News
TUC Threatens Indefinite strike Over OBALGA Crisis …Rejects 12 NIC Judges
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Rivers State chapter has restated its readiness to embark on an indefinite strike action if the ongoing police blockade of the premises of the Obio/Akpor Local Government secretariat and denial of access to perform their duties and earn their salaries at the end of June 2013.
Chairman of the congress, Comrade Chika Onuegbu disclosed this last Friday in a chat with The Tide at the TUC Secretariat in Port Harcourt.
The chairman, who spoke through his Vice chairman, Comrade Clem Onyeso said, despite the moves by some politicians to politicize the union, the TUC would not fold its hands and allow its members die of hunger for over three months without salaries.
He described those accusing the union of receiving financial inducement to embark on strike in the state as greedy politicians who do not have consciences, and want the down fall of their fellow humans in the area.
Comrade Onuegbu explained that the union was not after who became the council chairman or interested in the PDP crisis rocking the state, but the welfare of its members, who now bear the burden of the two PDP faction in the state.
He called for the release of the workers salaries, if not the entire council allocation and noted that 95 per cent of the members were paying their children and wards school fees from the salaries.
Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress has raised an alarm that none of the 12 newly-appointed judges into the National Industrial Court of Nigeria is qualified for the position based on the criteria of the law.
The TUC, in a statement by its President General, Peter Esele, said the judges did not have the minimum 10 years experience required to occupy such position.
It therefore demanded of the Chairman of the National Judicial Council, which recommended the lawyers to President Goodluck Jonathan, for a probe of the circumstances that led to the nomination of the unqualified judges.
The newly appointed judges of the court are: R.B. Haastrup (Chief Registrar of the National Industrial Court), L. Mani (Assistant Chief Registrar, National Industrial Court), W. Abali (Assistant Director, National Law Reform Commission), R.A. Gwandu (Director, Administration Federal Judicial Service Commission), O.Y. Anuwe (Director of Studies, National Judicial Institute), J.D. Peters (Director, National Judicial Institute), O.O. Oyewunmi (Chief Magistrate), E.N.N. Agbakoba (Legal Practitioner), A.K. Ikechukwu, A. Ubaka, P.O. Lifu and E.D.E. Isele.
Esele said in the statement: “to our utter dismay, the 12 new judges are not qualified under Section 2 of the National Industrial Court 2006 which provides for the appointment of legal practitioners of not less than 10 years standing with “considerable knowledge and experience in the law and practice of industrial relations and employment conditions in Nigeria” or a graduate of recognised university of not less than 10 years standing and has ‘considerable knowledge and experience in the law and practice of industrial relations and employment conditions in Nigeria.’
“We have confirmed that none of the newly appointed judges of the National Industrial Court met the requirement of the law and therefore are not qualified to preside over the industrial relations and labour matters. We are therefore compelled, as a major stakeholder in the cases decided by the court to request for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the illegal appointment of the 12 new judges of the National Industrial Court by the President based on the recommendations of the National Judicial Council. More so, that some lawyers who were qualified by law were not shortlisted by the President of the National Industrial Court, Justice Babatunde Adejumo because they are not connected to people in high places.
“We have confidence that the Chairman of the National Judicial Council and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Honourable Justice Maryam Aloma Mukhtar, who has embarked on patriotic reform of the Judiciary, will not allow judges who are not qualified to preside over cases in the National Industrial Court.”
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.