Following online reports that the school was not admitting or welcoming Nigerians on its premises, our correspondent on Monday proceeded to the school to investigate the claims.

While reacting to a post by @DejiAdesogan on Sunday, bordering on discrimination against Nigerians at an Abuja-based Chinese store, an X user @decommonroom, shared his experience about the Lagos Indian school.

He wrote, “The Indian school in Ilupeju only admits Indians. You need an Indian passport for enrollment.”

In a further chat with our correspondent, the user said, “My experience with the Indian international school in Ilupeju dates back to when my school had a debate competition with them in 2009. I discovered there were only Indian students. I was curious as to why because my school was also an international school and run by a foreign embassy with primarily expatriate kids and few Nigerians. Then I was informed their passport was a prerequisite for admission.”

When our correspondent visited the school on Monday, he was denied entry by security officials who claimed to be acting on instructions of a receptionist.

When our correspondent asked to make inquiries for his uncle who had two kids and would like to enroll them in the school, one of the security men asked, “But that your uncle is an Indian man?”

“They said as a Nigerian, they (the management) cannot attend to you. So the person should come, the Indian person,” another security man added, saying that was the response of an unidentified administrative worker, said to be an Indian.

Responding to inquiries from our correspondent on Tuesday, the press officer of the Indian High Commission in Abuja, Vipul Mesariya, said the commission was shocked by the experience of our reporter.

Vipul said, “We are shocked to hear that you were not allowed inside the school. We are disciplining the security guard and the receptionist as they did not have the authority to make such a decision.”

On Tuesday, the owner of the Abuja-based Chinese supermarket criticised for barring Nigerians refuted claims that her store was only meant for a specific group of people.

She clarified that her establishment was not a supermarket but rather a retail shop aimed at meeting the essential needs of her local community.

The store owner, Liu Bei, in a statement, said, “My shop is in the Royal Choice Estate, Airport Road, Abuja. It’s a small retail shop, not a supermarket like SHOPRITE. I mainly sell things to community residents and people who work here. Sometimes some visitors will come to my store to buy something after visiting the company In the office building, regardless of nationality.

“I don’t discriminate against any Nigerians, I even have several local employees in my store and we have a good relationship. However, for safety reasons, the community has requirements for visitors, so not everyone can enter the community directly.

“I feel sorry for the altercation between the security guard and the visitor in the video. Two Nigerians did come to my store that day to buy something, and I sold to them.”

Her reaction followed a summons notice and threat of sanctions by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission on Monday after it sealed her store.

The National Treasurer of the NLC, Hakeem Ambali, who disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja,  said the refusal of state governors to pay the current minimum wage was a result of a lack of punitive measures in the Minimum Wage Act of 2019.

He said this as The PUNCH on Sunday learnt that the 37-member committee set up by the Federal Government would meet this week to debate reports submitted by various sub-committees from the six zones of the country.

President Bola Tinubu through his Vice-president, Kashim Shettima, had on January 30,2024 inaugurated the 37-member panel on the new minimum wage.

With its membership cutting across federal, and state governments, the private sector, and organised labour, the panel is to recommend a new national minimum wage for the country.

Proposed sanctions

Ambali said, “When we look at the purchasing power in Nigeria, we can see a huge difference between 2019 and now. With the stoppage of the payment of the fuel subsidy, we can see an increase in the hardship of Nigerians.

“In the new minimum wage bill which will soon be signed into law by the President, we have put in some internal clauses to make it difficult for governors not to pay the new minimum wage. It is also good to know that some of the governors are also involved in the negotiation process.

“Labour itself has to be responsive. Once the National Minimum Wage Bill is signed into law juxtaposed with Labour’s responsiveness, we know they will pay. As you can see,0 even private companies have started increasing the salaries of workers and some of them are even paying wage awards for their workers.

“So in the bill, the clause involves sanctions and also talks about increased allocation to local governments so that nobody will have any excuse of not paying the approved rate.”

Meanwhile, the 37-member Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage appointed by the Federal Government will hold a meeting this week to debate proposals by stakeholders on the new minimum wage.

An executive bill is also expected to be sent to the National Assembly as a form of amendment to the current Minimum Wage Act.

The minimum wage to be unveiled is expected to cushion the effects of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit.

During the public hearings, different zones suggested different amounts for minimum wage. The South-West zone suggested N794,000; the North -East proposed the sum of N560,000 as minimum wage; North- West proposed N485,000; The North-Central proposed N709,000; the South-South demanded N850,000 while the South -East demanded  N540,000.

The membership cut across all the media organisations in the country representing the print, broadcasting and online platforms.

The workshop, in collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), with the theme “Promoting Solutions-oriented & Sustainability Journalism in a Modern Democracy” will start from Friday to Saturday.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris will deliver the keynote address.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, who is the Chief Host, will deliver a speech while the Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake will also deliver a goodwill message at the event.

Other speakers at the event include the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Amb. Ahmed Abubakar, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement Mr Federick Nwabufo, and the Director of UNIC Ronald Kayanja.

The NIA boss would speak on “Understanding the Interrelation between Intelligence Agencies and the Media in Shaping National Development” while the Director of the International Press Centre (IPC) Mr Lanre Arogundade would speak on “Ethical Journalism: An Insight into Deep Fakes and Fact-Checking.”

Prof. Jide Jimoh of the Lagos State University and a member of the editorial board of the Guardian newspaper will speak on “Extending the Boundaries of Newsgathering and Reporting to Advance Sustainable Development in Nigeria.”

The Senior Adviser on Information Integrity, Office of the Under-Secretary-General, UN Global Communications, New York, will speak on “The Quest for Information Integrity in an Era of Polluted Media Ecosystem.”

Kingsley Uranta, the General Manager of Channels Academy, will speak on “Retooling Journalistic Practice in the Quest for Solutions to Emerging National Challenges.”

Chairman of the SHPC Anule Emmanuel said the training would provide members of the elite press corps a unique opportunity to enhance their knowledge, skills and competencies.

In a condolence message to the Kwara State Government, the people of Kwara South Senatorial District, and the Ojoku Community in Oyun Local Government Area, Sen. Sabi Abdullahi said he was saddened by news of the death of an illustrious son Kwara and former colleague with whom he had a healthy and productive working relationship.

He recalled that he and the late Sen. Rafiu Ibrahim were freshmen Senators in the Eighth National Assembly from 2015 to 2019, during which period Sen. Rafiu served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions, and was a member of the Media and Public Affairs Committee under the chairmanship of Sen. Sabi Abdullahi.

The Minister of State described the late Sen. Rafiu as a friend, brother, confidant, and reliable sounding board with whom he shared common views on the welfare of citizens and progress of the nation. The deceased, he said, was an embodiment of passion, selflessness, and hard work. He noted that the late Sen. Rafiu was a truly distinguished gentleman whose persona radiated confidence and a ready willingness to co-operate in achieving the common good.

Sen. Sabi Abdullahi also recalled with fondness that the late Sen. Rafiu joined him in solidarity at the launch of a constituency project in his (Sabi’s) Niger North Senatorial District, and that the late Sen. Rafiu willingly stood in for the Senate President on the occasion, when the Chairman of the National Assembly could not arrive early enough owing to weather constraints.

The Honourable Minister of State prayed Almighty Allah to forgive the shortcomings of the late Sen. Rafiu, and to grant his soul aljannah firdaus. He equally urged members of the family of the deceased to be consoled by the remarkable accomplishments of the late Senator who has passed on at just the age of 57.

In a related development, Sen. Sabi Abdullahi expressed condolences to his erstwhile colleague in the Ninth Senate, Sen. Sadiq Suleiman Umar, who lost his father, Alhaji Suleiman Mora Omar, the Makama of Kaiama Emirate in Kwara State. According to Sen. Sabi Abdullahi, his common Borgu lineage with Sen. Sadiq means that the transition of the Makama is a loss to the larger Borgu Clan.

While praying for the repose of the soul of the late Alhaji Suleiman, the Minister of State noted that the legacies of exemplary service of the late Makama as an administrator and traditional ruler should be sources of comfort to the family.