Politics
Assembly Invites TUC, NLC, Others Over Employment
Notwithstanding the Rivers State Golden Jubilee celebrations that have ostensibly taken its toll on the activities of the State House of Assembly, the House engaged itself in various events last week.
Last Wednesday, the House, at its only plenary in the week, summoned Halliburton Energy Services over discrimination against Rivers indigenes working in the company.
The resolution of the House followed a motion by the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Martin Amaewhule and the lawmaker representing Obio/Akpor Constituency II, Hon. Michael Chinda.
The House later invited the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the State Attorney General.
Announcing the resolution of the House, the Assembly speaker, Rt Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani said the House decided to invite the unions and the Attorney General for a holistic and broader investigation into the working conditions of staff in the employ of companies operating in the State.
Presenting the motion, Hon. Amaewhule sought the condemnation of the systematic discrimination against Rivers indigenes in the company. He also wants the Assembly to invite the management of the company on the vexed issue of constitutional breach and discrimination against Rivers indigenes working in the company.
Also at the plenary session, the member representing Port Harcourt Constituency I, Hon.Smart Adoki presented a petition from the Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) host communities in the constituency, urging the Assembly to stop the Company from operating in their areas, if the company refuses to employ indigenes of the State.
The lawmaker representing Ahaoda West Constituency, Hon. Okpokiri Nwanaka Okpokiri also presented a petition seeking the intervention of the Assembly in the face-off between the company and the host communities in the area.
According to him, NAOC has, over the years, neglected all the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) between the communities and the company.
The Speaker of the House, Rt Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani after consultation committed the two petitions to the House Committees on Energy and Employment, and directed that their reports be submitted at the next sitting.
The House resolved to embark on oversight visits to project sites to appraise Governor Nyesom Wike’s performance so far.
The resolution followed the motion sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Rt Hon. Marshal Umom and 30 other members of the House.
Last Tuesday, the chairman, House Committee on Environment, Hon. Christian Ahiakwo led members of the committee on a visit to the office of the secretary to the State Government (SSG) to officially inform the State Government on the Environmental Summit slated for June, 2017.
The SSG represented by the Permanent Secretary in the office, Dr George Nwaeke, pledged government’s full support to the summit.
Same Tuesday, the majority leader of the House played host to the Nigerian Institute of Building, Rivers State Chapter.
The Majority Leader, Hon. Martin Amaewhule called for the introduction of building technology to the tertiary institution’s curriculum.
He said its introduction would reduce to the barest minimum, unemployment and youth restiveness in the country.
The chairman of the institute, Moses Ugheoke had decried the absence of the course in the tertiary institutions.
Enoch Epelle
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.”
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