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%