for alarm.
According to him, the fire has been contained.
Chiejina informed that there was no recorded injuries, adding that the refinery is operating normally.
“We have swiftly contained a minor fire incident at our effluent treatment plant (ETP) today, Wednesday, 26th of June.
“There is no cause for alarm as the refinery is operating normally, and there are no recorded injuries or bodily harm to any of our staff on duty,” he said.
The 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery is the largest single-train in the world. It was inaugurated in May last year, but commenced refining operations in January this year.
The refinery is owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote.
Naira stable against dollar at official window, trades at N1,476/$1
The Nigerian currency, the naira, maintained a form of stability against the American dollar on Tuesday June 4, 2024 to trade at N1,476/$1, data from the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) has shown.
At the end of trading on Tuesday, the naira remained flat against the dollar, trading at N1,485/$1 same as the rate recorded on Monday, June 3, 2024.
The intra-day high and low recorded during the day were N1,500/$1 and N1,1362/$1 respectively, representing a lean spread of N138\$1.
However, the naira gained against the dollar at the parallel section of the market to trade at N1,500/$1, as against the previous day’s rate of N1,510/$1, representing a gain of N10 for the local currency.
The same scenario played out with the British Pound as it traded at N1,900\£1, as against the previous day’s rate of N1,920\£1 representing a gain of N20 for the local currency.
For several days running, the Canadian dollar closed flat against the naira to trade at N1,200| CA$1 same as the previous trading day rate of N1,200| CA$1.
The naira, also gained against the Euro to trade at ₦1,600/€1 as against the rate of ₦1,610/€1 the previous trading rate, this represents a gain of N10 in the local currency.
C’River, Lagos, Abia, 28 Other States Spend Over ₦968 Billion On Refreshments, Travels
At least 30 state governments spent N986.64bn on recurrent expenditures, including refreshments, sitting allowances, travelling, utilities, among others between January and March 2024.
This was contained in a budget assessment done by Open Nigerian States, a website supported by BudgIT that acts as a repository for public budget data, were analysed.
A breakdown showed that the 30-state government spent N5.1bn on refreshments for guests, N4.67bn on sitting allowances to government officials, N34.63bn on local and foreign travel expenses, and N5.64bn on utility bills, amounting to N50.02bn in the first three months of 2024.
The general utilities include electricity, internet, telephone charges, water rates, and sewerage charges, among others.
The sub-nationals also paid N405.77bn as salaries to their workers.
Other recurrent spending items covered in the report included the amount spent on foreign and domestic travel, Internet access fees, entertainment, foodstuff, honorarium/sitting allowance, wardrobe allowances, telephone bills, electricity charges, stationery, anniversaries/special days, welfare, aircraft maintenance, and more.
In the first three months of 2024, Abia State spent N10.92bn on its recurrent expenditures, including N165.38m on refreshments and feeding, N39.26m on utilities, N214.57m on sitting allowances, N127.1m on local and foreign travels, among miscellaneous expenses.
During this period, Adamawa State expended N23.7bn on recurrent expenditures with N287.61m spent on refreshments and feeding, N109.62m on utilities, N79.57m on sitting allowances, N768.77m on local and foreign travels.
For Akwa Ibom State, recurrent expenditure gulped N46.85bn, which included N4.46m on refreshments and feeding, N223.32m on utilities, N6m on sitting allowances, N214.61m on local and foreign travel.
Anambra State disbursed N9.91bn for recurring expenses with N78.18m on refreshments and feeding, N32.52m on utilities, N42.09m on sitting allowances, N188.39m on local and foreign travel.
Also, recurrent expenditures cost Bauchi State Government N35.75bn with N397.58m going to utilities, N50.8m on refreshments, N287.11m on allowances, and N413.56m on trips.
Bayelsa State spent N35.1bn on recurrent expenditures, comprising N28.4m on utilities, N156.14m on refreshments and N279.99m on trips.
Lagos State disbursed N189.62bn for recurrent expenditures, including N1.21m for refreshments, N383.12m for utilities, sitting allowances costing N52.79m and N633.37m on travels.
Borno spent N18.79bn,
Cross Rivers (N17.44bn),
Delta (N68.68bn),
Ebonyi (N14.95bn),
Edo (N32.32bn),
Ekiti (N32.8bn),
Enugu (N7.51bn) and Gombe with N20.89bn.
Within the same period, Jigawa State spent N15.52bn on the recurrent expenditures, Kaduna expended N34.69bn,
Kano (N34.41bn),
Katsina (N21.87bn),
Kebbi (N11.67bn),
Kogi (N37.4bn),
Kwara (N24.34bn),
Nasarawa (N18.61bn),
Ogun (N47.12bn),
Ondo (N31.12bn),
Osun (N24.39bn),
Oyo (N40.12bn),
Plateau (N24.70bn),
Zamfara (N13.46bn), and Taraba (N20.93bn).
This is coming amid pressure from labour unions in the country for an increase in the minimum wage of workers from the current N30,000.
Police Recruitment: PSC Releases List Of Successful Candidates
The Police Service Commission has announced the approval and release of a list of 10,000 successful applicants for recruitment into the constable and specialist cadres of the Nigeria Police Force.
The commission noted that to ensure fairness and justice in the recruitment process, it worked with guidance from relevant stakeholders, including the Nigeria Police Force, the National Assembly, and the Federal Character Commission.
It added that it ensured equity in the spread of successful candidates across the 774 local government areas of the country.
The spokesperson for the PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, made the development known in a statement on Tuesday.
Ani said, “The Police Service Commission has approved and released the list of 10,000 successful applicants for recruitment into the constable cadre of the Nigeria Police Force.
“The commission today, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, received the report of the Police Recruitment Board. 9,000 applicants were approved for recruitment for General Duty, while 1,000 applicants were recruited for the Specialists cadre.
“To ensure fairness and justice in the Recruitment process, the Commission worked with guidance from relevant stakeholders including the Nigeria Police Force, the National Assembly and the Federal Character Commission. It ensured equity in the spread of successful candidates across the 774 local government areas of the country.”
The commission had earlier inaugurated a Recruitment Board – a broad-based stakeholders’ body populated by representatives from the PSC, the NPF, the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Federal Character Commission, Police Colleges, and the Police Trust Fund to Superintendent over the recruitment process and report back to the PSC.
Interested Nigerian youths were invited to apply online for consideration for the subsequent stages of the exercise through paid advertisements in several national media.
Interested applicants were given six weeks to conclude the online applications (October 15, 2023 to November 26, 2023) in line with the Federal Character requirements.
The PSC revealed that a total of 609,886 applications were received, while 416,323 applicants who met the advertised requirements were shortlisted for the second stage of the exercise, which was physical and document screening.
This stage was held in the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory between Monday 8, January, 2024 to Monday 29, January 2024.
The commission, after the physical and credentials screening, shortlisted 171,956 applicants who met the requirements for the Computer Based Tests (conducted by the Joint Admission and Martriculation Board, JAMB an organisation renowed for its expertise in computer based tests.
Ani on Tuesday noted that, “15,447 General duty applicants who did well in the CBT were further invited for medical screening to determine their health status. The 55,645 Specialists who were shortlisted from the Physical and credentials screening were subjected to practical tests and later medical screening. Each stage of the Recruitment process was carried out with a high level of scrutiny and care.
“A total of 10000 applicants made up of 9000 General Duty and 1000 Specialists were recommended for final selection.
“The selection of specialists was done in conjunction with the Nigeria Police Force on the need assessment ensuring capability and balance of geographical representation.
“The Chairman of the Commission, Dr Solomon Arase, retired Inspector General of Police declared that the rigorous recruitment process was to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of the Nigeria Police Force and to reinforce its commitment to community rooted and service oriented policing.”
Arase noted, “I am filled with optimism because these young men and women represent the future of our nation’s security and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that their journey begins on a foundation of integrity, transparency and excellence.”
The PSC Chairman disclosed that the entire process reflects a deliberate effort to build a Police Force that is competent, reliable, and truly representative of the best that Nigeria has to offer.
He noted that the final selection process was meticulously structured to ensure fairness and inclusivity with 10 candidates selected from each of the 774 local government areas as advised by the National Assembly in its Plenary decision of Thursday February 29th 2024 aimed at creating a representative and diverse Police Force.
The PSC Chairman disclosed that to uphold the highest standards of confidentiality, “list of successful candidates must be presented to the public in a manner compliant with the Nigeria Data protection Act of 2023.”
He noted that this would ensure that the personal data of recruits entering a sensitive security organisation remained secure, thereby protecting their personal and family safety.
Ani noted that candidates are invited to check the status of their application through the Police Service Commission dedicated Web page, which can be accessed on computers and mobile devices on www.policeservicecommission.cloud.
Applicants are also to contact the PSC recruitment help desk on WhatsApp numbers 08094767777 and 09031318499 for complaints or inquiries.
Minimum Wage: Organised Labour Suspends Strike For 5 Days
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have suspended their industrial action over a lack of consensus on a new minimum wage and the hike in electricity tariff for about one week.
The TUC president Festus Osifo said this on Tuesday in Abuja after a joint extraordinary national executive council meeting of the unions. A communique will be issued shortly, the labour chief said.
Both unions downed tools on Monday to register their grievances over the hike in electricity tariff and lack of consensus on a new minimum wage.
The development ground activities in critical sectors of the economy with schools, businesses, hospitals, and airports shut. The national grid was also shut down, throwing the nation into darkness.
Israel Tells Citizens To Leave Maldives After Island’s Government Bans Nationals
The Maldives has announced a ban on all Israeli’s entering the country in response to the ongoing war in Gaza.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu announced on Monday that the government had changed the law in order to ban Israeli passport holders from the island nation.
The predominantly Muslim country, which forms part of a wider Indian Ocean archipelago, has seen public anger grow in recent weeks over the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
it comes despite nearly 11,000 Israelis visiting the Maldives last year – a number which constitutes 0.6% of the country’s total tourist arrivals.
Frequented by newlyweds and holidaymakers alike, the island’s crystalline waters and white sandy beaches have seen it become a go-to for those looking to enjoy a luxury getaway.
Now, the president has announced the ban following advice from his cabinet, adding that the nation will establish a subcommittee tasked with overseeing the process of identifying would-be Israeli holidaymakers.
In response to the claims, Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Oren Marmorstein, said the Foreign Ministry recommends Israelis avoid any travel to the Maldives.
He added that this including those with foreign passports and that holidaymakers who are currently visiting the island should now consider leaving.
“For Israeli citizens already in the country, it is recommended to consider leaving, because if they find themselves in distress for any reason, it will be difficult for us to assist,” the ministry said.
President Muizu added that the Maldives would appoint a special envoy to assess the needs of Palestinian.
It added that a fundraising campaign had been launched to “assist our brothers and sisters in Palestine” according to a press release.
The fundraising effort will go under the slogan “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine”.
“Together with the government and people of Maldives, I call for an immediate ceasefire, an end to violence and unhindered humanitarian access,” the president posted to X formerly known as Twitter last week.
It follows condemnation from the president following last week’s Israeli airstrike on Rafah
Australian army to allow recruits from foreign nations
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) will allow recruits from foreign countries, including the UK, to help grow its ranks.
Australia has been struggling with enlistment shortfalls, as it seeks to beef up its armed forces in the face of what it says are growing regional threats.
From July, New Zealand nationals who are permanent residents of Australia can apply to join, and from next year that will expand to recruits from the UK and other countries including the US and Canada.
Minister for Defence Richard Marles said the changes to eligibility requirements were “essential to meet the nation’s security challenges through the next decade and beyond”.
Australia and New Zealand already have a longstanding “Anzac bond”, he said, pointing to their history fighting side-by-side at Gallipoli in World War One.
And Australia has in recent years sought to boost ties with the UK and the US, in 2021 signing the Aukus pact – a far-reaching defence and security alliance aimed at confronting Chinese military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region.
Australia, the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand also work closely together in intelligence sharing under an alliance called the Five Eyes.
There is a focus on recruiting people from these nations, but Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh has said from January 1 “any” eligible permanent resident can apply.
Canberra has repeatedly expressed growing concerns about Beijing’s assertiveness, and a strategic review of the ADF released last year pointed to the “growth and retention of a highly skilled defence workforce” as a key measure to counter it.
The previous government in 2020 announced A$38bn (£19.8bn; $25.4) of funding to increase the number of uniformed personnel by 30% within two decades.
But Mr Keogh says low levels of unemployment in Australia has made it “very difficult” to recruit – with recent government figures estimating the ADF is already short about 4,400 people.
While Australia has a history of accepting small numbers of military transfers from a few allied nations, the new eligibility rules are aimed at significantly widening the pool of potential recruits.
As well as meeting ADF entry standards and security requirements, those wishing to join must have been permanent residents of Australia for over a year and must not have served in a foreign military in the previous two years.
They must also be eligible for Australian citizenship – something they will be offered and “expected” to take up after 90 days of service, says Mr Keogh.
The opposition spokesman for foreign affairs said they were not against the plan, but that the government’s defence strategy was undermining confidence and morale in the defence force.
“We want to see, ideally, Australians wearing the Australian uniform,” Simon Birmingham told Sky News Australia.
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Minimum Wage: Strike Begins As National Assembly’s Intervention Fails
The organised labour Sunday insisted that its indefinite strike would begin today as planned following the federal government’s refusal to increase the minimum wage above N60,000.
Labour, which is demanding N494,000, said this in Abuja last night after a three-hour meeting with the National Assembly leadership and top officials of the Executive arm of government.
The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Festus Osifo, led members of their national executives to the meeting, which was presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu.
Also in attendance were the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Nkiruka Onyejiocha; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Osifo said despite the appeal by the Senate president, the strike would commence today while the labour discusses with its various organs.
Ajaero stated: “Yes, we had a conversation as regards the issues; on the part of government, we know what the issues are on the part of the organised labour and we also know what the issues are and the word of appeal from the Senate President for us to call off the industrial action tonight.
“But on our part, we said that we are happy, but it is not possible for us to sit here to call off the industrial action. There are conditions, we need to rub our heads. We would have all been happier if this evening we have a great misunderstanding that by tomorrow morning we will sign off issues bordering on the minimum wage because before at the last meeting, we got very close to signing on.
“But we have listened to them, we will take all your pleas to our organs and would have an organs’ meeting taking what you have promised by the plea made by our organs. For now, we don’t have the power to call off the industrial action.
“So, the industrial action will continue while we have the conversation with our respective organs as soon as possible to give them what we have put forward and what we have proposed”, he said.
Also speaking, Osifo, said: “The Senate President appealed to us to call off the strike. But we can’t sit here and call off the strike because we have other organs. We will take the appeals to our various organs”, he said.
Earlier, Akpabio had appealed that the strike be suspended and negotiations commence “in the interest of the Nigerian economy and in the interest of all Nigerians.
“The leadership of both chambers is aware that there was a tripartite committee in place to negotiate with labour on the new minimum wage for the country, taking cognisance of all the variables, including the removal of fuel subsidy, including the expiration of time since the last minimum wage was imputed.
“We are aware that those negotiations have taken quite a while. We are aware that the federal government, in its wisdom through President Bola Ahmed Tinubu decided to institute a wage award of N35,000 at the federal level for workers pending the outcome of negotiations of a new minimum wage.
“We are aware that some states have also followed suit in varying amounts. Aware that the NLC and TUC decided to call for a strike, commencing tomorrow (today), the leadership of both chambers took a decision to invite the NLC and the TUC and very high ranking officers of the government led by the SGF to find out why and what happened and how the negotiations could have broken down, and we believe strongly that strike should be a last resort.
“Without going into much details, I believe we have had a very positive meeting. We have heard from both sides and we are happy and satisfied that actions would be taken on both sides,” the Senate president said.
Similarly, Speaker Tajudeen said the meeting agreed to prevail on the government to continue the payment of the N35,000 wage award that was started in October last year and stopped in February.
“We agreed that the wage award should continue until such a time that the minimum wage is agreed. We also agreed that the NLC and TUC should go and consult with a view to suspending their strike as soon as possible to allow for negotiations to continue”, he said.
Meanwhile the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), in a statement dated Saturday, said the strike was a breach of an order of the National Industrial Court and ongoing mediators’ settlement efforts over issues connected with the subject matter of the order.
He warned that workers planning to embark on indefinite strike risked a six-month jail term.
Fagbemi said Section 18 of the Trade Disputes Act requires a worker employed in any essential services to give their employer 15 days’ notice before ceasing their services, and any who did not comply would be liable on conviction to a fine of N100 or to imprisonment for six months.
He said the fundamental importance of the 15-day notice is underscored by the fact that Sections 41 and 42(1)(b) of the Act criminalise non-compliance with the provision.
He noted that the federal government had been engaging stakeholders in the tripartite committee to determine a new national minimum wage and had not declared an end to negotiation.
“While the government assures that it would continue to adopt a conciliatory approach to resolving matters pertaining to workers and citizens welfare in the spirit of collective bargaining, I would like to urge you to kindly reconsider the declaration of strike action and return to the ongoing negotiation meetings, which has been adjourned to a date to be communicated to parties”, he said.
NUJ, JUSUN, NUT, others back strike
The leadership of various unions yesterday directed their members to comply with the labour’s directive on the strike.
They are the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnic (SSANIP), the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), the Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), among others.
Uncertainty over hajj pilgrims’ airlift
With the decision of the aviation unions to join labour’s strike today, it is not clear whether or not the ongoing airlift of Nigerian hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia will be affected.
The unions include the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).
It was learnt that the aviation unions took the decision to join the strike after an emergency meeting held yesterday.
The unions, in a joint statement signed by Comrade Ocheme Aba, General Secretary of NUATE; Comrade Frances Akinjole, Deputy General Secretary ATSSSAN; Comrade Abdul Rasaq Saidu, Secretary General ANAP and Comrade Olayinka Abioye General Secretary NAAPE directed all branches to comply.
The notice read, “In compliance with the directive from our labour centers – Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria – we hereby inform the general public, aviation service providers, airline operators, aviation businesses and all aviation workers nationwide that starting from 0000hrs of June 3, 2024 all services at all Nigerian airports shall be fully withdrawn till further notice.
“Being not oblivious of the fact that many international flights to Nigeria are already airborne, the strike action will commence at international terminals on 4th of June, 2024.
“All aviation workers should recognise the seriousness of this struggle and comply unfailingly. All Branch officers of our unions shall ensure full compliance at all airports”, the statement.