News
NLC Begins Nationwide Sit-At-Home Strike, Today
The Secretary of the Rivers State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Ada Williams has reiterated the resolve of labour to embark on a “Sit-at-Home” strike, beginning from 12 midnight today.
In a telephone interview, Williams told The Tide that, “there was no going back on the strike by workers nationwide.”
The NLC scribe also said that on Tuesday (tomorrow) all workers would converge at the Isaac Boro Park, Port Harcourt for a peaceful procession to Government House, Port Harcourt, as a mark of their displeasure over fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government on January 1.
The NLC, last week, threatened to embark on an indefinite strike along with the Trade Union Congress (TUC), with effort from today, January 9, 2012 to protest the removal of subsidy on petroleum products.
But the Industrial Arbitration Court last midweek described the planned strike action as both illegal and uncalled for. It urged organized labour to return to the negotiating table with the Federal Government to iron out grey areas of the discontent.
On its part the Senate, last Friday called for caution and also advised labour to explore numerous advantages of meaningful dialogue instead of a crippling strike action.
Despite the resolutions of the House of Representatives yesterday on the reversal of the petroleum pump price to N65 and that labour should suspend the nationwide strike scheduled to commence today, the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have vowed they were going to go ahead with the strike action.
NLC and TUC in a joint statement yesterday commended the House of Representatives for its intervention in the face-off with the government, adding that the government should heed the call to slash the fuel price.
The statement was signed by the NLC Acting General Secretary, Owei Lakemfa; and the TUC Secretary General, John Kolawole.
The statement reads in full: The Labour Movement and its allies highly commend the Federal House of Representatives for its patriotic motion demanding that the Jonathan administration immediately suspends the astronomical increasing in the price of PMS (petrol).
This motion if adopted by the Executive will immediately douse the explosive tension in the country and restore it to its pre-January 1, 2012 normalcy.
We commend the House and its exemplary leadership for rising to the demands of the times, and in a bipartisan manner, seeking to steer the country away from a path that may have disastrous consequences.
The House of Representatives displayed exemplary leadership in not just cutting short its break, but also meeting on a Sunday.
If other arms of governance work with the exemplary speed, seriousness, sensitivity and patriotic zeal as the House of Representatives did today; our country would be a far better place to live.
The Labour Movement calls on the Senate to also rise up to the expectations of Nigerians by concurring with the House motion.
We hope and pray that President Goodluck Jonathan will listen to the loud voice of the Nigerian people which this motion has further ventilated by immediately suspending the fuel price hikes and allowing dialogue and consultation on the issue of fuel subsidy removal.
The Labour Movement reiterates that the indefinite strikes, rallies and mass protests will commence across the country today, Monday 9th January 2012. We ask Nigerians to disregard the disinformation by the Jonathan administration and its surrogates claiming that Labour has had a rethink on the strike.
We reiterate that the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental one which no institution or force can abridge.
The Labour Movement commends Nigerians in the diaspora for their support and continued protests.
“We also commend Nigerians in the United States who plan to protest this morning against the fuel price hikes in front of the World Bank headquarters in Washington. The Bretton Wood Institutions which include the IMF and the World Bank will not be allowed to dictate anti-people policies such as fuel subsidy removal to Nigerians,” the statement added.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

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
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

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.
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