President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja today for Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to perform Umrah and offer prayers for peace, unity and progress in Nigeria.

A statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the visit will provide the President the opportunity for spiritual reflection and devotion.

During the pilgrimage, Tinubu is expected to perform the prescribed Islamic rites and seek Allah’s guidance and blessings for Nigeria and its people.

The President will, however, commission equipment acquired by the Nigerian Air Force at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja before departing for Saudi Arabia.

He is expected to return to Nigeria next week after completing the spiritual exercise.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has rejected the ₦70,000proposed by the Federal Government as  wage award, and demanded an immediate salary increase for workers and suggesting that the lowest-paid federal worker’s salary could be raised to ₦300,000.

The congress described the proposed transport allowance as temporary and inadequate, arguing that it would not provide sustainable relief amid the rising cost of living.

In a press statement issued on Wednesday, the TUC maintained that the government could increase workers’ salaries without negotiating another national minimum wage, noting that there is no law prescribing a maximum wage.

It also pointed out that some state governments had already raised their minimum wages above ₦100,000, arguing that the Federal Government could adopt a more substantial pay increase, with corresponding adjustments across salary grades.

The congress insisted that workers needed a lasting improvement in their earnings rather than temporary interventions that might fail to address their financial difficulties.

The labour body said its rejection of the proposed ₦70,000 allowance was informed partly by the government’s record in implementing previous agreements.

It recalled that a wage award agreed upon on October 2, 2023, had not been implemented comprehensively, leaving some workers unpaid or without the full benefit of the arrangement.

According to the TUC, the failure to honour previous commitments undermines workers’ confidence in the collective bargaining process and raises concerns about the government’s willingness to fulfil new agreements.

The congress called for tangible action, a clear implementation timetable and adequate budgetary provisions for any proposed salary adjustments.

The TUC also demanded the immediate implementation of the agreed adjustment to the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).

It said seven months had passed since the agreement was reached, yet the adjustment remained unimplemented.

The congress called on the government to honour the terms of settlement that led to JOHESU suspending its industrial action, warning that outstanding commitments must be resolved to sustain confidence in agreements reached with organised labour.

The TUC said it was awaiting the final outcome of a scheduled meeting with the Federal Government before deciding on its next line of action.

It demanded concrete commitments on salary increases, the implementation of the JOHESU agreement and the settlement of outstanding wage-related issues.

The congress maintained that workers required meaningful and sustainable improvements in their earnings, rather than temporary wage awards that might not provide lasting relief.

The TUC’s proposed ₦300,000 pay level is a demand for the government to consider, not an approved salary increase.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday asked the Federal Government to concession federal roads to investors and reintroduce tolls on selected highways to ensure sustainable infrastructure development and enhance security.

The green chamber passed the motion during Wednesday’s plenary, following the adoption of a motion co-sponsored by Esosa Iyawe (Oredo federal constituency), Olusola Fatoba (Ado Ekiti/Irepodun-Ifelodun federal constituency), Abdulmaleek Danga (Adavi/Okehi federal constituency) and Uche Okonkwo (Idemili north/Idemili south federal constituency).

Moving the motion, Iyawe, the lead sponsor, said an efficient road transportation network is fundamental to national economic development, trade facilitation, agricultural productivity, industrial growth, national security and the general welfare of citizens.

The legislator said several federal roads across Nigeria have “deteriorated significantly due to prolonged neglect, inadequate maintenance, insufficient funding, and increasing pressure from heavy-duty vehicles, resulting in avoidable accidents, loss of life, vehicle damage, higher transportation costs, and delays in the movement of goods and people”.

According to him, Edo, which sits on a major transportation corridor linking several parts of southern Nigeria, suffers from the deplorable condition of several roads connecting other states.

The lawmaker said the poor condition of the roads has adversely affected commercial activities, increased the cost of transporting agricultural produce and other essential commodities, discouraged investment, and imposed significant economic hardship on residents, commuters and businesses.

He noted that the federal government’s reliance on annual budgetary allocations to rehabilitate and maintain an extensive federal road network has not consistently delivered the required level of infrastructure renewal, necessitating the exploration of sustainable alternative financing and management arrangements.

Iyawe said concessioning through transparent public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements can attract private capital, technical expertise, and efficient project management to rehabilitate, operate, and maintain federal roads over the long term, while reducing the federal government’s immediate financial burden.

“The reintroduction of properly regulated toll gates on selected rehabilitated federal highways could provide a sustainable mechanism for recovering private investment, financing routine maintenance, supporting road safety operations and generating revenue for the federal government,” he said.

The lawmaker said establishing and operating toll gates will create direct and indirect employment opportunities for host communities through toll administration, security services, traffic management, maintenance, catering, retail businesses, and other ancillary services.

“Strategically located toll plazas, when properly designed and coordinated with relevant security agencies, can serve as additional points for lawful security presence, intelligence gathering, emergency response and the monitoring of vehicular movements, without disrupting the free movement of citizens or becoming instruments of harassment and extortion,” he said.

The legislator said any tolling arrangement must be transparent, affordable, technologically efficient, and supported by enforceable service standards to ensure motorists receive measurable improvements in road quality, safety, and travel efficiency in return for toll payments.

The motion was adopted when Tajudeen Abbas Tajudee Abbas, speaker of the house, called for a voice vote.

Consequently, the house asked the ministry of works to develop and implement a comprehensive national framework for the concessioning of eligible federal roads to competent private investors under transparent PPP arrangements, with priority given to roads requiring urgent rehabilitation and those serving as major economic and commercial corridors.

The parliament also asked the works ministry to reintroduce tolls on selected federal highways after substantial rehabilitation and the establishment of clear concession agreements, with toll charges determined through transparent economic assessments, public consultation and affordability considerations.