WASSCE: CALL MEETING OF WEST AFRICAN NATIONS, WAEC – AFENIFENIFERE TELLS FG

The Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Thursday advised the federal government to urgently call a meeting of West African countries, and the regional examination body, the West African Examination Council (WAEC), over the impasse on 2020 West African Senior School Certification Examination (WASSCE).

The group said instead of denying the students a complete session, the examination can be managed in a way that the health of the students would not be compromised.

National Publicity Secretary of the group, Mr. Yinka Odumakin spoke against the backdrop of the decision of the federal government to reverse the reopening of schools.

It would be recalled that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, had announced the reopening of schools for students preparing for primary 6, JSS 3 and SSS 3 examinations.

On the basis of the announcement, the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, on Monday, announced that the WASSCE would hold from August 3rd to 5th September 2020.

But on Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Mall. Adamu Adamu issued a counter directive, saying schools would no longer reopen and that the WASSCE could not hold for now.

But Afenifere was furious that the counter directive by the education minister was “yet another reason to know that we are burdened with a disintegrated government in Nigeria.”

Afenifere said since August 3rd is still a bit far, “Nigeria should call a meeting of the West African countries involved and WAEC to manage the examinations in the interest of the students without compromising their health.

“This is how the government should run to show it cares for the public. The way our officials conduct themselves is becoming just too shameful.

“We advise Mr President to manage his men so that our students are not made to lose a session to the ego fights of our officials,” Odumakin said in the statement.

Afenifere stated that it was not comprehensible “That the PTF would go and announce that schools should go and resume without consultation with the ministry of education, and that the minister will come on TV and be stamping his feet ‘nobody will tell us when we are to  open until we are ready,’ if we have an integrated government.”

WAEC 2020: FG CANCELS EXAMINATIONS, DECLARES ‘NO RESUMPTION’ FOR SCHOOLS SOON

Wednesday, 8 July 2020, 7:50

The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has disclosed on Wednesday that West African Examination Council (WAEC) examinations for this year, 2020 has been cancelled.

 

The Minister also disclosed that he advises all States that has reopened schools to close them, adding that there is no resumption date for schools and he would prefer students losing one academic year than exposing them to the pandemic disease.

 

The Federal Ministry of Education has said Nigerian secondary final year students will not be participating in the upcoming West African Examination Council (WAEC) 2020 examinations.

 

The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who disclosed this to State House Correspondents on Wednesday after the seventh weekly virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, also said there is no date for resumption of schools in the country yet.

He said he would prefer that Nigerian students lose an academic year than to expose them to dangers, appealing to state governments that had announced reopening of schools to reconsider their decision for the sake of the students’ safety.

 

Speaking on the effect the decision to keep schools closed could have on final year secondary school students, due to write the WAEC, Adamu said Nigeria would not open the schools yet, not even for the WAEC this year 2020, which is a regionally control programme.

He, however debunked an earlier report, which claimed that the Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, announced August 4, 2020, as resumption date for schools, saying the Minister was misquoted.

“I don’t know whether you journalists are misquoting the Minister of State for Education or maybe quoting what WAEC said and made it into a story. Schools under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education will not be opened on August 4 or anytime soon.

“Our schools will only open when we believe it’s safe for our children and that is when the situation is right, not when the incidence of the infection is going up in the nation. I just want to make it clear.

“We will not open soon for examination or for any reason, unless it is safe for our children, even WAEC. WAEC will not determine for us what we do. Schools will remain closed.

“Yesterday we called on stakeholders who will tell us the situation and the way it should be done for it to be safe. While the meeting was going on, WAEC announced that they are starting examinations. Let’s see who they are going to start with.

“I will also like to use this position to ask those states that have already announced (reopening), I appeal to them. I think it is not safe. I feel responsible for all children, not just those who are in federal government controlled schools. Please let’s save our children from this.

“One infected child is enough to infect a whole class. When they close from class they go into the dormitory, this is not the right time to open schools. I appeal to the states that have already announced to reconsider it”, he said.

When asked if Nigeria will be the only country to miss out of the 2020 WAEC examinations, he said “me as Minister of Education, if I’m given the chance, I don’t mind Nigeria losing a whole school year than exposing our children to danger. WAEC is a parastatal of the Ministry of Education, they cannot determine for the government what it does”, he said.

BREAKING: PRESIDENT BUHARI SET TO ANNOUNCE NEW EFCC CHAIRMAN

~ As retired DIG, Muhammad Sani Usman, tops the list to replace Ibrahim Magu

Exclusive report reaching our news desk on Wednesday morning, indicates that President Muhammadu Buhari is on the verge of appointing a replacement for Ibrahim Magu, the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Recall, that Ibrahim Magu was on Tuesday, suspended from Office by President Buhari, following allegations of corruption levelled against him by the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. 

Magu had been on the job in an Acting capacity, since 9th November 2015, following the 8th Senate’s rejections of his nomination.

The source, who asked not be identified, said that the President has vetted a Retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, DIG, Muhammad Sani Usman, who retired from the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, in 2014, for the top position.

Usman, a native of Bauchi State, represented the North-East, and held the position of DIG in charge of Training and Development, before his retirement.

CHEVRON TO FIRE 6,750 STAFF IN A MAJOR SACK

The United States super oil major, Chevron Corporation, has slated 6,750 staff for sack in one of the biggest global mass disengagement of work force. The mass sack, the company with third biggest Joint ventures in Nigeria said, represents a cut of between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of its worldwide workforce as part of an ongoing restructuring at the second-largest U.S. oil producer.

Spokeswoman for Chevron, Veronica Flores-Paniagua, confirmed this, while maintaining that Chevron, which has 45,000 employees, expects to remove about 10 to 15 per cent of its global staff to “match projected activity levels.”

The oil producer previously disclosed a 30 per cent reduction in its 2020 spending and some voluntary job cuts amid this year’s sharp drop in oil prices and lower demand for oil and gas due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chevron has been widely seen as the standard bearer of financial discipline in the oil industry and was among the first to make significant budget cuts as oil demand plummeted. Last year, it abandoned a takeover bid for Anadarko Petroleum Corp rather than get into a bidding war with Occidental Petroleum Corp.

Chevron pocketed a $1 billion break fee while Occidental has faced investor wrath for its ill-timed deal. U.S. crude oil prices have nearly halved this year to about $33 a barrel as the COVID- 19 pandemic slashed travel and led to stay-athome orders that have cut oil demand by as much as two million barrels per day. Chevron this month said it would reduce planned U.S. shale output by about 125,000 bpd.

The about 4,500 to 6,750 job cuts envisioned are to “address current market conditions,” with varying impact on each business unit and region, said Flores- Paniagua. Most reductions will take place this year. “This is a difficult decision and we do not take it lightly,” she added. At its annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, No. 1 U.S. oil producer Exxon- Mobil Corp said it had not yet taken steps to reduce its workforce.

ANAMBRA: POLICE INSPECTOR COMMITS SUICIDE AFTER KILLING EX-LOVER, HUSBAND FOR TURNING DOWN MARRIAGE PROPOSAL

A police inspector, Kenneth Enamika attached to 29 PMF, Awka in Anambra State has allegedly killed his ex lover, Oluchi Aputanze from Ozoara, Mgbidi in Oru West council area of Imo State for allegedly deceiving him and marrying someone else, Cajethan Aputanze after his financial commitment to her.

According to the State police Public Relation Officer, Orlando Ikeokwu, the incident which occurred on March,22 has thrown the whole community into a mourning mood.

The police inspector, according to the police image maker, was said to have left a suicide note and an AK 47 riffle on the scene, indicating that he shot and killed his ex lover Oluchi and subsequently killed his rival, Oluchi’s husband (Cajethan) before taking his own life.

According to a source from the community, Eze Ozoara who reported the incident to the police, the suicide note was also said to have contained how the late inspector had gave Oluchi the sum of N150, 000 on trust that she would marry him, only for him to discover later that she had already married Cajethan.

When the inspector discovered the betrayal, he was said to have confronted Oluchi to refund his money, but Oluchi’s husband, according to the police report, threatened the late police officer with a charm which eventually made him to take the law in his own hands by killing the couple and himself.

Meanwhile Ikeokwu said the corpses have been deposited in the morgue while investigation has begun.

19 STATES YET TO COMMENCE THE PAYMENT OF MINIMUM WAGE SAYS ~ NLC

Worker's Day: See the States that are Paying the N30,000 New Minimum Wage to their Civil Servants

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said that only 17 states out of 36 states have so far commenced the implementation of the N30,000 new minimum wage for civil servants in their employment.

The labour union also said that negotiations on the payment of the new minimum wage are still on-going in 16 states.

States that have commenced the implementation of the new minimum wage are:

1. Borno,

2. Delta,

3. Ebonyi,

4. Edo,

5. Jigawa,

6. Kaduna,

7. Kano,

8. Katsina,

9. Kebbi,

10. Lagos,

11. Ondo,

12. Sokoto,

13. Yobe and

14. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

NLC also said that 20 states have not commenced the implementation of the new minimum wage.

The states include:

1. Benue

2. Cross River

3. Ekiti

4. Enugu

5. Gombe

6. Imo

7. Kogi

8. Kwara

9. Nasarawa

10. Ogun

11. Oyo,

12. Osun

13. Plateau

14. Rivers

15. Taraba

16. Zamfara.

NON-MEDICAL FACE MASK MADE OF CLOTHES DOES NOT PREVENT COVID-19 – NAFDAC WARNS

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has made clarifications on the use of non-medical face masks to stop the spread of Coronavirus.

The agency in a statement made available on its official Twitter page, said face masks which include self-made or commercial masks or face covers made of clothes does not prevent spread of diseases but reduces chances.

It advised Nigerians to perform a simple test to know if the mask is protective.

The statement in part reads: “Simple test: If wearer can put off a flame from a cigarette lighter that is placed in front of the wearer, the mask is protective enough.”

According to NAFDAC, “Barrier face masks do not prevent you from contracting disease but, they have been found to contribute to reduce spread of infections when used widely in conjunction with other measures. Such measures include social distancing, not touching the face, eyes or mouth, washing of hands with soap for 20 secs or use of alcohol based hand sanitizers.”

The agency warned that non-medical face masks made of cloth are not standardized for use in healthcare settings or by healthcare professionals.

“They serve to limit spread of droplets and offer some measure of protection to those around you.

“The material of construction is usually cloth(textile fabric), non-woven wadding, or paper-like materials. For these Barrier Masks, 100% cotton is preferred though, polyester, linen or knit fabric can be used.

“These face masks are recommended to be washed daily and preferably should be a double layer of fabric to increase the absorbency and effectiveness.

“It must be noted that several washes, drying and stretching of the mask over time reduce the effectiveness of the mask,” the statement read in part.

The agency made the statement following compulsory use of face masks by state governments as Nigeria continues to battle the spread of COVID-19.

AKWA IBOM BEGINS PAYMENT OF N30, 000 MINIMUM WAGE

Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State.

The Akwa Ibom government is to commence the payment of N30, 000 minimum wage to civil servants this January.

A statement from the head of the civil service in the state, Effiong Essien, Tuesday, said the state governor, Udom Emmanuel, has also approved the payment of one-month arrears of the minimum wage to the workers.

Mr Essien said the commencement of the payment is in fulfillment of Mr Emmanuel’s earlier assurances to workers on the issue.

The governor, Wednesday, took to Twitter to thank the workers “for their patience and understanding”. He urged the workers to reciprocate the government’s gesture with their dedication to duty “to fast-track the actualization of the completion agenda”.

In another development, Governor Emmanuel on Tuesday attended a meeting at the Qua Iboe Terminal, Ibeno, between Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Akwa Ibom government, and the host communities to the American oil company.

The essence of the meeting, the governor said, was to strengthen the relationship between Akwa Ibom government, Mobil, and the host communities.

“My visit here is a means of interaction, collaboration and partnership that we need one another. The government needs ExxonMobil, ExxonMobil also needs government; that’s the essence of the visit. It is that essence of collaboration that made this meeting possible,” Mr Emmanuel said at the meeting which was attended by the managing director of Mobil, Paul McGrath, the vice-chairman of Mobil, Udom Inoyo, and other top management staff of the company.

“We have decided that we will see a way to have that cordial working relationship between not just government and ExxonMobil including the host community as well and even the staff, so we look at the welfare of everybody.

“I want to use this opportunity to appreciate the executive and management of ExxonMobil led by the CEO, and also thank the host communities for their peaceful co-existence with ExxonMobil in the past three years; we expect a lot more,” the governor said.

Mr Emmanuel administration has been putting pressure on Mobil to relocate its headquarters from Lagos to Akwa Ibom. It is unclear if the issue was raised in the meeting.

LAGOS STATE TO BEGIN PAYMENT OF N35,000 MINIMUM WAGE NOVEMBER; CHECK OUT THE NEW SALARY SCALE

Lagos To begin payment of N35,000 new minimum wage November; Releases Consequential Adjustment Scale




Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has concluded arrangement to pay N35,000 as the new minimum wage for workers beginning from November, 2019.

The decision was arrived at after series of meetings and discussions between the Lagos State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JNC) and Lagos State Government as witnessed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) on the payment of the New Minimum Wage to Lagos State Public Sector Workers on Friday.

Comrade Rasaq Adio Falade, State Chairman, JNC said necessary terms of settlement and agreement were reached after the end of the meeting on Friday.

The National Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (NJPSNC) and the Federal Government’s Negotiations and Consequential Adjustment of Salaries had produced the following figures on Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS): GL. 01-06=N30,000; GL. 07=23.2%; GL. 08=20%; GL. 09=19%; GL. 10-14=16% and GL. 15-17=14%.

However, Falade said in consonance with the pronouncements of Sanwo-Olu, the government agreed to pay N35,000 as minimum wage.

He said government had agreed to pay GL. 01-06=N35,000.09;. GL. 07=30%; GL. 08-10=25%; GL. 12-14=22.5% and GL. 15-17=20%.

Falade added that payment of allowances peculiar to certain professions/sectors such as health workers, medical personnel, teachers, and so on, embedded in their respective Consolidated Salary Structures (e.g. CONHESS, CONMESS, CONTISS, etc) shall be paid for those stated items (e.g. Hazard, Call, Shift, etc) at such rates as provided in the various salaries of government approved in 2011.

He disclosed that the payment of the New Minimum Wage at the consequential adjustment rates shall commence in Lagos State in the November, 2019 salary cycle.

“The New Minimum Wage Act came into effect on the 18th April, 2019 as such, it was agreed that payment of the six and half months arrears shall be be made and concluded by the first quarter of year 2020,” he said.

Below is the breakdown:

LAGOS STATE SALARIES CONSEQUENTIAL ADJUSTMENT/INCREASE
a. GL. 01-06=N35,000.09
b. GL. 07=30%
c. GL. 08-10=25%
d. GL. 12-14=22.5%
e. GL. 15-17=20%

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SALARIES CONSEQUENTIAL ADJUSTMENT/INCREASE

a. GL. 01-06=N30,000
b. GL. 07=23.2%
c. GL. 08=20%
d. GL. 09=19%
e. GL. 10-14=16%
f. GL. 15-17=14%

MINIMUM WAGE: FG, LABOUR FINALLY REACH AGREEMENT ON CONSEQUENTIAL ADJUSTMENTS - FESTUS KEYAMO

The Federal Government and organised labour on Thursday finally agreed on the percentage increase on the consequential adjustment in workers’ salaries as a result of the new minimum wage of N30,000.

As the meeting reached an advanced stage, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, tweeted from the venue that both parties had reached an agreement, but he did not give details.

The tweet read, “After some delicate negotiations (with both ministers as conciliators), the government and labour have finally reached an agreement on the consequential adjustment of other wages following the implementation of the enhanced minimum wage of N30,000. We are working on the communiqué.”

In a statement, the President of the Trade Union Congress, Quadri, and the Secretary General, Musa-Lawal Ozigi, confirmed the peace pact, commending the Federal Government and labour for their patience while the National Minimum Wage negotiations lasted.

The statement read, “We commend the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade

Yemi-Esan, and her team for their sincerity. Though they argued that the government could not afford to meet our earlier demand of N30,000 minimum wage across board because of the economic situation in the country, we made them understand that some people could not be more Nigerian than others. If we are tightening our belts, government should also do so.”

The secretary of the JNCSNC, Alade Lawal, also confirmed the figure to our correspondent through a text message after confirmation on what was agreed with the FG was sought from him.

Lawal had earlier told our correspondent that the parties had reached an agreement on the wage crisis.

He said both parties agreed on 23.2 percentage increase for workers at grade level 07; 20 per cent for those at grade level 08; 19 per cent for workers at grade level 09; 16 per cent for those on levels 10 to 14; and 14 per cent for workers at grade levels 15 to 17.

 The meeting was still going on as of the time of filing this report (12.56am) on Friday.

The agreement did not come easy as negotiations between both parties collapsed several times in the last six months.

The agreement came 182 days after President Muhammadu Buhari signed the new minimum wage into law.

After the necessary legislative processes at the National Assembly, president Buhari signed the 2019 New National Minimum Wage Bill into law on April 18, 2019.

Thursday’s meeting was slated to begin at 7pm but more than one hour after the labour team, led by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, and the government team had taken their seat, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, and Festus Keyamo (SAN) came into the conference room.

Present at the meeting were the General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress, Musa Origi; NLC General Secretary, Emma Ugboaja; Chairman of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, Simon Anchaver; Secretary of the council, Alade Lawal; the President, Nigeria Union of Civil Service, Amaechi Lawrence; and the union’s General Secretary, Issa Aremu.

On the government side were the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan; acting Chairman of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta; and the Permanent Secretary in the labour ministry, William Alo.

Ngige reminded the gathering that the future of the country must be given consideration in the negotiations.

He said if the country became broke because of personnel cost, it would suffer the consequences.

The leader of the government team, Folashade Yemi-Esan, said since Wednesday’s meeting adjourned around 2am on Thursday, members of the government team had not rested because of the enormous work given to it for an agreement to be reached at the Thursday meeting.