Business
NIPOST Pensioners’ Protest Enters Second Week
Protest by pensioners of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) nationwide enters its second week on January 3, 2013 as offices of the organisation across the country remain under lock and key.
The Public Relations Officer of NIPOST, Port Harcourt Headquarters, Mr Godwin Akpan, said the pensioners were insisting on the payment of their 14 months arrears.
Unconfirmed report also has it that some of the protesters are pushing for 52 months payment which the Federal Government allegedly owed them.
It would be recalled that the National Union of Pensioners (NUP), NIPOST branch commenced protest last week Thursday, December 27, 2012 as a result of unpaid pension arrears and gratuity owed them by the Federal Government.
Port Harcourt territorial branch of the union had sometime last week issued notice to its management in Port Harcourt of its intention to seal off the Port Harcourt offices last Friday.
When The Tide visited the Station Road office of NIPOST in Port Harcourt yesterday, pensioners had taken over the place, thereby preventing workers access to their respective offices.
The State Vice Chairman of the union, Mr Inia Akunaye, told our reporters that the directive came from its headquarters in Abuja, saying that about 38 offices of the NIPOST nationwide were involved in the action.
Akunaye, said that at the meeting between the national executives, of the union and the Postmaster General, Malam Ibrahim Mori Baba, few days to last Christmas, members were promised payment of two months out of the 14 months to enable them mark the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
“Unfortunately, the man was not ready to pay anything, in other words, we see him as a chameleon” he said.
The NUP, NIPOST, Port Harcourt branch boss affirmed that all its offices in the state were still under lock and key pending a contrary order from its leadership in Abuja.
He regretted that retirees and senior citizens in the country were not respected by constituted authorities as it was done globally, adding that they used their youthful days to work for the nation.
The tenants of the NIPOST in Port Harcourt were not also spared as few of them were seen pleading with the protesting pensioners to help and re-open the offices, so that they could enter and collect some of their personal belongings and documents.
Chris Oluoh
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.