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RSG Moulds Sound,Virile Workforce
The secretary to Rivers State Government, Hon Magnus Abe, has reaffirmed the state government commitment to building a better result-oriented civil service system for the state.
Abe gave the assurance at the weekend in Port Harcourt, while receiving the Report of a five-man Committee on the resolution of the industrial action recently embarked upon by the Rivers State branch of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to press for the implementation of the consolidated Judiciary Salary Structure.
He described civil servants as tools with which government would implement set goals and visions for Rivers people, pointing out that without a functional civil service system, the overall task of governance would be incapacitated.
According to him, the fight to make the Rivers State Cicil service better is a fight we will not give up on”, stressing that it was with the realisation that making the civil service better must necessarily make the civil servants happier and that part of the key to making a workforce happier was also for them to acknowledge what happiness meant by taking their jobs seriously.
He recalled that the state government had in October, 2007, set out to resolve fundamental issues bordering on payment of Christmas bonus, consolidated salary package for workers and the provision of capacity and training for staff of ministries and extra-ministerial departments to enable them deliver on their job.
Abe further pointed out that at the time the present Administration came on board, not only did government in agreement with the leadership of the Labour Union accept to pay outstanding Christmas bonuses of 2006 and 2007 together, but increased the figure and paid off every single staff of the State’s Civil Service the sum of forty thousand Naira as a “one-off thing”.
On the consolidated salary package for workers, he noted that government in consultation with labour discovered that the commitment made by the former Administration was unacceptable to the workers and that what was supposedly implemented as 15 percent eventually turned out to be 45 percent increase in every worker’s salary, bringing the total wage bill of the State to over three billion naira.
Other policy measures he outlined as being in line with nurturing a vibrant civil service included, the implementation of automated salary payment system aimed at prompt payment of workers’ salaries, observance of Due Process and proper documentation in all transactions of government business, as well as the setting up of a committee for regular payment of emoluments due workers on their retirement .
Abe who expressed disappointment that the approach used by some workers to press for their demands did not reflect the deep friendship between government and the workforce, wondered if the leadership of the workers’ Union ever communicated the decisions reached in agreement with them to other civil servants.
He however appealed to Rivers workers to take advantage of the good intentions of government for them and improve on their capacity to excel on the job while their service lasted
The Secretary to the State Government assured that government would carefully study the Committee’s Report and communicate her decisions on the recommendations to the JUSUN and the public at the appropriate time.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Autine Nwakoh, had said that apart from a total of twenty-seven documents received and examined in the course of their assignment, several meetings and consultations were held with stakeholders in the Judiciary, both in and outside the State.
Other members of the Committee were, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Dame Mina Benebo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Dr. George Nwaeke, Permanent Secretary, Establishments, Training and Pensions Bureau, Mr. Gift Chima Ake and Director (Administration) Office of the Secretary to the State Governn1ent, Sir Augustus Fubara.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 1.63 million pills of tramadol concealed in two long trailers heading for Kano as it intensified efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor.
The agency also arrested an 80-year-old suspected drug dealer in Rivers State, a businesswoman linked to cannabis shipments from Canada, a Chadian woman, a couple and other suspects in coordinated operations across Lagos, Edo, Kogi and Rivers states.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday.
According to the statement, the latest intelligence-led operation came barely one week after NDLEA operatives recovered 558,900 pills of tramadol concealed in the false-bottom compartment of a truck that entered Lagos through the Togo-Benin Republic route.
Babafemi said, “Ongoing efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate smuggling tramadol from Togo, through Benin Republic into Nigeria have yielded another success with the interception of two long trailers used to move One Million Six Hundred and Thirty (1,630,000) pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in fabricated compartments of the trucks across multiple borders into Lagos.”
He added that one of the two trailers was intercepted on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where operatives recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor.
Babafemi said, “One of the two trucks already heading to Kano was tracked and located on 2nd July 2026 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where NDLEA officers recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the trailer and arrested the 22-year-old driver Jabir Kabiru.”
He further disclosed that another trailer was intercepted two days later on the same route.
“Two days later, 4th July, NDLEA operatives acting on processed intelligence successfully tracked and recovered the second trailer from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while heading to Kano. A total of 777,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the truck were evacuated and the 22-year-old driver Muhammed Nuhu arrested,” the statement read.
According to Babafemi, investigations established a link between the three intercepted consignments.
He said, “Investigations revealed that all three trucks and consignments intercepted on 21st June, 2nd July and 4th July belong to the same transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis.”
The agency also intercepted 4.70 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Babafemi said, “Two consignments of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with a combined weight of 4.70 kilograms have been intercepted at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The cargoes, which arrived the Lagos airport from Canada in cartons with ‘Odugwu’ boldly written on them, came aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights on 24th June and 3rd July respectively.”
He said two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, were initially arrested in connection with the shipments, while another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, was apprehended after arriving at a logistics company to take delivery of the consignments.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has denied claims that it has commenced registration for a purported ?50,000 National Support Allowance.
The ministry, in a public notice posted on its official X handle, yesterday, described messages, links and websites advertising the alleged programme as fraudulent.
It urged Nigerians to disregard such claims and verify information only through official government channels.
“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has NOT commenced registration for any ?50,000 National Support Allowance,” the ministry said.
It added, “Disregard fraudulent messages, links and websites claiming otherwise. Verify any info only through official govt channels.”
The alert is in response to a circulating scam flyer that falsely claims the program is ongoing under President Bola Tinubu’s directives.
The fake advertisement, which includes text in Hausa and English, directs victims to a suspicious website (kluspz.com) for applications.
The ministry’s warning comes amid heightened concerns over digital fraud targeting vulnerable populations seeking social support.
Similar scams have previously surfaced around programs like N-Power, prompting questions from citizens in replies to the official post.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its preparedness for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, hinted at this while making his remarks at the commissioning of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja.
Ajaero said it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
He advised workers and pensioners to get prepared for the ideological and economic battles that lie ahead.
According to the NLC president, “The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) is one of the proud affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Therefore, your struggle is our struggle, and your welfare remains a priority for the organised labour movement.
“We are currently in the preparatory stages for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
“However, let me state unequivocally that it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not only push for a new national minimum wage but will also demand the establishment of a national minimum pension. It is a historical injustice that men and women who devoted their youth, strength and productive years to the service of this nation should be condemned to live below the poverty line after retirement.”
Ajaero noted that the cost of living has risen astronomically as food, healthcare and transportation have become increasingly unaffordable.
“We cannot continue to allow our senior citizens to survive on pensions that have become poverty wages. Every retiree deserves to live with dignity after decades of faithful service to the nation,” he said.
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He said the completion of the project should serve as a clarion call to all workers and lovers of the masses.
“We must not only build physical structures but also build a strong movement capable of compelling government to honour its commitments,” he said.
Ajaero further stated: “We will continue to demand the immediate payment of all outstanding pension arrears and the implementation of a pension regime that guarantees every retiree a life of dignity and security.
“Together, we shall continue to fight until every Nigerian worker and pensioner receives the justice, respect and welfare they deserve.”