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Senate Appeals To NLC Over lanned Strike
The Senate has called on the Trade Union Congress, (TUC), and Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), to suspend the proposed three- day warning strike billed for next Wednesday to enforce the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage for workers at all levels by states and federal governments.
This came at the heels of a motion sponsored by Senator Ita Enang (PDP, Akwa Ibom) which had also urged the organised labour already engaged in a parley with the House of Representatives to cooperate with the House and find a lasting solution with a view to averting the proposed strike action.
In their resolution, the lawmakers stood down the prayer seeking the House to dialogue with the organised labour on the impending strike on the basis that the House of Representatives which had started discussions with the Labour Unions was capable of achieving a lasting solution to the impasse, if allowed by all the parties involved.
In his contribution on the motion, the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, supporting the motion urged his colleagues in the Senate to allow the House of Representatives to handle the matter on behalf of the National Assembly.
According to him, the House had extensively discussed the issue at its plenary and has already invited the stakeholders for a consultative meeting on the matter. He said it would only be logical for the Senate to support the lower house as it engages labour in finding solution to the matter.
His words “We passed a bill in the Senate here on minimum wage because we are convinced that this is the least the Nigerian worker deserves. The House has set up a similar Committee to discuss the matter with organised labour. I plead with my colleagues to allow the House in view of the fact that the House is dealing with this matter, we should give them full support.”
President of the Senate, David Mark at the end of the debate ruled that the House should be allowed to handle the matter on behalf of the National assembly while urging the labour unions to give the House the opportunity to find a lasting solution to the delay in the implementation of the minimum wage. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other organised labour unions resolved to embark on a three-day warning strike as from Wednesday, July 20, 2011 to press home their demand for the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage at federal, state and local government levels across the country.
Meanwhile, the Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Emodi yesterday assured of enhancing a cordial working relationship between the legislature and the executive.
She stressed that she would improve on the existing cordial relationship between the National Assembly and the Presidency.
In a related development, the National Security Adviser [NSA] to the President, retired General Andrew Azazi said in Abuja yesterday, that the detachments of the Nigerian Army deployed in Maiduguri to quell the Boko Haram insurgency would not be removed because their removal will not be a solution to the terrorism crisis in Borno State,
He was apparently reacting to Tuesday’s call by eminent Borno citizens under the aegis of the Borno Elders Forum for troops to be withdrawn from Maiduguri streets on the grounds that their presence has not improved the security situation. They also accused the soldiers of killing innocent persons in the name of pursuing Boko Haram elements and of harassing city residents, leading to the current mass exodus from Maiduguri.
Azazi said while some residents might not be comfortable with the troops’ presence, their removal from Maiduguri is not a solution to the problem of terrorism in the state or in any part of Nigeria. He said, “The soldiers are barely one month old in Borno.
Soldiers deployed in any part of Nigeria must behave responsibly at all times. Unfortunately, when you are the target of a bomb attack, there is the possibility that you react in a manner not approved by the people. There is need for cooperation from all sides, the military, the people and everybody.”
The NSA also said, “Terrorism is a new phenomenon in Nigeria. It is a new threat and there are new initiatives to deal with the situation. The security issues in the country today are keeping the security agencies on their toes, but they need the cooperation of all Nigerians to put an end to the crises.’’
He said his office was already putting in place new measures to address the security challenges in the country.
“First is public enlightenment to let people know what to do to enhance their own security and safety. We have also created a counter-terrorism department to collate and analyse strategic intelligence on terrorism. Terrorism is a global phenomenon, but our objective in Nigeria is to focus on the country while cooperating with development partners and our neighbours to ensure that we check terrorism.”
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.