The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has grilled Pauline Tallen, former minister of women affairs, over alleged corrupt enrichment.

Tallen was questioned at the Abuja zonal command for allegedly misappropriating N2 billion.

Although details of the case against the ex-minister are still unclear, a source familiar with the probe said it involves funds from the African First Lady Peace Mission Project (AFLPM).

The initiative, conceived by Maryam Abacha, former first lady, is centred on promoting peace and harmony in Africa.

Newsmen could not immediately reach Wilson Uwujaren, spokesperson of the EFCC, for details of the probe.

Shortly before May 29, the EFCC had said it intends to go after then-outgoing governors and other public officials

On Thursday, the anti-graft agency invited Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Ekiti, over allegations of N4 billion misappropriation.

The probe is said to be connected to the handling of funds during his tenure.

Fayemi however said he was grilled on “a frivolous petition from a faceless group, the so-called Ekiti Patriotic Coalition”, adding that he “stands ready to cooperate fully”.

The Nigeria Labour Congess (NLC) has declared a nationwide strike from next Wednesday.

This comes amid fuel shortages across the country occasioned by President Bola Tinubu’s inaugural speech in which he declared that “fuel subsidy is gone”.

NLC President Joe Ajaero made the announcement after an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja.

He said the government, particularly the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited had up until Wednesday next week to revert to the old price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise referred to as petrol.

Ajaero added that failure of the Federal Government to meet the ultimatum would attract an indefinite protest across the country.

On Monday during his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square in Abuja, Tinubu said the era of subsidy payment on fuel has ended, adding that with the 2023 budget making no provision for fuel subsidy, further payment was no longer justifiable.

“The fuel subsidy is gone,” Tinubu said. His government would instead channel funds into infrastructure and other areas to strengthen the economy, he added.

The presidential pronouncement led to an almost instant resurgence of fuel queues across the country with Nigerians foraging for the premium product.

Though Tinubu’s decision received backing from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and House of Representatives, it has since been resisted by the NLC and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC).

Accoring to the organised labour, the President cannot unilaterally take a decision on subsidy removal.

TUC President, Festus Osifo, also argued that there was a reason the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari pushed the “sensitive issue” to the new government.

On Wednesday, an hours-long meeting between the Federal Government and the NLC on the matter ended without a consensus.

The Federal Government representatives included Dele Alake, the spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu; and the Group CEO of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele; and former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

On the organised labour’s side, the NLC National President, Joe Ajaero; and the President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Festus Osifo, were present.

The NLC demanded that the Federal Government return to status quo by reversing the price of fuel before resuming negotiations with labour.

Ajaero insisted that the Federal Government did not enter into any conversation even on palliative measures for Nigerians, hence the rejection of the latest announcement.

Bode George, the former deputy national chairman (south) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says he is open to working with President Bola Tinubu if he consults him.

According to a report by Leadership, the PDP chieftain said this at his Ikoyi office in Lagos while fielding questions from journalists.

George has been antagonistic towards Tinubu, long before the latter’s bid for the presidency.

On more than five occasions, he had said he would go on exile if Tinubu emerges president of Nigeria.

Only recently, George said he will never congratulate Tinubu for his presidential election victory, noting that he disagrees with Tinubu’s “methodologies of governance”.

But speaking in an interview, George said there is nothing personal behind his opposition to Tinubu’s presidency, saying he’s ready to work with him for the interest of the nation.

“If he comes and says look, what do you feel about this, what do you feel about that, let’s work together in the interest of this country, why would I refuse? This nation also trained me,” he said.

“The military trained me. There is no part of the world that I have not been to, training and doing exercises. This country trained us. So, we must be able to put something back to the system that would also positively impact on the younger ones, to put a smile on their faces.’’

On the protracted crisis in PDP, his political party, George said the disagreements on the principle of zoning during the campaign for the presidency “landed the party in a deck”.

“They divided Nigeria into six geo-political zones and sought out six top positions in Nigeria, to which each zone will go home with one position or the other.

“After eight years, all the positions in the north will come to the south so that the issue of the majority perpetually getting the goodies and the minority just being onlookers will be resolved.

“I have not seen any better system. Remember when APC first came, they said ‘we don’t believe in zoning, what nonsense, we are not going to do zoning,” he said.

“What did they do at the end? Where was Buhari from, where was Osinbajo from? Where was the speaker from? Where was the senate president from?

“That was the major problem the PDP discountenanced and landed us in the deck because the national chairman emerged from the same north where the presidential candidate of the party also came from.

“When we tried to point out to them that the south-west had been left behind and not included in their calculation, they said we should come back after the elections. Then we said okay, we would also see after the elections. Now, we have seen the consequence.’’