Politics
Minimum Wage: Committee Wants Periodic Review
The House of Representatives Committee on Labour and the
leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have advocated periodic review
of the National Minimum Wage Act to allow for increase in wages.
This is contained in a communiqué issued on Thursday in Uyo
at the end of a two-day retreat, organised for the leadership of the NLC and
the House of Representatives Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity.
The Tide’s source reports that the retreat had the theme:
“Improving Legislative Engagements between the Nigeria Labour Congress and the
National Assembly.”
The communique was jointly signed by the House Committee
Chairman on Labour, Mr Essien Ayi and the deputy president of the NLC.
It recommended that minimum wage and labour issues should be
allowed to remain under the exclusive legislative list.
The communiqué also recommended that the Pension Act should
be made dynamic to ensure inclusion of periodic upward reviews just as the
minimum wage.
The retreat called on the Federal Government to implement a
comprehensive social protection policy for its citizens as a mark of good
governance in addition to tackling inequality and insecurity in the country.
The communiqué urged the National Assembly to review laws on
Occupational Safety and Health to make them conform with the conventions of the
International Labour Organisation (ILO).
It further called on government to accelerate the process of
domesticating ILO Conventions on best practices in labour and employment
relations in Nigeria.
The retreat frowned at the prevalence of casual and contract
labour in Nigeria, urging the National Assembly and labour to enforce the
implementation of the Labour Act on decent and secured jobs.
The communiqué recommended a review of the bill on HIV/AIDS
and demanded that no provision should subject employees to test as requirement
for employment.
The meeting urged the House Committee on Labour to get the
leadership of the House of Representatives to organise a national retreat on
constitutional review for labour unions and civil society organisations.
It called for the inclusion of the Nigerian parliament and
labour in the recently established Nigeria-German Bi-national Commission to
strengthen democratic and development process in both countries.
The retreat, which was facilitated by a German-based
organisation, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, had in attendance a member of the
German National Assembly, Mr Klaus Brandner.
Politics
Alia Denies Calling For Ganduje’s Resignation
Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, has denied calling for the resignation of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje.
This was contained in a press statement issued on Wednesday in Makurdi by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Tersoo Kula.
The Tide source reports that the CPS was reacting to some media reports that the governor had called for the resignation of the APC national chairman.
Kula said the governor at no time called for the resignation of the APC national chairman.
He said the governor enjoyed a good relationship with the Ganduje-led leadership of the APC.
“It is imperative to clarify that at no point did Governor Alia assembled, attended and sent a representative or participated in any meeting to discuss the removal or call for resignation of Alhaji. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
“The Benue State governor remains firm in his support and allegiance to the leadership of the National Working Committee of the APC, under the leadership of Alhaji Ganduje.
“Furthermore, at no point, whether publicly or privately, has the governor advocated or expressed any desire for the resignation of the national party chairman”, he said.
He said the governor was focused on positively changing the fortunes of the state.
“He is alive to his responsibilities as the leader of APC in Benue State and is doing everything legitimate to reposition the party for future victories,” Kula said.
Politics
LP Re-Elects Abure As National Chairman
The embattled national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Julius Abure, has been re-elected for a second term by a unanimous affirmation of delegates despite the protests by the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The Chairman of the National Convention and Deputy Governor of Abia State, Mr. Ikechukwu Emetu declared him the winner during the party’s national convention that held in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Wednesday.
Other serving officers of the party were also returned unopposed.
Recall that the NLC had called for Abure’s resignation as party chairman and the immediate constitution of a caretaker transition committee to organize an all-inclusive national convention for the party.
Meanwhile, a factional chairman of the Labour Party in Anambra State, Mr Peter Okoye has boasted that the Nnewi national convention will not stand.
Describing the convention as a sham, Okoye said: “This is not a convention. We are on top of the matter. It’s purely illegal.
“There was no ward congress, no local government congress, no state congress, and now who and who are the elected delegates that are electing the National Working Committee, NWC, members?
“The NLC was not there, TUC was not there, the owners of the party and members of the NEC and BOT members were not there too. So, who is holding the convention?”
Politics
Suswam Blames External Forces For Problems In PDP
Former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is being undermined by external forces which have rendered the party ineffective as a viable opposition.
Senator Suswam stated this during a live television interview on Wednesday.
He lamented that the party had since after the 2023 general elections failed to live up to expectations of Nigerians as a viable opposition.
Senator Suswam, who blamed the current PDP leadership for the ineffective state of the largest opposition party in the country, said unless there is an overhaul of its leadership, the party would “go nowhere” because the current leadership has lost focus.
He said, “I think there are subterranean forces inferring in the party and they are determining what is going on in the party. And the leadership is acquiescing to it.
“Subterranean suggests that people are trying to control the party from the outside. They are controlling the party from the outside and they are keeping the party in a comatose state.”
The Benue senator accused the party of refusing to call a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to help resolve some of the issues arising in the party.
He regretted the inability of the party to resolve the fallout of the 2022 presidential primary election which saw a group of five governors work against the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election.
He added that the inability of the Iliya Damagum-led leadership to discipline erring party members worsened the situation.
Senator Suswam said it was wrong for the party not to have sanctioned the G-5 governors and their allies who openly declared that they would remain in the party and work against its interest.
“They were not sanctioned which made others become emboldened to act anyway they wanted. PDP has been weakened since then,” he said.
He said no serious organisation does that, stressing that, “A serious organisation would apply sanctions” based on the laid down rules as contained in its constitution.
He further accused the acting national chairman of the party, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, of occupying the position which belongs to the North-Central zone, following the removal of the substantive chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, who hails from the zone.
Amb. Damagum, who was the Deputy National Chairman (North), hails from the North-East zone but was, as permitted by the party’s constitution, made acting chairman after Ayu’s removal by a court order.
The party’s law provides that the deputy chairman from the same region as the chairman takes over in the event of the latter’s removal from office.
Senator Suswam further lamented that “PDP is comatose now, and nothing can happen now,” adding that it was regrettable that politicians are now preferring to hold talks with smaller parties and not the PDP.
Noting that the PDP was at the precipice, Senator Suswam said, “Until we provide that leadership, PDP will not be a viable platform. We need to overhaul the leadership of the party. There is no pretence about it, everybody in PDP knows it. Without discipline and reconciliation, the party goes nowhere.”
-
Sports2 days ago
African Games: Nigerian Women Athletes Make Country Proud Again
-
Nation16 hours ago
Bauchi Rewards Community With 200 Bags Of Rice For Preventing Looting
-
News11 hours ago
Ex-NBA Publicity Secretary Appears In Court For Allegedly Stealing Stabiliser
-
Entertainment10 hours ago
BBNaija Season Nine: ‘Dynamic Duos’ Auditions Begin
-
Maritime4 days ago
NPA To Generate N629bn Revenue In 2024 -MD
-
News4 days ago
Osun Govt Sets Up Committee To Tackle Fake News, Cyber Bullying
-
Rivers3 days ago
Andoni Stakeholders Endorse Fubara’s Administration
-
Sports2 days ago
Man Utd To Be Barred From European Competition?