News
Labour Ready for War, to Shut Nigeria over Sale of National Assets
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC); Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC); the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG); and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), so-called organised labour, said that they will shut down Nigeria if the federal government go ahead to sell national assets.
According to them, the revolt and civil unrest will be worse than the anti-SAP riots of 1989.
But, Mr. Femi Adesina, spokesman to the President in a reply to the text message sent to him by the Vanguard, said “no comment.”
NUPENG and PENGASSAN have however threatened to shut Nigeria over the planned sale, which they argued, would not profit the nation but a few privileged Nigerians.
According to PENGASSAN, the planned sale of national assets is a self-destructive move that would further impoverish Nigerians.
The union said the plan, meant to solve short term financial obligations, was targeted at handing over Nigerians’ collective commonwealth to a few individuals and further impoverish the rest of the people.
According to the Vanguard, PENGASSAN, advised that instead of selling assets, government should look for other ways of increasing the revenue base of the country, while plugging loopholes and leakages in public finances.
PENGASSAN noted that governments at all levels should reflate the economy through execution of capital projects and payment of workers’ salaries.
It stated: “Any attempt to sell these national assets will be met with stiff resistance from the Association, as PENGASSAN will galvanize every support, including that of our sister union and labour centres, to shut down this country by ensuring that every activity in the oil and gas sector is brought to a complete halt.
“Some opportunists in the cloak of businessmen and short-sighted politicians had earlier advocated the sale of public assets such as the NLNG, four state-owned refineries, Nigeria’s stakes in Africa Finance Corporation, AFC, the nation’s airports and reduction of government’s shares in upstream oil joint venture operations and this was approved by the National Economic Council, NEC.”
Comrade Emmanuel Ojugbana, PENGASSAN national public relations officer, said such sales would further compound the economic and security problems in Nigeria.
He expressed surprise as to why anybody would plan to sell the assets, such as the NLNG and shares in the upstream oil and gas JV operations, which had been generating revenue for the country to date.
But Udoma Udo Udoma, minister of budget and planning, said in a statement on Saturday that the Federal Government would not sell critical national assets to shore up its foreign reserves as well as have funds to retool the economy against the current downward plunge.
According to him, government plans to source immediate funds to reflate the economy and implement capital projects in the 2016 budget.
Elsewhere, NUPENG, said: “We will resist the sale with all our might. It is not in the best interest of Nigerians. It will only compound the unemployment in the country. It will also compound the restiveness and agitation in the Niger Delta. There is no way we are going to accept it. If the President is really a patriot as claimed, he should not yield to the pressure because enemies of the country are at work.
Mr. Joseph Ogbebor, general secretary, NUPENG said that “However, our organs will meet either as NUPENG or jointly with PENGASSAN to deal with it. Certainly, it is unacceptable, unpatriotic, anti-Nigeria and must be rejected and resisted by all. We call on Mr. President to declare a state of emergency on the economy and summon an all-encompassing stakeholders meeting to brainstorm on how the present economic challenges can be quickly addressed. “NUPENG is of the view that Nigeria is a big market and certain measures should be put in place to reflate the economy so that it will be an investors’ destination.”
NUPENG also said it was disturbed and worried about the drop in oil production, occasioned by the bombing of oil and power installations in the Niger Delta.
On its part, NLC through, Joe Ajaero, factional president, said the battle would be to save President Buhari from economic hawks, who were out to bring the government down, noting the President meant well for the nation.
He said: “The nation’s assets do not belong to the National Economic Council. Some of them were not born when these assets were set up. For members to approve the sale is just being prodigal. I cannot remember any of the assets in question that was set up by them.
“They cannot tell us, Nigerian people, whose taxes were used to set up these assets, that whatever they say, we must obey them. They did not consult and they seem not to realise how it is pinching us. The question you should ask them is of all the national assets sold, how much did they make from them?
”How much did government make from the sale of PHCN? How much did government make from the sale of NITEL? How much was the proceed from Nigerian Airways? What impact did sale of those assets have on Nigerians?
“If they have their security report, they should know this is not the time to toy with things like these because Nigerians are angry and they are prepared to vent their anger on the oppressors.
“I will advise these people to play back what happened during the anti-SAP riots. The way we are going to resist this one will be worse than the anti-SAP crisis.
The problem is that these people are not connected with the people.” We’ll resist it — TUC Also declaring its opposition,
TUC, through Simeso Amachree, acting secretary general, said: “We are not going to accept it and we will resist appropriately. As it was done before, it is an attempt to take over the national assets. “Like we stated earlier, the idea should be dropped or they will incur the wrath of workers. “It is our thinking that if those clamouring for the sales pay their appropriate taxes, there would be enough money to bring the country out of the woods without sacrificing our national assets.
“Truly, we appreciate the concern of some sincere people in government, especially President Muhammadu Buhari, who is working tirelessly to fix the economy. But we get worried when people suggest we sell investments like NLNG which provided the money for the bailout of states when they could not pay salaries or concession our airports. On what grounds?
“The Congress will mobilise and resist any further sale or concession of our national assets under whatever guise.”
Space42, the UAE-based global AI-powered space-tech company, part of technology group G42, this week announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Microsoft and Esri to deliver high-resolution, scalable base maps across all 54 African countries, serving over 1.4 billion people.
Known as the “Map Africa Initiative,” the project will create a comprehensive base map of the continent to date, addressing challenges in infrastructure, investment, and institutional gaps, according to Space24.
The company said the updated mapping system will catalyse economic development through increased access to intelligent solutions that support governments, businesses, and communities.
The five-year collaboration aims to strengthen geospatial capabilities across Africa and the UAE, and provide precise and accessible data to national and regional stakeholders.
Space 24 detailed how the initiative will enable economic opportunities and innovation, saying the program is expected to unlock long-term value across multiple industries including: ports and logistics; renewable energy; security and disaster response; smart cities and digital economies.
It added: “Accurate maps are foundational to urban planning, public services, and technology deployment. The data will be licensed to national governments, enabling ownership and long-term updating by National Mapping Agencies. Over time, the initiative will also support a new commercial ecosystem of African startups. The data will eventually be housed in G42 and Microsoft-managed data centers across the continent.”
Hasan Al Hosani, CEO of Smart Solutions at Space42, said: “Partnership is core to the UAE’s DNA, and is central to how Space42 operates. This collaboration with Microsoft and Esri is more than technical; it’s strategic. It advances Space42’s business priorities, strengthens our role as a trusted partner to governments, and delivers meaningful benefits to communities across Africa.
“Accurate, high-quality mapping and the intelligence solutions built on it are essential for growth, resilience, and inclusive innovation. With reliable data, communities and economies prosper.”
While, Jack Dangermond, president of Esri added: “We are proud to support the Map Africa Initiative in partnership with Space42. Transforming satellite imagery into detailed, accurate base maps at continental scale requires advanced geospatial technology and professional production workflows.
“These same capabilities have supported similar national and regional mapping efforts around the world. With Map Africa, we are helping to establish a foundational resource that will drive infrastructure planning, economic growth, and sustainable development across the continent.”
Kenya has emerged as the global leader in the adoption of ChatGPT, with a higher percentage of its internet users utilizing the AI chatbot than any other country.
According to the July 2025 Global Digital Report from DataReportal and Meltwater, an astounding 42.1% of Kenyan internet users aged 16 and above used ChatGPT in the past month.
This remarkable statistic places Kenya at the forefront of a global shift towards integrating artificial intelligence into daily life, outranking traditionally tech-forward nations such as the United Arab Emirates (42%), Israel (41.4%), Malaysia (39.8%), and Brazil (39.7%). In contrast, major economies like Russia (10.8%), China (7.3%), and Japan (5.8%) showed significantly lower adoption rates.
The report, which provides a comprehensive snapshot of digital trends worldwide, also highlights Kenya’s significant contribution to the platform’s overall traffic. The country is ranked third globally in website traffic to ChatGPT, accounting for 4.81% of all global visits, trailing only the United States and India.
Analysts attribute Kenya’s rapid and widespread adoption of ChatGPT to two primary factors:
- A Young, Tech-Savvy Population: With a median age of just 20, Kenya has one of the youngest populations in the world. This demographic is highly digitally native and has been quick to explore and adopt AI tools for a wide range of purposes, including education, business operations, and content creation.
- High Mobile Internet Penetration: Over 48% of Kenya’s population uses the internet regularly, with the vast majority accessing it via mobile devices. The accessibility of AI tools like ChatGPT on smartphones has been a critical enabler of its adoption, even in semi-urban and rural areas.
The report’s findings come shortly after OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, revealed that the platform now handles over 2.5 billion prompts globally every day. While OpenAI did not provide a breakdown of these prompts by use case, the platform’s popularity for tasks ranging from writing and coding to research and brainstorming is undeniable.
Kenya’s top ranking is a powerful indicator of the country’s dynamic and fast-evolving digital landscape, showcasing an eagerness to embrace cutting-edge technologies and positioning the nation as a key player in the future of AI adoption in Africa.
Yahoo Mail has announced a major shift in its storage policy, slashing the free email storage cap to 20GB and rolling out a new subscription model starting at $1.99 per month for 100GB.
The change, which takes effect immediately, marks a significant downgrade for many long-time users who have grown accustomed to Yahoo’s previously generous storage offering.
In a notice sent to users on Tuesday, the company urged account holders to review their current storage usage and consider paid upgrade options to avoid disruptions.
“Once you reach the 20GB limit, you will no longer be able to send or receive emails unless you either delete existing messages or upgrade your account,” the notice warned.
While access to inboxes will remain intact for now, users will be forced to clean up their accounts or move to a paid tier to maintain full functionality.
Yahoo has unveiled two new storage plans which are 100GB for $1.99/month and 1TB for $9.99/month.
For those seeking a more premium experience, Yahoo is also offering Yahoo Mail Plus, which includes 200GB of storage, an ad-free interface, and additional features. However, users opting for the 100GB and 1TB tiers will still be served ads, a move likely to frustrate those paying for expanded capacity.
To ease the transition, Yahoo is rolling out new tools to help users manage their inboxes more efficiently. These include real-time storage tracking, a usage dashboard, sorting options for large emails, and an attachment manager to help clear out space-consuming files.
Despite the enhancements, the abrupt downgrade has sparked concerns among users, particularly those with email archives spanning more than a decade. Critics argue the change could pressure many into paying for what was previously free, without a proportionate upgrade in value, especially considering ads remain in place for all but the premium Plus tier.
Yahoo’s new model brings it closer to competitors like Gmail, which offers 15GB of free storage shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. Google’s paid plans also begin at $1.99/month for 100GB, but offer additional benefits such as photo backups and expanded cloud services. Gmail also provides a cleaner experience, with minimal ads even on its free plan.
Yahoo Mail’s new 20GB limit applies exclusively to email storage, a slight advantage for users who don’t rely heavily on broader cloud services. But the real test will be how users respond to the newly imposed constraints and whether the value proposition is strong enough to convert them into paying subscribers.
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