Business
Ex-Rivers NUJ Boss, NAWOJ Task Wike On Salary
L-R: Managing Director, Ashaka Cement Plc, Mr Leonard Palka, Chairman, Mallam Suleiman Yahyah and the Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, Mr Bello Abdullahi, at the 40th Annual General Meeting of Ashaka Cement Plc in Abuja, recently.
The erstwhile Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Rivers State Council, Mr. Opaka Dokubo, has said that the payment of two months workers’ salaries owed by the past administration in the state is a test of how workers will fare under the new leadership of Governor Nyesom Wike.
Dokubo, who made this known in an exclusive interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt yesterday said the non-payment of workers’ salaries has exposed workers to untold hardship which has also affected other sectors that depend on state workers’ salaries for survival.
The NUJ boss who is also a civil servant noted that workers salaries should be treated as a priority by government, adding that “people need to live before enjoying any other facility that government can provide”.
He said that most workers cannot pay their children’s school fees, use their cars, pay their house rents, among other things, stating that “this is not a pleasant situation at all.
“Some have borrowed money and are now left at the mercy of money lenders who keep compounding the interest of the borrowed money.
Pensioners are worse off because they depend mainly on their pensions to take care of themselves.
In her own contribution, the Chairman of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) Rivers State Chapter Mrs Lilian Okonkwo appealed to Governor Nyesom Wike to treat the issue of salary payment urgently, adding that even though there are issues, workers salaries should occupy the first place.
She noted the need for the governor to handle this case with the same urgency he used in clearing the heaps of waste that littered Port Harcourt streets on assumption of office.
The NAWOJ Chair said that the salary problem has affected the association seriously as most of the members are civil servants, adding that “it is difficult to access fund anywhere because members can no longer pay their dues and contributions”.
If this setback continues, workers would start looking for alternative businesses to generate fund. This will bring laxity which will definitely reduce productivity”.
According to her, “clearing the salary arrears would be a plus to this administration that has promised to be workers friendly”.
Business
NAFDAC Decries Circulation Of Prohibited Food Items In markets …….Orders Vendors’ Immediate Cessation Of Dealings With Products
Importers, market traders, and supermarket operators have therefore, been directed to immediately cease all dealings in these items and to notify their supply chain partners to halt transactions involving prohibited products.
The agency emphasized that failure to comply will attract strict enforcement measures, including seizure and destruction of goods, suspension or revocation of operational licences, and prosecution under relevant laws.
The statement said “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing incidence of smuggling, sale, and distribution of regulated food products such as pasta, noodles, sugar, and tomato paste currently found in markets across the country.
“These products are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are not permitted for importation”.
NAFDAC also called on other government bodies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS) Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), to collaborate in enforcing the ban on these unsafe products.
