WORKERS EARNING BELOW N30,000 TO START ENJOYING MINIMUM WAGE —PRESIDENT BUHARI

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the immediate implementation of the N30,000 new national wage for Federal Public Service workers currently earning below the minimum wage.

The Chairman, National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Chief Richard Egbule said this while addressing a news conference on the implementation of the new national minimum wage on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said that the commencement of the approved payment would be determined by the office of the Accountant-General and backdated to when the President signed the agreement.

According to Egbule, the approval takes effect from April 18, 2018 and will affect the salary of government agencies under five salary structures.

This includes the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure, CONPSS, Consolidated Health Salary Structure, CONHESS and the  Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure, CONRAISS.

Also,  the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure, CONTISS II and Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure, CONTEDISS would be affected.

“The negotiations between the Federal Government and the joint National Public Service Negotiating Council on the consequential adjustment arising from the new minimum wage for officers who earn above N30,000 would continue.

“The outcome of such negotiations will be implemented with effect from the date an agreement is reached,” he said.

Egbule assured the public that the Federal  Government was totally committed to the implementation of the new minimum wage as agreed with key stakeholders.

He said that any enquiry relating to the implementation of the new minimum wage should be directed to the commission.

(NAN)

NOA WARNS AGAINST POLITICISING KILLING OF AFENIFERE LEADER’S DAUGHTER

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has warned Nigerians against politicising the murder of Mrs. Funke Olakunri, daughter of Afenifere leader Pa Reuben Fasoranti.

Director General of NOA Dr. Garba Abari said every Nigerian has a role in the process of resolving the spate of criminal activities through our civic and patriotic duties.

He noted, however, that security agencies are mandated, primarily, to investigate and prosecute offenders.

Head, Press Unit NOA Paul Odenyi, in a statement, quoted the DG as condoling with the family of late Olakunri on behalf of the agency.

He stated: “As Nigerians continue to condemn the rising incidence of crime in the land, the NOA has appealed to Nigerians to allow security agencies the space to deal with the disturbing cases of banditry and armed robbery, rather than resorting to peddling political narratives and stereotypes.

“While condoling with the family of late Olakunri on behalf of the agency, the director-general said every Nigerian has a role in the process of resolving the spate of criminal activities through our civic and patriotic duties, noting however, that security agencies are mandated, primarily, to investigate and prosecute offenders.

“Abari urged political players to stop the dangerous name calling and stigmatisation and, as leaders, show more understanding and tolerance of the diverse people in the country in the spirit of shared humanity and a united nation.”

MINIMUM WAGE: ORGANIZED LABOUR THREATENS FG OVER LACK OF COMMITMENT TO PAYING N30,000

Organised labour has raised doubts over federal government’s commitment to the implementation of the new N30,000 minimum wage.

President of Trade Union Congress, TUC, Quadri Olaleye, threatened that organised labour may be forced to take industrial action over the delay in the payment of the new minimum wage.

Speaking to reporters in Lagos yesterday, Olaleye said workers had thought that consequential adjustment on the minimum wage would be negotiated openly.

“From the look of things, it appears the Federal Government is not committed to implementing the new minimum wage arrangement going by the way its representatives in the committee, set up to negotiate the consequential adjustment arising from the new minimum wage, are handling the negotiation,” Olaleye said.

He also said that the organised labour has been considerate by lowering its initial demand for increasing the salaries of officers on Grade Level (GL) 07 to 17 by 66.66% as the rate at which the minimum wage was increased but the FG side is only offering 9.5% for GL 07 to 14 officers and 5% for those on GL 15 to 17.

He said: “As it stands now, we may be forced to go to the trenches.

“We sincerely hope that the government will act fast and direct its representatives to return to the negotiation table with a more realistic mandate that will be beneficial to workers who have had to wait for almost a decade to get something meaningful added to their emoluments.”

ELECTION PETITIONS: NO VACATION FOR YOU, BULKACHUWA TELLS APPEAL COURT JUDGES

The President of the Court of Appeal, Zainab Bulkachuwa, has cancelled this year’s annual vacation of judges of the court.

Federal High Court judges had on July 8 started their annual vacation and some other judges were due to commence theirs on Monday, July 15.

But in a statement on Sunday, the media officer of the Court of Appeal, Sa’adatu Musa-Kachalla, said the cancellation of the vacation of appellate court judges was due to “the enormous (election) petitions the court is faced with.”

According to the statement, Mrs Bulkachuwa said since election petitions were time-bound, there is a need for timely determination of the appeals arising from them by the Court of Appeal.

“We have to forfeit our annual vacation to enable us to entertain and determine all appeals arising from the various Election Petition Tribunals transmitted to the Court,” the statement quoted Mrs Bulkachuwa as saying.

The appeal court president communicated the directive in a two-day circular on July 2, the official said.

Mrs Bulkachuwa noted that many appeals pending before the court were time-bound and would be due to come up within the period of the court’s vacation from July to October.

“The need, therefore, arises for them to be heard and determined within the said period,” the statement added.

The statement also said Mrs Bulkachuwa has directed the presiding justices of the various divisions of the court to, in consultation with her, draw up a roaster to enable “the justices with medical appointments or other pressing family issues to travel for not more than 15 days within the period.”

She was said to have added that the planned roaster should be such that, “at any given time, there is a three-member panel on ground in every division to hear and determine appeals.”

“In divisions with three justices, only one justice can travel at a time and the office of the President of the Court of Appeal is to be immediately notified to form a panel in that justice’s absence should the need arise,” the circular further directed.

“According to Justice Bulkachuwa, appeals arising from the National and State Assemblies would be heard by a local panel of three members, except where it is controversial, then the president will constitute and send another panel to hear it.

“On the governorship appeals, the president of the Court of Appeal disclosed that it would be heard by a five-member panel to be set up by his lordship.

“Hon. Justice Bulkachuwa, therefore, instructed the presiding justices to notify her as soon as appeals from governorship elections were filed to ensure their speedy determination.”

Citing information from the Deputy Chief Registrar, Court of Appeal, Election Petition Tribunal, Rabi Yakubu, the statement stated that a total of 800 election petitions were filed as of June 17, 2019.

It added, “A breakdown of this figure shows that the State House of Assembly recorded the highest figure (of election petitions) of 415, Senate 105, House of Representative 214, governorship 62 and presidential 4.

“According to the fact sheet emanating from the 77 Election Petition Tribunals set up by the president of the Court of Appeal as of April 23, 2019, 65 petitions were either dismissed or struck out, while 735 petitions are pending.”

It added that a total of 1,769 appeals were determined and 3,517 motions disposed of by the Court of Appeal between January and April 2019 across all the court’s divisions in the country.

The statement quoted the Head, Legal Services Unit, Adaeze Aziwe, as adding that “a total of 2,397 appeals and 5,120 motions were filed during the period under review.”

NJC RECOMMENDS TANKO MUHAMMAD FOR APPOINTMENT AS SUBSTANTIVE CJN

The National Judicial Council says it has recommended to President Muhammadu Buhari the appointment of Justice Tanko Muhammad as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria.

The NJC said this in a statement by its Director, Information, Mr. Soji Oye, on Wednesday.

Justice Muhammad was sworn in as the Acting CJN on January 25, immediately after the then CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen was suspended by Buhari.

The President in April requested and obtained the NJC’s consent to extend Muhammad’s acting tenure by the constitutionally-allowed three months.

The extended three months period was due to lapse on July 25.

Oye said the NJC took the decision to recommend Muhammad for appointment as the substantive CJN at the council’s meeting on Wednesday.

The statement added that a member of the council, Justice Umaru Abdullahi, who is a former President of the Court of Appeal, presided over  the session of the NJC’s meeting when the recommendation of its Interview Committee that screened two candidates presented by the Federal Judicial Service Commission to it for appointment as CJN was considered and approved.

It added that the Acting CJN, Justice Muhammad, who doubles as the Acting Chairman of the NJC, presided over the plenary of the council when eight successful candidates were recommended to the governors of their states for appointment as Chief Judges and Grand Kadis for the states.

The states are, Sokoto, Lagos, Anambra, Ebonyi, Niger, Taraba, Kano, and Jigawa.

The statement read, in part, “The National Judicial Council rose today from an emergency meeting to recommend to President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, the appointment of Hon. Dr. Justice I. T. Muhammad, CFR, as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria.

The meeting which was initially presided over by Hon. Mr. Justice Umaru Abdullahi, CON, considered and approved the recommendation of its Interview Committee that screened the two candidates presented by the Federal Judicial Service Commission to it for appointment as Chief Justice of Nigeria.

“Subsequently, the plenary of the Meeting presided over by the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Dr. Justice I. T. Muhammad, CFR, recommended to the Governors of Sokoto, Lagos, Anambra, Ebonyi, Niger, Taraba, Kano, and Jigawa States, eight (8) successful candidates for appointment as Chief Judges and Grand Kadis for the states.”

The successful candidates are, Justice Muhammad S. Sifawa, recommended as the Chief Judge of the High Court of the State; the Acting Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, recommended as the Chief Judge of Lagos State; Justice Ijem Onwuamaegbu, as Chief Judge of Anambra State; and Justice Nwaigwe A. Anselm as Chief Judge of Ebonyi State.

The rest are Justice Aliyu M. Mayaki, recommended as Chief Judge of Niger State,

Justice Filibus B. Andetur, recommended as Chief Judge of Taraba State; Kadi Tijjani Yusuf Yakasai, recommended as the Grand Kadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal, Kano State; and Kadi Isa Jibrin Gantsa, recommended as the Grand Kadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal, Jigawa State.

The NJC’s statement noted that the newly appointed heads of court “will be sworn in after the approval of the President and their respective State Governors and confirmation by the Senate and State Houses of Assembly as the case may be.”

According to the statement, the NJC also acknowledged the notice of retirements of Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Chief Judges of Gombe, Edo, Niger, and Ebonyi states, the Acting Chief Judge of Kebbi States as well as those of nine other judicial officers from the Federal High Court, High Courts of Gombe, Delta, Edo, Imo, Benue and Katsina states.

It added that the council “commended President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, for his unequivocal position on the financial autonomy for the states judiciary and called on the various state executives to as a matter of urgency, commence its immediate implementation”.

NIGERIAN SENATOR CAUGHT ON CAMERA ASSAULTING WOMAN AT SEX TOY SHOP

Nigerian Senate

Nigeria’s youngest senator has been caught on camera physically assaulting a woman at an adult toy shop in Abuja.

Elisha Abbo, representing Adamawa North Senatorial District, descended on the woman after she pleaded with him not to physically assault the shopowner whom the senator had accused of insulting him. He said the shopowner called him a drunk.

PREMIUM TIMES exclusively obtained the video of the assault, which occurred on May 11 — nearly three months after Mr Abbo became a senator-elect and about a month before he was sworn-in on June 11.

The attack happened as an armed mobile police officer looked on, and instead made attempt to arrest the victim.

The assault was reported on May 14 at the Maitama Area Command Headquarters on Nile Street, but the police told the victim to go look for Mr Abbo’s telephone number or they would not be able to do anything about it, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

A weekend of booze

The victim of the assault and the storeowner declined comments for this story, saying they were afraid there could be a violent backlash from the senator. The victim’s lawyer also declined comment.

But witnesses and other sources familiar with the matter told PREMIUM TIMES their accounts of what happened. They all declined to be identified, citing fears for their safety.

Mr Abbo, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had entered the shop at about 6:00 p.m. on May 11, a Saturday. The senator walked in with three young women to purchase adult (sex) toys, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

But shortly after they began shopping for the toys, one of the three girls brought in by Mr Abbo started throwing up. She vomited multiple times, prompting the shopowner to remark that the woman should have vomited outside and not inside her shop, especially since she was not a child.

Mr Abbo, who was said to be agitated by the sudden illness of one of his girls, was said to have accused the shopowner of poisoning the store’s airconditioner.

The shopowner’s argument that if the airconditioner had been contaminated others in the shop would have also taken ill further angered Mr Abbo, and the two began exchanging words over the matter.

In the first five minutes of the 10-minute video obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Abbo is seen sitting on a yellow power generator near the entrance of the shop. He could be heard within this time making calls and asking some people where they were and how close they were.

Just before the first-half of the video, an armed police officer walked in. 

Mr Abbo explained to the officer in Hausa that the woman insulted him and that he had called the assistant inspector-general (AIG) over the matter, who then assured him that he would call the police commissioner to call the Maitama Area Command. He also said he was disappointed in the shopowner, with whom he said he had been friends for five years.

      Senator Elisha Abbo

Mr Abbo, 41, said the police officer should take the shopowner away. The shopowner quickly called her father to inform him that Mr Abbo had called the police over the matter and that she was about to be taken away.

Mr Abbo asked the shopowner to stop the call because he was talking to her, a demand the woman refused to accede to. Another man could be seen coming from behind the police officer to snatch the shopowner’s phone from her.

Next, the shopowner’s friend who had been standing nearby tried to intervene by pleading with the second man to take things easy.

“Oga, please take it easy now,” she said.

Mr Abbo switfly descended on the shopowner’s friend, saying she was “very stupid” and slapping her repeatedly, including directly on the eyes.

The senator then demanded that the two women should be taken to the police station. He repeatedly told the shopowner that he was disappointed in her for calling him a drunk, and that he would have harmed her more and closed down the shop but for their friendship.

Watch Video:

The morning after

PREMIUM TIMES learned that the assaulted woman, who is nursing a child, was taken to a hospital, where she was treated for eye inflammation and other injuries she sustained during the attack.

Mr Abbo did not cover the medical bill. Neither did he show sympathy or reach out to the woman to apologise, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

Instead, he was said to have returned to the shop to see whether a CCTV footage of the incident existed.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Mr Abbo was told that the CCTV in the shop was not functioning. He was said to have been very worried about the incident, threatening to deal with them if the footage of his violence ever surfaced.

The victim and her lawyer reported the matter at the Maitama Area Command since May 14, but the police have continued to stall, saying they did not know how to contact Mr Abbo.

The victim and her lawyer were said to have demanded apology from Mr Abbo. They also want him to settle the medical bill and desist from further threats of physical harm against the woman.

They also wanted a criminal investigation and possible prosecution of Mr Abbo for his action.

Mr Abbo did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES’ requests for comments. Two text messages and WhatsApp messages sent to him delivered, but he did not return them. He also did not take multiple calls to his telephone.

The police commissioner in charge of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Ciroma, told PREMIUM TIMES the matter had not been escalated to him as of Tuesday morning.

He said he would like to receive the victim at his office urgently to explore a resolution of the case.

-PREMIUM TIMES

SENATOR ELISHA ABBO ARRESTED AND DETAINED BY FCT POLICE COMMAND

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has detained embattled Senator Elisha Abbo following his attack on a woman at a shop recently.

Senator Abbo’s arrest comes hours after he publicly apologized to his victim and Nigerians for his act that resulted in wide condemnation.

The arrest and detention of the senator, who represents Adamawa north, was confirmed in a telephone interview by the commissioner of police in the FCT, Bala Ciroma.

Ciroma reportedly said the senator was being detained to enable detectives complete investigation on the alleged assault on the woman.

The senator representing Adamawa north senatorial district, Senator Elisha Abbo, has earlier apologised to Nigerians, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and women in general for physically assaulting a lady.

He made the apology at a press conference at the PDP headquarters in Abuja.

The senator, with teary eyes at the briefing, asked for forgiveness, saying it is not in his character to assault women.

The Cable reports that Senator Abbo said that he has learnt his lesson and promises to be of good conduct in a statement that was personally signed by him.

In the statement, the senator apologized to the victim and her family, as he also tendered an apology to the body Christ.

He said he is sincerely sorry regardless of what may have provoked him to anger, leading to the action.

Official PDP Nigeria

✔@OfficialPDPNig

Press conference by Senator Elisha Abbo https://www.pscp.tv/w/b-zXSTFETEtCeUFWemFtUUp8MVlwS2t2TE5ramR4alJjJ1UxoIr1hhBlDfvty5Pg46OReGN5JyuLuKmZYEsv …

Official PDP Nigeria @OfficialPDPNig

Press conference by Senator Elisha Abbo

The statement read: “It is with a deep sense of remorse and responsibility that I, Senator Ishaku Abbo (SIA) profoundly apologize to all Nigerians, the Senate, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), my family, friends as well as our mothers – the Nigerian women,

“I personally apologize to Bibra and her family for my action towards her, which has brought immense discomfort in our body polity.

“I have never been known or associated with such actions in the past. Regardless of what transpired prior to my expression of anger, I am sincerely sorry and plead that all men and women of good conscience should have the heart to forgive me. To err is human, to forgive is divine.

“To the Church of God everywhere in the world, I am sorry. As an Ambassador of Christ, much is expected of me. My family and religious upbringing do not give approval to such conduct and for this, as a leader, I seek forgiveness before God and all those who feel offended by my action.

“Indeed, this episode has taught me a very great lesson both as a private citizen and a public officer, particularly as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria upon whom public confidence is bestowed.

“Finally, I assure Nigerians, especially the people of Adamawa North of my good conduct at all times.”

Recall that we earlier reported that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command headquarters asked the senator to report himself on Thursday morning, July 4, as part of an investigation into the assault.

FIRMS LINKED TO PATIENCE JONATHAN, OTHERS APPEAL FORFEITURE OF N12.4 BILLION

Former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.

A firm linked to former first lady, Patience Jonathan, and three other companies have filed an appeal before the Lagos Division of the Appeal Court challenging Monday’s final forfeiture order of N9.2 billion and $8.4 million belonging to Mrs Jonathan. The amount totals N12.4 billion.

Magel Resort Limited, joined by Finchley Top Homes Limited, AM PM Global Network, and Pagmat Oil and Gas Limited are challenging the decision by the federal high court.

The companies were among those affected after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured an interim forfeiture order to freeze their bank accounts, in 2016.

The appellants say they are challenging the entire judgment and are seeking the appellate court to set it aside and return the forfeited funds to the accounts of the appellants.

Mojisola Olatoregun, the judge, on Monday ordered that the funds, domiciled in Diamond Bank, Fidelity Bank, Ecobank, Stanbic IBTC, Skye Bank (now Polaris Bank), and First Bank be returned to the federal government.

During the suit, Mrs Jonathan had claimed ownership of the funds insisting they were proceeds of goodwill donations from Nigerians, which ”she enjoyed as the wife of a deputy governor, governor, and president, as well as proceeds of funds raised when she launched her NGO, Women 4 Change and Development Initiative, in 2010”.

Mrs Jonathan’s husband, Goodluck, served as deputy governor and governor of their native Bayelsa State before becoming president between 2010 and 2015.

GROUNDS OF APPEAL

Joined as respondents in the appeal are the EFCC, Mrs Jonathan, Globus Integrated Services, and Esther Oba as the first, second, third, and fourth respondents, respectively.

In their six grounds of appeal, the appellants, through their lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, argued that the lower court occasioned a miscarriage of justice when it assumed jurisdiction to hear the motion for the final forfeiture of the funds and relying on the “speculative depositions” of the EFCC against the clear evidence of the acquisition of income and proofs by the appellants.

The appellants argued that the federal high court judge granted the final forfeiture order ”without deciding as to whether the appellant had shown sufficient cause which would have warranted it to discharge its earlier interim forfeiture order before proceeding with the suit”.

The appellants further argued that the lower court erred by granting the final forfeiture order while its jurisdiction was still being challenged.

They also disagreed with the court’s decision to “shift the onus propandi to the appellant to prove not only the sources of their funds but their innocence.”

NATIONWIDE STRIKE LOOMS AS ORGANISED LABOUR MAKES ANNOUNCEMENT FOR POSSIBLE STRIKE SOON OVER N30,000 MINIMUM WAGE

The organised labour on Monday, July 1, alerted Nigerians of serious plans to embark on strike action if the current state of affairs with the N30,000 minimum wage is not resolved.

The organised lawbour wants the federal government to ensure that the issue of consequential adjustment arising from the new national minimum wage of N30,000 per month remains the same.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the organised labour are operating under the aegis of the Trade Union Side (TUS) of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), eight unions in the public services of the federal and 36 state governments.

In a press statement in Abuja, the acting chairman of the TUS, Anchaver Simon, and the secretary, Alade Lawal, expressed disappointment over government’s alleged effort to derail the implementation of a new national minimum wage.

“As things are right now, the government side is only prepared to pay peanuts to workers as adjustment under the pretext that it will soon be undertaking general salary review in the public service,”the statement said.

According to the labour leaders, the TUS had initially proposed that since the minimum wage was increased by 66.66% from N18,000.000 to N30,000.00, salaries for officers on ‘Grade Levels 01-17’ should be adjusted accordingly to maintain the relativity that exists in the salary structure in the public service.

“But when the government side argued that such increase across board would raise the total wage bill too high, the TUS side reviewed its demand downward and eventually settled for 30% for officers on ‘Grade Levels 07-14’ and 25% for those on ‘Grade Levels 15-17’.

“The government side on its part was insisting on 9.5 per cent salary raise for employees on ‘Grade Levels 07-14’ and 5% for those on ‘Grade Levels 15-17’.

“The two sides then agreed to capture the two positions in the technical committee’s report which will now be presented for discussion at the plenary,” the statement added.

The TUS said it, however, received a rude shock at the last meeting of the technical committee when the government side began to hold on to a non-existent position.

The leaders lamented that the implication of government’s position was that the technical committee cannot go beyond what the government was pushing for which is 9.5 per cent salary increase for officers on ‘GL 07-14’ and 5% for those on ‘GL 15-17’.

“With this turn of event, it is quite clear now that some fifth columnists in this administration are hell bent on pushing President Muhammadu Buhari to enter into a collision course with millions of Nigerian workers in the public service. This is very sad,”the union stated.

KYLIAN MBAPPE READY FOR REAL MADRID MOVE

Kylian Mbappe is reportedly ready to see his wages slashed in order to seal a dream move to Real Madrid.

Marco report that Mbappe will not sign another deal with PSG in the hope of securing a move to Madrid.

PSG are desperate to keep their France World Cup star and Marca say he will not extend his deal which currently runs until 2022.

And he would then push for a move to Real Madrid in the next transfer window.