Business

Dominic Raab ‘Open-Minded’ About Allowing Asylum Seekers To Work In UK

Dominic Raab ‘open-minded’ about allowing asylum seekers to work in UK

Justice secretary says move could help people waiting for claims to be processed to make a contribution

Dominic Raab, the new justice secretary, has said he would be “open-minded” about allowing asylum seekers to work to help tackle the UK’s labour shortage.

In what would be a major departure for the government, the former foreign secretary said such a move would allow people waiting for their claims to be processed to integrate and make a positive contribution to the UK.

His comments, in an interview with the Spectator, have been welcomed by campaigners who have demanded for a change to current policies which leave many claimants destitute. Most asylum seekers are not allowed to work while their case is considered and instead rely on the government for their housing and essential living needs.

As a child of a refugee – his Jewish father fled from Czechoslovakia as a child – Raab was asked whether he would support allowing asylum seekers to work while their claims are being processed. “I would be open-minded about it,” he reportedly told the magazine.

“What you want to try to do is turn this debate around, because the big challenge with migration over the last 20, 30 years – which probably wasn’t true when my father came here – is this sense that we just don’t integrate people well enough. If they learn the language and they can work, they integrate much better and they make a positive contribution,” he said.

In Thursday’s interview, Raab also advocated encouraging more employers to give prisoners paid work.

“We’ve been getting prisoners and offenders to do volunteering and unpaid work. Why not – if there are shortages – encourage them to do paid work where there’s a benefit for the economy, benefit for society?” he said.

As a general rule, asylum seekers can only apply for work in the UK if their claim takes more than a year for an initial decision and if any delay to their claim was the fault of the government. If they are granted the right to work, they can only work in certain professions which are experiencing labour shortages.

Reports have claimed that the Home Office has been reviewing the right of asylum seekers to work since 2018.

But a senior Home Office official earlier this month denied that there was any such review.

Asked by a member of the home affairs select committee if a review was under way, the second permanent secretary Tricia Hayes said: “We do not have any plans to revise those parameters at this time.

“We support people, but we are not looking to change the terms and conditions at this time.”

Critics of any change to the rules have raised concerns that more favourable rights may act as a ‘pull-factor’ to the UK.

In December 2018, the then home secretary Sajid Javid told parliament that he would like to review the ban. Asked about asylum seekers’ right to work in July 2019, prime minister Boris Johnson said the Home Office is currently “reviewing that matter” and that his government “will announce it soon.”

Last week, the recently sacked justice secretary Robert Buckland called for the government to allow those seeking asylum to be allowed to work.

“I was interested to read the leading article of last week’s Spectator suggesting that asylum seekers should be allowed to work as they wait for their claims to be processed.

“This already happens in Denmark. That system, I’d say, is well worth a look,” he wrote in the magazine.

Business

Nigeria begins sales of Crude Oil in Naira

Nigeria has officially commenced the sale of crude oil and refined petroleum products in Naira.

This milestone, announced by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, marks a new chapter in the nation’s economic strategy.

Effective from October 1, 2024, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) directive to trade crude oil and petroleum products in Naira was implemented following a key meeting of the Implementation Committee.

The meeting included prominent stakeholders, such as the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), the Special Advisers to the President on Revenue and Energy, executives from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), and top representatives of the Dangote Group. The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC and its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) were also in attendance, underscoring the initiative’s national significance.

The strategic policy, championed by the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration, is expected to reshape Nigeria’s economy.

By denominating oil sales in Naira, the country aims to bolster economic growth, enhance stability, and promote self-sufficiency.

The move is seen as a crucial step toward reducing dependency on foreign currencies, positioning Nigeria for long-term success amidst the ever-changing dynamics of global markets.

Business

Electricity Tariff hike: Nigeria’s discos collect N887bn as revenue

Revenue of electricity distribution companies in Nigeria increased to N887.86 billion in the first seven months of 2024 amid an electricity tariff hike.

This is according to the analysis of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission data on Discos’ commercial performance for the seven months of 2024.

The data showed that out of N1.14 trillion electricity bill issued by Discos to customers, the companies recorded 79.7 percent collection efficiency which stood at N887.86bn in the period under review.

A breakdown of the bill collection by Discos from January to July 2024 includes N95bn, N97bn, N100.44bn, N142.92bn, N191.65bn, N150.86bn and N162.14bn which amounted to N887.86 billion.

Further analysis showed that during the corresponding period in 2023, the companies issued bills totaling N797.18 billion, while they managed to collect N604.15 billion.

This surge in revenue collection is not unconnected to the hike in electricity tariff in April from N66 per kilowatt-hour to N225.

Recall that amid the call for the electricity tariff hike reversal, it was reviewed downward to 206.68 per kilowatt-hour, but was reviewed upward to N209 per kilowatt-hour thereafter.

Though the electricity tariff hike was introduced for customers getting at least 20 hours of power supply, Nigerians have lamented the burden occasioned by the tariff.

The energy cost pain has been exacerbated as Discos migrate more consumers to Band A feeders.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, however, insisted that Nigeria’s electricity tariff is among the cheapest within African countries.

Business

FG unveils seven CNG conversion centres in Ekiti

The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGi) has unveiled seven centres where commercial transporters can convert their petrol to CNG-powered vehicles in Ekiti.

The Program Director of P-CNGi, Michael Oluwagbemi who spoke during the official unveiling of the centres and handing over of 15 CNG-powered buses to government in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital at the weekend, urged commercial transporters in the state to visit the centers to convert their vehicle free of charge.

He explained that the CNG initiative is cheaper, more convenient, and safer compared to petrol, noting that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is determined to energize the economy through the initiative which he said would create jobs and enhance sustainable development.

Oluwagbemi disclosed that the administration is targeting one million vehicle conversions to CNG by 2027, saying that no fewer than 125 centres have been opened across the country.

He listed the new centres in Ekiti state to include, Femoyo centres, Beijing Universal Limited, ABJ oil and gas, Bovas Company, and NADDC training center in the state capital.

The program director said that the 15 buses donated would be deployed for inter and intra-state transportation towards achieving about 40 percent reduction in the transportation cost and ultimately reduced hike in food items.

According to him, ” the government of President Bola Tinubu through the presidential CNG initiative is committed to ensuring they(transporters) use this for their vehicles because it is cheaper, cleaner and more importantly it is safer and more reliable.

” This is a compressed natural gas, it is not the same you use in your kitchen to cook. It is lighter and stored in a bulletproof container. It is also the fact it is produced in Nigeria and what the president said is that instead of us to continue to import poverty and export jobs. He said will need to look inward and use what God has given us.

” It is about job creation, it is about reducing the cost of transportation and ensuring economic development by moving away from subsidy payment where we were making the few richer.

” This is a more sensible and reliable path for Nigeria in terms of our energy sector, and that is what the president is doing with this initiative.”

Speaking, the state governor, Biodun Oyebanji commended the federal government for the initiative, adding that the state would support the programme towards ensuring that more vehicle owners embrace the CNG conversion.

The governor who was represented by the commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Professor Mobolaji Aluko explained that the CNG conversion initiative would help in generating employment opportunities and economic development in line with his shared prosperity agenda for the state.

The state chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers(NURTW) Joseph Falope and his counterpart in Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria(RTEAN) Sunday Adeola, expressed delight over the initiative, assuring the government that members of their respective unions would take their vehicles for conversion to CNG.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Joseph Osanipin said the council has trained no fewer than 45 technicians across the state on how to convert petrol vehicles to CNG-powered vehicles.