The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • NLC to Fed. Govt: reimburse states for projects

    NLC to Fed. Govt: reimburse states for projects

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government to reimburse states for repair of some federal roads.

    The refund will enable the states to pay salaries, pensions and contractors’ debts, NLC president Ayuba Wabba told The Nation.

    Wabba said the reimbursement of the states would stimulate the economy.

    He said the government should devise palliative measures to help Nigerians who now have  to pay more for goods and services without a comensurate rise in salaries, pen sions and other earnings.

    Wabba urged Nigerians to use the  Eid-el-Fitri celebration to reflect on the state of the nation in order to confront its challenges.

    “I have no doubt that with discipline, piety, humility, scholarship, good neighbourliness or a sense of consideration for others and renewal of our faith in God, we shall prevail.

    “Eid-el-Fitr avails us an opportunity to deepen our faith in our country and our belief in ourselves to fight the vices that divide us as well as stifle national development such as corruption, social injustice, inequity, discrimination, politics of exclusion and other vices. It also avails us an opportunity to experience the pains and pangs of hunger of the poor, the deprived and the excluded,” he said.

    In another development, the NLC has donated N1 million to the family of rights activist, Chima Ubani, who died in a road accident on September 25, 2005.

    Ayuba, who promised to sustain the gesture for five years, said the fund would support the tuition fee and other expenses of Ubani’s children.

    He praised the late Ubani for his impact in the labour struggle, adding that his effort would be documented.

    Meanwhile, members of the civil liberties organisations, who attended the meeting between the family and NLC, urged Wabba to unite the NLC, saying division among its members would hinder it’s development. Ubani’s widow, Ochuwa collected the cheque on behalf of the family.

  • Centre trains 100 entrepreneurs

    Founder, Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL), Prof. Pat Utomi, has attributed the high unemployment rate to a failure to cultivate the right values that can bring out the best in youths.

    Utomi spoke at the CVL Young Entrepreneurship Training Programme (YEPT) graduation and presentation of start-up and grant to 100 trained graduands in Lagos.

    Utomi observed that Nigeria has many resources, most importantly people, noting that rather than view the large population as a burden, it can actually be transformed to a source of great strength for strong economic resurgence.

    He cited China that has learnt to utilise and harness its great population to emerge as an economic leader as evidence of the possibility that abounds when a nation invests in its people.

    According to him, there is the need for youths to embrace entrepreneurship as the only way out of the country’s biting unemployment.

    Utomi noted that business training were essential for them to succeed.

    On his choice of Ajegunle as the first beneficiary of the centre’s pilot project, Utomi said there is vibrancy in the community that he believed on a larger level, can force a positive change in the society.

    “My ties with Ajegunle go back to 1968 when my father drove through there with me, on the way to visit  a relation who was a warder at the Kirikiri Prison.

    “When CVL began to explore setting up an initiative for forming entrepreneurs, Ajegunle was a natural catchment area,” he explained.

    He said values and leadership could transport people from places of disadvantage to locations of top play and sustained superior performance.

    According to the organisers, YETP is a one-year project funded by CITI Foundation. It is an intensive entrepreneurship programme for community youths in Ajegunle between ages 18 and 35 years to provide them with business support, technical, business information, start-ups and access to financial links.

    Utomi further explained that the graduands are to be retained in an alumni group for continued monitoring and encouragement. He said through the alumni association, they would be able to provide clusters in communities to widen the training experience of trainees and periodically add values in emerging trends, technology and information.

    The 100 trainees were given N100,000 each as start-ups and grants.

    Utomi congratulated the trainees and admonished them to distinguish themselves in their various fields.

    Speaking to newsmen, a graduand, Mr. Julius Lemeh, was full of praise for Utomi and CVL for the initiative. He expressed his appreciation for the training. He rated the programme high and revealed that some of his friends have signed up for the next edition of the programme.

  • Emulate Oshiomhole on minimum wage, Labour advises governors

    Emulate Oshiomhole on minimum wage, Labour advises governors

    Organised labour in Edo State has called on other governors to emulate their Edo State counterpart Adams Oshiomhole on workers’ welfare.

    A joint statement signed by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) chairmen, Comrades Emmanuel Ademokun and Marshal Ohue described Oshiomhole as a pace setter who should be emulated for increasing workers’ salary without agitation, especially at  a time when many governors could not pay salaries.

    Oshiomhole had during the Workers’ Day celebration promised to increase the minimum wage from N18,000 to N25,000, and this was effected in workers’ salaries last month.

    Meanwhile, TUC has urged leaders to be upright and God fearing.

    In a statement signed by its  President Comrade Bobboi Kaigama to mark the Eid-el-Fitri celebration, TUC called on the leaders to learn from the lessons of Ramadan, which are to be upright and honest for Nigeria to compete with other nations.

    “One of the things fasting does is that it humbles you and helps check acts of ungodliness. It is rather unfortunate that what we have had over the years is that people claim a form of godliness during fasting, but turn otherwise on its completion.

    ‘’The leadership of our dear country and politicians have a lot to learn here, and we encourage them to do so. This is the period we must match our words with action,” the statement said.

    Continuing, he said: “We all should understand that our purpose in life here is to live in obedience to our creator’s will and make other people happy.We all must take advantage that the celebration has provided the opportunity to pray for the return of peace in the country; an end to terrorism and every form of disaster and the gross waste of our national assets by the militants. Peace and development are like Siemens twins, which is what we need in Nigeria of our dream.”

    Kaigama called on Muslims faithful to remain self-disciplined, work for the progress of the country and accommodate every Nigerian irrespective of their religious orientation as these appear to be the only recipe for development.

  • ITF to take training to IDPs, rural areas

    ITF to take training to IDPs, rural areas

    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) accross the country will benefit from the vocational and technical training development programmes organised by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).

    The Acting Director-General of the Fund, Dicson Onuoha, said the vocational and technical skills trainings for IDPs, which is in line with the Federal Government’s desire for the rehabilitation, reintegration and empowerment of internally displaced persons, is being done in order to properly reintegrate those affected by insurgency and militancy into the society, thereby creating opportunities for economic growth, empowerment, industrialisation and self reliance.

    Onuoha told The Nation that the Fund will also utilise it’s recently acquired mobile training units/ trucks to advance training and empowerment programmes for IDPS in parts of the country where they are located, saying the training which is in various skills development and trade areas, will be provided in order for a greater number of the people to be empowered.

    He said skills will be provided in various trade areas that can stimulate and drive economic growth, including welding, fabrication and information and communication technology, amongst others, pointing out that women and youths will specifically be targeted for the skills acquisition programme so as to achieve maximum impact.

    The ITF helmsman said skills acquisition and development forms an integral part of economic growth, job creation and industrialisation, adding that it is the belief of the Fund that the training opportunity will spur the needed development and economic empowerment yearned for by the people.

    He described this move by ITF, as being part of the Federal Government’s gesture towards achieving its job creation objectives and youth empowerment initiatives, stating that the agency will partner with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the government’s objectives of job creation and youth empowerment are achieved.

    Onuoha  recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari has already directed that all internally displaced persons be returned to their states,  saying  ITF will work towards ensuring that the President’s directive succeeds, by providing the needed survival skills for the returnees through technical and vocational trainings.

  • Probe TCN management, union urges govt

    Probe TCN management, union urges govt

    The Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), has asked the Federal Government to probe the poor management and under-performance of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) under Manitoba Hydro International Nigeria Limited (MHINL).

    SSAEAC President,  Chris Okonkwo, who spoke at a briefing in Lagos, said there has not been any significant improvement in power, since MHINL took charge four years ago, stating that corruption and politicisation of the power sector  have compounded the operational processes of TCN.

    “A look at the calibre and number of staff of MHINL evokes crass disdain for the quality of Nigerian professionals in TCN, who are subjected under men and women who are mediocres in the core business of TCN, and who use the Nigerians to do the little that is recorded as success of the contract, with outrageously high fees paid to the MHINL for little or no work done,” he said.

    Describing the contract as political, Okonkwo alleged that from inception till date, Manitoba exploited the weakness in the system.

    “They (Manitoba) are morally and ethically bankrupt and should be investigated if the current war against corruption will have a meaning,” he alleged.

    He warned the Federal Government against another extension being pushed for by MHINL, saying it will lead to industrial action from workers. He said it was neccessary for the government to look inwards by sourcing local contractors and professionals in the sector.

    Okonkwo also lamented that most of the firms who bid for stakes in the sector were insincere about their ability to inject funds into the sector. “When will government open its eyes to see that the investors today are not real investors?” he asked.

    He argued that the investors, who should have brought in investment and engaged technical partners, turned out to be hiring them temporarily for the bidding purpose. This, he said, was why the so-called investors are left to do a business they knew nothing about.

  • NDE unfolds employment scheme

    NDE unfolds employment scheme

    In line with its statutory mandate for mass employment creation through skills acquisition, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), has concluded arrangements for the take-off of several new employment creation schemes, the acting Director-General, Kunle Obayan, has said.

    Obayan said the new employment scheme, tagged: School-To-Work  Scheme, will be pilot tested in one state in each of the six geo-political zones. The states are Anambra, Ondo, Kogi, Cross River, Katsina  and Bauchi.

    Obayan told The Nation,  that the new scheme is targeted at secondary school students in JSS 3 and SS2  in the first instance, adding that the training would be carried out during the forthcoming long vacation period.

    He  said the objective of  the  initiative is to meaningfully engage the students, while on long vacation, with a view to ensuring that they stayed away from anti-social conducts,  stating that the scheme is envisaged to establish the culture of skills acquisition among the young in Nigeria under the regular school system environment, thereby incorporating skills acquisition into the national educational system.

    Obayan said a  total of 150 students would be trained per state, making a total of 900 students nationwide drawn from the six states under the pilot phase of the scheme. He said the students would be motivated through the payment of stipends throughout the two-month duration of the training.

    ”Different kinds of skills shall be provided and the students will be required to choose from the list, depending on the suitability of the skills to the given environment.

    “For instamce, beads stringing, GSM repairs, GSM applications installations, confectioneries, soap/pomade making, barbing/hair dressing, head gear-tying and facial beauty care, manicure and pedicure, satellite dish installation/maintenance, interior decoration, photography and video camera operations, catering,  hat making, agric market gardening, poultry keeping, POP  and interlocking, will be offered, he said.

    He  said NDE has finalised arrangements for the commencement of other new employment creation initiatives under the Rural Employment Promotion Programme (REP).

    On the NDE Agricultural Park, Obayan said it is an all-inclusive agribusiness cluster that is a hub of commercial activities with high employment generation potentials.

    “The park provides a favourable environment for entrepreneurship offering capacity building (training, incubation, mentorship, technical and business support) pre-developed business plans, start-up capital and access to market. The competitive small enterprises have close buying/selling relationships and utilisation of common technologies and facilities for production and value addition,” he said.

    He said that two parks have been established in Sabuwa LGA of Katsina State and Akunnu in Akoko North LGA of Ondo State.

  • Union praises govt on auto policy

    The Automobile, Boatyards, Transport, Equipment and Allied Senior Staff Association (AUTOBATE), has praised the Federal Government for its affirmative position and endorsement of automotive policy made known by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

    The union said in a press statement by  its National President, Comrade Sola Olorunfemi, that  it is particularly elated that the endorsement vindicated its earlier position that the auto policy must be fully implemented in order to boost local production and create more jobs. The essence of a real change seeking economy is human development and this is one precise way to correctly demonstrate industrial growth, it said.

    “AUTOBATE firmly believes that the auto policy should only be progressively reviewed. The Federal Government should continue with its promise to working to engage banks and other financiers to act as technical partners both in Nigeria and outside Nigeria to provide funding for operators.

    “It is also a right step that the Federal Government is planning to “leverage technology to fight smuggling of used cars across the border.”

    He, however, urged the Federal Government to move further by directly investing in the industry and making history with a public-sector auto company that will earmark us as real local producer of automobile. This, according to him, will widen public profit and create much more massive employment.

    “AUTOBATE congratulates auto stakeholders for agreeing with our viewpoint rather than continual preference for a second hand industry. We hereby urge all auto companies to treat workers’ welfare as utmost, and stop the recent redundancy. There is no excuse anymore,” he said.

  • NLC decries sale of public utilities

    NLC decries sale of public utilities

    •Seeks urgent action against financial outflows

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has faulted the continued sale of public utilities by the Federal Government.

    In an address at a conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, said  the Federal Government should scale down and reverse, where possible, the decision to privatise public services, arguing that according to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the state still remains the driver of the commanding heights of the economy, and the provider of jobs and services.

    Wabba argued that aggressive privatisation should not be an excuse for failing to stem Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) from Nigeria.

    “The case for serious, aggressive, brave and sustainable inward looking cannot be more urgent than now that the country is confronted with near-unprecedented economic challenges, to the extent that the performance of basic and fundamental state duties, such as payment of salaries and pension as and when due is under real threat”.

    He noted that since African Union Heads of State in Addis Ababa adopted the African Union-Economic Commission for Africa (AU-ECA) report on Illicit-Financial Flows (IFF) from Africa, no action has been taken, even when the report pointedly said  $50billion is lost to Africa annually through IFF activities.

    Wabba said the need for action is underscored by the increasing poverty and social discontent in the land.

    He said rather than commit the same zeal and attention to dealing with these criminalities and their perpetrators for which Congress will ever be ready to support the government, the NLC is amused that government has chosen to pursue tax policies such as increasing Value Added Tax, raise the pump price of petroleum products, devalue the Naira and other policies that will punish the poor and exacerbate the hardship and miseries of indigent households.

    To repatriate the funds for development purposes, Wabba urged African countries to seek and pursue effective cooperation with themselves and other developing countries, particularly in terms of tax policy, practices and information-sharing.

    “African governments should strive to eliminate undermining and damaging tax competition with and amongst them.  In essence, tax concession in relation to attracting Foreign Direct Investment should be critically rethought. African governments should seek cooperation with other developing countries to enforce multilateral adoption and implementation of measures to end financial and corporate secrecy jurisdictions, which have contributed in major ways to the fledging of tax havens and thus loss of revenues to African governments.

  • TUC rejects law on social services levy

    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Rivers State chapter, has kicked against the law on social services levy before the State House of Assembly.

    Its Chairman, Comrade Chika Onuegbu, told reporters that the union and its affiliates would not accept the reintroduction of the controversial social services levy, or any  new tax law in whatever disguise on  workers in the state.

    He said the position of TUC  on the new tax law before the state House of Assembly is clear, saying a court of competent jurisdiction has previously ruled against that law and similar laws.

    He said the union resisted the law under the previous administration in the state, and that the union shall continue to resist it under the present administration as such law amounts to double taxation of the workers.

    The TUC boss said members of the union and her affiliates never paid the social services contributory levy in the state and were also not part of its Board as previously constituted.

    Onuegbu said the planned reintroduction of the law amounted to additional hardship on the workers, stressing that the TUC in the state will resist the planned imposition of additional taxes by the government.

    He advised the state government to limit the collection of taxes to the Taxes and Levies (Approved list for Collection) Act.

    He enjoined the state House of Assembly to concentrate on making laws that will improve the welfare of the workers and ordinary people in the state.