Business
President Trump orders firing of Labor statistics chef over unemployment in US
US President Donald Trump has ordered the firing of the country’s commissioner of labor statistics, Erika McEntarfer, after the Labor Department reported weak hiring last month and revisions showed a quarter-million fewer hirings in the prior two months.
Trump said he ordered the immediate firing of Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, asserting the July report misrepresents what he claims is a “booming” economy powered by his policies.
The US added 73,000 nonfarm jobs in July, the Labor Department reported early Friday, down by about a third from economists’ expectations. More importantly, gains for the prior two months were revised lower by a combined 258,000 jobs.
Revisions to the employment report are routine, but the BLS said the revisions for May and June were “larger than normal.”
McEntarfer, a labor economist, was nominated by former President Joe Biden in July 2023 and confirmed by the Senate as commissioner of labor statistics in January 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. She previously served as a senior economist on the White House Council of Economic Advisors, where she advised on the recovery from Covid-19.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Trump appointee, said on her social media site that she supported the “President’s decision to replace Biden’s Commissioner.” She said during the search for a replacement, Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski will serve as acting commissioner.
“Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate; they can’t be manipulated for political purposes,” Trump said, without providing evidence the data was manipulated. “McEntarfer said there were only 73,000 Jobs added (a shock!) but, more importantly, that a major mistake was made by them, 258,000 Jobs downward, in the prior two months.”
Trump added: “The Economy is BOOMING under “TRUMP” despite a Fed that also plays games, this time with Interest Rates, where they lowered them twice, and substantially, just before the Presidential Election,” late last year, Trump said, renewing his attacks on Fed chair Jerome Powell, who has repeatedly ignored Trump’s calls for him to lower rates. The Fed this week held its target rate unchanged for a fifth time this year, saying it needed to assess the impacts of tariffs and other Trump policies.
“Too Late” Powell should also be put “out to pasture,” Trump said.
Powell’s term in office expires in May next year and he can only be fired from the independent body for cause.
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Major filling stations across Nigeria have increased the pump price of premium motor spirit, popularly called petrol.
It was reports that this is coming after the upwards adjustment of ex-depot prices by Dangote Refinery and depot owners.
It was gathered that Empire Energy and Ranoil filling stations in Abuja increased their pump price to ₦935 and ₦970 per litre, respectively, as of Saturday morning from ₦905 and ₦900 on Friday night.
Speaking to Daily Post, spokesman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike said the latest petrol price hike was due to an ex-depot price increase by Dangote Refinery and depot owners in Nigeria.
Ukadike said: “The supplying depots and Dangote Refinery have increased their ex-depot petrol prices.
“As of Friday pricing, Dangote Refinery’s ex-depot price is ₦858 per litre, up from ₦820. Depot owners also increased prices like NIPCO (₦870), Aiteo (₦855) and Ranoil (₦855).”
According to him, the increase in ex-depot price is due to the exchange rate and the price of crude oil in the global oil market.
Meanwhile, Nigerian National Petroleum Company and MRS, Optima, and AP Ardova filling stations still dispense petrol at ₦890 and ₦885 per litre, respectively, in Abuja as of the time of filing this report.
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According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), there was an increase in the average prices of cooking gas and kerosene across Nigeria in June 2025.
It was reports that the NBS revealed this in its “Cooking Gas Price Watch” report for June 2025, released on Thursday in Abuja.
The report disclosed that the average price of 5kg of cooking gas rose by 1.92 per cent to ₦8,323.95, up from ₦8,167.43 in May.
On a year-on-year basis, this marks a 19.49 per cent increase from ₦6,966.03 in June 2024.
Delta State recorded the highest average price at ₦9,243.38, while Oyo had the lowest at ₦7,100.00.
“Regionally, the South-South zone had the highest average price at ₦8,871.63, and the South-West the lowest at ₦7,960.42,” the report revealed.
Similarly, the average price of 12.5 kg of cooking gas increased by 1.46 per cent to ₦21,010.56 in June, compared to ₦20,709.11 in May.
This represents a 33.52 per cent year-on-year rise from ₦15,736.27 in June 2024.
Delta, Cross River, and Rivers recorded the highest prices, while Yobe, Niger, and Jigawa recorded the lowest.
Kerosene Price Watch
In its Kerosene Price Watch for June 2025, the NBS said the average price per litre of kerosene rose to ₦2,192.63, a 0.80 per cent increase from ₦2,175.29 in May.
“Year-on-year, the price increased by 41.00 per cent from ₦1,555.11 in June 2024. Kaduna recorded the highest average at ₦2,681.58, while Abia had the lowest at ₦1,659.35.
“The average price per gallon of kerosene climbed by 2.38 per cent to ₦8,684.15 in June, from ₦8,482.22 in May, and by 52.39 per cent compared to ₦5,698.68 in June 2024,” the NBS stated.
The report said Edo recorded the highest price per gallon at ₦10,321.63, while Abia had the lowest at ₦6,737.40.
“Zone-wide, the South-South consistently reported the highest average prices across all petroleum products, while the South-West recorded the lowest,” the NBS said.
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Nigerians continue to grapple with high food prices as staple items such as rice, beans, spaghetti, onions, oil, and tomatoes remain expensive in local markets.
Recent market checks by Naija News reveal that despite ongoing harvest seasons, prices have yet to experience significant relief for consumers.
Rice Hits ₦64,000 Per Bag
A 50kg bag of rice now sells for ₦64,000, marking one of the highest costs for the staple food in recent months. This surge is attributed to factors including high transportation costs, import levies, and currency depreciation, which continue to affect supply chains.
Beans At ₦4,800 Per Bowl
Protein-rich beans also remain costly, with a bowl now selling for ₦4,800. Traders note that, despite improved harvests in some northern states, insecurity in farming regions and high logistics costs are keeping prices elevated.
Spaghetti And Other Essentials
The price of Golden Penny Spaghetti has risen sharply, with a carton now going for ₦19,000. Similarly, a bowl of onions sells for ₦4,000, while 1 litre of groundnut oil costs ₦3,700, reflecting continued pressure on edible oil markets due to high processing and import costs.
Vegetable Prices: Tomatoes And Pepper
Tomato prices have seen only minimal relief. A small basket currently sells for ₦3,500, while pepper prices remain steep at ₦9,000, creating further challenges for households that rely on these essentials for daily cooking.
Garri, a staple cassava-based food consumed nationwide, is also affected. A paint bucket currently sells for ₦1,600, a price point many traders attribute to increased production and processing costs.
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