City Crime
Ortom Blasts APC Guber Candidate Over Allegations
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State is to commence legal action against the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Rev. Fr Hyacinth Alia, and his campaign team over a recent damning statement against his person and office.
The APC governorship candidate in a statement by his Head of Communication, Alia ‘23, Mr Kula Tersoo, had accused Governor Ortom, of allegedly fleecing the state.
According to the statement, “Governor Ortom and his gang led by Speaker Titus Uba should be ready to tell the people of the state why as the Chief Executive of the state, he roguishly padded the wage bill of the state from N2.7billion to N7.8billion.
“Ortom should be ready to convince the Benue people on why he usually send thugs after the Senior Citizens he is owing over 30 months of pensions and gratuity anytime they are out for peaceful protests.”
Reacting in a counter-statement, Governor Ortom through his Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel, said “the statement in the media, credited to the Communications Team of the disputed governorship candidate and suspended priest, Hyacinth Alia of the APC in Benue State is puerile, unfounded and beer parlour conjectures. The author showed how desperate the APC is willing to market all sorts of barefaced lies to gain unhindered access to the state treasury.
“First, it is baffling that the campaign team of the suspended priest chose to deploy blackmail and falsehood as an art and weapon to ride to power in 2023. We find this absurd and should be completely out of tune with the character of one who wishes to be trusted with state power.
“Hyacinth Alia who has failed in the church and wants to take cover in the political space, now bandy humongous figures of money alleged to have been received and spent by the administration of Governor Samuel Ortom. This is cheap and it shows the level of desperation in that camp.
from electoral defeat in 2023.
“In any case, Alia is not in contest for the 2023 Benue Governorship seat because no primary election was conducted. Even at that, the PDP is strong enough to face any party at the polls next year.”
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has felicitated Muslim faithful as they celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad, urging them to show love, tolerance, perseverance, patriotism and commitment to the growth and development of the State.
Governor Fubara, in a message in Port Harcourt, the State capital, urged the Muslim Ummah to use the lessons of the 12th day of the third month of Rabi’ al-Awwal to reflect on the core teachings of the Holy Prophet, and interceed for one another as exemplified by the sacrifices He made for humanity.
The Governor charged the faithful in the State and across the country to commit to ensuring that they continue to benefit from the genuine policies and programmes of government put in place to make live easy for all living and doing business in the State, without discrimination.
He said, “I, on behalf of the government and good people of Rivers State, heartily felicitate all Muslim faithful on the occasion of the Eid-el-Maulud celebration, to honour the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, and urge for prayers for the revival and unity of Nigeria.
“The occasion, yet again, provides an opportunity to reflect deeply on the need for greater application of the Prophet’s teachings bordering on piety, charity, patience, resilience, justice and peaceful coexistence,” he added.
Governor Fubara assured the Muslim community in Rivers State, and indeed, all residents of the resolve of his administration to sustain the tempo of providing critical projects and social services to improve the quality of life of the people.
Workers in the nation’s telecommunication-s industry, under the aegis of the Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association, PTECSSAN, will today begin an indefinite nationwide strike over sack, and poor working conditions, among others.
Among the employees going on strike include field maintenance engineers, transmission engineers, customer service engineers, fibre engineers, and other critical staff.
There are fears that the strike could disrupt telecommunications services nationwide if not resolved quickly.
The Tide’s source gathered that PTECSSAN, has pending issues with no fewer than 39 telecoms servicing companies including the sack of three of its members by Specific Tools & Technology Limited.
The 39 companies provide critical support services to the telecommunications operators in the country.
The Tide’s source was informed that the union had earlier given a seven-day strike notice to the affected companies to address its demands or risk indefinite strike.
Among PTECSSAN’s demands include immediate recognition of the fundamental right of the employees to freely associate with the union, immediate recognition of the union as negotiating body for the employees on workers welfare and immediate remittance of membership dues into the union’s account as earlier provided.
The demands equally are immediate recognition of the years of service of these workers, immediate commencement of appropriate pensions deduction and remittance of same as required by the Pension Act, immediate approval of the National Health Insurance Scheme that covers the employees, their spouses and four of their dependents, immediate enrolment of Union members in the Group Life Insurance as stipulated in the Pension Reform Act 2004, Section 9(3).
The union is also demanding immediate implementation of leave and leave allowance in accordance with the international best practices, immediate negotiation on review of salaries of the workers to meet the economic reality in the country today, and immediate provision Operational Vehicles or in the alternative immediate negotiation on review of the Self Drive/Self Rental to meet the economic reality in the country today.
Also in the union’s demands are immediate stoppage of 24-hour job and introduction of work hours in line with the international best practices, immediate stoppage of work overload (combining passive tasks to theirs) on the workers, and immediate adherence to occupational health and safety for the workers in line with international best practices.
Announcing the commencement of strike, General Secretary of PTECSSAN Abdullahi Okonu said “We have made every effort to engage with employers, but our legitimate demands have been disregarded.
“This strike is a last resort to protect our members’ rights and well-being. We urge the public to understand our position and support our struggle for fair treatment.”
While pleading with Nigerians to bear with the Union throughout the period of the strike, PTECSSAN “assures that it will engage with employers and the government to resolve the issues, but the strike will continue until their demands are met.”