News
NAPO Raises Alarm Over Job Racketeering In Bonny
The Chairman, National Association of Plant Operators (NAPO), Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, Comrade Harold Benstowe has lamented the spate of indiscriminate employment racketeering in the area.
NAPO, an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Rivers State council, has its membership cut across both oil servicing and construction companies in the country.
Comrade Benstowe made the disclosure during an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, last Wednesday, adding that prospective job seekers in the area were made to pay between N150,000 and N200,000 before they could be offered job placement in Bonny.
He accused the Bonny Traditional Rulers Council of colluding with the Bonny Integrated Recruitment Centre, whose duty, according to him, was to shortlist candidates seeking employment opportunities in the area, to collect the money.
According to him, the Bonny Traditional Rulers Council has reportedly continued to engage in the recruitment matter through the Bonny Integrated Recruitment Centre, adding that instead of allowing the companies themselves to conduct the recruitments, the chiefs council allegedly prefers to sublet the recruitment to labour contractors.
He alleged that the labour contractors, with the aid of the Bonny Recruitment Centre, collect bribe money from the prospective job seekers and allegedly remits certain percentage of the monetary value to the traditional rulers council.
He further alleged that the perpetrators of this act prefer selling the job slots given to them and sit at home to collect percentages of the salary from their clients at the end of the month.
The NAPO chairman described the act as criminal and barbaric, adding that a situation where people are subjected to pay money before they could be offered employment in the area was morally wrong and unacceptable. “People can not be denied employment opportunity to work in Bonny simply because they don’t have money to bargain for the job even when they are qualified for the position,” he added.
Comrade Benstowe recalled that he had made several attempts to stop the collection of money from job seekers in the area but that his effort yielded no positive results due to the interest of a cabal in the business.
He disclosed that on 6th, April, 2013 at the employment interview conducted by the Overseas Technical Services (OTS), a maintenance company with LNG Bonny, he stormed the company and demanded that the interview be suspended because of the alleged bribery involving the short listed candidates.
The NAPO leader said that he did not know that the action he took to halt the proposed interview, especially for the heavy duty operators, did not go down well with the bureau, adding that he was subsequently attacked in the process.
He threatened to stop at nothing in ensuring that the criminal act was stopped in the area, and called on the relevant anti-corruption and other security agencies to investigate the activities of the bureau, so as to give deprived people opportunity to work in the area.
Some of the prospective job seekers, who attended the OTS interview last Saturday and spoke to The Tide on phone confirmed that they paid huge sums of money before their names were short- listed for the interview.
According to them, the money varies from one job slot to the other, adding that their prayers are that the job be given to them at last.
However, when contacted on phone, the chairman, Bonny Integrated Recruitment Centre, Mr Opina Allison and Chief Sodien Jackmay who is in-charge of employment matters at the Bonny Traditional Rulers Council in their separate reactions, denied having knowledge of such allegations and dealings.
News
Mba Seeks Closer Synergy To Check Road Accidents
Worried over the high rate of accidents on Nigerian roads, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands of people, the Governor of Enugu State, Barr Peter Mbah, has called for closer synergy and cooperation among security agencies to check the ugly trend and ensure safety on all the roads within the country.
Governor Mbah, made the call in an address at the Graduation Ceremony of Senior Course 2 of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Command and Staff College, Udi near Enugu.
Represented by the state Commissioner for Information, Chief Aka Eze Aka, governor Mbah noted that closer security and intelligence sharing on incidents on roads within the country by various security formations and agencies both military and para-military would lead to greater security and safety of lives and property on roads.
He stated that the state government had keyed into the FRSC vision of reduction in road crashes and fatalities, adding that it had equipped the state traffic officers with the same set targets.
“As an administration, we are making all efforts to fix and improve on all roads and road infrastructure within the state; while we are calling on the Federal Government to do the same.
“Our partnership with the FRSC for training and retraining of our road traffic officers will continue and be strengthened so that as a state it will also build its own capacity to deal with road traffic issues and challenges,” he said.
Governor Mbah, however, congratulated the graduating participants of the course, while commending the FRSC management for being in the forefront of raising the standard and quality of its staff.
According to him, “my administration will continue to partner with the FRSC and strengthen existing engagements of mutual benefits”.
Earlier, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Dauda Biu, said that the event was significant to the Corps as it marked its commitment to continuously improve its educational and operational standard and capacity.
Biu, represented by the Deputy Corps Marshal (DCM) Bisi Kazeem, who is in-charge of FRSC Training, said that the Corps was building resiliency and increasing its service delivery capacity by equipping its officers with quality and international standard training.
By: Canice Amadi Enugu
News
PDP Opobo/Nkoro Hails Fubara On Peace, Projects
Stakeholders of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Opobo/ Nkoro Local Government Area of Rivers State have commended the state Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara for his disposition that has fostered peace in the State.
Rising from an expanded stakeholders meeting last Saturday in Opobo Town, the body in an eight-point communique signed by its Chairman, Hon. Benneth Daminabo, Chairman of Council, Rt. Hon. Enyiada Cookey-Gam and LG party Chairman, Warisenibo Godwin Pepple commended the governor for linking Opobo/Nkoro LGA to the national grid.
In addition, it lauded the effort of the governor in pursuing the 50.15 kilometre Dual Carriage Ring Road, Elelenwo internal road, Aleto-Ebubu-Eteo Road in Eleme and Andoni Road projects.
Despite the distractions, the stakeholders said they were impressed that the governor had equally done projects in health-the unveiling of Prof. Kelsey Harrison Hospital, Agric projects at Tai and Oyigbo and improving welfare of civil servants.
In their words, “members reaffirmed their unalloyed loyalty and implicit confidence in his administration.”
Condemning the unfriendly and discourteous utterances of Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Tony Okocha in different fora in the State, the forum urged the duo to desist from such action in order not to heat up the polity.
The forum pledged to stand by the governor through, “thick and thin”, the stakeholders acknowledged the contributions of women, who through prayers for the government has impacted positively in the direction and posture of the governor.
Finally, the forum unanimously expressed gratitude to the Simplified Movement and other bodies that have thrown their weight behind the governor to ensure that the administration is stable and successful.
By: Kevin Nengia
News
‘Rivers People Are Now Breathing Fresh Air Under Fubara’
Aformer Caretaker Committee Chairman of Abua/Odual Local Government Council of Rivers State, Hon Elamo Arogu, says under Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the people of the State are now breathing fresh air.
Hon Arogu said Governor Fubara has given Rivers people hope, considering the impactful and people-oriented projects being carried out by his administration.
The former CTC chairman made the assertion during the Simplified Movement’s thanksgiving service and rally held in honour of Rivers State chief executive last Friday in Abua .
Arogu said under Governor Fubara, the Abua/Odual people have the confidence that the dividends of democracy will definitely get to them.
He noted that the Governor has the strong will to change the narrative in Rivers State, being the reason he is receiving massive support across the State.
“The people of Abua/Odual are strongly behind him. Our doors ate open for everyone because there is government in place to attend to the needs of the people. I believe that he will develop Abua/Odual and other Rivers council areas, hence, the massive support. This government is business- oriented and we are ready to encourage him succeed and invest in our land. The issue of a bank; road networks and other necessities of life bordering on development as demanded by the people will be considered by Governor Fubara”, he said.
He called on the opposition to team up with Governor Fubara to build a stronger, united and viable Rivers State.
He maintained that ward nine under his leadership is Simplified.
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