Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has urged Nigeria to review its work calendar to reflect the importance of Friday prayers for Muslims, describing the current setup as discriminatory.

In a Facebook video posted on Friday, Omokri argued that before colonialism, Fridays were recognized locally as a rest day for Muslims.

He noted that while Christians enjoy Sunday as a public holiday, Muslims are still expected to work on Fridays, despite its centrality to their religious practice.

As a solution, Omokri proposed an adjustment in working hours. He suggested offices could begin earlier from Monday through Thursday, allowing workplaces to close at midday on Fridays. According to him, this arrangement would make it possible for Muslims to observe Jumu’ah prayers without any drop in national productivity or GDP.

He explained that such a schedule would create a fair balance between Christian and Muslim worship practices within Nigeria’s work structure.

Omokri said:

“I don’t think it is fair for the Muslim Ummah for us to have Friday as a working day in Nigeria. Originally, before colonialism, it was not like that.

“Now we have Sunday as a non-working day and Friday as a working day. I think that we can achieve a compromise. What we can do is that instead of work beginning on Mondays all the way to Friday at 9am or 8am, we can start work at 7:30am on Mondays to Fridays and then on Friday we close at 12 o’clock.

“So the time we are going to lose on Friday we are going to gain it back from Monday to Thursday. So it is not going to affect our productivity as a country and our GDP. And then the Muslim Ummah can close at 12 noon and go for Solat Jumaat. That way, there would be a more equitable balance of our workday lives in Nigeria.”

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) has issued a fresh 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, warning of a possible national industrial action if longstanding issues remain unresolved.

The ultimatum, effective from August 27, 2025, followed the conclusion of the union’s 77th General Executive Council meeting held at Audu Bako College of Agriculture in Danbatta, Kano State.

SSANIP demanded the release of a new Scheme of Service, the setup of a committee to renegotiate the 2010 Agreement, payment of owed arrears, and the disbursement of the 2023, 2024, and 2025 Needs Assessment Funds.

The joint communiqué by the union’s President, Philip Ogunsipe, and National Secretary, Shehu Gaya, accused the government of offering nothing more than “lip service” to previously agreed demands.

The statement read:

“The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP) held its 77th General Executive Council meetings between Tuesday, 26th and Thursday, 28th August, 2025 at Audu Bako College of Agriculture, Danbatta, Kano State, where issues affecting the Union and welfare of its members were extensively discussed.”

“Council also observed that despite several efforts to ensure peaceful resolution of the above-stated demands, the government has only paid lip service to the issues. Based on the above, the Union demands immediate action on the listed issues within twenty-one (21) days beginning from today, 27th August, 2025, or we will be left with no option but to withdraw our services across the Nation.”

A 32-year-old painter, Chigozie Clement, has been arrested by officers of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly abducting his customer’s seven-year-old son in the Ketu Alapere area.

According to a statement issued on Thursday by police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin, the suspect allegedly lured the child away from his home on Monday and later contacted the boy’s mother, demanding N7 million as ransom.

The boy’s father promptly reported the matter at the Alapere Police Division, after which the case was transferred to the command’s Special Squad I for further investigation.

Detectives eventually traced Clement to the Ijegun area, where he was apprehended, and the boy was rescued.

The statement read, “On August 25, 2025, the victim’s father reported at the Alapere Police Division that his son had been taken away from his house without his consent by his painter. Shortly after, the suspect called the victim’s mother, demanding the sum of N7,000,000 as ransom for the child’s release.

Following the report, the case was transferred to the Special Squad I of the Lagos State Police Command for a discreet investigation. On August 27, 2025, operatives traced the suspect to Ijegun, Lagos, where he was arrested, and the seven-year-old victim was rescued unhurt from a locked room where he had been held captive. The victim has since been reunited with his family.”

Hundeyin further disclosed that Clement confessed during questioning, saying he turned to kidnapping because he needed money to take care of his family.

The police added that he would soon be charged in court, while further investigations were ongoing to determine if others were involved.

“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Jimoh, reassures Lagos residents that the command will continue to deploy all available resources to combat crimes,” the statement added.

This is not the first time the command has dealt with such cases. In March, operatives arrested a couple, Emmanuel and Mmesoma Okafor, for allegedly abducting an online vendor in Iyana Ishashi. The vendor, who had gone to deliver a product, reported that she was stripped, assaulted, and photographed nude, after which a ransom of N2 million was demanded.

The suspects were later arrested after she managed to pay N300,000 and alerted the police.