Business
TUC Urges FG On State Of Economy
goc, 7th Division of the Nigerian Army Maiduguri, Brig.-Gen. Victor Ezugwu (right) presenting cash to a beneficiary of soft loans to unemployed youths and women groups under the Chief of Army Staff Empowerment Initiatives to barracks community in Maiduguri on Sunday.
The Trade Union Con
gress of Nigeria (TUC) has called on the Federal Government to take urgent steps to restore the nation’s economy.
This is contained in a statement signed by the TUC President, Mr Bobboi Kaigama in Abuja, Wednesday.
The congress decried the “unpleasant situation’’ in the country which it said had “obviously stifled the economy and claimed thousands of jobs due to closure of companies’’.
“Aside fuel scarcity , the dearth of US dollars has made it impossible for firms to repay foreign loans and import needed materials for production of which the consequence is mass sack of workers.
“Our role as a labour centre is multifaceted. We are saddled with the responsibility of functioning as change agents and watchdogs of both government and private businesses, with the issue of workers welfare as priority.
“But, of late our desk has been inundated with industrial issues, ranging from redundancy complaints to anti-labour practices, casualisation of workers to outright termination of employment,” it said.
It stated that all the issues were caused by the unfriendly business environment, adding that the food and beverage sector alone had in the last few months, lost over 500 employees.
It also said that the Naira currently exchanged for N197 to a dollar at the official window and N320 at the parallel market.
It said that firms that borrowed dollar-denominated loans were facing the risk of foreclosure on assets.
The union also demanded that the power distribution companies should stop sending “estimated” bills to Nigerians.
“They are defrauding consumers while the government consistently looks the other way; how else do we explain the fact that Nigerians are paying for services not rendered?
“We recall that the Minister of Power, Babatunde Fashola, prior to the 2015 elections said any government that cannot fix power in six months is irresponsible.
It also said that it was worrisome to labour that the lingering fuel scarcity appeared to defy all solutions in a country that was the sixth largest oil producer in the world.
It said that Nigeria had become a laughing stock amongst the comity of nations, adding that man-hours lost in traffic jams due to long fuel queues had become unimaginable.
“As it stands now virtually all sectors of the economy are groaning in serious and unbearable pain.
“We are adverse to people blaming any particular political party for the ordeals of the country.
“The people voted for the present federal administration because they desire change. We need to see that change now,” it insisted.
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has criticised Nigeria’s import ban on 25 categories of goods, claiming that the restrictions limit market access for American exporters.
This is the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs introduction on goods entering the United States, with Nigeria facing a 14 per cent duty.
The USTR highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s import ban on various sectors, particularly agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
The restrictions affect items such as beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and alcoholic beverages, which the United States sees as significant barriers to trade.
The agency argues that these limitations reduce export opportunities for United States businesses and lead to lost revenue.
“Nigeria’s import ban on 25 different product categories impacts United States exporters, particularly in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
“Restrictions on items like beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and spirits limit United States market access and reduce export opportunities.
“These policies create significant trade barriers that lead to lost revenue for United States businesses looking to expand in the Nigerian market”, the agency said .
In 2016, Nigeria implemented the ban on these 25 items as part of efforts to control imports and stimulate local production.
Some of the banned items include poultry, pork, refined vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa products, spaghetti, beer, and certain medicines.
On March 26, 2025, the Federal Government also announced plans to halt solar panel imports to encourage local manufacturing as part of its push for clean energy.
A leading agribusiness strategist and digital agriculture expert, Ayo Oluwa Okediji, has sought cooperative-driven investments in sustaining growth of poultry industry in Nigeria.
He said the poultry industry was at a defining moment and requires urgent structural reforms to secure its future and ensure long-term sustainability.
Speaking on the theme, “Strengthening Poultry Farming Through Cooperative Synergy and Strategic Investments”, at the recently concluded Oyo Mega Poultry Workshop 2025 in Ibadan, Okediji called on poultry farmers, cooperative leaders, financial institutions and policy makers to rethink the existing structure of the poultry sector.
He stressed the need to transition from fragmented, individually-driven operations to well-structured, cooperative-led enterprises capable of attracting sustainable financing and securing long-term viability.
He said, “Our poultry sector cannot thrive on individual effort alone. We need to organise ourselves into cooperative clusters, build strong governance systems and position ourselves to attract the level of investment needed to sustain this industry beyond this generation.”
Drawing on lessons from successful global cooperative models such as Rabobank in the Netherlands and Landus Cooperative in the United States, Okediji introduced the FarmClusters Poultry Model, a locally adapted solution developed by Agribusiness Dynamics Technology Limited (AgDyna), a subsidiary of AgroInfoTech Africa.
According to him, the model is currently being piloted in Oyo State in partnership with PANOY Agribusiness Limited and local poultry cooperatives.
The Rivers State Representative of the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Erasmus Chukwundah, has urged palm oil farmers to consider hybrid seedlings for planting, if they must break even in palm oil business.
Chukwundah said this recently at the Free Oil Palm Business Climate Smart Best Management Practice/Assistance Training organized by Partnership Initiative In Niger Delta (PIND) for Palm Oil Farmers in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The Rivers representative said until palm oil farmers begin to consider such hybrid oil palm seedlings, they may not meet up with the daily increasing demand of palm oil in the market.
According to him, the seedlings produce up to 30 bunches at once that ripen same time.
He said PIND decided to partner with Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) to ensure that the message was received by the targeted audience.
According to him, palm oil remained a popular choice of industry operators as it could be converted to many other products such as vegetable cooking oil.
He also noted that products such as motor tyers, marine ropes and others are now gotten from the palm tree.
Chukwundah, who is the immediate past Director-General of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), further warned against use of unrecommended fertilisers in growing oil palms.
He noted that such practices could limit its export value or chances as the foreign marketers have a way of detecting such .
He reiterated the need for organic fertilizers, including poultry droppings, to enable them have a natural palm oil.
“People must reduce physical contact with palm oil production. That is why we are campaigning for hydrolic oil mills. The foreign markets are no longer interested in crude method of palm oil production”, he said.
Meanwhile, one of the farmers, Sonny Didia, who appreciated Chukwundah’s commitment towards the concern of farmers, appealed for an urgent need for loan opportunity with low interest rate in order to enable them beat the target.
King Onunwor