MINIMUM WAGE: OSHIOMHOLE BREAKS SILENCE ON GOVERNORS’ FORUM REFUSAL TO PAY N30,000 TO WORKERS

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has taken a stand in the battle between Nigerian governors and labour unions over the N30,000 minimum wage.

Adams Oshiomole

Oshiomhole said the governors have no excuse to deny the workers the agreed minimum wage, adding that a labourer deserves to be paid as at when due.

Oshiomhole, who was the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, told New Telegraph that delaying or refusing to pay workers hinders the economic development of any state.

The Nigerian Governors Forum, comprising the 36 states governors and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, had after their meeting in Abuja last week, said they cannot pay the agreed N30000 minimum wage.

Oshiomhole said, “My views are clear that payment of wages is not an act of kindness for an employer to pay the employees’ wages at the end of the month.

“There are provisions in our Labour Act that says that you cannot delay the payment of salaries in excess of 30 days interval, which means salaries ought not to accumulate beyond 30 days.

“Government decides the size of its employment, but when it makes the decision to employ, it has the obligation to pay. Even the Holy Bible says that the labourer is entitled to his wages.

“I think again, this is where President Buhari stands out clearly. He has publicly asked public sector employers; how do you sleep when you have not paid your employees for one year.

“But he did not stop at lamenting, he went on to provide the much talked about bailout fund and said ‘please use this money to pay your workers and pay pension arrears.’

“And even the deductions from states that were done under the PDP in the name of settling our foreign debts, under President Buhari, despite the huge financial challenges that he faces, he decided to assist the states to meet up with their social obligations by paying what is now referred to as Paris Club refund.

“So, I am very proud that the President has conscience, he recognizes that the Nigerian worker deserves his wages and that is why he has publicly lamented that there are governors who have not paid salaries as and when due, whether they are PDP or APC is immaterial.

“And in seeking to deal with this, he has also provided support across party divide and I think that is statesmanship at its best.

“As for my views on the minimum wage, I tried to deal with it as a governor. I told my colleagues then that wage is not a burden.

“In Economics, when people work and get paid, purchasing power is enhanced and because purchasing power is enhanced, producers will respond to that by seeking to produce more goods and services. In the process, they will recruit more hands.

“But when you don’t pay wages, you create a vicious circle, nonpayment of wages leads to low purchasing power, nonpayment of rents, which compounds the problem of those who have invested in real estate thereby depressing the commercial life of the country.

“I tried to settle this question by increasing minimum wage in Edo State to N25,000 from N18,000. I remember some people calling me to ask how I will pay it. I am on record of having paid it and as we speak, my successor in office is paying it. I do not agree with those who say Nigeria cannot afford a more realistic minimum wage.

“My being in government or now chairman of a party cannot change what I believe in. I believe that no nation has enough to meet the greed of leaders, but nations have enough to meet the basic needs of their people.

“The real problem in the public sector is money being stolen in the name of salaries. I found it embarrassing when we talk about ghost workers. And I ask the question who counts ghosts? It is only in Nigeria that ghosts are known.

“The labourer deserves his wage, and the primary purpose of government is the welfare of its people. So, we must pay wages as and when due. “

FED GOVT DECLARES TUESDAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Abdulrahman Dambazau

The federal government has declared Tuesday as Public Holiday to mark the Eid-el Maulud.

The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, a retired lieutenant general, made the declaration on Friday in Abuja in a statement by Mohammed Umar, Permanent Secretary of the ministry.

Mr Dambazau called on Muslim faithful to align themselves with the prophet’s teachings which border on piety, charity, tolerance and peaceful co-existence, among others.

He equally called on all Nigerians to uphold these virtues with a view to overcoming the current national challenges facing the country.

Mr Dambazau assured that the federal government remained committed to the unity of the country, and as such, would put adequate structures on ground towards ensuring that forthcoming general elections were credible, free and fair.

He wishes all Nigerians a joyous and peaceful Eid-El Maulud.

(NAN)

COURT ORDERS FORFEITURE OF UNCLAIMED N157BN RECOVERED BY EFCC TO FG

Justice Obiozor had ordered the EFCC to publish the interim order in the newspapers for anyone interested in the money to show up in court to prove why it should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government. On Tuesday, Iheanacho told the judge that the publication order had been complied with, adding that no one had shown up to lay claim to the money.

The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of the sums of N1,250,000,000; $327,132.35, £167.85 and €157.91 recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the Federal Government.

Justice Chuka Obiozor gave the order on Tuesday, following a suit filed by the EFCC against Heritage Bank Plc and Secure Electronics Technology Limited.

The anti-graft agency said the funds were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

Iheanacho Ekene, Counsel for the EFCC, told Justice Obiozor that “The persons in whose possession the funds were found are not laying claim to them and surrendered them for forfeiture.”

In August, Justice Obiozor had made a temporary forfeiture order in respect of the funds. He ordered the EFCC to publish the interim order in the newspapers for anyone interested in the money to show up in court to prove why it should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

On Tuesday, Iheanacho told the judge that the publication order had been complied with, adding that no one had shown up to lay claim to the money. He urged the judge to order that the funds be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

As there was no opposing application, Justice Obiozor ordered the sums of N1.2bn, $327,132.35, £167.85 and €157.90 permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

In a supporting affidavit to the forfeiture application, a female investigator with the EFCC, Oghare Ogbole, had averred that the funds were discovered following an intelligence report received by the anti-graft agency.

She added that, “Heritage Bank did not provide any legitimate explanation for the above transactions (involving the sums) and consequently returned the said money through 16 separate bank drafts issued in favour of the EFCC Recovered Funds Account.

“Attached and marked as exhibits EFCC 7A to 7F are the bank drafts representing the refund of the sums of N157,000,000,000 by Heritage Bank Plc, on the sums of $327,132.35, £167.85 and €157.90," she said.

I WILL SELL 90% OF NNPC IF ELECTED, ATIKU VOWS

Atiku

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, says he will sell the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and retain just 10 per cent of the company for the Federal Government.

Atiku said this in an interview with The African Report, a monthly publication.

Atiku, who presided over the National Council on Privatisation during his tenure as vice-president, said the NNPC was supposed to have become more profitable by now.

On whether he would sell NNPC and keep 10 per cent shares for the government, he said, “Yes, I would want to go ahead. There is no doubt about that. The government should have a very minor shareholding. Nigeria is in dire need of funds to develop its infrastructure and other sectors of the economy.”

The PDP presidential candidate said Nigeria ought to have been producing far more than two million barrels of oil per day.

Speaking further on the privatisation of the nation’s oil company, he said, “Without a stable regulatory framework, the oil and gas companies will find it difficult to invest more in Nigeria.

“At the time, we pushed for the passage of the new law. We expected that Nigeria would be able to export up to four million barrels per day, but here we are, still at less than two million barrels per day.”

JUSTICE NYAKO ORDERS SENATOR ABARIBE TO PAY N100M OVER KANU'S ABSENCE IN COURT

Kanu

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the three persons, including Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, who stood sureties for the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, to within two months, pay the sum of N100m each into the court’s account for their inability to produce the missing Biafran activist in court.

Justice Binta Nyako gave the order on Wednesday in a ruling in which she amended the conditions of the bail she had in April 2017 granted Kanu.

Kanu is being prosecuted before the court on charges of treasonable felony.

His trial had been earlier separated from that of his co-accused following his disappearance after a military invasion of his home in Afara-Ukwu, Umuahia, in Abia State, on September 14, 2017.

The three sureties who guaranteed his bail had been made to sign a bail bond of N100m each which was backed by their landed assets whose documents were deposited in court.

But with the amendment ordered by the court on Wednesday, they are now required to deposit cash of N100m in the bank account of the court.

Justice Nyako ruled that the three sureties had two months to pay the sum of N100m each into the court’s account.

The judge reiterated that the order directing the sureties to pay the money was an order of interim forfeiture.

She fixed March 28 for the hearing of the motions filed by the sureties to challenging the duties imposed on them to produce the IPOB leader.

UNIPORT GRADUATE OF CRIMINOLOGY CAUGHT IN THE ACT OF STEALING AT GTBank IN PORT HARCOURT (SEE PICS)

A man was severely dealt with and arrested after he was caught stealing in a bank earlier today in Port-Harcourt, Rivers state. 

According to reports, the suspect who claims his name is Ifeanyi Dike from Abia state, was apprehended while allegedly stealing from unsuspecting victim in GT bank located at GRA in the state capital. 

It was reported that the suspect goes from bank to bank - disguising as a customer who wants to do a transaction before looking for victims to steal various properties from including cash. 

After he was nabbed, he also claimed to be a graduate of Criminology at the University of Port-Harcourt (UNIPORT).

He was beaten severely as one of those who caught him - revealed that this was the second time he was nabbed for the same offence. 

He was later taken away to the police station after receiving some strokes. 

ORGANISED LABOUR GIVES DECEMBER FINAL DEADLINE FOR N30,000MINIMUM WAGE IMPLEMENTATION

~ Says any reduction or delay will lead to devastating consequences

THE Organised Labour on Tuesday gave December, this year, as the final deadline for the full implementation of the N30,000 new national minimum wage.

Besides, Labour warned that any reduction in the N30,000 agreed by the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage; as contained in the committee’s report to the President or any further delay in its passage will lead to devastating consequences.

The President of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama and the Secretary-General of the Association of Senior Civil Servant of Nigeria (ASCSN), Comrade Bashir Lawal, gave the warning at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the ASCSN, held at the Chida Hotel, Abuja on Tuesday.

They both warned that labour would not accept anything less than the N30,000 agreed by the Committee, as Nigerian workers patiently await President Muhammadu Buhari, to forward the Executive Bill to the National Assembly, for its passage into law.

In his speech, Comrade Kaigama, who is also the National President of ASCSN, stressed the urgent need to fast-track the implementation of the newly agreed national minimum wage.

Specifically, he said the expectation of labour is that the full implementation of the N30,000 new minimum wage should not exceed December.

Though Kaigama stated that he would not pre-empt President Buhari that the N30,000 agreed through the process of tripartite negotiation could be reduced, but he quickly warned that the consequences of reducing or delaying its implementation would be very devastating.

He said: “The Federal Government is advised to avoid any action that can delay or truncate the process of enacting the new Minimum Wage Act as the consequences of allowing that to happen can be very devastating.”

According to Kaigama: “It is worthy of note that the single most important issue agitating the mind of an average Nigerian worker today is that of the new National Minimum Wage, the report of which was presented to Mr President on Tuesday 6th November 2018. It is apt to state that against all odds the Tripartite Committee that negotiated the new Minimum Wage was able to scale all hurdles and agreed to the sum of N30,000 as the new Minimum wage for the country.

“It is on this premise that I strongly want to appeal to the Federal Government to fast-track the process of enacting the new National Minimum Wage into law.

“Our expectation is that the Government should be able to complete the entire process before the end of this year so that workers who have waited for so long can begin to enjoy a new lease of life provided by the newly agreed minimum wage.”

The TUC president also regretted that the core civil service, which is the engine room of government, is the least paid in the Public Service; since other segments thereof have had their emoluments beefed up over the years.

He explained that even though civil servants, for instance, possess the same qualifications and experience as their counterparts in the Parastatals and Agencies, “yet, the salaries of these other employees are, in most cases, three times more than that of officers in the core Ministries.”

He added: “This situation has been made worse by the fact that since 2010 when Salary Relativity was carried out in the core civil service, no salary increment has been granted to civil servants except for the N900 monthly that was added to the emoluments of senior officers across board after N18,000 was approved as the National Minimum Wage in 2011.”

The Secretary-General ASCSN, Comrade Lawal, said they were holding President Buhari to his words that he would send the report submitted to him to the National Assembly.

He said: “The way we interpret the President speech is that he said he is going to forward Executive Bill to the National Assembly, and on that, we stand. We are not going to accept five kobo drop on that N30,000; we are not going to accept it. We are not going to accept anything less than N30,000. Like I said earlier on, we have mobilised already, we only suspended. So, we will pick off from where we left. It is not going to be a difficult thing.”

He explained that the President should send the bill to the National Assembly before the next two weeks, saying, “we want it done less than two weeks; we cannot wait till the end of November because we want the minimum wage achieved this year.

“We are taking Mr President for his words now, but we have a timeline on when we will swing into action. Our members are ready and only waiting for directive; we are prepared because as we have always say, we have never gotten anything on a platter of gold.”