MINISTER OF LABOUR, DR CHRIS NGIGE ACCUSES GOVERNORS OF DELAYING NEW MINIMUM WAGE

Dr. Chris Ngige

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has attributed the delay in the approval of a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers to the inability of the state governors to come up with an agreed figure.

Ngige, who stated this at a press briefing in Obosi, in the Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra State, also said there was no truth in the news that the Federal Government was planning to increase monthly allowance of corps members.

While stating that the committee saddled with the responsibility to work out the modalities for the new wage had been up and about, Ngige said the Nigerian Governors’  Forum had not been able to come up with any figure as a minimum wage they could pay.

Describing the governors as critical partners in wage determination, Ngige said as an insider and a realist, he would not want to give any date or month when the minimum wage would be implemented.

This, he said, was because the process of fixing the new minimum wage was still a little bit longer.

He added,”We have a tripartite committee on that. I am a member of the committee. I’m its deputy chairman, so to say. We have a timetable and we would have finished everything about it by the end of this August, but it is no longer tenable because the committee is not yet done with certain things.

“We couldn’t agree on a figure because of two reasons, partly the state governors have not come up with a figure and the state governors are a critical constituent of this discussion.

“We have six governors in the committee, one from each geopolitical zone. So, the NGF has not come up with their figure; they said they were still working on it; that was the last submission they made to us and the Federal Government team.

“We are working through the Economic Management Team and this team dictates the economy of the country and they will now take whatever the governors say and fine-tune it with that of the Federal Government. So, that is where we are.

“The national minimum wage tripartite committee is at work and it is until that body brings out its figures, brings out its recommendations pertaining to national minimum wage, it’s only after that, that a bill can be sent to the National Assembly for them to process and send to Mr President for assent before it can become a National Minimum Wage Act. If it happens in 2018, it becomes Act 2018.”

Speaking on the alleged pay rise for members of the National Youth Service Corps, Ngige debunked the story doing the rounds that the monthly allowance of corpers had been increased to about N50, 000.

He described the story as unfounded, adding that the Federal Government would not have increased the allowance of corps members without first coming out with a minimum wage for the Nigerian workers.

The minister explained that the corps members’ allowance was coterminous with the prevailing minimum wage.

Ngige said, “No recommendation has come to the Federal Executive Council on this. The NYSC pay is on the sliding scale; the same sliding scale with the national minimum wage except that there is a top up; what is called top up on the national minimum wage is to make for special transport allowance for members of the NYSC.

“That is why today, the national minimum wage is N18, 000, and the top up for NYSC members is about N1, 500 making it N19, 500. This is what the Federal Government pays each corps member.

“For now, there is no figure before us as an increment and as a matter of fact, the last Federal Executive Council had mandated the Minister of Youths and Sports to liaise with the Director General of the NYSC so that he can be brought on board for us to work as a team, “ Ngige stated.

BREAKING: MIYETTI ALLAH WARNS SARAKI -"RESIGN OR WE'LL FORCE YOU OUT"

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association on Tuesday warned the President of Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to resign his position immediately or be forced to do so.

The national coordinator of the association in Benue State, Alhaji Garus Gololo, gave the warning in an interview with newsmen in Makurdi.

Gololo said Saraki had created numerous problems for the administration of President Muhammad Buhari, which he said had affected the economic and social growth of the nation.

“It is on this note that we are saying that Saraki ought not to be in office again as Senate President, more so, Saraki has failed to coordinate and organise the National Assembly to offer quality legislation that Nigerians need.

“Nigerians are in dire need of people that have the interest of the masses. Miyetti Allah is looking for a leader that would preside over the affairs of the Senate with ultimate respect for the executive and the judiciary, not someone like Senator Saraki that would always scheme to outdo the Presidency.

“We are now tired of Saraki’s style of leadership at the National Assembly. Therefore, we are now warning him to honourably resign his position as president of the Senate or we will force him out”, Gololo said, refusing, however, to explain how the association would remove the Senate president.

Reacting to the comment by Governor Ortom accusing a former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav, of being an agent of the Miyetti Allah, Gololo said Tsav was not a member of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association or a Fulani man by tribe and couldn’t have been an agent  of the Miyetti Allah.

He urged governor Ortom to face his problem with the EFCC and leave Miyetti Allah alone.

“Ortom should forget about anything called Miyetti Allah and grazing law and fight for his re-election because Benue people and his new party (PDP) have rejected him,” adding that the PDP would not give him the ticket to run in the 2019 governorship election in the state.

ENUGU APC PICKS AIDE TO BUHARI AS EKWEREMADU’S REPLACEMENT IN SENATE

The Enugu state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has vowed to end Deputy Senate President Professor Ike Ekweremadu’s 16-year stay in the National Assembly and show him the door in 2019 elections.

The party which is opposition in the state has already picked an alternative to Ekweremadu. She is Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu, President Muhammadu Buhari’s Adviser on Justice Sector Reform. The party claimed that Ekweremadu had overstayed his welcome in the upper chambers and Ibekaku-Nwagwu will take over in 2019. 

The report says the party made the vow when the state, zonal and local government executives of the party in Enugu state visited Ibekaku-Nwagwu in her country home at Egede/Umuoka Ward in Udi local government area.

APC factional chairman in the state, Deacon Okey Ogbodo, said: “APC in Enugu state frowns at the selfish posture of the current occupant of the seat who has overstayed his welcome as the Senator representing Enugu West at the senate in the past 16 years. “We have quality candidates who can offer better representation for the zone and we therefore urge Barrister Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu to consider presenting herself among others during the forthcoming party primaries.”

Ibekaku-Nwagwu, a lawyer, praised President Buhari for her success in the discharge of her duties by creating conducive working environment. She however promised to make consultations and decide whether to run or not then reveal her decision at the appropriate time.

However, reports making the rounds have it that the Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige has revealed that he is under immense pressure from the South East geo political zone to run for the senate in 2019 and he is giving it a serious consideration.

Ngige made the announcement while addressing newsmen at Obosi in Idemili North local government area of Anambra state. The minister said due to the pressure, he has begun consultations on the issue and he would make the results known in the next two weeks.

COURT STOPS DSTV FROM INCREASING SUBSCRIPTION FEES

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday restrained Multichoice Nigeria Limited from going ahead with its recent decision to increase the subscription tariffs for DSTV, its satellite cable television service providers.

The restraining order was issued in respect of Suit No FHC/ABJ/CS/894/18 brought before the court by the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) in the light of the strong public interest raised in the application.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had granted the authority for the Council to initiate the suit under Section 10 and 16 of the Consumer Protection Council Act, Cap c25, LFN 2004.

In his order, the judge, Nnamdi Dimgba, said the interim injunction restrains Multichoice Nigeria or its agents and representatives from continuing the implementation of any increase in subscription rates or price review policy imposing increased charges and costs on the consumers pending the determination of the motion on notice.

Besides, the court also restrained DSTV from further carrying on or continuing any conduct or activity which interferes with or has effect of circumventing the outcome of ongoing investigations by the CPC into the company’s compliance or non-compliance with the February 16, 2016 order pending the determination of the motion on notice.

In July, MultiChoice Nigeria announced new monthly subscription rates for the DSTV Premium package from N14,700 to N15,800 (about 7.5 per cent) Compact Plus from N9,900 to N10,650; Compact bouquet from N6,300 to N6,800; Family from N3,800 to N4,000, and Access from N1,900 to N2,000.

The new rates took effect from August 1 this month.

The application was filed by the CPC on behalf of the federal government, with the Director General of the Council, Babatunde Irukera, leading other concerned Nigerians to appear in court for the case.

The application was accompanied with a nine-paragraph statement jointly signed by Messrs Irukera, Abimbola Ojenike, Eme David-Ojugo, Moray Adebayo, Teniola Medupin and Florence Abebe.

The CPC said in the statement that it has constitutional responsibility to protect the welfare and interest of consumers in Nigeria through the instrumentality of the Council.

In the exercise of its statutory mandate, the Council said it was conducting an investigation into DSTV’s compliance with its orders of February 16, 2016 over alleged unfairness, arbitrariness and excessiveness of pricing and billing systems.

Besides, the Council said it was also reviewing other emergent issues relating to whether DSTV‘s business practices and specific conducts were in violation of the law with respect to the rights of consumers in Nigeria.

The Council noted that in the course of its investigation and consultative engagement with the Multichoice Nigeria, DSTV “preemptively and surreptitiously introduced a subscription regime which imposes increased charges and costs on Nigerian Consumers of digital satellite television service with effect from 1st August, 2018”.

The agency argued that unless the court restrained Multichoice Nigeria, it was afraid DSTV or its representative would continue the implementation of the increased subscription rate.

The action, it pointed out, was capable of “rendering ineffective and nugatory the on-going regulatory investigation which seeks to prevent continuing exploitation of Nigerian consumers through obnoxious and exploitative billing systems and pricing regimes”.

“An order of interim injunction restraining the Defendant/Respondent by itself, agents, representatives, affiliates, officers or privies, howsoever described from continuing the implementation of any increased subscription rate or price review policy imposing increased charges and costs on the consumers of Defendant/Respondent’s services pending the determination of the Plaintiff/Applicant’s Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction filed in this suit,” Mr Dimgba said.

The CPC asked the court to accord the matter accelerated hearing so that the substantive issues raised would be determined and settled definitively and expeditiously.

Consequently, the court adjourned the case to Tuesday, August 28, for hearing.

When contacted, the spokesperson of Multichoice Nigeria Limited, Carole Oghuma, promised to send the company’s reaction to the court order. However, at the time of this publication, the response was yet to come in.

FINALLY, TIWA SAVAGE OPENS UP ON RELATIONSHIP WITH WIZKID

Mavin queen, Tiwa Savage has finally reacted to rumours of an intimate relationship between her and music star, Wizkid.

Tiwa Savage and Wizkid were spotted a few months ago in several pictures together. The duo even performed a few shows together and this led many speculating that perhaps there was something more between them.

However, speaking on SoundCity radio 98.5, at the weekend, Tiwa clarified that the relationship between them was not romantic in any way.
She said :

“We are friends definitely. To be honest, I think I have been in this industry for long time, I have grown a thick skin. So,comments like this, genuinely, honestly don't bother me that much. I am kinda used to it. Today it's Humblesmith, tomorrow it is Wiz. Its just what it is. Its part of the job.”

FORMER UN SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN DIES AT 80

 
Kofi Annan

The former United Nations Secretary-General, Koffi Annan, has died at the age of 80.

His foundation made the announcement in a statement on Saturday morning.

Mr Annan who was also a Nobel Peace Prize winner died in Switzerland after a brief illness.

“It is with immense sadness that the Annan family and the Kofi Annan Foundation announce that Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate, passed away peacefully on Saturday 18th August after a short illness,” the statement read in part.

The United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres has expressed sadness over the passing away of his predecessor, calling him “a guiding force for good”.

Mr Guterres in a statement said, “Kofi Annan was a guiding force for good.

“In many ways, Kofi Annan was the United Nations. He rose through the ranks to lead the organisation into the new millennium with matchless dignity and determination,” he added.

Mr Annan was the first black African to take up the role of the world’s top diplomat, serving two terms as the UN Secretary-General from 1997 to 2006.

- Channels Television