Business

Russia’s Putin Orders Investment, Labour Shake-Up

Published

14 years ago

May 8, 2012

Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s government to boost investment and shake up state-run industries in a flurry of decrees issued after he returned to the presidency on Monday.

The initiatives are part of Putin’s call for a “new economy”.

Putin set out his long-term economic and social goals in the orders, issued on the first day of a six-year presidency during which he will face pressure to improve Russia’s business climate, shrink the state’s role and ease reliance on energy exports.

The president ordered the government to take measures to raise capital investment to no less than 25 per cent of GDP in 2015, from the current level of 20 per cent, and to create 25 million high productivity jobs by 2020.

He also called for a 50 per cent increase in labour productivity by 2018 and a 30 per cent increase in the share of high tech products in GDP in order to lessen Russia’s dependency on natural resources.

Putin, who has repeatedly spoken out against corruption and red tape, with little obvious success, during his 12 years in power, also said he wanted Russia to climb from the 120th place it occupies now in the World Bank’s Doing Business index to 50th place in 2015, and 20th place in 2018.

The orders from Putin, who ran Russia as president from 2000 to 2008 and then as prime minister until Monday’s inauguration ceremony, reflected an acknowledgement of the need to attract more investment and diversify the economy.

In his address after taking the oath of office, Putin said that “the lives of future generations, the historic prospects of our state and nation depend on real successes in creating a new economy and modern standards of living”.

After the ceremony, Putin sent a letter to the speaker of the State Duma lower house of parliament, asking legislators to approve the candidacy of former President Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister.

He is expected to be confirmed on Tuesday.

Putin’s decrees formalise ideas and goals he expressed in speeches and articles during the presidential election campaign.

The decrees set tough goals for Medvedev, who is expected to be a much weaker prime minister than his predecessor Putin, with many insiders predicting Medvedev’s time on the job is limited.

Putin and Medvedev are yet to announce their choices for ministerial jobs.

Medvedev would like to squeeze political heavyweights like Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin out of the government and bring in his loyalists.

In line with the law, the government resigned on Monday, with Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov becoming an acting prime minister until Medvedev’s appointment.

Medvedev will have two weeks to form the new cabinet.

In the decrees, Putin said he wanted the government to sell its stakes in firms which do not belong to natural resources or defence sectors and are not natural monopolies.

That would require a change to the state’s privatisation programme which he wanted in place by Nov. 1, he added.

During Medvedev’s presidency Russia drafted an ambitious 32 billion dollars privatisation plan but little progress has been made while the role of the state in the economy has continued to grow.

Putin also wanted to limit acquisitions by state-controlled companies, which should also come up with schedules for non-core asset sales by Dec. 1.

The decree asked the government to analyse the efficiency of three “state corporations” whose activity is regulated by special laws and which receive capital injections from the budget.

Putin also asked the government to present proposals by June 1, 2012 on the reform of the government procurement system with obligatory public hearings on all state orders exceeding one billion roubles ($33.63 million).

Putin called for an increase in real wages by 40 to 50 per cent by 2018 and said average mortgage rate should not exceed inflation by more than 2.2 percentage points.

Business

Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members In Brass Water

Published

3 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways

The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and members of his church were in a programme.

?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet to be recovered

as search party are still ongoing.

Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report, our Correspondent gathered that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.

The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit

The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s on the sad accident

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Business

Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

Published

3 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Council of Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.

Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.

Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.

He noted that the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.

According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.

He also informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.

“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.

Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.

The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.

He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.

The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.

He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.

Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

1 week ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.

Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.

“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.

The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.

According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.

Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.

He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.

“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.

“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.

“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.

She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.

Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).

“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.

“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.