Lagos, Nigeria -  The three-day warning strike, averted at the last minute, Islamic Banking which has stirred controversy across the nation and the continuing menace by the Boko Haram Islamic sect dominated front pages in Nigeria this week. 'Why we suspended strike, by Labour', was the headline of the Guardian which reported that leaders of Nigerian workers who called off a planned nationwide strike on Wednesday defended their action even as diverse reactions poured in. For the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the three tiers of government must not play politics with issues concerning taxes and wages of workers.

Most Nigerian cities were in confusion on Wednesday, the first day of the proposed three-day warning strike, as workers were not sure if the strike over the non-implementation of the new minimum wage of 18,000 naira (US$120) was going to go ahead or not.

The coast became clear about whether the strike would go ahead or not at about 11.45 on Tuesday night when the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abdulwaheed Omar, read a seven-point statement that announced the suspension of the strike.

The Sun headline on the same story was 'Minimum wage: No more strike', with the riders 'As FG, Labour truce forestalls industrial action' and 'NUPENG, PENGASSAN may withdraw services from Monday'.

According to the Sun, the Federal Government on Wednesday averted the three-day warning strike, saying that although State governors agreed to pay after a meeting with the NLC and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) last Friday, Labour’s insistence on arrears of payment and a written agreement led to the impasse that was broken after a meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim.

However, in preparing for the strike, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) had ordered total closure of all filling stations across the country in order to give a bite to the action.

There would be no lifting of oil from the depots and no dispensing of petroleum products at the fuel stations. The aim was to paralyse economic activities and compel government to implement the wage agreement, which was signed into law three months ago.

The Independent captioned its story, 'Don’t toy with Labour again, Tambuwal warns FG, states', reporting that Aminu Tambuwal, the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives had warned the three tiers of government against playing politics with such sensitive matters as taxes and workers' salaries.

The Speaker was reacting to the suspension of the planned strike by Labour at the last minute after pressure, lobbying and dialogue by Governors and Anyim.

Tambuwal said the imbroglio over the payment of the minimum wage was unnecessary, and advised that in future every detail of wage increase  should be worked out and agreed before signing and publicising the pact.

According to Thisday, with the headline 'Prepare for More Strikes, Labour Tells Nigerians', organised labour has again threatened to embark on a nationwide industrial action without notice should governments fail to pay the minimum wage to workers by the end of August 2011.

This declaration came from the President General of the TUC, Mr Peter Esele, who on Thursday asked Nigerians to be prepared for more strikes, warning that the fight for the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage Act was not yet over.

Responding to the reports that some state governors were insisting on not paying the new wage despite the agreement reached with labour, Esele said the states were left with no other option than to pay as failure to do so “will be an invitation to anarchy”.

The Punch with the headline 'National minimum wage palaver: States to sack workers' reported that some states were planning to reduce their workforce in order to meet up with the challenge.

Though a few states insist they will honour the law, states like Abia, Anambra and Plateau are in a dilemma over how to pay their workforce the N18,000 stipulated by the act with their current revenue profiles.

However, a number of states like Lagos and Ondo are planning to aggressively increase their internally-generated revenue through higher taxes and other means, while at the same time limiting their employment profiles.

In another angle to the story, the Tribune, with the headline 'NUPENG begins strike on Monday over SPDC’s anti-workers activities', reported that while the country was easing from the tension of the just-suspended strike of the NLC/TUC, the economy was yet to be grounded again as NUPENG had directed all petroleum tanker drivers, filing stations in the country to withdraw their services from customers from Monday, 25 July, to Wednesday, 27, 2011, over anti-labour activities perpetuated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SDPC) in the industry.

NUPENG National President, Mr. Achese Igwe, made the declarations in Lagos on Wednesday while briefing newsmen on the strategies rolled out by the union to ensure success in the warning strike by labour against government’s insensitive posture despite a series of letters it had written over the issue.

“The warning strike is a total war against those who mismanaged our national economy and their cronies, because they are enemies of the state and the Nigerian workers,” he added.

While condemning the sale of oil blocs, flow stations, onshore well head locations and other assets onshore in the Niger Delta region by the SPDC without following due process, the NUPENG boss called on the Federal Government to urgently investigate the illegality perpetrated by the company to forestall future occurrences.

In another story, this time from the universities, the Tribune headline 'Honour agreement or ... — ASUU warns FG' talked of yet a pending strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which called on well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Federal Government to honour the agreement reached with the union in 2009 or face the total wrath of the union.

The university lecturers union is agitating for the implementation of its 2009 agreement with the Federal Government on the amendment of the Pension Act and 70 years retirement age.

The union which identified undue wastage in government spending over the years as the bane of the sector, urged the federal government to plug wastages to guarantee the funding of universities in the country.

In the warning to government, ASUU president, Mr Ukachukwu Awuzie, said that in as much as it wouldn't want to embark on an industrial action, it would also not tolerate being taken for granted.

The papers also widely publicised the raging controversy on Islamic banking as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, appeared before the National Assembly to explain the system.

Islamic Banking is a banking system that is based on the principles of Islamic law (also known Shariah) and guided by Islamic economics. Two basic principles behind Islamic banking are the sharing of profit and loss and, significantly, the prohibition of the collection and payment of interest. Collecting interest is not permitted under Islamic law.

Christians are currently kicking against Islamic Banking, saying it was a plan conceived to Islamise Nigeria.

The Nation headlined its story as 'Reps endorse Islamic banking, cash withdrawal policy', saying that the House of Representatives on Thursday gave tacit approval to the planned introduction of the controversial Islamic Banking in Nigeria by the CBN.

They also backed down from opposing the CBN’s proposed policy on cash withdrawal limit from banks.

Intense controversies have continued to trail the two policies since they were unfolded by the apex bank.

The proposed cash policy seeks to discourage daily withdrawals and lodgements above the prescribed limits of 150, 000 naira (US$ 1,000) and 1 million naira (about US$ 7,000) for individuals and companies respectively.

According to Sanusi, “If you withdraw more than 150,000 naira per day as an individual, there is a cost to pay and if you as a corporate body withdraw more than 1 million naira per day, there is also a cost to pay.

“For the avoidance of doubt, no limit exists on cash transaction, but the very few high volume cash users should bear commensurate service cost, while most Nigerians are exempted from subsidising them.'

But after Sanusi’s briefing, Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, declared that they were satisfied with and better enlightened by the briefing.

In a new twist to the Boko Haram story, the papers highlighted the split in the rank and file of the Islamic sect which had perpetrated the bombing of targets across the northern part of the country and Abuja.

The Guardian headline on the story was 'Cracks in Boko Haram camp as faction condemns bomb attacks'.

The paper said there appears to be division in the armour of the banned Boko Haram Islamic sect as a faction broke rank with the rest of the group on grounds of heavy toll of innocent casualties recorded by the insurgents’ indiscriminate attacks, especially bomb blasts.

In two pages of unsigned leaflets distributed overnight on Tuesday in various wards, Post Office Area and media houses in Maiduguri, the north eastern Borno State capital, the epicentre of the outlaws’ activities, the break-away faction, which identified itself as Yusufiyya Islamic Movement (YIM), condemned the attacks and bombings of residences and places of worship by “the other Islamic sect group” that claimed to be fighting a Jihad in the North.

Exonerating the YIM from atrocious attacks allegedly carried out by other factions of the Boko Haram sect, the leaflet reiterated: “We are concerned that some people with evil motives have infiltrated our genuine struggle with a false holy war that is outright un-Islamic. We call this evil group to desist, failing which we shall have no option than to expose and hunt them.

“Finally, we have resolved to temporarily halt our fight against the assassination of our leaders in compliance with the prohibition of fighting in the holy month of Ramadan.”

And in a reaction to the content of the leaflet, the Joint Security Task Force (JTF) Spokesman, Lt.-Col. Hassan Mohammed, said: “The JTF is on top of the insecurity situations in Borno State. The factions being created in the Boko Haram sect and the temporary ceasefire from the Yusuffiyya Islamic sect could bring peace and the restoration of law and order by nipping all acts of terrorism by the other factions of Boko Haram sect.”

The Nation headlined its story 'Security agents close in as Boko Haram splits', saying 'There is good news from Boko Haram: bombings will soon stop, thanks to the holy month of Ramadan.'

But the breather is coming from the splinter group, Yusufiyya Islamic Movement (YIM), which emerged on Wednesday even as security agents are closing in on the sect.

While the Tribune said 'Boko Haram splits.. Faction promises ceasefire during Ramadan', the Vanguard reported the same story under the headline 'Boko Haram sect splits'.

Pana 23/07/2011